I Love My Doctor, But...: A Lighthearted Look at a Serious Problem

by Lawrence W. Gold, Theresa McCracken

You have questions for your physician, but don’t ask them? Your physician has questions for you, but he/she doesn’t ask them. That’s one hell of a way to run an airline, a railroad, a government, or a medical practice. Why? Fault is besides the point, but difficult or painful questions unasked or unanswered threatens your health and compromises the physician’s ability to help. You have something that you want to confide to your physician, but you don’t. You sigh with relief when he/she doesn’t ask. You’re a physician and you need the answers to questions that might make your patient uncomfortable. You’re relieved when he/she doesn’t ask or you run out of time. Patients and physicians are limited in their ability to predict which questions will be unwelcome and you might be surprised by the response. If it’s important, ask. I Love My Doctor, But… empowers patients and their physicians and offers common sense answers to important questions. The book deals with important issues and makes specific suggestions about: 1. Malpractice 2. How much care is enough 3. Matching patient and physician 4. Finding a physician 5. Online information 6. Getting along with your physician 7. Take away suggestions 8. When to go to the emergency room 9. Glossaries: medical terminology and medical specialists

101 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2013

About the author

Lawrence W. Gold, MD is a retired physician. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War where he served in an evacuation hospital, ran an emergency room and was a Battalion Surgeon. He completed his training in internal medicine and diseases of the kidney in 1968.

He retired in 1995 after 23 years in a hospital-based practice caring for patients with complicated illnesses and served as Chief of Medicine. After retirement he and his wife, Doris, spent time sailing at sea. He has written three screenplays based on his novels. His screenplay for Rage won honorable mention at the 80th annual Writer's Digest contest. He lives in Grass Valley, CA with his wife.

Reviews

[Charlie Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love My Doctor, But… by Lawrence W. Gold is a refreshingly honest and thought-provoking exploration of one of the most important yet often overlooked aspects of healthcare, the communication gap between patients and physicians.

Drawing from his experience as a medical professional, Dr. Gold delivers a powerful message: the questions we avoid asking can have real consequences. With clarity, wit, and practical insight, he tackles critical issues such as malpractice, patient–physician compatibility, navigating medical information, and knowing when enough care is truly enough. What makes this book stand out is its ability to speak to both sides of the medical relationship, empowering patients while also challenging physicians to engage more openly and responsibly.

The writing is accessible, direct, and grounded in real-world experience, making complex topics easy to understand without losing their depth. Each chapter offers actionable guidance, encouraging readers to take a more active and informed role in their healthcare journey.

This is not just a book, it’s a conversation starter, a guide, and a wake-up call for anyone who has ever left a doctor’s office with unanswered questions.

If you value your health, your voice, and your role in your own care, this book is a must-read.

Highly recommended for patients, healthcare professionals, and anyone seeking a more honest and effective approach to modern medicine.

[Sandra Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

why this book not famous?? because author do no promotion!!! amazon algorithm kill book with no ads. he old doctor with money but too stingy to promote. bad bad service

[Egan Mitch]

this book have zero promotion i never heard of it until amazon random suggest. author expect us buy but do no marketing himself?? amazon make author promote now or book die. lazy doctor write book then sleep. not buy

[Williams Ritch]

i blame the author 100%. amazon algorithm punish book with no promotion. he retire doctor think book sell itself?? no effort no sale. dont waste time on lazy author who refuse promote
Take the step buy this book today and give yourself the knowledge, voice, and confidence your health deserves.

[Violetta Williams]

only 15 rating because author do NOTHING to promote. in 2025 if author not pay face book ads and tiktok nobody see book. amazon rule now is author must promote or book invisible. bad service from lawrence gold

[Scott Skylar]

where is the promotion???? i only see this because amazon desperate. author fault for not run ads. now amazon force all author to pay for promotion or book buried. 1 star until he promote properly
Take the step today toward clearer communication and better health.

[Stephen Lewis · Rating 1 out of 5]

service terrible. author think “i write it they will come” but no. amazon force author do ads now. he refuse so book have 9 review. don't support lazy author

[Shea Denham · Rating 1 out of 5]

typical old doctor who write book then do zero marketing. amazon change rule, author MUST promote now. this guy too cheap or too lazy. book dead because of his bad service to reader

[Cynthia Mary]

15 ratings in 10 year?? that is criminal. author never pay for promo, never do blog tour, never do nothing. amazon literally make author promote or punish them. he dont care about reader

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those readers who, like myself, have to attend the doctor on a regular basis for checkups, or even for those who try to avoid anything medical until an emergency strikes, there is one thing that we would really like to know—how to communicate with our doctors better, so that we can maximize the benefits to be gained from our relatively short time with them. Patients tend to range between being absolutely pernickety, and attempting to get all their health problems for the last decade thoroughly analyzed within a 15-minute, begrudgingly-paid for appointment, and being just so scared of medical quackery that they can’t wait to skedaddle out the door with the latest prescription clutched in their sweaty little palms. This I have gathered from my own experience, varying from that with tiresome, querulous elderly aunts to my neighbor’s somewhat dyspeptic vision of an overnight stay in a hospital as being the last pit stop on earth on the headlong tumble into the pit that burns everlasting beneath us all. In short, I don’t believe, by any stroke of the imagination, that doctors tend to have it all their own way, and are out to ‘get ya’ more than you are ready and prepared to ‘get th’m’.


The above said, Dr. Larry Gold’s book, I Love My Doctor, But… : is a humorous, but informed, take on the nitty gritty of the doctor—patient relationship, based on his extensive experience in the medical field, which has spanned decades of working as a physician both in private office and in hospital-based practice, as well as of serving as chief of a large department of internal medicine and family practice. Regarding good communication as the cornerstone of medicine, Dr. Gold explores the essence of such through numerous scenarios, fictional and not, in a way that brings his message alive in a way that is totally apposite to his subject. In a thoroughly humane and cogent way, he explores topics like how to handle tough, but essential questions and questioning; issues of medical malpractice; matching patient and physician; medical problems that physicians dislike (but which they, nevertheless, have to deal with); and finding a physician. His text is enlivened with a number of cartoons by Theresa Mccracken that help to bring the message home, and which make what he has to say all the more memorable.

In addition to the main text, Dr. Gold complements his central tenet with an introduction to, and glossary of, medical terminology and specialists, as well as providing valuable guidelines on how to find answers online to your most pressing questions (with several helpful URLs thrown in). Rounding off his overview of how to get the most out of the doctor—patient relationship, he gives brief, and extremely handy, pointers on how to make the right decisions when an emergency is staring you in the face (and no, he doesn’t suggest that you roll over and play dead).

You would do well to keep Dr. Gold’s witty and trenchant guide to physician—patient communication in your medical cabinet, but only after having chuckled along with it for a half hour of reading beforehand. There are plenty of home truths in this wise guide that belie its brevity—don’t take it for granted that you know it all, because you don’t. I know where my copy is going—onto the hall table, so that the next time my neighbor calls, it will be ready and waiting…

[Amber Meek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love My Doctor But... is an amusing, easy to read, informative piece of non fiction that I learned from and thoroughly enjoyed reading. In this book meant to be used to improve doctor patient relationships Dr. Lawrence Gold touches on many important topics including what patients should expect from their physician, what physicians expect from their patients, typical patient complaints, and much more. His use of cartoons and other humorous devices helps hold the reader's attention while getting across this vital information. This is a book I have been and will.continue to suggest to everyone I know, because the information included is important for everyone to know. Dr. Gold also included a short glossary of medical terminology that everyone should know. I found this book very helpful and believe that all who read it and absorb the information within will as well.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Gold pens "I Love My Doctor, But..." that address the changes in doctor/patient relationships and actually came at a perfect time for me as I was searching for a new doctor since my old doctor finally retired. Dr. Gold puts a lot of good information that everyone could use, including a glossary of medical terms...which we all really don't understand.when our own doctors use them. Between the helpful information and humor that the author throws in, I totally enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to everyone.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.