Universal Mens Clinic (UMC)
I was feeling out of gas and had been feeling that way for more than a year. Finding it difficult to get the energy to exercise after work and wanting to simply watch TV and veg.
I went to UMC in September of 2017.
This is an accounting of the treatment and patient care.
Treatment, I feel better, increased energy maintaining strength, however emotionally very concerned about my health.
Patient care: Awful.
Examples of awful patient care and why I feel UMC is simply a drug dealer pushing testosterone.
1- Initial visit. Before results were returned they wanted to get me started on a treatment. What clinic anywhere would start treating a symptom without ensuring the treatment would fill the patients need? UMC would. They offer your first testosterone shot before they even have results from your blood work. I did not accept the first treatment and went to my personal physician to have the same tests run and seek a second opinion on testosterone supplementation. After the results were back from both UMC and my Doc, they aligned and I started the treatment.
There are 2 potential negative side effects with testosterone treatment. A- if you are a naturally aggressive person (like me), more testosterone means more natural aggression so I had requested initially and in 4 below that my levels not exceed 800 and rather stay around 600, and B- the treatment option UMC offers for testosterone can directly cause an increased level in your hematocrit, which can lead to kidney issues or stroke. UMC told me they would stop your treatments if you ever reached a hematocrit of 56.
2- Several times during my treatment I was concerned about B above. There is no acceptable increase potential for a stroke. With a stroke the outcome is so varied you may be dead or worse a mere drooling shadow of your former self, both completely unacceptable. So while feeling neglected by UMC I went to my personal physician and had blood work completed a few times during this treatment.
One time with a hematocrit exceeding 53 and one time exceeding 56. Both times I forwarded the results to UMC who then arranged (3 days later) a therapeutic phlebotomy of 1 unit, which drops your hematocrit levels temporarily. I was also donating 1 unit of blood every 2 months. All of this information was shared verbally with UMC during my visits but there was not a change in their procedure, in my testing, or in their involvement with my treatment.
3- On about month 10 of my treatment during an office visit I mentioned there were some items in the treatment which we needed to discuss. There were 4 guys behind the counter, one said he was the manager. I asked if we should discuss the items here or in a more private setting. He said here. I told them I did not appreciate the number of times they had recently called me to remind me of a meeting, that I did not appreciate their patient treatment, that they were inconsistent in my treatment. All of which he told me would not happen and that their procedures were solid that they don't do any of the things I was saying I experienced. I am the one making the complaint and he completely tried to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. The conversation got a bit intense until he finally said we will talk about this more when you come back to an observation room. The results of my testing that day was a testosterone level over 1000, how do you like my aggressiveness now?
4- The visit in the observation room from item 3, was with Dr A. He told me they immediately stop the treatment when/if a patient exceeds the 56 hematocrit level (results for which I had recently sent them at 56.7). When I mentioned my results he said we will adjust your dosage there was no stoppage of treatment. He also promised a routine therapeutic phlebotomy (TP) every 2 months. This also did not happen. With my 4 remaining months of treatment I had to call to get an appointment set up for the TP which again took several days.
5- During all the treatment we never did do any type of urine analysis to ensure kidney function is good. I'm not a physician so maybe kidney function can be verified through the blood work.
Bottom line. I will never use UMC again. I will seek the patient care partnership with my personal physician or another provider who will listen to my needs and provide monitoring which is consistent with any changes in my bloodwork.
Jason Bleak read more