I have been to DOD on three occasions. The first time I went I waited a very long time and was seen by an brusk, unsympathetic female physician,. I didn't care much for her bedside manner, because I only went there for medication and prescription refills. However,. My recent experience with this same doctor, in regard to a neck injury motivated me to write this review.
I went in and saw the first doctor (a kind man with an accent) for severe neck and shoulder pain. Pleasant reception, very short wait. Doc checked me out and we talked about the pain (severe) and numbing sensation n my right hand. He told me it sounded like it could be disc related and that if I didn't get better on meds, I'd probably needed an MRI. He said an X-ray wouldn't show issues in soft tissue - and would just cost me money. So instead, he prescribed vicodin, flexeril and naprosyn. He told me to come back in 10 days if it didn't get better or sooner, if it worsened.
I went back 10 days later. My condition had worsened to the point that I could barely function. I was in severe pain, could not sleep and had lost sensation in two fingers. Aptos was closed so I went to the Ocean Avenue location. There was one other person in the waiting room and I was taken back relatively quickly.
Unfortunately, from that point on, things deteriorated. They left me in the room for 2 HOURS with no one checking on me. No magazines...etc. I honestly felt they had forgotten about me. I listened to them joking around and talking outside my room as I just sat there -- trying to hold my head up in tears.
When I could stand it no longer, I came out and politely asked how much longer it would be. They looked surprised to see me. I saw Dr. Elgin on her computer in her office to my right. There was one guy with a cut on his finger in an open curtain area - it looked like he was waiting for stitches.
They said "it shouldn't be that much longer." I asked if I could call my husband, as i had forgotten my mobile phone, and they let me. I waited another 20-30 minutes for the doctor.. She was absolutely brusk with me - offering only a perfunctory apology for having to wait "a little longer than normal". With tears, I told her about my condition and rated my pain an 8 out of 10 - and I was being conservative.
Surprisingly, despite two major reported neck traumas in the past, she was dismissive of my assertions that I had some kind of disc implication (YET - I had been told this by the previous doctor and my chiropractor). She laughed at me when I told her I thought perhaps I might need steroids and a referral for an MRI. She said "You don't need an MRI. You need physical therapy". I told her that I might need BOTH -- but seeing as I had no feeling in 2 fingers and excruciating pain down my right arm that prevented me from even getting up out of a recliner or walking around without a neck brace --- that I thought it would be wise to see a specialist for an opinion.
She brushed it all off, telling me the other doctor didn't give me enough pain medication for my size. She increased the pain medication from oxycontin to hydrocodone and upped the muscle relaxants too -- but not the anti inflammatory. I asked her what we should do if the meds did not alleviate the symptoms. She told me to come back the following Tuesday for a Physical Therapy Referral. I asked how I could do PT with so much pain and was met with non-response.
I called in the following Monday after consecutive, desperate nights of pain. I was exhausted, in terrible pain and by then I had a total loss of feeling in my right thumb with numbness in two other fingers. I spoke to the clinic manager and explained what had transpired over the previous 3 weeks. I described how my pain and symptoms had worsened and how the female doctor undermined the opinion of her fellow physician, classifying it as confusing and unprofessional.
The DOD Clinic Director apologized and asked what I wanted. I then demanded a referral to an in-network neurologist, a stat MRI referral. I also asked the director to speak to the doctors about the use of a steroid to reduce inflammation in my disc, since it's proven to work better than traditional anti-inflammatories, which require ample blood supply to work.
The Clinic Director called back the next day with an apology and everything I'd asked for. However, by that time, I'd secured my own Neuro appointment and received a STAT MRI and a round of methyl prednisone (which immediately helped). The MRI revealed a large disc herniation and bulging disk impeding my spinal column. So, I'm now under the care of several specialists.
Perhaps if I'd had proper medical care and diagnosis BEFORE 3 weeks had passed, it would not have escalated so badly. I still have no feeling in my right thumb. DOD refunded 50% off my last visit ($99) and apologized for my experience. I would never go back there again or trust this clinic based on my experiences there. read more
