I would like to share my experience at this office. Before this visit, I had never undergone any form of surgery, and unfortunately, my experience here was deeply distressing. During my consultation months before the procedure, Dr. Lawerence reviewed the steps involved, which initially seemed reassuring. However, he also chose to detail every possible complication that could occur. While I understand the importance of informed consent, the manner and extent to which these risks were presented caused me significant anxiety, especially given my pre-existing anxiety disorder and severe surgical anxiety.
Despite my attempts to express these concerns, I did not feel supported or understood by Dr. Lawerence. Instead of offering reassurance, he continued to mention what others believed could go wrong, which heightened my fear of undergoing anesthesia. Additionally, both he and the office staff instructed me to refrain from using cannabis after midnight the night before surgery. Upon arrival, however, he informed me that the cannabis would still affect the procedure and anesthesia. This made me feel as though I had already done something wrong, further increasing my distress.
After taking time to calm myself, I was brought back into the procedure room, where I experienced a significant anxiety attack upon sitting in the chair. Throughout this episode, Dr. Lawerence continued asking procedural questions, seemingly disregarding my visible panic. The nurse, on the other hand, was consistently kind and attempted to help me calm down. Once the questioning ended, I was still in the midst of a panic attack when the team placed the mask for laughing gas on me. Because of my inability to breathe normally, I could not inhale the gas, which intensified my panic.
Instead of offering support, Dr. Lawerence told me that this reaction was simply part of "new experiences" and that I "needed to do it" because I was 21 years old. His comments were dismissive and condescending, and I explained that his approach was making the situation worse. When I asked him to stop speaking to me in that manner, he abruptly ended the process, stating that the procedure would not take place. He then informed my mother that it could not be done because of my behavior.
Overall, this experience was traumatic, and I will not be returning to this practice. The bedside manner was severely lacking, and as someone who had never undergone any type of surgery--not even a tooth extraction--I felt there was no compassion or support for my understandable anxiety. I cannot recommend this practice to anyone who requires a more supportive, patient-centered approach, particularly those with significant anxiety. read more
