It seems these bad reviews don't show the real picture, the whole picture. The fact is, Dr Sheikh is a very good doctor. I trust her with my health everyday.
Dr. Sheikh has been my neurologist for over 7 years. In that time I have spent plenty of time in the waiting room, plenty of time interacting with her staff and plenty of time in front of her. She is a very caring and compassionate doctor.
She is a rarity nowadays. She has an old fashioned office, the type where the doctor sits there and listens to you until you finish talking. She has never rushed me out of her office. Most doctors are in a hurry, she isn't, nor keeps tabs on a clock. She is very informal. Her cell number is listed on the answering machine.
She is one of the few doctors in the Sacramento area that prescribes pain medication if you have pain (verifiable). How common is that nowadays? Therefore, I am not surprised at the amount of people that pack her office. She didn't ignore my chronic condition & expect me to live with it. Nor am I surprised her office is called 'disorganized'. Yes, I waited 2hrs a time or two, wished my referrals were processed faster, and I stayed after the Front desk staff 'left' at 5:30pm.....but that it nothing in comparison to having a good doctor that addresses my condition. How good is that? (Actually, the Front desk is never alone, there are security cameras everywhere that she monitors from her desktop).
My primary care doctor, and many other primary care doctors refuse to prescribe pain medication for pain. The primary care doctor will cite the DEA as the reason for this. In today's world, the DEA directly instructs primary care doctors how to prescribe pain medication. Primary care doctors are no longer allowed to prescribe pain medication at their discretion, regardless of the amount of pain involved. I guess I'm lucky then, I have a spine condition that is degenerative and shows up on film (x-rays, MRI, etc). After 3 spine surgeries, I don't expect my spine to rejuvenate or to ever be 'normal'. The pain I experience is constant, chronic. Thanks to pain medication I am not bed bound. Yet the fear of the DEA &/or Pain Management is that pain meds will be abused. Under those auspices, and because of a few malingerers(abusers) too many patients with legitimate pain that doesn't show up on film (x-rays, MRI,etc) must suffer in silence with no relief. Patients with painful conditions require pain medication just like a diabetic requires insulin. Sadly, nowadays, you can't go to a doctor's office (or the ER,) complaining of pain without them looking at you funny. They assume you there shopping around for narcotics.
Dr Sheikh is one of the rare doctors that continues to practice old fashioned medicine by treating pain. She is also one of the very few doctors who offers oxygen treatment (Hyperbaric) in Sacramento. She is one of the few doctors that treats autism. I can only assume, that she is the only doctor's office that can perform electro-stimulation physical therapy, an electromyogram (EMG) test, an electroencephalogram (EEG) test, gives nerve blocks, and affordable oxygen therapy, all in one location, without having to go offsite. No wonder it appears disorganized.
In fact, she believes in education too; many students interns have earned their school training at Dr. Sheikh's office. Just like UCD hospital is known as a teaching facility, so is Dr. Sheikh's office.
Most importantly, she is one of the few doctors that takes Medi-Cal. How many neurologist take MediCal? Not many. She is not there for the money. She can't order any test without knowing the type of insurance we have.
I have also been there for many appointments where there were no wait times, and also have had referrals processed timely, and got same day appointments too. It really all depends on the amount of time she spends with each patient. That's the way she works. If she spends 20 min with two patients, or more, it adds up to hours of wait time after a while. But I wouldn't change it for the world, nor would I change for a doctor that speaks to me for less than 3 minutes at each visit, like most other doctors.
I highly recommend Dr. Sheikh read more
