Would you change your surgeon if he was your neighbor?

[TravelingChris]

Orthopedists here usually require a referral although my insurance doesn't require it. So my CRNP referred me to a orthopedic surgeon to evaluate what should be done with my knees. She says that he may be able to inject something called Orthovisc to replace?? the cartilage or see how long before I should have knee replacement. I don't think my knees need replacing, just I need new cartilage. ( as of last winter, it was 75% gone and now it is causing even worse problems). Anyway, I got a call from an orthopedists office and didn't think anything of it. But then I was trying to call my directly across the street neighbor (though they live up the hill and their house is shaded by woods) because their retaining wall has big rocks in the street. Someone either ran into it or it just fell on its own. That is when I realized that the man I see dealing with the trash, recycling, picking up mail, etc, is the surgeon I am supposed to see next week.

 

Is this a no-no? Should I request a non neighbor orthopedist? I seem to live near a lot of them since we know two of them from church and they both live near us, but they are both hand surgeons. I haven['t had surgery before so I don't know the protocol. Right now, I am wanting to see if I can get any other treatment other than surgery.

[Parrothead]

As long as you are comfortable with his work I don't see why you shouldn't be treated by him. Lots of people know their doctors socially. I would know my doctor socially if he would get out of the hospital and go back into private practice.

[NotSoObvious]

It's not a no-no, but it depends on what you are comfortable with.

 

I would switch doctors, but I am weird like that. I never want to see my doctors. Anywhere. Ever. I'd prefer if they just lived in their office. :)

[kitten18]

As long as you are comfortable with his work I don't see why you shouldn't be treated by him. Lots of people know their doctors socially. I would know my doctor socially if he would get out of the hospital and go back into private practice.

 

I agree.

[Jann in TX]

I would have no problem if my Orthopedic surgeon lived next door... now my OBGYN-- even though he is a super neat guy and his wife is now homeschooling because of me would NOT be a comfortable situation!

[TrulySusan]

I wouldn't switch for ortho but I did make arrangements to prevent my Sunday School teacher (who shared call with my OB) from delivering our first child!

[Catwoman]

I would be thrilled if my surgeon lived next door. I would figure that if I had any complications from the surgery, the doctor was just a ring of the doorbell away from me.

[momofkhm]

I would have no problem if my Orthopedic surgeon lived next door... now my OBGYN-- even though he is a super neat guy and his wife is now homeschooling because of me would NOT be a comfortable situation!

 

:iagree:

 

Yet I know a lot of people who have become social with a particular OBGYN here locally. I think that would just be weird. I ran into a substitute OB at the mall once. DH thought it was really cool but I was freaked out.

[Happy]

I love my surgeon. I'd love for him to live next door (to the west, specifically) so I could glean all sorts of interesting information from his busy brain.

 

I like doing business with people I know.

[AK_Mom4]

The GYN surgeon who performed excellent surgery on me a few years ago lives on the next street over. We can see their back yard and my husband coached their kiddo in baseball. I have no problems with knowing my surgeon socially.

[Mommyof4ks]

Around here many doctors know many people in the community, and honestly I trust doctors I know over those that I do not just because they have a connection to me. Several times I have requested those that I know for that very reason. Trust.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Wouldn't bother me in the slightest. Its not like I'm going to talk to him about the finer points of anesthesia or anything. And I don't think bones etc. are all that personal.

[Miss Marple]

I got a bit of a chuckle from this. My husband is a surgeon and we live in a rather smallish town. When we attended the "large" church here in town I would have someone come up to me every week with either, "your husband removed my left breast" or "your husband diagnosed my colon cancer" or other such lovely conversation starters. I have gotten used to it and enjoy the nice Christmas cards we get from our friends and patients. As far as neighbors go, my dh has treated several in our area :)

 

While you may feel weird about it, I can assure you that your physician thinks nothing of calling you his neighbor :). But he will also understand if you feel awkward about it.

[laundrycrisis]

I wouldn't mind at all. I grew up with a hospital departmental head nurse for a mom. We knew a lot of doctors socially, and through church, and did things like going on chartered ski trips together. The first obgyn I went to was a doctor my mom worked with and we had been skiiing with. No issues at all. My mom has had doctors she knows socially do surgery on her. They are just people doing their job.

[Kathryn]

Doctors are people too. I'd had no problem with it. My dad taught my doctor during his residency and they remained friends/acquaintances afterwards, so my relationship with him has always been a bit more than doctor/patient. Frankly, I like that. It makes me feel more like a person than at other doctor offices where I'm just a chart number.

[gardenmom5]

I wouldn't have a problem seeing a dr I know socially UNLESS I "had a problem" with the guy personally. My ob was someone I knew personally - though not close. I think I only stopped by his house once to pick up something from his wife as our son's were the same grade.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I have sweet memories of playing pickle ball with my doctor and his family when I lived in a small town.

[gingersmom]

I had an emergency appendectomy and upon meeting the surgeon my mother discovered he was the father of one of my brothers friends. In later years the friend of my brother drove me to school.

 

I thought it was kinda cool and I think my mother was relieved it was someone she felt she kinda knew.

[Word Nerd]

It was kind of awkward running into my OB at church, but I wouldn't mind if I knew a knee surgeon outside of the office. I knew our family doctor socially growing up and had dinner at his house more than once, as his son was a friend of mine.

[sparrow]

We live in a small town. We are close neighbors with our dentist, orthodontist, and ophthamologist. We are distant neighbors with the family doc and veterinarian. Many give out their cell phone number for emergencies!

[QueenCat]

That particular specialty wouldn't bother me. On another note, I have been very happy with the results of the Orthovisc. Just know you'll need to do them every 8-10 months..... I've had 4-5 rounds now.

[BigMamaBird]

I wouldn't go to an OBGYN or a General Practitioner that I knew, but I'd probably be comfortable with most other fields.

[PinkInTheBlue]

Another vote for "wouldn't bother me at all@. :)

[magnificent_baby]

If you are comfortable, and the surgeon has a good reputation, then don't switch! I have found the best way to choose a surgeon/specialist is to ask everyone you know who they would recommend.

 

My previous OB/GYN ended up being a good friend of ours. He helped us move to another house, and hung out with Dh quite a bit. Didn't bother me at all. Dh and I have hung out at different events with my current doc too; not a big deal at all!

[J-rap]

This wouldn't bother me. We live in a small town, so we know all of the doctors socially. It actually comes in handy sometimes.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Before we started homeschooling, my kids' pediatrician's daughter was in my older son's class, so we saw him at every school function. It was a little strange, but we got used to it. One of his nurses also lives right around the corner from us, so we see her walking her dog every day. I wouldn't hesitate to see a neighbor, but I might think differently if it were a close friend. Doctor's can make mistakes, and I wouldn't want to have an issue like that with a friend.

[Georgiana Daniels]

An orthopedic surgeon--no. Plastic surgeon or gyn--absolutely!

[Harriet Vane]

For 2 years our family doctor was a man at church. He was competent and had won awards, and I knew him to be someone I could trust and respect outside of the dr's office. When he moved, we switched to a doctor who also happened to be our downstairs neighbor, also from our church. It was the same wonderful kind of situation--I was glad that I knew him, knew the quality of his character. We go caroling with their family each year.

[Cinder]

I wouldn't switch if I had confidence in his ability. That said, I did switch to a new family doc after he did my gyn check-up. He was a good doc and I did have confidence in him but . . . he looked a lot like a friend of ours and it squicked me out thinking of our friend giving me the check-up. :tongue_smilie:

[Jennifer3141]

I got a bit of a chuckle from this. My husband is a surgeon and we live in a rather smallish town. When we attended the "large" church here in town I would have someone come up to me every week with either, "your husband removed my left breast" or "your husband diagnosed my colon cancer" or other such lovely conversation starters. I have gotten used to it and enjoy the nice Christmas cards we get from our friends and patients. As far as neighbors go, my dh has treated several in our area :)

 

While you may feel weird about it, I can assure you that your physician thinks nothing of calling you his neighbor :). But he will also understand if you feel awkward about it.

 

My favorite story like this was the night my DH and I were out with our family and some guy ran across the restaurant to hug my DH. He said something like, "You fixed my Mom's bowels all up! I thought she was going to die right there but after you got everything emptied out, she perked right up again. You're amazing at fixing poop! Can you look at this thing on my neck??"

 

Yeah. I ordered soup for dinner that night and didn't have a lot of enthusiasm for eating at that particular time. I do like being married to the king of poop in our town though. :laugh:

And I did keep updating him on my bowels for a few days after that. That guy was just so enthusiastic.

 

That's life in a small town. It doesn't seem like you've ever actually spoken to this guy before? Did you think he didn't own a house or have a family or something?

[dangermom]

There is a guy near us who is a pretty close family friend. I babysat his children, his youngest daughter babysat my children, now she's married and expecting, etc. We go to the same (LDS) church and there were a few years when he served as pastor for our congregation. He's also an anesthesiologist, and when I had my gall bladder out he did my anesthetic. So...yeah, he's seen me naked and unconscious. I try not to think about it. :lol: