Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
Hi Vicki- try Monroe Ave Pharmacy. I think that's who Librarygirl spoke to. They mentioned Dr Leila Kirdani (same $$$ as Wise), Dr Wise, and Ila Hughes. 12 corners mentioned Dr Mary Coan, Dr Wise and Dr Kirdani. Someone at Dr Wise's office also mentioned Dr Coan to me as an option if I needed the appointment to be covered by insurance.
By the way, insurance will still cover part of the appointment with Dr Wise. With BCBS, you have to submit the paperwork yourself and they will credit you the amount they would have paid for an in-network doctor. Just make sure you don't list her as your PCP because then they will credit you less. I am actually trying to check right now to see how much, if anything, I was credited. I will update here when I find out.
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
Okay, Vicki, got the insurance claim info.
The first visit was 45 minutes and cost $450, insurance allowed $160. (36%)
The second visit was 15 minutes and cost $170, plus she sold me some overpriced vitamins that make me gag for another $50 (don't fall for it). Insurance allowed $83 (49%).
That first visit really hurts. It will cost you $290 after insurance credit, and subsequent appointments (15-25 minutes) will cost about $85 per visit. You will have to go in every 5-6 weeks for an appointment in order to get your blood lab info and dose increases. Making appointments is a nightmare. Last time I was there, I was told by the doctor to come back in 4-6 weeks and I could not get a 15 minute appointment for another 9 weeks. They told me to call back and try to get an earlier one, as they may have a cancellation. If my PCP works out, I will cancel it.
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
Thanks for all the great information. For now I am keeping my appointment with Dr. Wise. (It's not until September 19th). I am going to keep looking though. I called Dr. Coan's office but she's not accepting new patients. It was too late when I got home from work but I am going to try calling Dr. Bingham's office on Monday to set up an appointment. My charge for that appointment will be $45 so I figure it's worth a shot. If he helps me it will be easier to handle that copayment over Dr. Wises fees.
This weekend I'm going to put a list together of what my symptoms were before taking levoxyl, what they are now, what tests I'm hoping to get done, and a plan of action to address it all with the doctors.
You have been so very helpful and I appreciate it all very much!
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
I do think it's a good idea to meet with Dr Bingham as well. I would also feel him out for how he feels about prescribing Armour (and then please post back and let me know!!)
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
I will let you know what Dr. Bingham says about Armour! I'm trying to stay positive about seeing him. I noticed he use to be listed under the Top Thyroid docs but for some reason it says he's no longer listed. I will go in a see what he says but yet have my list of questions and hopefully get some answers. Hopefully there won't be a long wait to get into seeing him.
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
I think he may have changed to a different practice and his address was not updated. I do know he was with a different practice before. That's the impression I got anyway, otherwise I am assuming his name would have been removed altogether. I was thinking of writing to the site to inquire as I would like to see people's reviews of him.
Best of luck with your appt. Hope you can get in soon. BuffaloNYgal just went to see him recently, hopefully she will be able to add to the conversation. I do think she liked him but her circumstances were different than ours.
I will post back on Monday and let you know how the appointment went.
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
HI!!! bee01 sent me a link to this thread..i havent been on in awhile, but after reading all the posts thought i'd share my opinion about Dr. Bingham...first off, i have a multi nodular goiter, with some compression issues (trouble swallowing and laying on my back makes me feel as if im being choked)...i have had 2 biopsies, both have given inconclusive results. My thyroid levels are all in the "normal" range, but we all know the "medical norm" may not be "normal" for us...my antibiodies are well within normal range, but recent ultrasounds showed the largest nodule has grown considerably over the past few months. My PCP referred me to an endo...I live in the Rochester NY area, and had no idea who to go to. A good friend of mine, recommended Dr. Bingham, becuz her mother goes to him. When i called to make an appt, they scheduled me a little over a month out. I took the appt, but called them EVERY monday,and sometimes more than once a week to see if they had any cancellations becuz i was anxious to get in b4 June 26..I called on june 4, they said nothing sooner but on June 5, they called me at 8:30 and said they'd had a cancellation at 3 that day and could i be there..YOU BET I COULD! (thankfully i work m,w & f so i was off work that day too!) the staff was friendly, and Dr. was very thorough, and spent a good 45 mins with me, going over my test results and options. Based on the fact that i am having compression symptoms and 2 unsucessful biopsies, he recommended a Total thyroidectomy. He said i could go to a surgeon of my choice but did recommend a group he said has numerous years experience in thyroid surgeries, and that is who i went with. My surgery is scheduled for July 5. He is very open, and honest, and seems to me that he treats conservatively and told me he treats each pt. based on symptoms and test results. He said he rarely recommends surgery but based on my symptoms, he feels that is my best option. I, personally, liked him and felt he didnt rush the visit, and was sure to answer any questions i had. Now, after the TT, i will have to f/u with him as i will have to be on synthetic thyroid meds the rest of my life. He did let me know that sometimes there is a period of dose changes to get me feeling my best. I wish all of you the best in finding answers to your thyroid problems!!! i will post my levels when i get all my lab results together...i dont have time to right now but i will so you can see how mine compare.
The following 2 users give hugs of support to: buffalonygal bee01 (06-23-2012), MarionNY (06-24-2012)
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to buffalonygal For This Useful Post: bee01 (06-23-2012), MarionNY (06-24-2012)
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
Thank you so much for sharing your story and thoughts on the doctor. Monday I am going to call and make an appointmnet to see him. I am glad that he was able to get you on the right track to feeling better! Good luck with your surgery. The right side of my thyroid swells and gives me an annoying cough. When I first started Levoxyl it seemed to help but now that I'm not at optimal levels the swelling and cough are coming back.
My thoughts and prayers are with you! You'll do great in surgery and recovery! A positive attitude is half the battle and it sounds like you are keeping positive.
The following user gives a hug of support to MarionNY: buffalonygal (06-24-2012)
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
Thanks so much for your prayers and support...It will probably be about a month if you are a new pt, so see Dr Bingham...I also have heard from another friend of mine, that his partner is also very good, Dr Rajamade (sp?) but i think he was booking out for NP's even further than Bingham. Be persistant, tho, if you want to be seen sooner, call every week and ask them if there are any cancellations. I am so glad i did that becuz, originally, i wasnt scheduled to see him until this tues (the 26th). I will be glad and relieved when its over and done with and i am praying my adjusments to meds will go smoothly as well. I dont get a cough but i am constantly clearing my throat, like i got a loogie stuck in there...it is so annoying. I also experience alot of neck pain and ear fullness. Endo doesnt think its related to the thyroid, but surgeon said it very well good be, so i guess time will tell.............its a beautiful day outside today, so glad the humidity has dropped from last week...my granddaughter is coming over soon, i'm looking forward to that..shes 2 1/2 and is such fun! Have a great day! I will keep u updated!
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
I called and cannot get into Bingham until August 17th. The other doctor in the practice that you mentioned is booking out that late too. I asked to be on the cancellation list and will call occassionally to check for cancellations. Hopefully I'll get in a bit sooner. Until then I guess I just have to deal with all these feelings. I am suppose to go to my regular doctor July 23rd so I'm going to make a list of blood tests that I can get done before I see Bingham. This way I can have the results of tests before I even see him. Hopefully that'll shorten up trying to get some answers to my issues. I'm thinking I'll request tests for B12, Iron, TSH, Free t4, Free T3, Cortisol, the regular panel that shows potassium, calcium, cholesterol, etc. Can you think of any others that would be good to know?
Thank you ladies for sharing your stories and listening to mine. It really helps to be able to relate to others going through similar experiences.
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
I would ask for ferritin (as well as serum iron) because ferritin is a better indicator of anemia. You could also ask for magnesium (tends to be low in hypoT), Vit A retinol (poor conversion from beta carotene because T4 is necessary component in liver)), selenium (necessary for conversion of T4 to T3) and a 24 hour saliva cortisol (blood levels are inaccurate). Also Vitamin D (very important, will likely be low). Your B12 should be at the top of the range, or even over the range. HbA1c (to estimate glucose levels over the last 3 months)- better than fasting glucose. Fasting insulin & fasting glucose.
The Following User Says Thank You to bee01 For This Useful Post: MarionNY (06-25-2012)
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
Hi! Appointment went well. Not really less expensive than Dr W's follow up appointments but the subsequent appointments will be less.
I go back in 4 weeks for bloodwork and follow up appointment with the NP at their office. He said it was fine that I wanted to continue on desiccated thyroid, though he did believe there was some inconsistency in the thyroid hormones in it. I don't think this is true and I will write to Acella, asking for 3rd party studies confirming that there is no inconsistency, then drop them off to the Dr. I didn't bother arguing the point, since I was getting what I needed anyway. I asked if he would increase the dosage, as long as there was room in the lab range and I was still feeling hypo symptoms. He agreed that it was fine to do that. He seemed open minded and willing to work with me. He is checking TSH, FT4 and FT3, exactly what I asked for.
He also seemed friendly and approachable. His name is Dr Henry Paszko, out of Churchville Chili Family Medicine, if you are interested in contacting his office for an appointment. I'm not sure what his medical approach would have been had I not already been going to Dr Wise and been on desiccated thyroid. It might be something you could ask the nurse, she was extremely helpful and I got right through to her without having to leave a message (a first for any doctor's office I've ever been with)
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
I'm so glad you had a good experience today! It sounds like the doctor is doing the right things - with your direction. I'm going to keep his name and just might look into seeing him.
I have been feeling really bad today so I called the Endo's office I have been going to. I have an appointment tomorrow with one of the NP's in the office. I have written down all the bloodwork I want done and the cortisol salvia test. I'm going to discuss with her my ongoing symptoms and see what kind of agreement we can come to on my meds. These shakes, dizziness and heart palps are driving me crazy!
Thanks for all your help! I'm really glad you have found a doctor that is willing to work with you.
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
Bee,
Just an update. I got into Bingham's office today. They called yesterday with a cancellation. He doses by TSH only. No to Armour or anything like it. Told me all my lab values were perfect and that my symptoms and feelings were unrelated to my thyroid. I mentioned about my low Free T3 and Free T4 and he said that was all my body needed or else it would raise my TSH and only then would he increase my levoxyl. You might want to cross him off your list of possibilites. I've been to too many doctors now and they all make me feel like I'm the crazy one. I'm not going to anymore now until I see Dr. Wise in September. Thanks for all your help!
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
hi!! well i am 2 wks post TT and feeling ok.....sorry you didnt like Dr Bingham..i was glad to have him give me the name of a good surgeon, but after surgery, i was sent home on 100mcg of synthroid...within a couple of days, my bp skyrocketed, i had the shakes a rapid pulse (92) and mine is usually in the 60s, so i called my pcp..he had me go in, and told me he thought the synthorid dose might be too high so he sent me for blood work and told me to contact my endo..i did, and becuz my tsh was "normal" bingham said to continue my 100mcg..i said NO that i ifelt like i was gona stroke out...so i decided to cut my own dose in half..and have felt great since..bp is normal, pulse rate is normal..so i dont know if i m gona continue seeing him or just have my primary follow my levels...binghams nurse told me also, that my symptoms werent related to my dose of synthroid (um, yes i believe it was)...like i said, im glad he referred me to a good surgeon, but i wasnt impressed by his after care at all...ihave my 6 wk followup appt with him on Aug 9, not sure if im gona keep it or not...my pcp seemed to be more on the ball about my symptoms and dosing, than the endo was.........why is it sooooooo difficult to find a dr who doesnt just go by our bloodwork but listens to our symptoms as well??
Re: Looking for advice & Doctor in Rochester NY area
I'm so happy to hear that you are doing ok (it's better than bad)! I hope things continue to improve for you. I understand those feelings of high pulse and BP. Mine does it off and on. It really drives me crazy. The first time it happened I went to the ER. I also have this internal tremor that I just can't seem to get rid of. Of course I've been told by 4 doctors and 2 NP that everything is unrelated to being hypothyroid and the real kicker is because they say my TSH is normal. It sounds like you have a good PCP. Sounds like he/she will be easier to work with than Bingham. I hear you on finding a good doctor. I really can't afford it but I'm going to see Dr. Wise in September. I have to start feeling better and see a doctor who isn't going to tell me its all in my head and that my symptoms aren't related to my thyroid. Hello....they sure are!!!
