Over extended

[memom]

I hesitated writing this note but feel like other needed to hear my experience. I know others have had some recent struggles with getting in touch with Dr. Latimer and now I have also gotten nowhere.

 

I made my first contact with her office to make an appointment over the phone for a new patient appointment back in June. It took 4 weeks to get the phone visit (understandable). Then the loss of her husband caused a postponement of a few more weeks (also understandable). As others, I paid out of pocket for that visit and found it very validating and gave me some direction. I followed through with her suggestions (surgery for tonsils and Cunningham study draw), then made another appointment with her for follow up (also phone, also a charged visit). That call was in the beginning of October and though she was running behind, (we didn't connect until about 7pm that night), she did call back and made a plan for the next step (she called in steriods and antibiotics). She asked me to follow up after completion to see what direction if any was in order.

 

I called her office to make another phone consult visit (now our third, all charged visits), and had an appointment for a Friday (two weeks ago) at 3:30pm. After a total of 4 calls to her office starting the time of our appointment, Andrea finally called and asked if Dr. L. could call me on Monday on her day off. Though disappointed, I could understand after a long week of seeing patients her need to get home. I called not once, but twice Monday to remind them and let them know I had not yet heard from Dr. L. The next day I called and spoke with Andrea again, twice, to let her know how to get ahold of me for the appointment. No call. After a total of 9 calls to their office over several days, I have given up. I emailed Dr. L. a week ago and have still not heard a word.

 

I would suggest any one considering using Dr. L., do not use paid phone consultation. I was expecting this to be our last visit by phone as the next step would have likely been in person (she is a 12 hour drive from us).

 

We all have experienced the hurry up and wait syndrome and many dead ends, with getting meaningful treatment for our children and I hope others take this experience of mine and consider face to face visits only.

 

I am pusuing immunologic work up at this time as I expect it would have been what Dr. L. would have suggested as the next step.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Memom

[fuelforall]

Yes, that's what seems to be happening with Dr. T. No responses,quite overloaded.

[memom]

I'm sorry to hear that.

[Stephanie2]

As I'm sure that she is an excellent physician, she also did a real disservice to me as well. I waited to have a paid phone consult with her for over a month and then she never got on the phone with me after multiple attempts. After hearing what others were experiencing, I decided that I would find an MD who is more accessible. I did find a great one who I can talk to within hours of any problem I am having. I would keep looking. She is obviously overwhelmed. I wish that she would just stop taking on patients and leading us on like that...

 

Stephanie

 

I hesitated writing this note but feel like other needed to hear my experience. I know others have had some recent struggles with getting in touch with Dr. Latimer and now I have also gotten nowhere.

 

I made my first contact with her office to make an appointment over the phone for a new patient appointment back in June. It took 4 weeks to get the phone visit (understandable). Then the loss of her husband caused a postponement of a few more weeks (also understandable). As others, I paid out of pocket for that visit and found it very validating and gave me some direction. I followed through with her suggestions (surgery for tonsils and Cunningham study draw), then made another appointment with her for follow up (also phone, also a charged visit). That call was in the beginning of October and though she was running behind, (we didn't connect until about 7pm that night), she did call back and made a plan for the next step (she called in steriods and antibiotics). She asked me to follow up after completion to see what direction if any was in order.

 

I called her office to make another phone consult visit (now our third, all charged visits), and had an appointment for a Friday (two weeks ago) at 3:30pm. After a total of 4 calls to her office starting the time of our appointment, Andrea finally called and asked if Dr. L. could call me on Monday on her day off. Though disappointed, I could understand after a long week of seeing patients her need to get home. I called not once, but twice Monday to remind them and let them know I had not yet heard from Dr. L. The next day I called and spoke with Andrea again, twice, to let her know how to get ahold of me for the appointment. No call. After a total of 9 calls to their office over several days, I have given up. I emailed Dr. L. a week ago and have still not heard a word.

 

I would suggest any one considering using Dr. L., do not use paid phone consultation. I was expecting this to be our last visit by phone as the next step would have likely been in person (she is a 12 hour drive from us).

 

We all have experienced the hurry up and wait syndrome and many dead ends, with getting meaningful treatment for our children and I hope others take this experience of mine and consider face to face visits only.

 

I am pusuing immunologic work up at this time as I expect it would have been what Dr. L. would have suggested as the next step.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Memom

[mk8898]

As I'm sure that she is an excellent physician, she also did a real disservice to me as well. I waited to have a paid phone consult with her for over a month and then she never got on the phone with me after multiple attempts. After hearing what others were experiencing, I decided that I would find an MD who is more accessible. I did find a great one who I can talk to within hours of any problem I am having. I would keep looking. She is obviously overwhelmed. I wish that she would just stop taking on patients and leading us on like that...

 

Stephanie

 

 

 

Our experiences with Dr. Latimer have been the opposite. Before our first appointment with her I sent her an email regarding our son and she got back to be within the same day. We are 10 hours away and to help us out she scheduled us for a Monday appointment (she does not see patients on Monday) so that we had the weekend to help with driving. That was in July/August and since then I have emailed her twice which I received responses and also had a scheduled conference call with her that lasted about 30 minutes.

I don't think she is leading families on. . . . sometimes our best just isn't enough.

[EAMom]

Yes, that's what seems to be happening with Dr. T. No responses,quite overloaded.

 

Dr. T isn't responding? or did you mean Dr. L?

[peglem]

When I made our appointment w/ Dr. L (back in Nov. we won't see her til January), Faith said she was no longer doing phone consult appointments, they just didn't work out. So I think she is trying to cut back to a reasonable case load. I tried to call today to nail down some scheduling stuff- the office is closed until after Christmas and I think Dr. L will not be back in until the 1st week in January. I had asked about an appointment that week after Christmas.

[fuelforall]

Yes, that's what seems to be happening with Dr. T. No responses,quite overloaded.

 

Dr. T isn't responding? or did you mean Dr. L?

Dr T is not. His phone box is full and emails go unanswered. I know he is swamped.

[memom]

My original intent for posting this was to suggest that if families are going to use Dr. L., please do not consider phone consultation as a choice. I believe she is a good physician, but maybe unable to manage the schedule her front desk is scheduling her. It has happened in my office and I have had to set my staff straight. Managing an office can be tricky with emergency visits and all.

 

Please don't for a minute think I am angry with Dr. L. but rather disappointed in the situation and my lost time. I am getting tired of dead ends and false starts. So many years of dealing with this disease.

[matis_mom]

I understand people's frustration, but looking at it from another angle, think of all the parents out there who are desperate for a Dr. who can help them out... sometimes a delayed consultation or even getting the run-around is better than being told "Sorry, the doctor is not taking new patients at this point."

So I would say, especially for those who are not in the area, keep looking for a good local doctor that can manage the day to day stuff, and then try to get in with Dr. Latimer.

[michele]

We traveled from OH to MD back in July. We did get the steroid burst. Maybe it was too much steroids for him because my son did get irritable and angry on them. Dr. L did call me back and suggested we quit it. She did suggest we do the NIH study on OCD. I was disapoointed that our report from our visit from her was never sent to us. Also she never prescribed any antibiotics which would have been nice since we all know how hard to get them it is. Maybe I can email her about the antibiotics. We have never been on zith or augmentin and either one of those would have been helpful. Now we have to consider traveling to see a different Dr. if we want to get them.

 

Michele

I understand people's frustration, but looking at it from another angle, think of all the parents out there who are desperate for a Dr. who can help them out... sometimes a delayed consultation or even getting the run-around is better than being told "Sorry, the doctor is not taking new patients at this point."

So I would say, especially for those who are not in the area, keep looking for a good local doctor that can manage the day to day stuff, and then try to get in with Dr. Latimer.