A couple of weeks ago, we got letters from our dentist. He's retiring this summer.
It wasn't a surprise. We've been going to him for 30 years. Actually, that's not totally true. When we started going to him, he was practicing with his father, whom I saw several times. He pulled one of my wisdom teeth, in fact. But, for many years it was just been the son in the practice, who I figure is about my age.
Kind of makes me feel a bit old.
That's what happens, sometimes, when you get to be "my age" (late 60's). People retire. I get that. But when a medical professional you like gets ready to retire, it's traumatic. You know them. They know you. You don't know how a new person would work out.
Last year, my sole practitioner dentist and his staff merged with a multiple dentist practice, leaving the office they had inhabited for many years. It must have been traumatic for them, too.
Now, I have to make a decision: stay (I've never met any of the other dentists) or seek a different practice.
I thought about it some more, and realize I'm going to be facing the medical retirement situation more than once in the coming years. I've seen the same primary care practitioner for nearly 25 years. I've seen the same nurse practitioner at my OB/GYN's practice for about the same amount of time. Both of them are in, I would estimate, late middle age.
My nurse practitioner has been working part time since last year. I figured it might have been due to COVID but maybe not.
So, just out of curiosity, I went to my OB/GYN's website to review their current staff, and got a surprise.
Besides "my" nurse practitioner, there are two others. I know of one of them - I had seen her once, years ago, when I had an urgent situation and my nurse practitioner had the day off.
It seems the practice "recently" (not knowing when the website was last updated) hired a new practitioner, who has four years experience in a primary practice. I'll bet she's relatively young based on her picture. Her last name brought back a memory, although it is a somewhat common name.
When I went into labor with my one child, over 30 years ago now, my OB was off, and the OB on duty responded when it was time. She (yes, a woman) arrived in my hospital room with - I assume - her daughter. This young girl, I would estimate (in the midst of labor, I have no idea how accurate my impressions were!), was perhaps seven years old.
It was quickly obvious that this wasn't the child's first labor and delivery experience. The doctor patiently explained my status (I was a high risk pregnancy) to the young girl.
The doctor who delivered my baby had the same last name as the new nurse practitioner.
Could it be the young girl, now grown, from my labor and delivery? Or is it coincidence?
I wonder.
Now I really feel old.
I have had this happen and responded with some of the same thoughts.
ReplyDeleteCarol Cassara
I understand completely. My primary care doctor is no longer accepting new patients, and I suspect it's because he's planning to retire in a few years.
ReplyDeleteAnd in the same vein as your ob/gyn story...Drew's regular cardiologist was out of the office, so he saw another doctor in the practice. The doctor had a very unusual name. Well, back in the 1970's Drew had been a member of a social club. Most of the members were a bit older than Drew. Two of the members got married, and they had the same unusual last name as the cardiologist. Yeah, the cardiologist was their son.
You're lucky to have the same doctors for so long although it's always traumatic when they retire. I've changed medical plans so often and always have different doctors. I guess the best thing is to find some young ones and hope for the best.
ReplyDeleteYow! I feel old just reading this! I'm seeing a couple of the children of my former medical professionals now.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm waiting for are the grandchildren of the originals.
Then I'M retiring!
You will have to let us know if you find out if it is the same person!
ReplyDeleteI know just how you feel. Our old dentist merged his practice into one of those multi-dentist practices, and we didn't find out he retired until we saw his old receptionist at church and she told us. He did most of my dental work, and we'd been going to him since we moved here. We finally found a real good dentist who's in his 40's and has a couple of young kids, so he's not going anywhere anytime soon...
ReplyDelete...it's good to have you lawyer, accountant and doctors be a lot younger than you!
ReplyDeleteI never get attached to my doctors! I'll take whoever my insurance takes, and whoever they assign me. I have a primary care doctor, but don't care if I see him or someone else. Actually, it's all been virtual for the past year anyway, and my doctor did retire! I've never met my new one.
ReplyDeleteHow strange the doctor would bring her child with her. Seems very unprofessional even if the girl was interested. And, really, at that age would she even know to be interested?
My internal medicine doctor is my age and I have been seeing her for 25+ years. My hairdresser is my age and I've been with her for nearly 40 years. My dentist retired several years ago after developing Parkinson's and I started with him around 45 years ago, but I knew the young dentist he brought in. Hard to find someone new at my age.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you could ask somehow... Yeah, it happens. Hopefully you'll find a new dentist who you like just as much.
ReplyDelete