Dr. Talat Imam refused to diagnose me with an autoimmune disease during the 10+ years I was in her "care", despite my 4 generation family history. I am partially to blame, only for staying as long as I did knowing she wasn't taking me seriously. I guess as a patient you expect your "doctor" to do you no harm. Well, I'm not exaggerating when I say she nearly killed me. She put me through withdrawals after Dr. Finan- another doctor at this location, put me on a Xanax and Klonopin cocktail to treat my racing heart. She took me off the Xanax cold turkey after taking it for a month straight, and I ended up in the hospital twice, and lost 30lbs. I had no idea why until another doctor explained to me that I was going through withdrawals. She told me I should have been weaned off of the medication- and that I was lucky. She also greatly affected my quality of life by refusing to test my T3, T4, and TSH levels. She said she tested my thyroid, and it came back normal- but she can tell that to my surgeon who removed my thyroid last year. It was so overgrown and mangled that my endocrinologist said removing it "extended my life", after seeing the biopsy. It had overgrown onto one of my parathyroid, and it had to be taken out too. I was officially diagnosed with Hashimotos, and Graves' disease last year by an endocrinologist. Which is where you should have sent me when I told you I had a family history. It's where you should have sent me since you couldn't handle it. The symptoms include: racing heart, anxiety, depression, muscle pain and weakness, sensitivity to cold, constipation, high blood pressure, migraines, nausea, vomiting, chronic urticaria (hives), tremors, memory lapse, unexplained weight gain, prolonged periods, etc- all of which I had, and came in for.. but you laughed in my face, called me a hypochondriac, told me I was depressed and overweight- and had no real problems in this world to worry about.
I think about that a lot. Especially now. Now that I'm sitting here, about to go in for an ultra sound on my neck to see if my thyroid is growing back. Did you know that can happen, Imam? Did you know a thyroid can regenerate? Even after a total Thyroidectomy? Did you know it's common for Graves' patients?
Did you know that Graves' caused my right eye to swell up to the point where my Optomotrist thought I had a tumor behind my optic nerve? To the point where I could have lost my eyesight?
Did you know that there is generally a 4-6 month wait period to see an ophthalmologist? So, for approximately 5 months, I thought I had a tumor in my head because I hadn't been diagnosed with thyroid disease because of you?
It only took the ophthalmologist 2 seconds to tell me there wasn't, but for 5 months I thought the worst?
Because you thought I was a joke.
Over a decade of my life I suffered because of you.
I hope you read this. I hope it changes you.
Because you changed me, and it was NOT for the better. read more
