Family Health Center: Holt Jeffrey R MD

Sep 2023

Dr Porter is a nice Dr but my husband and I went in for respiratory symptoms on Monday 9-11 and we were seen by his PA Carey Lape. First an RN took our vitals. Then a NP came in and asked us about our symptoms and listened to our lungs. I told her I didn't want a Covid test bc I thought it was the brain probe one still and they make me throw up, and she just shrugged and said ok so I didn't think it was a big deal and that they would give me the same med for a cough whether it was Covid or not, plus i am vaccinated and boostered. Anyway the NP wasn't outright rude but it felt like she wasn't really fully present with us like there was a disconnect. We told her we'd been taking Mucinex and NyQuil but the coughs were really bad at night. She left and stayed gone a few minutes and suddenly the door flies open with no knock, which they usually do out of courtesy, and she and the PA come MARCHING in together and something felt off immediately. The PA Carey was talking fast and loud AS she was walking in and she was saying curtly, "well I'm sorry you guys aren't feeling well but you guys just have colds, you guys just need to go home and rest, that's all I can tell you," She said that NP " says you guys exams are normal" and repeated that we just had colds, and us guys just needed to home and rest, but then she wrote my husband could return to work in 24 hours. She then went on to say we could take Mucinex (which we had told the NP wasn't stopping our coughs) and we could get Zinc and Elderberry. She said, "zinc is a mi-ner-al and people who study these things have found it helps with winter colds and you can get in in the grocery store near the vitamins and if you guys think you are getting sick it will boost your immune system." Like we were too stupid to know about Zinc or where to get it. My husband told her his cough was really bad at night, (mine was too but his had been going on for longer) and she told him to get Mucinex D (which we did go get but it didn't help at all). Then she bluntly changed the subject by looking at me and announcing brashly that my " female exam" was due and " if you don't want to get NAAAAAAAA-KKKEEEEED in front of Dr Porter you can schedule with me," and I felt really conspicuous when she referenced me " getting naked," and she then looked at my husband and said harshly, " you aren't even a patient here, we haven't even seen you in 3 years," and rattled off a lot of tests and exams he would have to have to be re-admitted as a patient. It felt like Sarge was giving us our marching orders and we both quietly said ok. Then she was getting ready to dismiss us and I got up the courage to say of my husband, "His cough is so bad at night it sounds like he's throwing up, and he works outside in construction, and he needs to be able to sleep," and Carey said to my husband sarcastically, " well it's a good thing your wife is here to tell us about your cough isn't it?" But reluctantly wrote scripts for an inhaler and Prednisone for him. I knew I needed something for cough too but I felt like we should just be grateful for what we got and leave before she decided we were just drug seekers and cancelled those. In the car I said, "did you think she was a little gruff?" And he quietly said, "Nurse Ratched." I said, "I was really embarrassed when she made the comment about me getting naked," and my husband said, "I knew, I'm sorry Baby." After we got home I started feeling worse and had a horrific night with a terrible cough which cont'd into the next day. My husband called and asked if I could have Prednisone and an inhaler also and after a couple hours we hadn't heard back and I was coughing so hard and I was crying - it hurt. I called the clinic and the receptionist said there was a note for Carey that my husband had called requesting meds for me, and I said, I doubt she'll give me