Dr. Kjeldgaard was the worst doctor I've ever been to. I gave two stars instead of one simply…read morebecause the other staff at this location were very kind and caring toward me. Only the doctor seemed to not care at all. If you value your money and want to be treated by a doctor who cares, please, go elsewhere.
Background: I've had hip and lower back pain for 3 years now. I've seen several doctors but gotten only minimal and temporary relief.
I waited for two hours past my appointment time before seeing the doctor. This was mildly annoying, but I understand we are in the midst of a pandemic, and it's slowing down the process, so I figured it wasn't a big deal. However, when the doctor finally came in, I instantly noticed his bad attitude. He never once looked me in the eye, he was abrupt, rude, and extremely dismissive. He gave me an exam that lasted all of about 2 minutes and then talked to me for about 5 minutes. This just made me wonder, why did I wait so long if this is the amount of time he spends with each patient?
As I tried to tell him about my situation he kept cutting me off mid-sentence. I told him stretching helps my pain, so I stretch every single day, even though when my hip is hurting it's very painful to stretch. He said it didn't make sense to him that the stretches could be both painful and helpful... I found his confusion very odd. I saw my general practitioner, a physical therapist, and a chiropractor, before going here, and they all agreed that stretching might hurt a little, but it could help reduce my pain throughout the day. Every google search I've done has turned up multiple articles suggesting daily stretching to reduce my pain. It's pretty basic.
He reminded me of my young age, over and over again, as if I didn't already know I'm too young to be experiencing pain like this. Age bias is a real problem, and youth does not necessarily equate to good health. He actually rolled his eyes when he saw that I occasionally take sleeping medication. I'm guessing from this he thought I was chasing meds.... which is actually laughable. If he had bothered to listen to me, he'd know I don't even take OTC meds for the pain, and I have no interest in starting. On top of that, if I WERE wanting meds, I would have asked my GP, and not paid a bunch of money to get scans done and see specialists.
Finally, he asked me if I wanted a referral to get an MRI, since he didn't see anything indicated on my x-ray. He then proceeded to tell me he doesn't think they will find anything on an MRI. So..... does he recommend the MRI or not?? I have no idea what the nuances between an X-ray and an MRI actually are, so how am I supposed to tell him whether or not I need both?
A note to doctor Kjeldgaard:
What you say, and how you say it, changes people's lives. I might not have been so easily dismissed, but a lot of people would have walked out of that visit feeling hopeless. If a specialist, like yourself, doesn't see the problem and is dismissive, it makes a solution seem impossible.
In a world where medical care is exorbitantly expensive, and the number one reason people file for bankruptcy is medical debt, patients aren't coming to see you because they want to, but because they NEED help.
