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| - I will admit now that the issues I describe here occurred in 2006. However, they are pretty major and based on them I would warn anyone away from this guy.
Ciske was the first doctor I tried when a sudden major medical problem convinced me that I needed a primary care doc. I went once and never returned, because of two things that happened during that first visit.
#1: The nurse took my health history before Ciske came in, as usual. When he arrived, he looked at my chart and said to me, "So you're in relationship?" A bit taken aback, I responded, "Uh, no, what?" I looked over at the computer screen and he was UNCHECKING THE SEXUALLY ACTIVE BOX. That ANY physician could be so incredibly narrow-minded, and in a way that actively threatens the health of patients, is absolutely astounding. The fact that Ciske seemed to be relatively young--definitely not over 35--just made it all the more baffling. Fortunately, I was assertive enough to tell him immediately that I was in fact sexually active, but no woman should be put in that position by her doctor.
#2: Because of my then-recently discovered clotting disorder, he insisted that I should not take ANY form of hormonal birth control. I use Depo Provera (the shot), which is progesterone-only, and had little interest in giving it up--especially given that blood thinner meds cause fetal bone deformation, so it's kind of important to avoid getting knocked up by accident. I pointed out to him at the time that there was only a known association between estrogen and blood clots. His response?
"Well, they're all hormones."
That's right. This man has an MD and he apparently believes all hormones do the same thing. Probably he would have strongly opposed treating me with insulin if I'd been diabetic, too--that's a hormone, after all!
Numerous other doctors, including two hematologists and an obgyn, confirmed later that, as I already knew, Depo Provera is actually the preferred hormonal contraceptive for women with clotting problems.
To sum up, this man is either a stealth puritan or an idiot; either way, you do not want to entrust your health and safety to him.
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