Here are Exhibits A (Robert Scott), B (Randy McVeigh), C (Laurie Anderson), D (Nancy Toy), E (Jeff Bush), F (Todd Williams), and G (John Redding).
And here is Exhbit H, from Dr. William Pincus, dated November 8, 1998:
To Whom It May Concern:
I am a Board-certified Otolaryngologist - Head and Neck Surgeon, and I am writing this letter of recommendation on behalf of Dr. Mary Johnson, M.D., Pediatrician. I have known Dr. Johnson for the past three years since I have been in practice in Asheboro, N.C. We have worked together closely on patients in the hospital and on consultations.
I have the utmost confidence in her skills as a Pediatrician.
I would have no difficulty in bringing my children to her for their Pediatric care if necessary. Dr. Johnson is a strong advocate for her patients and always seeks whatever is in their best interests. She is trustworthy and competent and to my knowledge mentally and physically fit for the demands of practicing the art of Pediatric Medicine.
Sincerely,
William A. Pincus, M.D.
It was refreshing to see that some surgeons (a few perhaps) appreciate Pediatrics as an "art". But of course, Bill Pincus is married to a Pediatrician . .. . a Pediatrician who had the good sense to get a job in Thomasville.
It would have been nice . . . early on in this fiasco . . . as I coped with a local black-ball . . . if Maria Pincus had been a little proactive and I had gotten a spontaneous call from Thomasville Peds, saying, "Hey Mary, we KNOW you're the real deal - would you like to come help us out?"
On the other had, if Maria was getting her information from "Saint" Kathleen Riley, I was screwed. Oh well.
I was torn about publishing this particular letter. You see, I had the utmost confidence in Dr. Pincus. I actually liked and trusted him enough to let him take a scapel to my face (rather than go to Greensboro or Winston-Salem to have surgery done). Bill Pincus is the ENT who performed my sinus surgery at Randolph in 1997.
But the surgery had to be revised in 2006 at NCBH. As it was explained to me, a previously-placed "surgical orifice" (the one Bill placed) was in the wrong place . . . and was actually compounding my sinus problems, pretty much preventing the right sinus from draining.
The pressure triggered excruciating headaches . . . caused by an additional diagnosis the doctors at NCBH made at the time . . . a diagnosis that explains a lot . . . one that probably should have been made much sooner. It's a problem that I still cope with today.
Given the amount of time I've spent in the past . . . on the road and sleeping in dive-bomb/roach & allergen-infested hotels or tiny apartments in which Bob Morrison or Jim Kinlaw wouldn't let their own daughters stay . . . alone and cradling my aching head & burning face at night . . . often in tears and trying not to scream . . . it has taken quite some time to process all of the emotions associated with what I learned in 2006.
Indeed, my jaw is burning as I type this.
At one point, the rage was white-hot. And I do not apologize for it. I seriously considered a malpractice suit.
But the second surgery has helped considerably, the sinus badness (a major trigger for the neuralgia) is more or less behind me now, and I believe Dr. Pincus did what he thought best at the time. There was no malice involved, I still think he's a good doctor and a good man, and/so I've come to terms. Pursuing this further (as a malpractice claim) would be pointless and a diversion of my energy and resources that could be more effectively employed elsewhere.
That, and I just fricking HATE lawyers now.
And after all, Bill did "throw me a bone" by writing that letter. His partner, Charles West, on all the big committees at the hospital, could not be bothered to do anything that might keep me from needing it.
You could call it practicing physician camaraderie to the nth degree. I tell the story now because it's part of the story. I'm pretty much numb right now. It's time for other people to feel something.
I wish Bill well.
And that's not an empty, mealy-mouthed Ed Cone wish.
0 comments:
Post a Comment