South County Orthopedic Specialists

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My multiple experiences here are about the opposite of the other rating. I also felt that with some (not all) of the doctors and staff there were strong predjudices against full figured women/large people. (oddly it was medically caused and I'm now tiny..) but I am going elsewhere to have continuation and some procedures done over. BUT main example of poor treatment: ::



knee surgery

Not only did they swap surgeons on me the day of the surgery, he decided that instead of doing one procedure on my knee that had very minimal recovery time and an aggressive schedule to start walking (within a week) he would do FOUR procedures instead! and NO ONE TOLD ME. I called repeatedly because of the massive pain, and the great diffiuclty i was having doing even normal things like going to the bathroom and being able to get up and down from the toilet. ..



I was told everyone was on vacation, no one had any info about my surgery... SO IT WAS 3 WEEKS at least 20 phone calls and finally a semi "emergency visit" AFTER THE SURGERY THAT I FOUND OUT DIFFERENT SURGERY HAD BEEN DONE WITH DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT POST OP INSTRUCTIONS .. NO WEIGHT ON FOOT FOR WEEKS, (rather than an agressive walking program after 5 days) then a slow progression for about 3 MONTHS. After I had been walking on it with great pain and tearing feelings for those 3 weeks, was back at work in too much pain to function, but had only arranged 3 DAYS off instad of 3 weeks..(had I known I could have)



tHE DOCTOR WHO ACTUALLY PERFORMED THE SURGERY ADMITTED THEN THAT I HAD BEEN MISDIAGNOSED AND apologized that I SHOULD HAVE been diagnosed for REPLACEMENT, NOTHING LESS WOULD EVER HELP ME. ( LATER HE WAFFLED ABOUT HIS APOLOGY ND CONDEMNATION AFTER DIAGNOSING DOCTOR learned of statments.) AT EVERY APPOINTMENT I TOLD AND REMINDED The dignosing doctor THAT THREE or more other Surgeons had concluded exactly the same thing!!!!!. (AND that I wasnt seeing THEM ONLY due to insurance change, after at least 9 years of treatament.) So there was NO excuse for doing that damging surgery and what happened to me.



To summarize:patient uninformed about additional surgeries perfomed, wrong instructions given, no one reachable or who would admit to knowing anything about my condition that was useful, for 3 weeks. (it WAS the holidays)



Another example previously i had a broken foot. Treatment felt cursory and doctor dismissive and openly derogative adjuectives used "humorusly" about plus size people. Despite ongoing pain and a feeling of bone movement, (even 6 years later) in that foot, DAILY the doctor insisted on repeat visits, that just more pt was needed (which did not help at all, but thats the answer every time, its like they cant be bothered!!!



Similar with my teenage daaughters broken hand durning gymnastics. She still has a crooked finger. After a car accident they told her she was fine, but she actually had (and now will always have a damaged hip) bad diagnosis with "we're too busy to bother" attitudes. She is very thinm but I was with her.



Also had a friend with horror stories and disfigurement, plus an early death (about age 53, that she attributed during her decline to be in large due to various poor services from this office. To be fair, i've heard from other friends tht they had good experiences, although I've yet to find one that had a surgery as part of tht. So I guess the service is patchy, or there are prejudices causing poor care when patients are overweight, which I was at the time.



Avoid here or insist on seeing the surgeon the day of your surgery as soon as you are awake and coherent to find out what he actually did and what the right instructions re. Yes i know i probbly could have gone for malpractice, but suing isnt really my style , nd certainly pursuing it would have been a chore.