Dr. Smucker was the first physician I saw after moving to Portland. Unfortunately, I wouldn't…read morerecommend him to anyone. My husband and I both felt very rushed at our appointments, and it never seemed as though he took our complaints very seriously. To make matters worse, after seeing another doctor, I now know that he misdiagnosed me in a way I think was very negligent, and most likely occurred because he never took the time to truly listen to a full list of my symptoms without jumping in halfway through with the diagnosis he'd already decided on.
I'd been suffering from stomach upset, pain, and digestive issues since before I moved here. Dr. Smucker diagnosed me with IBS, and told me to take Citrucel. He never ordered a blood test, or bothered to look at my previous records, or he would have noticed that I had gradually worsening anemia--a symptom of what I actually had, which was a bleeding ulcer. Even worse, when I saw him because I was concerned I was taking too much Excedrin for my headaches, he told me to continue taking the pills as long as they were working for me, even knowing that I had ongoing stomach issues. My ulcer was most likely caused by NSAIDs, and Excedrin contains aspirin (an NSAID), so his medical advice probably made my condition worse. The next doctor I saw (Heather Pfeiffer FNP) immediately ordered a blood test, put me on Prilosec, and diagnosed me with an ulcer with no problem. After a month of treatment from her, my symptoms have almost completely disappeared, whereas under Dr. Smucker I suffered unnecessarily for a year, believing I had a condition like IBS that was never going to go away.
I would not, under any circumstances or for any reason, recommend Dr. Smucker's medical care to anyone; it's entirely possible his care may even make your condition worse, as it did for me. There are many good doctors in Portland that will take the time to listen to you and diagnose you properly. Find one of them, because Dr. Smucker is not one.