This review is long overdue, but necessary.
I recently went…read morethrough my old medical files from 2015, and everything I went through with this doctor came flooding back. I was a healthy, active woman in my early 40s -- working out four times a week, eating clean, and living a balanced lifestyle. Out of nowhere, I began passing out, having heart palpitations, chest pressure, and extreme fatigue. I was in and out of the ER repeatedly for years, scared and confused, and no one could figure out what was wrong.
Each time, the emergency doctors ran tests and told me to follow up with my primary doctor, Dr. Abraham Golbari. I did exactly that. But instead of compassion, concern, or real investigation, I got dismissal, arrogance, and negligence. He brushed me off repeatedly, refused to run the proper tests, and told me to "stop working out as much."
For clarity -- I wasn't overdoing anything. I did normal aerobic exercise like walking or jogging one to three miles, and light weights. I wasn't on steroids or pushing beyond my limits. I was just trying to stay healthy.
His physician assistant (PA) at the time -- and I'll never forget her because she was amazing -- was the only one who truly listened to me. She said, "You're too young and healthy for this. Something's wrong." She went above and beyond to get the right lab forms, contacted another office, and sent me to Quest Diagnostics for blood work. That's when the truth finally came out -- I had lupus.
Negligent and Dismissive -- Please Read Before Choosing This Doctor
The PA personally called me in to share the results because she was leaving his office for the same reason many others probably have: his lack of care, concern, and professionalism. Even after I received the lupus diagnosis, Dr. Golbari minimized it. He told me I'd be "fine" and just to "go see a rheumatologist." No empathy. No support. No acknowledgment that after years of suffering and uncertainty, I finally had an answer.
When I asked him for an application for a temporary handicap placard -- because lupus and heart palpitations made it difficult to walk or stand for long -- he flat-out refused to give me one. He said "nothing's wrong with you." His PA quietly handed me the application on her last day before she left his office, because she knew I truly needed it.
I regret not filing a formal complaint with the Medical Board of California back then. What he did wasn't even just a misdiagnosis -- he didn't diagnose me at all. He showed no interest, no urgency, and no humanity. If it hadn't been for that PA taking the initiative to run the right tests, I don't know how long I would have gone on suffering, or if I would have survived.
Dr. Golbari graduated from the National University of Iran Faculty of Medicine (listed on his California license). While I believe there are many excellent international doctors, his complete disregard for my symptoms, lack of bedside manner, and refusal to act were inexcusable.
Below are links to verify his license and also to check if there have been any lawsuits or filings against him.
If this reaches even one person before they experience what I went through, then sharing this was worth it. Please advocate for yourself and don't let anyone dismiss your pain.
Verification Links
Medical Board of California - License A55387
https://search.dca.ca.gov/?BD