Preventive Medicine

“I recently moved to Vermont and I was out of my zoloft. I am medically complex and had been let down by traditional doctors previously. I have had to fight my entire adult life to be heard and believed and get a diagnosis, so I thought to try a more holistic practice. Dr Hobie started out the visit by saying I was more likely to die in a car crash than a serious illness and I had about 10 years left before I needed to worry. I was pretty confused, because what?? but we moved on. I began explaining about myself and my symptoms and journey to get my diagnosis of hEDS (sidenote: We are commonly called the "Zebras of the medical world" because doctors are trained to think of the most common cause first- "When you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras" and we are constantly gaslit about our own body by the medical community.) I get very little physical activity due to my condition. Dr Hobie told me that if I gained 20lbs of muscle, it would basically solve all my problems with my condition. I am literally disabled. That is a difficult feat for a typical able-bodied person. He did not perform any type of physical evaluation of me, other than listen to my heart for less than 30 seconds. I said I was having certain symptoms that I believed to be neurological and wanted a referral to a neurologist. He said "a neurologist is a BRAIN doctor," as if I didn't know that. Made me feel very stupid and unheard. He continued to dismiss all my symptoms such as tingling in my arms/hands and legs/feet, constant dizzy headache that worsens with activity, fainting - (he said "How many times," and brought up the gaining lbs of muscle thing again) ringing in my ears, fluid leaking from my nose when i leean forward/bend over unrelated to illness that resolves immediately when returning upright. Dr. Hobie said "ringing in your ears"--pointed to his ear-- "ear--ENT. Your symptoms aren't neurological. A neurologist isn't going to see you for fluid coming out of your nose." like I was so stupid for suggesting that the combination of my symptoms could be neurological. And even if they aren't, there is a way to communicate without belittling. Living in my failing body for 32 years, its safe to say I have done my FAIR bit of research into my condition. I mentioned chiari malformation, cervical instability, CSF leak, conditions that are common with EDS as possibilities. He dismissed all of them and said "none of your symptoms are related to those. We need to look at more common things, not things that less than 1000 people are diagnosed with." I responded with the fact that I was well aware of the "Zebras" analogy. What I wanted to say was "He would have been too if he had done any google searching about EDS, which I noted in my pre appointment paperwork. And maybe more people would be diagnosed if their doctors would listen to them," but I was holding it together and just ready to leave. He suggested physical therapy at the place below his office, and lab work "to make sure nothing is gonna kill you right now." Mentioned me dying multiple times, it was weird. He said all my problems were related to ENT and then DID NOT REFER ME TO ENT or note any of my complaints in my chart about my symptoms. I cried in the car on my way home. Do not come here if you have any chronic illness. 2 stars for getting my zoloft filled.”

“Dr. Hobie has been an amazing doctor. I was at a loss with neurological symptoms and traditional doctors and specialists were not taking me seriously. They would run a test and it would come back negative and push me out the door. I wasn't being heard. Dr. Hobie listened, was patient, and very knowledgeable. He diagnosed me with Lyme disease, treated me, and now I'm back to myself again. He is my primary doctor now going on over 3 years and is now my husband's primary as well!”

“Thorough workUP with both doctors, Farr & Hobie. Quick, to the point care if that’s what you’re going for. Telehealth available, my favorite! Both are supportive in their practices, and the holistic approach, with varying expertise is fabulous in one stop medical care. Highly recommend.”

“Dr. Hobie is exceptionally bright and deeply knowledgeable. He pays close attention to what truly matters, avoids fads, and stays focused on what actually works. His approach is thoughtful, grounded, and consistently nonjudgmental and kind. I would fully recommend him to anyone looking for comprehensive, high-quality primary care.”