TL;DR I went out of my way to find a Black woman healthcare provider so that I would be truly heard…read moreand ended up getting yelled at and gaslit by someone who misrepresents their credentials.
While getting an actual appointment was a nightmare, I initially really liked Dr Jennifer Muhammad upon meeting her. During her introduction, she told me that even though she has 700 patients she gives each of them time and care and listens to them. While that is a lot of people she reassured me that most of them she only sees once a year. Odd flex, but whatever.
Near the end of my appointment she told me that she would have to try and see if she could get the pharmacy that I use that has saved me hundreds of dollars to work with her system even though the one I use is "mail order' (yes read that with extreme derision). She seemed annoyed when I told her that WalMart's pharmacy isn't an option for me out of principle, I don't like how they treat their employee. As we left things, she would get the form from me, which I sent over, check out Cost Plus, my magical cheap pharmacy, and I had a follow up appointment in 2 weeks.
Imagine my surprise when I then got multiple texts the next day about my doctor sending me coupons for prescriptions through GoodRX. This included a prescription for a pain medication that not only did I not need, but I had a bad reaction to in the past. If she had taken time to talk to me about that rather than judging what I am currently using for pain management (LDN, not an opioid) she would have known that I don't tolerate medication well and got very sick trying it years ago.
When I called to find out why she did this, she had the nerve, gall, and audacity to tell me that I heard what I wanted to hear and she never said she would try to use my preferred pharmacy. She went on to say that she prescribed me pain medication basically because she didn't like what I was using, even though I told her I felt better than I've felt in years. She then, with all of the professionalism of a Real Housewife of pick your city, told me that she did that because she is a real doctor, not some online doctor like I'm used to.
Wait... What? Well let's roll back the tape because I recorded the whole appointment on my phone. But she didn't know that. So of course when I go back and listen to the visit, yeah, just like I thought, she said she would try to see if she could get it to work. And because she couldn't fire up enough brain activity to make her system work, all of my previous health care providers are somehow shady or less quailed than her? It was like she couldn't fathom that the problem was with her and her system. But she's the real doctor...
With all due respect to her doctoral program, because I sure haven't completed one, no, my dear, as you sit there in a medical office with a white coat on, you are not a medical doctor. Online or otherwise, and it is disingenuous, and in some states fraudulent, to insinuate that you are a medical doctor. I have seen several real, in person, true medial doctors, along with doctorate level nurse practitioners over the years. Which is why I feel very comfortable saying if you want a nurse with a doctorate that will look down her nose at you, flat out lie, and give you meds that will make you sick, Jennifer is your gal! If you want someone to actually listen to your healthcare needs run quickly in the other direction.
