In the days prior to scheduling my appointment, my asthma symptoms had worsened so much at night, to the point that I had emptied my inhalers and had to wake up and drink some coffee to settle down the wheezing, coughing and difficulty breathing. After a long weekend of this, I decided I needed to see a doctor STAT. Under new insurance, I ventured to the interwebs to see who I should see. I came across the positive reviews for Dr. Feigenbaum here on yelp as well as zocdoc and was able to get an appointment in just 2 days, and so it was.
My experience was just as the vast majority of previous reviews- extremely positive. I was first greeted by Olivia via phone as well as email and instructed to fill out paper work prior to coming in. Directions and parking instructions were also provided ($3 cash or $3.50 card with validation in the attached garage, BTW). On my visit, immediately upon entering the office, my insurance/parking validation were handled and within minutes, the nurse began taking vitals and obtaining a comprehensive medical history. Without a pause, I then saw Dr. F, who briefly reviewed that history, examined me and then, with his assistant and nurse, ran some tests (spirometry and allergy testing).
Despite being told in the past that it was too hard to make sense of my allergy test results due to dermatographia (yes, I can write words in my skin- look it up!), Dr. F was able to decipher specific allergies based on relative reaction after waiting a little longer. He also deduced that my symptoms were unlikely truly asthma based on history combined with spirometry, and we trialed treatment right then and there in the office. I was provided written materials about everything relevant to my situation as well as thorough instruction in how to properly administer both a nasal spray and inhaler. Truth be told, I hate putting anything up my nose, so I was not the best student, but they were all very patient and understanding of this, and with the medications, I immediately felt some relief. Because of my reaction to the allergy tests (my whole arm got quite red and inflamed), Dr. F had me stick around for a while, just to be sure I'd be ok. And I was. In fact, that night (and thereafter), I didn't even have to wake up for coffee!
I truly can breathe easier, and I owe it to Dr. F and his office. They are a smooth operation, with a team of young, competent staff who are constantly communicating with one another and patients to ensure everyone is on the same page. Each staff member was professional, caring and friendly in their role, with the clear common goal of helping to figure out what was going on and solving the problem. As others have also reported, Dr. F has even checked in with me personally via email to follow my symptoms. Seriously- who does that?! In fact, one thing that impressed me is the office's effective use of technology to streamline visits, without compromising (and rather facilitating) the personal care that is so important and often lacking in medicine. Ultimately, I feel very lucky to have found my new allergy and asthma specialist. read more
