This is long, but if you're shopping for a doctor, please read the whole thing.
It's so hard to move to a new place and try to find a doctor without a trusted referral. I'll spare you the sob story, but when my husband developed Pain (which turned out to be multiple kidney stones) last spring, we happened upon a good review of Dr. Eric Sonderer online.
After letting my husband suffer through multiple visits, he finally did refer him to a urologist who "blasted" some of the larger stones (of the 13)! It was a horrible 4 months for my husband. If you've had kidney stones, you know.
My husband liked the doc's laidback style, so I went to him with a sinus infection in the fall. During that visit, he took it upon himself to diagnose a skin "condition" and prescribe a topical medication. (I found him a bit arrogant, but tolerable.) The medication didn't do a thing for my skin. A dermatologist told me he made the wrong call. And I ended up visiting a sinus specialist for the same sinus infection that took months to clear.
Shortly after my visit, I saw a suspicious mole pop up on my ear, I called for a referral. He did give me a good REFERRAL, I'll give him that.
This spring, his office started calling, hounding both of us to schedule physicals. My husband needed blood work and, by the way, where was my blood work?? I have mine done through my Gyn. They argued a bit. Cajoled me to send the results over.
Shortly after the calls, my husband had some recurring abdominal discomfort. I scheduled an appointment with Sonderer. For the second time (he did this with the kidney stones, too), Sonderer send him home recommending he take a laxative!!! (Did I mention he "prescribed" 2 beers a day as a "preventive" treatment for kidney stones? "One beer for each kidney.")
Bottom line: NO blood tests ordered.
My husband is 59 years old and they had already been badgering us about blood tests!
So... I call for an appointment today. They can get him in in 4 weeks. If he has the blood work done early (we're talking cholesterol screen, etc.) it would not "be any good" for the physical. (Wah??) Because? "That is a new Medicare law."
I said "We don't have Medicare." Last time I checked you have to be 65. "Well, it's a new law," she says.
We pay DEARLY for our medical insurance out of our own pocket. And despite the ineptitude of the health care system, I'm holding Dr. Sonderer responsible for his part. We're finding someone with enough ethics to authorize basic, yearly blood tests for God's sake. read more