My Doctor from Hell
I broke my arm in March 2021 and was assigned a doctor covering the emergency room. At my first Zoom meeting, he seemed nice, but things changed quickly when I requested an in-person visit. After I saw my X-rays, I wanted to talk to him about surgery.
The physical therapy office set up an appointment for me in the same hospital but then canceled it — saying it was premature. No one knows to this day who set this up and they rescheduled for the next month.
I arrived at my in person appointment twenty minutes early but needed an X-Ray first. The doctor’s office never mentioned this, so I was upset and still in quite a bit of pain. I returned to the waiting room after the x-ray and was yelled at by the receptionist because I did not inform her I had returned. I was in such pain and shouted “Jesus H. Christ” and sat down and waited to be taken to the appointment.
The nurse came for me and brought me back to the exam room. I explained to her how rude reception had been — she apologized. She also asked if I had started PT, and when I explained the cancellation and that it was determined to be premature, she said, “that’s weird.”
When the doctor arrived, he asked where my sling was, and I stated that I had trouble getting dressed quickly after the x-ray because of my arm, and I didn’t want to be late for the appointment. He then pulled up the current X-ray and stated how nice the break looked now and that I was not a candidate for surgery. Wait? What? That’s why I came in — to discuss surgery, but he shut me down immediately.
He asked to see my arm, I took off my jacket, but then he never checked my arm.
He asked about my past bone density test and pulled one up in the hospital records from 2011. After looking at the results, he stated — you have osteoporosis. You need a new test and start taking calcium and Vitamin D. He got up, walked out, shut the door, and went to the nurse’s desk, requested they set up a test for me.
He walked out on me! I heard him go into the next patient’s room. I was stunned and still in so much pain.
Is the care seniors get today? I am a 75-year-old woman in good health but seen as an old lady. Doctors can’t make money on me with Medicare, so we face obstacles in an ageist society.
I then decided to email the PA and state my frustration. I requested an earlier PT appointment and a new pain medication prescription. The PA had been very responsive to me in the past, but he stopped communicating with me this time. It meant that I would spend the weekend in severe pain with constant over-the-counter medication as my only relief, and it was the worst weekend I spent. So, I took to Twitter, complaining about Dr. X and tagging the hospital and practice. I did this several times a day, and on Monday morning, the doctor reached out to me for a new Zoom meeting.
The meeting was contentious — he was mad I tweeted my experience, gaslighted me about walking out of the previous appointment, and stated that he had to be cautious prescribing a narcotic, which was highly addictive. He said he felt I had lost trust in him and suggested I transfer to another doctor.
He dumped me.
He charged Medicare $310 for these unprofessional appointments. Even in the days of Covid19, doctors can treat patients like punching bags? Do No Harm did not exist for him. He was not empathetic and did not see me as a person. I was crushed and defeated by my injury. It was a terrible experience, but it was the first time I stood up, opened my mouth, and called him out. For that, I am proud. No one, not even doctors, are superior to patients. I wanted a partner in my medical care, but all I got was a trumpy kind of guy in the wrong profession. Maybe he should try politics.
