I began experiencing heal pain in late December 2011, so when I saw my primary doctor for a physical a few months later, I mentioned the on and off pain, and she properly diagnosed it as plantar fasciitis and referred me to Dr. Beiser. I see he has many good reviews, but my experience just wasn't all that great.
The first visit seemed very rushed. Nothing much was explained to me about this ailment, like what causes it and what I need to do to help it heal and how long it takes to heal. Nope. I had to go online AFTER The visit to look that information up, and any doctor leaving me feeling lost like that is not off to a good start.
Also on the first visit, he taped my foot, not checking at all to see if my insurance covered that or not, and not explaining to me about the taping. It was just rush rush rush. See me back in a week. The tape felt weird and while it helped some, basically fell off the next day after a shower. So again, I went to my friend google and looked up videos on how to retape my foot myself, and the video also explained the purpose of doing it.
Second visit, the doctor pretty much criticized how I taped my foot, and added a few more pieces and said to see him back in two weeks. Rush rush. That's was about it, and now hand over another copay!
By the third visit, I told him that I pretty much gave up on the tape, as taping my foot every morning got to be a drag, and not to mention the tape was causing so much sticky residue on the bottom of my foot and my heels were starting to crack. So rush rush, he then asked if I wanted a cortisone shot. At that point, I was willing to try it, but again, nothing about it was explained to me and I had to ask things like, "How long will it last for?" I know patients need to be proactive these days, but isn't it the doctor's job to inform their patients about the very basics of ailments and treatments? So I got the shot and it hurt super bad. I wasn't even told how bad it would hurt, rush rush, but oh well, I got through it.
On the way out to pay, it was only then that I was told that I owed a balance. I didn't understand since I had paid every copay. I called my insurance company and found out that the stupid taping he did wasn't covered and that I had to pay for it, and it wasn't cheap! We're talking a lot of money just to slap some tape on the bottom of the foot! It bothered me a great deal that I had to pay for that, when I should have been told up front more about it, if the insurance covered it or not, and the costs, because I would have refused it had I know more. I had googled how to tape my foot myself anyway!
After I hobbled back to my office, I mentioned to another coworker that I had gotten the cortisone shot in my foot, and she mentioned having had the same foot problem. She told me to buy some Spenco orthotics (the hard ones) and to try those, and also to buy a women's loafer like shoe with a slight heal (Trotters "Jenn"). She even sent me a link to a good site to buy them from (Shoebuy.com). I took her advice and the new shoes and inserts have helped a ton. Meanwhile the doctor had only recommended the $300 custom made inserts, which my insurance would not cover, and never mentioned Spenco to try first (about $30). There was even a pharmacy in his office building lobby that sold those, yet he never said a word to me about them. How sad is it that you get more information about your ailment and cures from google and from a coworker than from your own doctor? It all just left a bad feeling in my gut about this doctor.
The last appointment I went to this week was the last straw for me. I got to my appointment on time, but was left to wait in a patient room for a half an hour. Nobody told me why I was waiting so long or apologized or offered me any information as to how much longer I would be waiting, so I got up and said I was leaving, because I wasn't about to wait another half an hour, and wait for what... more rush rush treatment with lack of information? I was done. This doctor is not a nightmare or anything like that, but he just was not all that either, and not at all for me. I want a doctor who does their job and treats me like they care. If I have to do everything myself and am not even treated well, what the heck am I paying you for? read more