Dr. Smithing removed a grapefruit-sized cyst from my stomach, and gave me a hysterectomy. He's been my main provider while going through menopause while I also dealt with hypothyroidism and Celiac Sprue. Since these three health issues share many symptoms, it takes patience to sort out which health problem is the cause of which symptom, and/or when it is a combination. Dr. Smithing gives me a Follical Stimulating Hormone (FSH) test when I request it, which I place more importance on than the common estradiol test. The estradiol test shows much estrogen is in the body; an FSH test determines how much estrogen reaches the patient's brain to take care of problems with focus, memory, and emotions. Dr. Smithing understands that just because a woman's FSH test reads within the accepted range, what is appropriate for her may be at the higher or lower level of the acceptable range (a midpoint reading was not correct for me). Additionally, once he feels comfortable with the patient, he has a fantastic sense of humor. At first, I felt he was too "formal". But when I was in the middle of receiving my second physical exam from him, I remarked that this whole thing would go down a lot better if he gave me wine and roses first. He laughed heartily, and now we have very informative, relaxed visits sprinkled with humor. I'm very proactive with regard to my health care, and he realizes that although he is the professional, I am the one who knows my body best. It feels like we're on the same page.
3 (100%) people found this suggestion helpful
Was it helpful to you?
 
|