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The information below describes my experiences with the health care professionals specified. Doctors: If there are any factual errors, let me know and I will correct them. It should be noted that my experiences are those of just one person; your experiences might vary. Each of the following people/groups has almost certainly treated many patients successfully.
Unless otherwise noted, the doctors listed below are located in the Baltimore, Maryland / Washington, DC area.
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Dr. Hubert Skinner Otolaryngology |
Capable, insightful, good listener, logical thinker, personable. Good at explaining his reasoning. Willing to consider ideas, "think outside the box" and run appropriate tests. Top notch, organized office staff. Keeps a good schedule (rarely keeps you waiting for your appointment). Anxious to remove my tonsils to see if that would help (I've declined so far). Has now retired. :-( |
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Dr. Ronald Berger Optomology |
Hard worker, good listener, understanding, solid integrity. Unafraid to tackle the tough cases. Excellent office staff and assistants. I spent several months in visual therapy to see if it would reduce my motion sickness. Discovered that a few seconds of certain visual activity can trigger weeks of motion sickness. Discovered that I lose depth perception if I move my head or body (I must stay perfectly still to have depth perception). This could explain the motion sickness, but doesn't reveal a cure for the problem. |
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Dr. Binyamin Rothstein Osteopathy |
First doctor to suspect thyroid trouble (he was on the right track as thyroid cancer was soon discovered). Good listener. Thorough exam. Balances traditional with alternative medicine. Excellent about returning phone calls, even calls unprompted to see how I'm doing! Seems like he really cares, which is rare these days. Keeps to his schedule quite well (it's rare for him to be very late). Wants me to visit him regularly for osteopathic treatments even though I have made it clear to him that traveling to his location is far enough to aggrivate my motion sickness for weeks. |
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Dr. Nakul Goyal Internal Medicine |
Insightful and logical. Quick to diagnose, but correct almost every time. Caring. Trustworthy. From the start, he has believed my tongue/throat pain is allergy related, and I think he's right. We don't know how to fix it though. Tends to overbook, is often late for appointments. |
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Dr. Mark Williams Otolaryngology |
Open minded, very willing to discuss possibilities, tell you what he's thinking. Tackles the tough cases with energy. Fantastically quick mind and wit. Willing to consult with other doctors to find an answer. There's something about him that inspires confidence. After every consult I feel like I can't give up because I'm going to get better. Asked him to do my thyroid surgery, and I was slightly disappointed when he turned me down and recommended someone else. Rarely responds to email or faxes. |
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Dr. Wayne Koch Otolaryngology |
Personable with a relaxing, disarming style. Performed both of my thyroid surgeries. Very good at returning emails and answering questions. |
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Dr. Thais Weibel Neurologist |
Good listener.
Seemed to me to too easily discount some of my observations as placebo effect. Rightly concerned about "quality of life" issues. Returns phone calls. (!) Polite. |
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Dr. John Carey Otolaryngology |
Reputation is that he's the #1 guy to handle motion sickness cases like mine. My appointment with him was largely handled by assistants. I felt like he didn't spend much time on my case. |
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Dr. Lynne Zheutlin Allergist |
Ran skin tests for food allergies for everything I was eating at the time, results showed no allergies. Her conclusion was that digestion was the problem. I asked about more sensitive testing, but she seemed to know of no others. |
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Tim O'Shea Alternative Medicine |
I am unsure if he is a degreed medical doctor. Operates an excellent alternative medicine Web site at http://www.skyboom.com/newwest/ Seems to think logically. Was willing to consult extensively via phone with me (I learned later my insurance would not cover tele-consults). Recommended "Experience" brand colon cleanser, which is the over-the-counter product which best reduces my tongue/throat pain. |
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Dr. James Sciubba Otolaryngology |
Consulted with him for tongue/throat pain. His diagnosis was "follicular papillitis", which he explained to me as an irritation of the pappilae on the surface of the tongue. He ignored my reports that the pain is from inside the tongue. Did not return any of my emails or calls when I had relevant questions prior to surgery. To my knowledge, also did not return the calls the surgeon made. |
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Dr. Bruce Rind Holistic Medicine |
Very pleasant staff. His approach makes me think of a spiritual healer. Obviously expends effort to make his office a pleasant, relaxing place. Failed to spot my thyroid tumor. |
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Dr. Eugene Sambataro Dentistry |
Very extensive new patient interview, seemed very promising. I liked the way he described things and his pragmatic outlook. Many of the treatments are handled by assistants. Had confusion with scheduling, seemed overly anxious to replace more amalgams while problems with the other replacements were pending. When I had to break the mercury amalgam replacement schedule due to thyroid cancer, I waited to tell him in person, but he was too busy with other patients, and never phoned. One of the teeth in which he replaced the amalgam is still painful 9 months later. I've asked for a referral to a mercury chelation therapist, but he has never called back. I've given up on him and returned to my regular dentist. |
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Dr. Nicholas Argento Endocrinology |
I have seen him for post thyroidectomy care. He seems to be good about returning calls. Dismissed my report that a little Cytomel reduced my hypo symptoms as placebo effect. When I was briefly hyperthyroid after surgery, my debilitating motion sickness abated for the first time in 3 years. I would like to investigate this more by increasing replacement thyroid hormones, but he is reluctant to try this, and simply wants to follow blood test results. When his nurse drew my blood, she injured the nerves in my arm, rendering it painful and still of reduced use over 6 months later. His office continued to expect payment for the botched blood draw. Took several letters and phone calls to get him to issue a credit for it. |
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Dr. Anthony Kalloo Gastroenterology |
Seemed irritated that I made an appointment with him without a referral. Refused to more than glance at the documents I brought that described my health problems. Wanted to re-run the pH test that I had already done that showed acid reflux was not the cause of the burning tongue. Managed to convince him to order up a gastric emptying test (the results were normal). I never went back to him. |
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Dr. Russell Schub Gastroenterologist |
Very late with appointments. Tried some osteopathic manipulation with no success. Ordered up a 24-hour pH test which showed normal. Since his few tests found nothing measurably wrong, told me my illnesses might be psychosomatic. (I wonder if he thinks I conjured up the thyroid tumor.) |
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Dr. Gebreye Rufael Endocrinologist |
Despite my evidence, refused to believe thyroid medication could influence motion sickness. Purported to not know any relevant tests to investigate my illnesses from an endocrine angle. Puzzled as to why I would try Armour thyroid when Synthroid is "much better". Hard to believe, but true: Recommended I have experimental brain surgery (!) before trying different doses of thyroid meds, even though I've proven different doses effect my symptoms. Despite all this, I came away from the consulation feeling good because when people who are unable to think logically disagree with you, it's a good indication you are right. |
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Dr. Lea Lazar Family Practice |
Consulted with her for stomach pains that began when I drank a carbonated beverage late at night. I reported that the prilosec her associate had prescribed was giving me bad headaches, so she recommended protonix. I asked if protonix had less incidence of headache, and she said no. I requested some type of headache pain killer, and she told me to take tylenol, even though my chart shows tylenol produces an allergic reaction for me. When I pointed that out, she recommended ibuprofin. The warning that comes with ibuprofin says not to take it if you have allergic reactions to other similar drugs (like tylenol). I tried it anyhow, and got a painful allergic reaction. She refused to prescribe an alternative pain killer for the headache. I told her that tagamet (cimetidine) worked best to control my heartburn (and therefore might work on the stomach pain), but she told me I didn't want that, and got up and walked out of the room. She never told me a diagnosis. |
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Dr. Ahmad Shamim Nutritional Therapies |
Put me on the 4-day fast that nearly killed me. When I was ketoacidotic and near death from the fast, he advised me to drink tea rather than go the Emergency Room. Emergency Room doctor told me to get a new doctor. Took almost a year of my begging to get him to send receipts so I could get reimbursed by my health insurance company. |
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Dr. Richard Chasen Gatroenterology | Made me wait over 5 hours during 3 visits for a grand total of 20 minutes of consult time. |
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Betty Kipphut Acupuncture | Did not return phone calls and was a no show for the initial appointment. Needless to say, I won't be going back. |
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Quest Diagnostics Lab Work |
The phlebotomist at their Columbia office (near Howard County Hospital) injured my arm during a blood draw (still hurts six months later). They do not respond to my letters asking what we should do to address this injury. Their computer continues to spit out threatening letters demanding payment. They know I am posting this information here, but still do not respond to my letters. This says a lot about their company. From one visit to the next, I rarely find the same phlebotomists at work at their Columbia office, which tells me they use entry level, inexperienced people. Is that who you want working on you? I'll be going elsewhere for blood draws. |
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Dr. Bill DeLong Dentistry |
During mercury amalgam replacement, his procedure changed an otherwise fine tooth into a painful one. He was unable to repair the damages. If the tooth remained painful for a month, he wanted to cancel my pending followup work, and his office agreed to grant me a credit for the procedure fees. The tooth remained painful, so he canceled my follow up work, but never issued the promised credit. A year later, he is still hounding me to pay, and still refuses to cover the cost of repairs for the damages he made. Has been investigated at least twice by the state dental board (wish I had known that beforehand). |
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Dr. Hubert Levesque ENT |
Prescribed the meclizine (antivert) that I took (then the painful throat/tongue condition began). Refused to support me in a legal action against the drug's manufacturer. Failed to notice my thyroid cancer during examination. Only by threatening him with a malpractice suit was he willing to order up the scan of my tongue and throat area I wanted, which imaged the golf-ball sized thyroid mass. |
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Dr. Dagmar Arnold Endocrinologist |
Knew that travel can make me ill for weeks, but after I arrived at her office & waited, she decided to cancel my appointment. Her excuses varied: first her staff had not prepared her for my visit, then my insurance was not good, then she did simply not have time. So which was it? The appointment, for which I had waited months, was early afternoon, and no one else was waiting to see her when I left. By refusing care, she put my health at risk. Other doctors confirmed that she has a "reputation". I have filed a complaint with the state medical board; they have yet to reply (2+ months). |