John from Riverside Posted October 27, 2008 Posted October 27, 2008 A little bit of background. My just turned 13 year old daughter had been complaining to me for some time now that her middle school had a infestation of spiders. I had asked the front office about it and they said they were spraying for them but due to the kids they couldn't use harsh insecticide which made sense to me. Anyway.....Thursday of last week my daughter was bit by a spider. She told her teacher when it happened and she ignored it but that is another matter......later on in the day she had red blotches on her hands.....which spread to her arms. My wife called the doctor who said to give her benadril and if for some reason she had trouble breathing she needed to go to emergency. Well....about 2 am on friday morning sure enough we were off to the emergency room as she was of bad color and having trouble breathing. After spending that morning and much of the Friday day we brought her home....she seemed ok over the weekend. Fast forward to this morning. She started having breathing problems again and was rushed to urgent care (I was at work and had to drive over an hour home) where my wife was met with the biggest @sshole doctor we have ever witnessed (he actually is not a doctor he is a "PAC" whatever that means) My wife was explaining the situation on my way home: - Was dismissing her symptoms as stress or asma.....even though she had shown no signs of these things in the past. - The examination was more like a interrogation.....grilling my daughter ashlee bedside manner was horrible - My wife explained that there was no previous history of this and this was her 2nd trip to the doctor in 4 days - My wife asked if additional tests could be ran....he said no....my wife asked to see another doctor his response was "you cant just see whatever doctor you want" - Then they charged us $50 and try to send my wife and my daughter on their way. This is about the time I got there - I went to the front and said we needed to see somebody else. There was something wrong with my daughter and we need to make sure. - the "doctor" then pulls me and my wife into a back room....started accusing us of making a scene....his sarcastic tone was bad enough as he started telling me that there was nothing wrong with my daughter....and when I said we we needed to see somebody else he started CUSSING at me.....I couldn't beleive it! So torn between beating the snot out of him right then and there and needing to keep my composure with my daughter within earshot common sense got the better of me......I walked out of that room and to the office manager who said she would take care of the situation. My question is.....who else can I complain to? I personally dont think this guy should even be practicing medicine....I dont have any confidence that anything is going to be done.....they took my money.....did nothing for us......and cussed at me to boot.
Beerball Posted October 27, 2008 Posted October 27, 2008 Get a family doctor that you and yours are comfortable with. Doc in a box should only be used on weekends to avoid the emergency room.
John from Riverside Posted October 27, 2008 Author Posted October 27, 2008 Get a family doctor that you and yours are comfortable with. Doc in a box should only be used on weekends to avoid the emergency room. Well Beerball this is the thing..... In my HMO we have to pick a family doctor....which works at THIS urgent care........but for some reason this "doctor" would not allow us to see her.
Fan in San Diego Posted October 27, 2008 Posted October 27, 2008 A little bit of background. My just turned 13 year old daughter had been complaining to me for some time now that her middle school had a infestation of spiders. I had asked the front office about it and they said they were spraying for them but due to the kids they couldn't use harsh insecticide which made sense to me. Anyway.....Thursday of last week my daughter was bit by a spider. She told her teacher when it happened and she ignored it but that is another matter......later on in the day she had red blotches on her hands.....which spread to her arms. My wife called the doctor who said to give her benadril and if for some reason she had trouble breathing she needed to go to emergency. Well....about 2 am on friday morning sure enough we were off to the emergency room as she was of bad color and having trouble breathing. After spending that morning and much of the Friday day we brought her home....she seemed ok over the weekend. Fast forward to this morning. She started having breathing problems again and was rushed to urgent care (I was at work and had to drive over an hour home) where my wife was met with the biggest @sshole doctor we have ever witnessed (he actually is not a doctor he is a "PAC" whatever that means) My wife was explaining the situation on my way home: - Was dismissing her symptoms as stress or asma.....even though she had shown no signs of these things in the past. - The examination was more like a interrogation.....grilling my daughter ashlee bedside manner was horrible - My wife explained that there was no previous history of this and this was her 2nd trip to the doctor in 4 days - My wife asked if additional tests could be ran....he said no....my wife asked to see another doctor his response was "you cant just see whatever doctor you want" - Then they charged us $50 and try to send my wife and my daughter on their way. This is about the time I got there - I went to the front and said we needed to see somebody else. There was something wrong with my daughter and we need to make sure. - the "doctor" then pulls me and my wife into a back room....started accusing us of making a scene....his sarcastic tone was bad enough as he started telling me that there was nothing wrong with my daughter....and when I said we we needed to see somebody else he started CUSSING at me.....I couldn't beleive it! So torn between beating the snot out of him right then and there and needing to keep my composure with my daughter within earshot common sense got the better of me......I walked out of that room and to the office manager who said she would take care of the situation. My question is.....who else can I complain to? I personally dont think this guy should even be practicing medicine....I dont have any confidence that anything is going to be done.....they took my money.....did nothing for us......and cussed at me to boot. Write a letter to the CEO or President. Chairman of the Board would be suitable as well.
Dan Posted October 27, 2008 Posted October 27, 2008 A little bit of background. My just turned 13 year old daughter had been complaining to me for some time now that her middle school had a infestation of spiders. I had asked the front office about it and they said they were spraying for them but due to the kids they couldn't use harsh insecticide which made sense to me. Anyway.....Thursday of last week my daughter was bit by a spider. She told her teacher when it happened and she ignored it but that is another matter......later on in the day she had red blotches on her hands.....which spread to her arms. My wife called the doctor who said to give her benadril and if for some reason she had trouble breathing she needed to go to emergency. Well....about 2 am on friday morning sure enough we were off to the emergency room as she was of bad color and having trouble breathing. After spending that morning and much of the Friday day we brought her home....she seemed ok over the weekend. Not sure about who you can talk to about the Doc. But, I'm more curious as to the diagnosis. Did they ever come up with something? Or was it just bendril? Interesting to me for a few reasons. I doubt it's spider bites.
MarkyMannn Posted October 27, 2008 Posted October 27, 2008 PAC might be a Physician Assistant. In other words a "glorified clerk", but don't worry they charge you just the same as if you saw the actual doctor
Zona Posted October 28, 2008 Posted October 28, 2008 Sorry, John, I can't offer any valid advice to you. I would have beat the snot out of the Fugger after he started cussing me, and then said "you didn't get beat up, it must be stress related, and no you cant see another Doctor. " Their are ways to get some measure of satisfaction, but they all fall short if you ask me. File a complaint with the state Atty General. They will conduct an independent investigation, and they tend to scare the Be-Jesus out of people. If you paid with a credit card, you can dispute the charges. Slim, but it might work. And I would find a new Doctor. Did you tell your Family Doctor about his co-worker? Maybe you can get the whelp fired.
Steely Dan Posted October 28, 2008 Posted October 28, 2008 PAC might be a Physician Assistant. I think that's right. I don't know if the AMA covers PAC's but they could steer you in the right direction. There has to be some certificate issuing board and I'm sure you can register a complaint with them. It sounds to me like it's quite possible he's had complaints in the past and that's why he flew off the handle. Also call the director of the urgent care center.
BuffaloBud Posted October 28, 2008 Posted October 28, 2008 Most places have a customer care / service office that handle these kinds of things. I would get in contact with them and follow up with an upper level exec.
John from Riverside Posted October 28, 2008 Author Posted October 28, 2008 Not sure about who you can talk to about the Doc. But, I'm more curious as to the diagnosis. Did they ever come up with something? Or was it just bendril? Interesting to me for a few reasons. I doubt it's spider bites. They are diagnoising as either stress or asma. I dont know...she has not had a problem with either of these things in the past.....and then right after the spider bite it kicks into overdrive. My own personal totally useless and unprofessional opinion? She had an allergic reaction to the spider bite and now has some sort of phobia which caused another hyperventilation. Here is another interesting thing I just found out yesterday.....the day that it happened she had a sub in the class. When she got bit she went to the teacher and told her what happened and asked to see the school nurse. She was told to go sit back down in her chair. hmmmmmm
Dan Posted October 28, 2008 Posted October 28, 2008 They are diagnoising as either stress or asma. I dont know...she has not had a problem with either of these things in the past.....and then right after the spider bite it kicks into overdrive. My own personal totally useless and unprofessional opinion? She had an allergic reaction to the spider bite and now has some sort of phobia which caused another hyperventilation. Here is another interesting thing I just found out yesterday.....the day that it happened she had a sub in the class. When she got bit she went to the teacher and told her what happened and asked to see the school nurse. She was told to go sit back down in her chair. hmmmmmm Interesting. I had a friend this summer that got a rash. We work outside, so I thought it might be poison ivy or oak or something like that. It persisted overnight and got worse. The rash was hot and irritating and it would be on his arms, then all over is chest, then back - eventually most of his body was covered. He went to a doctor and was told it's probably stress. I told him to take a few days off and keep lathered up in whatever topical ointment he had. It went away and he had no other problems. We're still not sure if it was stress or not. He and I kinda settled on allergic reaction to something he may have ate, for what that's worth. I'm not sure any of this helps. But, thought I'd share the experience. The reason I doubt spider bite is because its something I know a little about and they're actually quite uncommon. Most people that get what they think are spider bites, it's actually something else - lice, bed bug, mosquito, several other types of bugs. But, certainly it could be a spider. Allergic reaction, whether it be from bug bite or detergent or whatever, could definitely explain the rash spreading to the arms. Usually, remove the allergen and with a little benadryl topical to relieve the itching/irritation and the problems go away very quickly. Of course, that can be a problem if its a cleaning agent (for ex) that's being used in the school. Again, not sure any of this is helpful. But, wish you and your daughter well.
stuckincincy Posted October 28, 2008 Posted October 28, 2008 A little bit of background. My just turned 13 year old daughter had been complaining to me for some time now that her middle school had a infestation of spiders. I had asked the front office about it and they said they were spraying for them but due to the kids they couldn't use harsh insecticide which made sense to me. Anyway.....Thursday of last week my daughter was bit by a spider. She told her teacher when it happened and she ignored it but that is another matter......later on in the day she had red blotches on her hands.....which spread to her arms. My wife called the doctor who said to give her benadril and if for some reason she had trouble breathing she needed to go to emergency. Well....about 2 am on friday morning sure enough we were off to the emergency room as she was of bad color and having trouble breathing. After spending that morning and much of the Friday day we brought her home....she seemed ok over the weekend. Fast forward to this morning. She started having breathing problems again and was rushed to urgent care (I was at work and had to drive over an hour home) where my wife was met with the biggest @sshole doctor we have ever witnessed (he actually is not a doctor he is a "PAC" whatever that means) My wife was explaining the situation on my way home: - Was dismissing her symptoms as stress or asma.....even though she had shown no signs of these things in the past. - The examination was more like a interrogation.....grilling my daughter ashlee bedside manner was horrible - My wife explained that there was no previous history of this and this was her 2nd trip to the doctor in 4 days - My wife asked if additional tests could be ran....he said no....my wife asked to see another doctor his response was "you cant just see whatever doctor you want" - Then they charged us $50 and try to send my wife and my daughter on their way. This is about the time I got there - I went to the front and said we needed to see somebody else. There was something wrong with my daughter and we need to make sure. - the "doctor" then pulls me and my wife into a back room....started accusing us of making a scene....his sarcastic tone was bad enough as he started telling me that there was nothing wrong with my daughter....and when I said we we needed to see somebody else he started CUSSING at me.....I couldn't beleive it! So torn between beating the snot out of him right then and there and needing to keep my composure with my daughter within earshot common sense got the better of me......I walked out of that room and to the office manager who said she would take care of the situation. My question is.....who else can I complain to? I personally dont think this guy should even be practicing medicine....I dont have any confidence that anything is going to be done.....they took my money.....did nothing for us......and cussed at me to boot. Save the complaints about previous treatment for later. Your daughter presents with a symmetrical response to something...both hands, both arms, and breathing difficulty. A spider bite...who knows? As Dan mentioned...another bug...a fungus...who knows? Get to a doctor and have some baseline blood work done - Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, fasting lipid panel, a hemogram, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, C-Reactive protein, a fungal assay, Vitamin B & folic acid levels, Lyme disease and Lupus testing are a good start point. And an allergy work-up. An EKG. An incidence of breathing difficulty is very troubling. Very.
John from Riverside Posted October 28, 2008 Author Posted October 28, 2008 Interesting. I had a friend this summer that got a rash. We work outside, so I thought it might be poison ivy or oak or something like that. It persisted overnight and got worse. The rash was hot and irritating and it would be on his arms, then all over is chest, then back - eventually most of his body was covered. He went to a doctor and was told it's probably stress. I told him to take a few days off and keep lathered up in whatever topical ointment he had. It went away and he had no other problems. We're still not sure if it was stress or not. He and I kinda settled on allergic reaction to something he may have ate, for what that's worth. I'm not sure any of this helps. But, thought I'd share the experience. The reason I doubt spider bite is because its something I know a little about and they're actually quite uncommon. Most people that get what they think are spider bites, it's actually something else - lice, bed bug, mosquito, several other types of bugs. But, certainly it could be a spider. Allergic reaction, whether it be from bug bite or detergent or whatever, could definitely explain the rash spreading to the arms. Usually, remove the allergen and with a little benadryl topical to relieve the itching/irritation and the problems go away very quickly. Of course, that can be a problem if its a cleaning agent (for ex) that's being used in the school. Again, not sure any of this is helpful. But, wish you and your daughter well. Thanks Dan.... The reason why spider is presumed is she got bit and immedietly saw the spider running away from her right where her hand had been.
John from Riverside Posted October 28, 2008 Author Posted October 28, 2008 Save the complaints about previous treatment for later. Your daughter presents with a symmetrical response to something...both hands, both arms, and breathing difficulty. A spider bite...who knows? As Dan mentioned...another bug...a fungus...who knows? Get to a doctor and have some baseline blood work done - Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, fasting lipid panel, a hemogram, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, C-Reactive protein, a fungal assay, Vitamin B & folic acid levels, Lyme disease and Lupus testing are a good start point. And an allergy work-up. An EKG. An incidence of breathing difficulty is very troubling. Very. Cincy....it is interesting that you bring up the bloodwork (and thanks for all the specific info) When I went in to see the CAT (right before we got into it) I asked "isn't there any type of bloodwork that can be done to make sure we know whats wrong" He looks at me with the most sarcastic tone you could imagine "well just what type of bloodwork would you like me to do? Name one because there are not ANY TO BE DONE" I look at him in disbelieve "why are YOU asking ME what blood work to do....ARENT YOU THE DOCTOR"
Fan in San Diego Posted October 29, 2008 Posted October 29, 2008 Thanks Dan.... The reason why spider is presumed is she got bit and immedietly saw the spider running away from her right where her hand had been. The only thing I can add is that my Father in law got bit by a spider on the arm. That spot became large and enflamed like an absess. There weren't any rashes. I forget what the doctor did for him, it was a long time ago.
VOR Posted October 29, 2008 Posted October 29, 2008 Cincy....it is interesting that you bring up the bloodwork (and thanks for all the specific info) When I went in to see the CAT (right before we got into it) I asked "isn't there any type of bloodwork that can be done to make sure we know whats wrong" He looks at me with the most sarcastic tone you could imagine "well just what type of bloodwork would you like me to do? Name one because there are not ANY TO BE DONE" I look at him in disbelieve "why are YOU asking ME what blood work to do....ARENT YOU THE DOCTOR" Well, that's the problem. He wasn't a doctor. He was a PA. There's a huge difference, and it sounds like he's insecure about himself with the way he acted. But what he did was completely wrong and you should complain to your actual MD who works there about it. Likely nothing will get done but at least you made your voice known.
The Dean Posted October 29, 2008 Posted October 29, 2008 They are diagnoising as either stress or asma. I dont know...she has not had a problem with either of these things in the past.....and then right after the spider bite it kicks into overdrive. My own personal totally useless and unprofessional opinion? She had an allergic reaction to the spider bite and now has some sort of phobia which caused another hyperventilation. Here is another interesting thing I just found out yesterday.....the day that it happened she had a sub in the class. When she got bit she went to the teacher and told her what happened and asked to see the school nurse. She was told to go sit back down in her chair. hmmmmmm That's not crazy at all John. I used to break out in HUGE hives, as a child, due to fear of the water (exacerbated by a douchebag gym coach who thought kids were Marines, or something). It's amazing what kid of harm a phobia can wreak on the body. I hope you find a way to get your daughter some decent and compassionate help, first. That is, obviously, the most important thing. But, you really should not let this terrible treatment go without making some noise. I would recommend you talk to your regular doctor, ASAP, and clearly lay out what happened. Also, write down what went down, in non-incendiary language, and send it to the head of the hospital and their media relations/community ombudsman type person. Try to get a face-to-face with either, or both, of those individuals, as well. If that gets you nowhere, I suggest you contact the local newspaper and/or TV station, if they have any sort of consumer complaint reporters. Also, make sure any state medical regulatory entities get a copy of the letter you sent to the hospital, if the hospital doesn't respond quickly. I wouldn't be satisfied until I got the proper treatment, and attitude for your daughter, and a personal apology from the PA to you and your daughter for his poor bedside manner and snotty attitude toward you. I would also look for other health care options, for the future. But, I understand that you may be limited in your choices. Good luck.
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