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| - Two years ago I was referred to Dr. Saperstein, a neuromuscular specialist in this group, for sudden onset of limb weakness, and a myriad of other symptoms. I had to wait several months to be seen. This is completely understandable as this is not a common specialty and this is a well-known physician in the Phoenix area. My primary care physician tried calling him a total of five times to speak with him directly about my case, and getting me a sooner appointment, as my medical needs were urgent, yet not quite an emergency to where I could just go to the emergency room or a hospital, because my symptoms were intermittent at the time. I have worked in doctors offices for 13 years before I got sick, and this is a very common practice - primary care physicians call specialists all the time to try to get their patients sooner appointments if they have patients that need sooner appointments and can't wait. Dr. Saperstein never once called my doctor back. This information came to me straight from my doctor.
When I came in for my appointment I was very excited that I might finally find out what is wrong with me. Dr. Saperstein could not look more disinterested. He rolled his eyes while I was talking to him, looked at me as if I was lying or faking, and only ordered one test for one disease that I was already tested for. The entire reason I was referred to him was to look for other causes of my illness. He specifically told me he did not think that I had this disease, I agreed with him, yet he ran a test checking for it, and only it, anyway. When the test was negative I was sent out the door and released from his care with no explanation. That means he had no list of differential diagnoses for me. I am a medical professional and I know what that means. He made me feel horrible. He had no compassion or bedside manner whatsoever. He made me feel like a liar, a faker or a head case. It's horrible to be made to feel like that when you really are sick and something really is wrong with you. I was very scared, and the way this doctor treated me was the most horrible experience I've ever been through aside from the death of the closest love one I ever had.
Two years later I now know my symptoms are the cause of a genetic disorder, which could've easily been diagnosed if he had done a little bit more testing, had differential diagnoses and done his job by doing just a little bit of digging. Several doctors have told me that complex cases are supposed to be really interesting to doctors. Apparently not to Dr. Saperstein.
This is not a rant, this is bringing awareness, because I wasted a year and a half of my life fighting for a diagnosis, while sick, when I could've gotten it from Dr. Saperstein within six months of getting sick. Because he didn't believe me, that caused a chain reaction of subsequent doctors not believing me. The diagnosis I got is no picnic, but not having a diagnosis was much worse, and being treated poorly by this doctor, was the worst. I'll never forget the experience for my entire life.
When I finally found another neurologist who did believe me, I was referred to the other neuromuscular specialist in this office, Dr. Levine. When I called to make the appointment, I was told by Dr. Levine that he wouldn't even see me as a patient because Dr. Saperstein "already did everything". For one thing, I was referred to Dr. Levine, not just calling there on my own wanting to see him. Believe me, that was the last place I wanted to go. Dr. Saperstein did nothing but one test, a test that has nothing to do with sudden onset of limb weakness, which was by far my biggest and main problem. There are so many differential diagnoses for that symptom that I literally can't believe only one test was ordered. This is egregious.
If you need a neuromuscular specialist, please do not come here. They also lost one of my MRI DVDs causing me to have to go back to the hospital I had it done at to pick up another one. When you're so weak you can barely move, that's really hard to do. Especially when you have no help.
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