I have had only 1 limited exam/emergency visit.
I am in my 30s and have severe eczema, so this review is for someone like me who was seeking help from a practice whose focus was not to make me look younger or do cosmetic treatments. they might focus on that, but for me the focus was strictly health.
I am a local dentist and I've been suffering immensely for 10 years from eczema, and a year ago I stumbled upon the concept of topical steroid addiction and withdrawal. So I have been in withdrawal for 13 months. my first 8 months were hell. skin went bizerko, fever. sometimes I was okay. but I was in a bathtub the moment I came home from work practically every day until month 6. I was under the care of a "famous" derm in Beverly Hills who is big in the withdrawal world, and he took great care of me. I feel that it was mainly psychological as I was very fragile. and then after 7 months we had a falling out due to what I think was simply financial greediness. breaks my heart. I would have never sent a nasty email like that to my own patients.
the next 3 months were fairly decent. I was on the healing phase of withdrawal. I didn't really need a derm anymore. but from the ITSAN forum, found out that flares are still entirely possible (can take 3 years to withdrawal). so sure enough, on the eve of my 1 year anniversary, I started a flare. a mega flare. although it wasn't entirely out of the blue. for the previous 3 months I've been dealing with sores on my hand. but I'm resilient and tough and thought I could deal on my own. but with stern coaxing from my brother, I agreed to see a doctor.
Finally to my review:
the staff: I called and the woman that answered was nice, I explained that I wanted to see another dr at their office that was highly recommended, but there was no opening until November. then I said that I think I might be having a skin emergency. then she asked if I could do the next day. Then I explained that I had a patient cancel in my afternoon, and other than that I'm booked solid. and I'm not about to cancel my own patients so that I can be a patient. So she said she'll see what she can do and if she can call back. I said yes. I gave her the number to my office. Then she asked if it was okay to leave a detailed message with my staff. I said yes. First of all, for those of you that don't know, that was very correct of her for HIPPA reasons. I am glad they are HIPPA compliant. She and my front office receptionist were able to set up an appointment during my opening in the afternoon.
at the appointment: I quickly filled out my forms, waited maybe 10-15 minutes, and then was seen by either a medical assistant or nurse. perfectly sweet and nice. she asked me for a rundown and then she said Dr. Roseborough would be in shortly. I could hear her give Dr. R the rundown outside and then they both came in.
Dr. Roseborough was as sweet as can be, at the same time intelligent sounding. She was patient, concerned with what I was experiencing. I could tell she did not like me refusing steroids, but she did not say so. She had the same look on her face that I likely have when my patients say something like they don't believe in fluoride. Dr. R spent about 35 minutes with me, and she said her main objective was to make me less miserable and I could tell she truly meant it. I appreciated that she was respectful of my wishes to not be on steroids, and I appreciated that she didn't bother telling me all the things I know from seeing 4 derms in the last 10 years.
checking out was easy. And the front office staff said something interesting, if I could leave from the side door as the front door is now locked. I said of course. I then noticed the reception lights were out. And I thanked them all for being so sweet and I specifically thanked the receptionist for making this appointment happen. I thanked them for staying late.
Their office was obviously closed. they obviously stayed late to see me. That makes me cry just typing about it. I would certainly do that for my own patients. but that's me and I love my job and my patients. but it touched me so deeply that they wanted to help me, a complete stranger.
I can't comment on future visits or the outcomes of those or if I've found my permanent dermatologic home, or if Dr. Roseborough is the perfect match for me. But I can say she was lovely and her team was lovely. read more
