Do any of you email your neurosurgeon with questions? My dr. is 3 hours one way from where we live, and he gave me his business card with his email address and invited me to email if I had any questions. Of course I want to respect his time and not email with trivial questions or at-will, but given the distance from his office, it's not as if I can just pop in for an appointment if I have a concern.
I've emailed once before my surgery to ask a question, and he replied promptly and courteously, and I sent an email last night to report two concerns I had since my embolization surgery in December, to ask if I should call his office to schedule a follow-up angiogram sooner than the six month mark that he had originally indicated.
Does this seem appropriate for me to have done? Emailing my doctor is new to me, but given the distance and the context (in that it's not like this is our family practitioner and not down the street) I wondered if this is a more common than I think? I feel comfortable communicating via email in general. Do any of you email your doctor when/if invited to with legitimate questions or concerns?
Hi..I do have my neurosurgeon'ss email address, but I believe if I emailed him about a health issue, he would ask me to come in to see him.
For instance, I had a major cold last month, very sick, and I called my primary care doctor and asked if they could just order a med because I was too sick to come in. Their response was..."we need to see you as we can't diagnosed unless we see you". I believe your neuro doc probably would say the same thing, but no harm to email him.
I would certainly email your doctor, especially since you know he responds to you in a timely manner. Btw, my doctor always responds to me and after a few days go by and I don't receive a response, it's always an oversight. Email him!!
Thanks Debra! He did respond again, promptly and courteously! I was initially unsure if him providing his email was just a pleasant formality, but my husband kept encouraging me to email him, that neurosurgery was not the place for mere formalities and that if he offered his email he genuinely meant that it was okay to reach out with questions. He addressed my concerns and I feel much better having asked the questions I needed to ask!
My daughter's neurosurgeon gave her his email addy, too. And he was very prompt in answering. I wouldn't hesitate to email with legitimate concerns or questions. I'm sure it's easier for the doctor to read emails than listen to and answer voice mails on the phone. My daughter's doc actually told us that he preferred to use email.
If he didn't want you to have his email he wouldn't of given it too you. Email can be very convenient for your doctor because he can reply when he has time. Mine replies to my email requests on nights and weekends. If there is something he prefers to talk about he calls me.
So glad he responded to your email. Consider yourself fortunate that you have a doctor who emails you, as many do not answer their patients after surgery. Great news and glad you could ask your Doctor the questions you needed to ask:).
Honestly, it’s your doctor. Answering your medical questions is what he’s there for. It’s not like you’re calling for a favor, he’s being paid; and I’m sure he’d want you to ask about anything you’re worried about. I live two and a half hours away from my doctor when I’m at school, and i call him ALL the time. If I had his email I’d probably do that too. Email-bombing is totally OK, especially when it comes to something like this. I wouldn’t worry.