Pulmonologist?

abysmillard · Post by **abysmillard** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:36 am

I have been seeing a Pulmonologist who is board certified in sleep disorders. He seems totally disinterested and I think the record for the amount of time he's spent with me is about 5 minutes--this was on the evaluation visit.

Needless to say, I'm transferring my care elsewhere, to a neurologist who is board certified in sleep disorders andwho has a devoted patient following. I'm hoping he can help with some of my non-sleep related problems (are there non-sleep related problems?) as well.

I'm curious, though. It seems like every time someone complains about their sleep doc's lack of knowledge or interest the doc turns out to be a pulmonologist. Is this my imagination, or is this a particular trait of the pulmonologist/sleep doc? Anyone have any ideas on this?

jmaziarz · Post by **jmaziarz** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:41 am

I'm having a very similar problem and my doc is also a pulmonologist. How did you find your new doctor? Where are you located?

viewtopic/t33067/Effectiveness-of-the-doctor.html

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:50 am

I haven't got a clue, but I've noticed that, too. I wonder if that field had the closest relation to sleep apnea and they took it up as sort of a sideline.

I've had a lot of bad things to say about mine in the past, but I believe I've read stories about worse ones on the forum.

I think I managed to get through about 2 or 3 visits with mine, but only because I had to. Someone else (in their main clinic office) actually read my sleep study and just sent the summary to him to write the prescription. And, not surprisingly, they both sent my insurance provider a bill for the same services (reading the sleep study).

Den

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:53 am

abysmillard wrote:I have been seeing a Pulmonologist who is board certified in sleep disorders. He seems totally disinterested and I think the record for the amount of time he's spent with me is about 5 minutes--this was on the evaluation visit.

Needless to say, I'm transferring my care elsewhere, to a neurologist who is board certified in sleep disorders andwho has a devoted patient following. I'm hoping he can help with some of my non-sleep related problems (are there non-sleep related problems?) as well.

I'm curious, though. It seems like every time someone complains about their sleep doc's lack of knowledge or interest the doc turns out to be a pulmonologist. Is this my imagination, or is this a particular trait of the pulmonologist/sleep doc? Anyone have any ideas on this?

Pulmonologist seemed to have migrated towards Sleep Medicine because the requirements for doing so was fairly easy, do some online study, attend some seminars, take a test, send in to box tops from your favorite cereal and whamo you are a Diplomat in Sleep Medicine. I guess fewer patients are showing up with lung disorders as a result of fewer people smoking. There is no doubt their expertise lies with Respiration and respiratory drive. However, when you introduce Centrals into the mix it becomes Neurology. When you introduce control of muscles it falls under Neurology. When you realize the cause it falls under the ENT.

Sleep disorders seem to cross over into many fields of medicine, which one is best is hard to say, but I am not that fond of Neuros either because well a supposedly very good one let me stroke out due to same lack of concern and not providing me with any preventative methods at the most critical time.

I know OSA was the cause of my strokes. It wasn't a Neuro that found the cause, it was my own research. It wasn't a Neuro, Pulmonologist, Cardiologist, Hematologist or GP that found the cause it was getting the results from each and with my GP that we came to the conclusion. Therapy to prevent another was from my suggestion to my GP. So far that conclusion has been dead nuts right on.

However, many aspects of OSA it would seem logical to fall under the Neuro's specialty as the brain controls everything. Reading of EEG, ECG you would expect be under their guise. Determining how microarousals impact your sleep. But my quack Neuro put me in a Hospital room as an outpatient with a nurse and a EEG/ECG and had me take a nap for about 1.5 hrs. I fell asleep but she totally MISSED my OSA, all normal she said. I still have the printout from that test.

Part of the problem I had is once you have a stroke, they "assume" everything is related to or caused by the stroke when in fact it was the other way around.

I get the best therapy support from myself, my daughter, my GP in that order.

If I need support on the latter, I do my homework and research to back up the suggestion I make to my GP, he either agrees and/or suggests alternatives. I have been going to the same GP now for the past 25 or so years, think I was his first patient out of residency so he now knows me pretty good.

I say the best doctor to have is one that will listen to you and work with you, if it is my way or the highway I don't mind driving.

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:16 pm

abysmillard wrote:I'm curious, though. It seems like every time someone complains about their sleep doc's lack of knowledge or interest the doc turns out to be a pulmonologist. Is this my imagination, or is this a particular trait of the pulmonologist/sleep doc? Anyone have any ideas on this?

I can tell you my dads sleep doc is a pulmonary doc and I like her best out of all of the sleep docs I have met to date. I'm not yet sure where mine falls in the way of specialties but do agree that neurologist should have an advantage.

HTH,
GumbyCT

JennyLouWho · Post by **JennyLouWho** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:17 pm

I, too, am having trouble with my pulmonologist; although I will say that no one ever even thought that I may have sleep apnea until I ended up in the hospital with pneumonia (hence the need for the pulmo.). I was given an overnight pulse ox. test after my pneumonia cleared up (while I was still in the hospital) the results of which had me have a sleep study done. But, ever since then, my pulmo. isn't the least bit interested in how I am sleeping, except to have me do another overnight pulse ox. test to see if I need supplemental oxygen along with my C-PAP. (I DO have COPD but no oxygen needed). A new medical problem has come up a couple of mths. ago which had me seeing a neurologist. He has asked more questions about my CPAP, sleeping, etc. than my pulmo. ever has. After I get this new problem under control, the neurologist is going to order another sleep study and/or tritation study ( he and I both think I need to go up on my pressure) and is going to to see about getting my insurance to pay for a machine that records data. (Notice the piece of crap I have now). So, I have changed pulmo. doctors now, but I am following up on my sleep apnea with my neurologist instead of a pulmo. doctor and will tell the other doctors why! I LOVE my neurologist!

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:20 pm

Amen, SnoreDog!!!

SnoreDog wrote: ... I say the best doctor to have is one that will listen to you and work with you, if it is my way or the highway I don't mind driving.

jnk · Post by **jnk** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:57 pm

I believe my GP did a lot of research before he chose the pulmonologist to send me to. I assume so, because he has been fantastic.

If I have a question, I can call a number to leave the question in the pulmonologist's voicemailbox. If he is at the clinic that day, he returns my calls within 20 minutes, every time! He volunteered to write me a prescription specifically for the mask I wanted and to have that prescription faxed wherever I wanted it to be--my insurance, my GP's office, or to a DME.

We'll see how he responds when I ask for a copy of all the paperwork from my diagnostic sleep study and titration. That will be a good indicator, I think.

joey777 · Post by **joey777** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:12 pm

abysmillard wrote:I have been seeing a Pulmonologist who is board certified in sleep disorders. He seems totally disinterested and I think the record for the amount of time he's spent with me is about 5 minutes--this was on the evaluation visit.

Needless to say, I'm transferring my care elsewhere, to a neurologist who is board certified in sleep disorders andwho has a devoted patient following. I'm hoping he can help with some of my non-sleep related problems (are there non-sleep related problems?) as well.

I'm curious, though. It seems like every time someone complains about their sleep doc's lack of knowledge or interest the doc turns out to be a pulmonologist. Is this my imagination, or is this a particular trait of the pulmonologist/sleep doc? Anyone have any ideas on this?

Same here. My doc is also a Pulmonologist or should I say was. Dumped him!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:43 pm

Funny I was wondering if anyone else felt shortchanged by there pulmonoligest. The one I see never listened to my lungs or looked
in my throat before sending me for the sleep study.

Captain_Midnight · Post by **Captain_Midnight** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:09 pm

I can tell you that my pulmonologist is a great doc. He listens attentively (to what I ask as well as my heart and lungs.)

Last year, he cheerfully went along w my request for a data capable apap.

This year, he was unavoidably called away, so I saw one of his associates. When I told him of the modifications I carefully made to my pressure range, and showed him the charts and graphs (and a summary table) of my responses v. pressures, he was truly fascinated. (And not the least bit upset or threatened.)

Stepping back a few years, when I was feeling horrible and wasn't quite sure why, I saw a neurologist (very nice guy) who insisted that I could not have sleep apnea, as I was of normal weight. It was the pulmonologist who prescribed (and evaluated) my sleep study.

My point? I guess that it's easy to generalize. I happen to have had great luck with pulmonologists; and, since these threads are widely read, I wanted to mention that at least some times, they are OSA literate; and professional in every respect.

Regards all - - Tom

.

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:19 pm

I've had both, and really thought a neuro was the was to go. My current sleep doc is a keeper, and I was surprised when I looked at their web sight and saw she was a pulmonologist. She has worked diligently with me on sleep issues non related to cpap (Periodic Limb Movement Disorder and erratic sleep).

By the way, my very first sleep doc 10 years ago is now my pulmonologist for lung issues. When I was diagnosed with PLMD instead of OSA in the beginning, I went to a neuro doc because of multiple neuro issues too. I'm surprised my insurance hasn't said anything about seeing 2 pulmos now.

Guess a good doc is a good doc. Sure had a real dud in between.

Pulmonologist?

Pulmonologist?

Re: Pulmonologist?

Re: Pulmonologist?

Re: Pulmonologist?

My experience is precisely opposite

Pulmo vs Neuro

Mask