I want to make a long story short and keep it factual. Dr. Lee had been my PCP since around 2001 when I moved to Kapolei. I have MS, a progressive neurological disease which causes gait and balance issues. I've have used a wheelchair since 2006. In July 2012 I had a bad fall while getting out of the pool after doing my daily morning laps. A nurse practitioner come to my house and assessed my injuries. She thought my ankle could be broken and told me to get to a doctor ASAP. In hindsight, I should've called an ambulance, but I worried about the cost of an ambulance for a non-life threatening condition. I couldn't drive with the sprain. Dr. Lee was the nearest doctor and I made the 4-mile round trip to his office in my wheelchair. When I arrived, I was in excruciating pain, my ankle and foot were swollen huge with purple bruising on the side of the ankle. I explained how I fell and was totally taken aback when he asked me if I was drunk when I fell. Anyone with MS finds it extremely offensive to be accused of being drunk. But coming from my doctor, who was well aware I have MS, it was even more appalling. Dr. Lee prescribed antibiotics and told me to come back in a week. I tried to explain that I had a sprain, possibly a break, not an infection. I asked for something to stabilize my ankle so I could do basic things like get in and out of bed and use the toilet without injuring it more, and something for the pain. He gave me no help, insisting again that the antibiotics should take care of it. I took the antibiotics for a week and also got an X-ray. When I came back to Dr. Lee he said, "I'm surprised the antibiotics didn't take care of that swelling." After viewing my X-rays and seeing there was an "anomaly," he referred me to an orthopedic surgeon. It was almost a month after my fall before my appointment with the surgeon. The pain and swelling had not subsided at all. The surgeon kept shaking his head as he said, "There's no surgery for something like this. It should have been in a boot from day one so it could heal in the right position. Now it's healed wrong and it's too late." I have lived with this injury for almost 4 years now. My ankle is still swollen and painful and collapses if I try to put weight on it. Dr. Lee never followed up.
3 years later, I went to Dr. Lee for a severe sore throat. His nurse swabbed my throat and when I left I was handed a paper that said the strep test was negative. Dr. Lee didn't look at my throat and I wasn't offered any help or advice for it. The next day my throat was worse, so I looked at it in the mirror. I was alarmed that my throat was white with red spots. 6 weeks later, someone from Dr. Lee's office called me to ask how my ankle was doing--the first follow up in 3 years. I told her it was no better, and after all these years I doubted it was going to get any better. And by the way, even though you didn't ask, my throat is still very sore. Dr. Lee called back and asked if I want to come in and have him look at my throat. I told him I'd made the 4-mile round trip in my wheelchair once to get help for my throat and all I got was a strep test. It's just too difficult to keep going back and forth.
I have since changed doctors. read more
