Not So Fast, Doc!

It was time for Bob’s every-five-year colonoscopy and he was looking for a top gastroenterologist. Dr. Wolf seemed to be the perfect choice after all he was highly recommended by another doctor who Bob was comfortable with.

When Bob sat down for his consultation he was so impressed by the doctor’s humor and charm that he almost forgot that his appointment had been changed numerous times and that he had been made to wait 6 months for an appointment with this doctor. Bob had also had been given directions to the doctor’s office that had led him on a wild goose chase.

“I like to have fun,” said Dr. Wolf. “Sometimes when I see people in the elevator who look lost (because the directions stink) I ask them if they need help. If they say that they are looking for Dr. Wolf’s office, I tell them: ‘Dr. Wolf! are you sure you want to use him? Who recommended him to you? Then when they come into my office and see that I’m Dr. Wolf we have a big laugh together… Ha! Ha! Ha!”

Doctor Wolf told Bob that he could have the procedure done in one of two places – either a medical clinic or a kollel (a yeshiva for married men). “You do colonoscopies in a kollel,? asked Bob. “Sure,” said the doc (looking over Bob’s rather religious garb) You might like it there. I pray the afternoon service with people that look like you when I’m there.” But then the doctor’s expression suddenly changed: “…but they pray so slowly, while I’m backed up with patients!”

For someone who doesn’t like to be kept waiting, Dr. Wolf had no problem breezing into Bob’s procedure almost an hour late after Bob had fasted for 25 hours in preparation for it. When Bob’s wife, Julie, asked to speak to the doctor to explain that Bob had a splitting headache, the doctor quickly showed her a sheet showing that he had 13 colonoscopies that day and Bob was only his first. He told her: “I’m sorry but I can’t speak now – I have very little time.”

When Dr. Wolf came into the procedure room Bob was lying there with the worst headache of his life while a nurse was putting an IV put into his arm. It wasn’t comforting for Bob to hear Dr. Wolf speak very sternly to the nurse. He implied that she wasn’t very smart because she didn’t understand something that he told her. Softening for a moment, Dr. Wolf turned to Bob and said: “Hey, Bob, I forget what I’m even doing here today – why are you here anyway?  The last words that Bob was able to squeeze out before they drugged him was: “Blood in the stool… don’t you remem…”

Suddenly Bob woke up to excruciating pain in his abdomen. The anesthesia had worn off but Bob wasn’t able to open his eyes or to speak. All he could do was scream out in pain. Dr. Wolf yelled back at his patient: “You have to relax that colon. You better relax it right now!” These words said with cruel impatience and hostility didn’t help Bob to relax. He only felt more pain and wondered why Dr. Wolf wasn’t giving him more medication. Bob screamed again and Dr. Wolf screamed back at him again. Bob felt totally powerless in the situation. He wondered why he was awake and why the doctor was treating him with such cruelty.

Maybe Dr. Wolf didn’t expect that Bob would remember what happened but in the recovery room, Bob told his wife what had happened.

Just then Dr. Wolf entered the room.

“He said he was awake during the procedure!”, Julie said to the doctor incredulously.

The doctor answered: (speaking quickly) “I can explain that. You see it was a very difficult procedure. The colon was very twisted and complicated to work with – but good news – everything is fine. You don’t have to see me for another 10 years.” Then walking away he could be heard speaking to himself:  “And I don’t want to see that colon again for another ten years either.”

Not so fast, doc.

Julie ran after him: “Doctor, why didn’t you give my husband more medication? How could you let him suffer like that?”

“It was the end of the procedure,” said Dr. Wolf, “besides we gave him  enough medication. It should have been enough.”

Julie retorted: “But it wasn’t enough. Surely you could see that!”

“Do you know the last time my husband had this procedure he actually did it without any anesthesia at all? Did he tell you that? The doctor he had was so gentle that despite my husband’s “complicated and twisted” colon he felt had no pain at all. Are you telling us the truth that his colon was twisted or were you just being rough with him because you wanted to get out of here on time?”

Dealing with “emotional” patients was not in Dr. Wolf’s job description. He worked on colons not people. Still perturbed, he looked at his watch: “Look lady – we had to go into over-time for your husband today and I have 12 more procedures to go. You’ll have to excuse me.”

He turned his back and walked off in a huff.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev said: “If you need to see a doctor, at least go to the best!” But how can we know if a doctor is kind and good in addition to being technically competent?

I strongly suggest that before undergoing a serious procedure that you speak with at least three people who the doctor treated and make sure that they all raved about his bedside manner as well as his knowledge, experience and skill.

I also recommend that you see Rivka Levy’s excellent series having to do with the Erev Rav (someone who is not a genuine Jew and whose soul is cut off from G-d). Although it isn’t possible for us to definitively label someone as an Erev Rav, if a number of the tell-tale signs of the Erev Rav are present, as they were with Dr. Wolf, we need to be on guard.

Dr. Wolf showed many of characteristics listed by Mrs. Levy in her well-research series: the brazenness and lack of empathy, a complete lack of concern for another’s pain, his sadistic tricking and “joking” with his patients and staff, his blatant self-centeredness, and his willingness to lie about the procedure when he called it “complicated” – it wasn’t. He simply was too impatient to administer more medication and blamed the patient for this. It should be noted that there are many “Dr. Wolf’s” around. They often have very full schedules where patients are seen on a conveyor belt basis.

Bob also plans to call the doctor who recommended him to Dr. Wolf and tell him about the abusive treatment that he received. Consumer beware.