Emergency Medicine Doctors - Houston, TX

"I came into the ER last night to get treatment for what I thought could have been an immediate fracture or broken ankle. I was going to do laundry when I stepped into a patch of deeper grass and felt something *pop* on the lower region of my left ankle. This happened at around 9:40 PM, it was the most severe pain I have experienced in my life. The affected area almost immediately began swelling and I had to crawl into my girlfriends car in which she then insisted that I go to the ER. Once inside the ER I had my girlfriend bring me a wheelchair to sit in. The staff were very occupied with patients so we buckled in for around 5 hours total wait time from when I was brought in until I received a compression wrap on my ankle and crutches. But this is not what my negative review is about, it is about how I was treated by the staff and presiding Doctor Scott T. Wiesenborn. So after my first wheeling to triage and seeing him he noted the swelling and asked me where it hurt the most, I indicated that nearest to the ankle was the most severe area and that I was having serious difficulty moving the digits on my left foot. This interaction was professional and courteous although I was not asked to assess my pain from 1 to 10. he then ordered 600mgs Ibuprofen for management of my pain which I told the nurse wheeling me back into the lobby I did not wish to take as I had taken 4 aspirin tablets shortly before I had my injury due to headache. I guess because I was not crying my eyes out while I had my foot dangling without any pressure currently on it that this prescription would be sufficient, although as most injuries do the ache only gets worse before it improves. After waiting around an hour and a half after this with serious discomfort I was wheeled into the radiology room and had several scans taken of the affected area by a very kind nurse whos name I did not catch. I then waited 2 more hours until the doctor made rounds in the lobby and told me that the x-ray came back clear of any damage to the bones in my foot and that they suggested follow up with a orthopedic surgeon because they could not rule out any severe soft tissue damage from an x-ray alone and would need an MRI. I was told my pain would be treated but not asked about how severe it was. Around 30 minutes later I was wheeled over to the front desk and spoke to a nurse who seemed as though she had a very rough day or really did not like her job. As she spoke about what I was being let go with I told her that I did not want to be released with only Ibuprofen as putting ANY WEIGHT at all on my ankle caused severe pain and I shift often during sleep and find it hard to get to rest without laying on my stomach which is impossible like this. She then "schooled" me on how ibuprofen was good for swelling because it is an NSAID, I told her I was aware and that I had taken aspirin hours before coming in and that I had plenty at home along with Ibuprofen, which does not have to be prescribed by a doctor. She stated that Ibuprofen had qualities that aspirin does not which is outrageous to me as both are NSAID's. I told her I wanted to speak with the doctor about this and I would assume her ego feeling slighted said something to the effect of "This patient is a drug seeker". I also asked about the treatment of my injury in regards to the stabilization of my ankle because I had fallen over a second time when I tried to stand up again on my ankle after the initial injury. They would only offer a compression bandage despite knowing that any load bearing on the ankle would cause me to fall once again and cause unnecessary suffering. The nurse stated "we can't give you real splint because we don't know the severity of the injury" even though it was established that the nature of injury regardless of what it was exactly, was making it so that I could not stand or balance at all. Doctor Scott came in under a minute and I tried to explain to him the above, then he condescendingly told me "We do not prescribe NARCOTICS for an ankle sprain". Really? Is that so? All injuries are grouped into categories by which pain management is deduced like fast food menu items? He also states against his previous assessment of "not knowing for sure if there is damage to ligaments and you should follow up with a surgeon in the next few days because x-rays are a limited diagnostic tool" to assertively saying "you only have a sprain stop asking for 'drugs". Huh, but the really funny thing is I never asked once for anything "narcotic" just for something better than Advil. Such as diflunisal, etodolac, fenoprofen or indomethacin. I told him that I wasn't demanding "NARCOTICS" and then the man simply walks away from me. Of course after this my patient notes indicated that I was abusive toward the staff! Now I get to suffer due to his ego. I feel like I was discriminated against because I have an active mychart with Methodist in which my medications are displayed. I take controlled medications like clonazepam to manage my ASD and pregabalin to manage a neuropathic pain condition known as SFN. Which ironically were diagnosed and subsequently treated by physicians at the Methodist Hospital system. One of which has an office at the Willow Brook Campus. Having Autism, I don't display my emotions in a way that most people find conventional and I feel that this affected the way I was treated. I found it funny that displayed in the lobby was sign recognizing Autism Awareness Month yet the staff at Willow Brook ER clearly have no empathy for people with neurodevepmental disabilities. I feel let down by this experience as I have only had nice things to say about Methodist up until this point and have greatly appreciated the support and diligence of my previous providers. "