I don’t want to sound like my mom, but I have some advice that we all could use. You absolutely must have a primary care physician. Your OB/GYN doesn’t count! You need them in addition to your primary care physician. Your OB/GYN is great while you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant and postpartum, but you need your primary care for everything else.
I decided to feature this first coming off of a horrible week last week. I was so surprised when Jen had to go to Urgent Care because she did not have a primary care physician. Now her lack of having one had nothing to do with her outcome. It just got me thinking. Our emphasis lately has been that we as women, mothers, wives, employees, and everything else need to take care of ourselves first or we are useless to everyone around us. I am guilty of not having a primary doctor too at one point in my life. I actually had a near-death experience in the Bahamas six years ago (very long story!) and I learned my lesson the hard way. Now I get a physical once a year and I make sure my cholesterol is checked in addition to the rest of the regular check-up stuff. Did you know that heart disease is the number one cause of death in women? Not breast cancer, heart disease. So get your cholesterol checked.
My primary care physician is Dr. Alicia Cole with Mecklenburg Medical Group in SouthPark. I have been going to her for six years now and I love her. I remember when I first went to her, I was convinced that I had a thyroid condition and was hoping to get that “skinny pill.” She looked me straight in the eye and said “lay off the peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.” How did she know that I was hooked on them?! They got me through the morning sickness and I guess I just never gave them up!
So you know our routine. I post my doctor and you post yours in the comments section below. That way we build a great referral list for everyone in all parts of Charlotte. Thanks for your help!
43 comments
Dr. John Sensenbrenner. He has a solo practice out Rea Road near Blakney. Sensenbrenner primary care. He has 2 PA’s working with him that are female. They all are fantastic. His office is paperless and very efficient. I have never had a problem being seen when I am sick.
Dr. Michael Kendall with the Charlotte Medical Clinic at the Arboretum…704-542-2543. The staff there is excellent and Dr. Kendall is a thoughtful physician. His female PA is wonderful, too.
Jen – thanks for keeping the blog going, as painful as it may be! It is a ray of light in my busy work day.My PCP is Dr Chittenden at MMG Uptown. Great location for any of us Bank Mommies out there! She is really great, and not only talks about conventional medicine, but also natural solutions.
My PCP is Dr. Caroline Pierce at MMG Uptown. As mentioned it is a great location for mommies that work uptown and the service is even better. I have been in and out in 30 minutes.
My recommendation for those Lake Norman mommies is Dr Carolyn Hess-Jeffcoat with Davidson Clinic, right off Exit 30 in Davidson (704.801.7900). She is young & savvy…like the rest of us on this site! She’s a great listener, patient and takes every precaution in regards to your health. Love her! Like Jen B., I had not had a primary care dr in many many many years & just decided last Fall to find one and take better care of myself with annual physicals, etc. Last week proved to me how impt this is for all of us.
I also go to Dr. Alicia Cole and love her. She is a mom to 2 boys and so she has a lot of empathy for busy moms. She is also very smart about health issues. I had slacked off going to her when I was pregnant-instead just working with my OB/GYN but your post just convinced me to see her regularly!!
could not agree more- this is so important. i just saw one about 6 months ago- knowing I had a heart murmer and mitral valve prolapse. becuase of this, my doc suggested we do and EKG and found about two additional conditions. non-threatening but something i should be aware of. now I see a primary cardiothoracic doc as well. get a physical and get checked out- we need to be healthy for our families. i see Dr. Allison Herbert at MMG, she is awesome. An incredible friend, wise doctor and mother herself. make an appointment.
Girl – I haven’t had a physical in 7 years. Do go the OB. OK, so I will put it on my to-do list this year. I DO have a primary care though…I go to Dr. Ann Barnard at MMG as well. Carmen Teague is a fabulous doctor at MMG too. She and Dr. Barnard “share” a full time position so they can be home with their children part time, so they get us moms!!!
We use Dr. Katy Malta at Lakeside Family Practice in Mountain Island Lake (704.316.3970) for everyone in our household. She is my age with two young kids of her own. Totally awesome and will fit us in whenever one of us needs to be seen even if she’s totally booked. Never had better care EVER!
Love, Love, Love Dr. Brian Baker at Lakeside Family Physicians in Huntersville. He has a great bedside manner and his nurse Angel is fantastic they make my family feel like their family!
I also go to Caroline Pearce at MMG. She is very nice and has two young children. I’ve had no problem getting an appointment day of when I’ve been sick. It’s in the BB&T building on College St, UPTOWN.
I go to Dr. Julianne Wiedner at MMG Southpark, she is very nice, is part time becuase she has young kids so cant always get her if I am sick but the other MDs in the practice that I have seen are also good.
I love Dr. Nancy Sokany at MMG Ballantyne. I have not been going to her for very long, but I am really impressed! I used to go to Dr. Charles Ferree at MMG Pineville, he is always in the Doctor’s picks for best doctor & is awesome. After the baby I needed someone closer & easier to get in with last minute.Thanks for keeping the website going, Jen!
Both my husband and I see Dr. John Sensenbrenner. He is located on Rea Road just south of the new Blakeney shopping plaza. He has 2 female PA’s that are wonderful. I’ve never had a problem getting an appointment and I also don’t think I’ve ever had sat more than 10 minutes in the waiting room.
We go to Dr. Pter Copsis MMG Matthews and love him. He spends tons of time with you and you will often hear patients in the waiting room comment how they adore him ~ especially the older ones. Very smart warm and has a lot of patience!
I see Dr. Lori Ayers and Dr. Elizabeth Dean at MMG Southpark and they are both wonderful.
For the Lake Norman crowd, I HIGHLY recommend three of the doctors at North Charlotte Medical Specialists. Dr. Temple Day is my doctor, my husband goes to Dr. Tom Batchelor and Dr. Martin English is fantastic as well. The key quality of each of them: thoroughness!! They leave no stone unturned.
I go to Dr. Laura Toebbe at Charlotte Medical Clinic at the Arboretum. I went for a physical and she found a VERY small nodule on my thyroid. It turned out to be cancer. My endocronologist was amazed that she found it as it was so small. She saved my life! But more importantly…going for a physical saved my life.
Ladies!As an ob/gyn in town, I’m thrilled that everyone understands the need to have a PCP as well as a gyn. I am also excited to see so many folks raving about their MMG docs as they are definitely my fave internal medicine group in town. I personally go to and adore Dr Greg Weidner at MMG Ballantyne (husband to Julie Weidner at MMG southpark). Other faves of mine in that group at Jane Harrell at MMG southpark, Caroline Pierce and all the ladies at MMG uptown, Brittain Callahan and Andrea Memmen at MMG Pineville.
What a great post! Thanks for encouraging all us Moms to take care of ourselves. I highly recommend Cotswold Medical Clinic. They are small and nimble and oh so friendly. My PCP is Michael Hoben and I can’t say enough about him! I missed him over the holidays and saw Dr. Mueller instead and he was equally wonderful.
Hey Jen, I don’t know if you remember me. This is Jen Laney, now Jen Soprano, one of the 7 Jen’s that worked at the ad agency years ago. Thanks for this blog. I was so saddened and shocked when I heard and Jen Lisman. I now have a 17 yr. old, a 3 yr. old and a 5 month old. If I can help it, I want to be around for a looong time. Thanks for the enouragement to get a primary physician, I am guilty of only having an OBGYN. I will be making some phone calls this week.
I have to say I also agree with the one that said Dr. Michael Kendall….I have never received such kind and caring care. There are follow up phone calls if there is concern and the nurses and other staff are just incredible. You just don’t find this kind of medical care everywhere.
Dr. Grover located in Pineville/South Charlotte is a good friend of ours, and even if he wasn’t I would consider him one of the best doctors I have ever had!! 704-541-0925
Dr. Tamera Chittendon- MMG/uptown– great MD- has 2 children- spends time during your visit– never rushes you and very informative.
Dr. Sheryl McPhee at south charlotte primary care is AWESOME…always very patient and caring. Love her!!
Already stated for the Huntersville folks, the doctors at North Charlotte Medical Specialists, have seen Dr Day, she is great and LOVE Dr Batchelor!
Dr. Gregory Collins at Randolph Internal Medicine is truly the most intelligent, interested, and scientific yet conversational physician I have ever seen. I highly recommend him to anyone who needs a primary care provider.
Can anyone reccommend a primary in the Lake Wylie area? I live in Lake Wylie, South Carolina side and my OB is located in uptown. I’d like to find a primary closer to home.
dr. laura toebbe noted below for saving a life is now dr. laura seth. i agree, she is terrific and spends ample time at each visit. she’s at charlotte medical clinic near the arboretum.
Dr. Charity Forstmann at University Family Physicians is wonderful if anyone is looking for a PCP in the Uni area.
To the person in Lake Wylie, I would recommend Dr. Andrea Memmen (her new last name is different b/c she recently married) at MMG Pineville. It’s right over at the hospital. She’s super and I live near Rivergate shopping so it’s not too far from you. Someone else on here recommended Dr. Memmen too!
It’s now Andrea Memmen McGrath at MMG Pineville
Dr. Lori Taylor or Dr. Joseph Mueller @ Cotswold Medical Clinic. Both are top notch.
Dr. Allison Herbert – MMG Randolph – she is great and knows what it is like to be a mom. She is very attentive
For those in the Huntersville area–I recently started seeing Dr. Shari Johns at Lakeside Family Physicians (exit 25). She’s wonderful! She listens well and is very knowledgeable. She also sees my children, and I can tell she’s a mom because she’s great with kids.
I know this is a site to post a recommendation for a doctor but I noticed someone recommend a doctor that I would completly stay away from and that is Dr. Charity Forstmann in the uni area. She is with University Family Physicians. I used to see her and at first liked her alot. Then, I was diagnosed with several serious health issues and her lack of knowledge really began to show. She was unwilling to learn anything new and instead, shoved me off to a new doctor. I would list my new doctor’s name but she is not taking any new patients at this time so figured it would be a moot point. I just wanted to save someone else from going through the same thing I did with Dr. Charity Forstmann. She does not like to work very hard. If you require nothing more than a yearly physical, she is great but anything more, she will dump you like a bad habit.
Lokking for somweone in Huntersville/cornelius area: Northcross Family Physicians. Dr. Tim Hodges is wonderful. The staff is NOT too sympathetic if you need to be seen same day you are sick though! It is sad when the physician suffers because the staff is not compassionate!
Looking for a good primary care doctor in the university area. Any leads?
Dr.Greg Weidner at MMG Ballantyne… my husband also goes to him. He's the best doctor I have ever had. I'm not sure if he is taking new patients because he also has a position as director of technology with CMC and now works at his practice 3 days a week, but the group is large and I would trust anyone that he recommends. Dr. Weidner is personable, very kind, and easy to talk with. But his attention to our health issues and his forward thinking is the main reason that we both feel so pleased with him as our doctor. He personally calls over anything that comes up during physicals that are "off" and when there is a problem, he is very proactive. If it's out of his area, he has recommended great doctors to go to that next level with. I had to have stomach surgery, and he sent me first to Dr. Oscar Brann, and then on to Dr. Leslie Webster, who are both also wonderful physicians. Dr. Weidner has been a Charlotte Top Doctor several time. The staff at MMG Ballantyne is extremely efficient, professional, and very nice in working with appointments, questions, etc.
I had my Primary Care physician as Dr Caroline Pierce. But i regret very much for that. She is really horrible. she made me have my MMR injection, very well knowing that i'm trying to get pregnant. Am i supposed to know that You must not get pregnant till 3 months after MMR injection? She did not inform me anything about that. I feel cheated. She also sent fancy bills for the above visit. I am pregnant now within 2 months of having the injection and i come to know of the MMR fact from my OB-GYN. I am really shocked. Dr Pierce is not a professional. I feel really scared for my baby. I will not recommend this doctor to anyone.
For those of you living in Concord, there is a wonderful female physician at Poplar Tent Family Physicians. Her name is Allison Pope, and she is very knowledgeable and really understands the stresses that today's women endure. She is available for same day appointments any time, which is so helpful for busy women! She also loves to see children, so the whole family can go and be taken care of at once!
WE LOVE LOVE LOVE Dr. Charles Ferree at MMG PIneville. The man is a genius, SUPER smart, VERY kind, and my husband I both have had Dr. Ferree as our PCP for DECADES. I thought something was odd in that no matter how hard I exercised or abstained from sweets, I kept gaining weight, felt tired all the time and had dry skin and hair. When I told him, he ordered a blood test to check my thyroid- and BINGO- my thyroid wasn't working. Now it's fixed (with medicine) and I am finally on the road to being healthy, happy, and a normal weight. Of course, I STILL have to put the fork down. Even people with normal thyroids can gain weight if they eats sweets and don't exercise!
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