Dr. Mark Agresti M.D. saved my life, literally. I am not making this statement to shock you or create undue interest, it is simply a statement of fact. I first encountered Dr. Agresti during a crisis of high drama and extreme physical and emotional stress that followed a week long hospital stay in Costa Rica. Hours before my return flight I suffered a severe, acute respiratory event which placed me in CIMA Hospital for a full week. By the time I was released and boarded the plane (in a wheelchair) for the flight back to Florida I was a broken man, physically and emotionally. This was how Dr. Agresti found me about three years ago.
I exercised/played sports 3-4 hours a day and my diet consisted of mainly fruits, salads and lean protein. I had numerous close friends and dated regularly, in short I had the happy, full life I had worked so hard to attain, but his would not last. I had numerous surgeries from sports injuries which barely slowed me down. Then came spinal surgery to deal with multiple herniated discs and my life would change forever. Surgery, followed by mutltiple pulmonary emboli (blood clots) in both lungs, lung collapse months later and 18 months of high doses of percocet, neck injections and epidural steroid injections left me beaten, battered and discouraged. The worst part of my new reality was respiratory. I was always short of breath, could not take a deep breath without reflexive coughing and the constant oxygen insufficiency led to anxiety and sever panic attacks. I lived or should I say existed with this anxiety and panic for years as I would wake up in the middle of the night in stark terror and run to the local ER for help with my oxygen deprivation. For years following surgery and its complications, I worked very hard to limit my physical activity and adjust all aspects of my life to the new reality, including sleeping on the couch on my side, a vegan diet, and lots of green juices, wheat grass and meditation.
One month later I arrived in Florida in a daze, my breathing was worse than ever before, my chest was perpetually tight as a drum and fear and panic ruled the day. After three weeks of ER visits with no relief I was ready to jump off a bridge, not because I was suicidal, but I could no longer bear the 24/7 stress, anxiety, panic and total lack of empathy from the medical community. As a last ditch effort I started calling local psychiatrists hoping they could find an answer others could not. Numerous doctors refused to see me for at least a month, even though I pleaded that this was urgent and offered to pay any fee. Some thought I had drug seeking behavior and literally terminated my phone call, and others well, you get the point. My last call was to some social services facility where they told me "I would have to check myself in as a mental patient for an indeterminate time" and oh yeah the doctor could not see me for a week.
Weeks of zero sleep, little food and an adrenal system on the verge of collapse I was luckily referred to Dr. Agresti by a past doctor who refused to see me. I was told he was a good physician and the one person who might both see me on short notice and rearrange his whole schedule to handle my crisis. I called immediately, quickly blurted out my situation to the staff, while trying to not to sound too pathetic for fear of rejection. After the staff person had a short talk with the doctor, I was advised to come in the next day! My heart dropped please let me not be dreaming. I arrived the following morning, rapidly filled out my paperwork and was ushered into the private sanctum of Dr. Agresti. What awaited me was not only the psychological help I desperately needed, but the comprehensive understanding of my medical/psychiatric situation along with the empathy that I had craved since being admitted into the hospital 7 weeks prior. My abridged medical file going back years was several inches high. We discussed my physical/ issues past and present at length and delved deeply into the anxiety, panic and overall stress that my physical issues were causing both acutely and long term. After 90 minutes of thorough examination and investigation Dr. Agresti came up with a comprehensive treatment plan for my conditions. This plan quickly brought my life under control, restored my sanity and emotional state and has served me well to this day. I have no doubt that If Dr. Agresti had not intervened when so many had turned me away, I would not be here to write this comment today. I urge all who have had the patience to read through this lengthy piece to use your local mental health professionals, they can change the quality of your life, even save it. A final note to those of you that happen to live in south Florida. If you need help seek out Dr. Agresti, if he treats you with the same intelligence, patience, kindness and empathy that he showed me (and I have no doubt that he will) your health can reside in no better hands. read more
