I saw Dr. Hillman while he worked in Laingsburg, and cannot believe that I continued with him as a primary care physician for so long. On top of being one of the most misogynistic doctors I've ever known (and, working in public health, I know many) he:
- started me on birth control at age 14 when I was not sexually active, nor was I having bad cramping or an irregular cycle, because "it would make sure my skin remained clear" (I didn't have acne). I remained on it for two years and became horribly depressed. He denied that the birth control could be making me depressed and started me on Zoloft -- which made me not want to eat for three weeks. I stopped taking each medication; my appetite returned, however, I had DEBILITATING periods each and every month for about 6 or 7 years after (intense lower back pain, cramps so bad I would faint, nausea, hot flashes), as well as a 37-40 day cycle (instead of 28-30). My cycle has finally evened out, but half of my periods are still debilitating.
-- Refused to acknowledge that I was studying science and medicine when I moved onto college, and, on the few occasions he did, told me I wouldn't make it in med school.
-- Asked me if I "ever felt stressed out," to which I said "yes, sometimes" (we all do) and threw Valium at me for 3 years
-- Took 11 months to diagnose a rare and potentially lethal cardiothoracic/vascular condition that would be outside of any general physician's field of knowledge; however, instead of sending me to a specialist first, let his ego take over, gave me something like ten different diagnoses in a year, would Rx me Vicodin for the excruciating pain one week and yell that I was a drug addict who was faking it all to the point that I would cry the next (...and then Rx me Vicodin again the next week). When he luckily stumbled onto my diagnosis via a lucky neck x-ray, he gave me a nice print out packet on it and didn't explain how serious it was at all. read more
