I was referred to Dr. Norman M. Fernando, M.D. When I had a bad cough for over 3 weeks, and a positive skin test for tuberculosis. My first appointment with Dr. Fernando was April 16. When he first came into the room, he started off by saying "I thought I saw someone beautiful in my waiting room". He made more comments about my looks throughout our visit. He asked if I am married. If I am happily married.
Dr. Fernando seemed very personable, and had a lot of time to spend with me. He told me about the medication Isoniazid, how it used to be used in sanitariums which housed people with tuberculosis, to treat them for depression. Then they saw that the medication was curing tuberculosis, and they still use the medication today. He told me about a lady he knew in medical school who took the medication. She was very nice when he met her. But when she was off the medication she turned into a witch.
It was nice of him to calm me with his stories, but I was more interested in talking about my health, my positive TB skin test, my asthma, the side effects of Isoniazid, which he prescibed to me for 9 months, and my cough and other symptoms. He had me lay down and he felt my stomach. He commented on how nice and thin my stomach was. Then when he pulled his hand away, his hand brushed against my left breast. I don't know if this was an accident or intentional on his part. He pulled up a chair and sat closely while we talked. He asked if I ever had a peak flow breathing test and I said no. He said he would not do it that day because of my cough. He said he would do it our next appointment.
I knew a lot about TB before I went into his office because I had already went to the Center of Disease Control downtown looking for answers, and I had done some reading online. He asked me if I was a nurse, or if I had ever been one. I said no. I was still very worried about the positive TB skin test. I already had a chest x-ray which showed I did not have active TB. Dr. Frenando explained to me I came in contact with someone who had active TB and I breathed it in, and that's why he was going to give me Isoniazid for 9 months. There was a chance that TB could become active if I didn't take that medication. He said my cough was either a bad virus or an upper respiratory infection, and he gave me a sample pack of Zithromax Tri-Pak. He did not tell me that hepatitis is a possible side effect of Isoniazid, I found this out online after our visit. He did tell me that he would have my liver checked on my next appointment in 6 weeks. He asked if I had ever been on Methylprednisone.
I told him I was taking it at that time, from my primary care doctor, and I had taken it in 2003. He asked if it worked. I told him it worked in but this time it wasn't working. He said that was strange, because it usually helps asthma. He asked me the dose. I told him the 4mg on a card. He said he did not like those. He told me to continue with my inhalers prescribed by my primary care. He did not mention my nebulizer, I don't know if he read that I was using a nebulizer. I returned May 28 at 2pm. This time my son was in the waiting room. I did not want to talk beautiful this visit.
When Dr. Fernando came into the room he said, "I thought I saw someone beautiful in my waiting room". I said 6 weeks was long for me to wait, I have been in distress. He said all you have to do is call. I said ok. My memory is not so good so I wrote down all the problems I have been having related to my breathing. I started to tell him that I was sick all of April with the virus or upper respiratory infection we talked about at our last visit, and he did not remember me being sick at our last visit.
Then he started to get angry. The papers I had with me were my own personal record of what has been happening regarding my health. I only wanted to read him my symptoms. He said he is not going to listen to 3 pages of ramblings. He took the papers from my hands and said he was having them photocopied. I asked him to please not have them copied but he left with them anyways.
As he was leaving the room and shutting the door I could hear him say, "Oh boy! We have a real crazy in here". I wondered if my son in the waiting room could hear him also. Then Dr. Fernando returned to the room without my papers. He asked my symptoms, but I was sort of in shock that he would take my personal papers and call me names, and I was crying. And without my papers I couldn't think of my symptoms anymore. All I could say was I get short of breath when I walk my dog. I couldn't think of any more at that time. And the doctor seemed to get more angry, like I was wasting his time. I wanted to tell him the order that my breathing trouble started.
In 2003 I had pneumonia, then in April after the virus or upper respiratory infection went away, my breathing never returned to normal. This really made him mad. He quickly rushed me back for an x-ray. Then a lady came in and did the breathing test. I was still crying. The doctor came back in to tell me my breathing is better than a normal female of my age, and commented on my age. Saying you're 30? Wow! Then, the x-rays were ready and he showed me. He said no scarring. He said I never had pneumonia in he said I was lying. (I have the x-rays with me right now from the Urgent Care that show I did have pneumonia in 2003.) Then he said he is writing a letter to my primary care doctor that he will not see me anymore, and they will have to find me another pulmonologist.
I went back into the room. I asked if he was going to talk to me anymore and he said No. So I got my 11 year old son from the waiting room wondering if he heard anything that happened and we left. I never got my liver checked that day.
On June 14 I went into Dr. Fernando's office to get my medical records. The lady at the desk told me ok and to have a seat and wait after getting my name. I waited 10 minutes. Then she called me back up and said it is their policy never to release records to the patient. I told her it is the law. She told me it is up to the doctor and she took my phone number and told me Dr. Fernando would call me. I called the police to ask what I should do. The dispatcher told me to wait there. She told me not to go inside Dr. Fernando's office anymore. She said it is illegal for the doctor to keep my records from me and she said she will send an officer out right away. She said my call is top priority, other than emergency calls. I waited over an hour and a half outside and it was 107 degrees.
The police came, and the doctor refused to give them the records. The police told me Dr. Fernando told them I could go to my primary care doctor and they would give me the records. So I drove to my primary care doctor, and they said it is illegal to give me records from a doctor that is not in their office. They told me if he wants to do things that way, I will have to submit my request in writing.
So I called the police and told them what happened. The dispatcher told me the HIPPA laws are new, which might be why the officers did not enforce them and make the doctor hand over my records. She told me to return to outside of his office and wait again. I waited as long as I could, almost 2 hours this time. I could not take the heat anymore, and I returned home without meeting the officers there. The dispatcher told me I could have an officer get my records for me Monday - Friday 9am - 7pm. It did not have to be that day if I had medical problems and could not take the heat.
So the next day, June 15 I typed a letter and printed it out, requesting my medical records. I stopped at a store and made copies. I called the police because they told me not to try to go into the doctor's office alone. When the officer arrived, he went into the office, I waited outside. He came out and told me that Dr. Fernando is not going to give me my records. Then a lady came out and she was very angry. She said that I have had the police call Dr. Fernando 4 times and this has to stop. The officer told her I didn't have the police call him. The lady told me and the officer that all I have to do is go to my primary care doctor and get my records.
This made the police officer mad at me. He said why don't I just do that. I told him I already went there and they can't give them to me. Dr. Fernando has to give them to me. The officer said that Dr. Fernando had a change of heart and I should just go to my primary care. When I tried to hand the lady my letter requesting my medical records, she pushed it back at me. She would not accept it. Dr. Fernando told the police officer he is refusing to see me because I am not sick, there is nothing wrong with me. The lady then said I can't have access to my medical records because Dr. Fernando thinks I have a mental problem.
During May 28 visit, I wanted to talk to Dr. Fernando about a borderline EKG that I had done not long before my visit with him. I was concerned this might be a reason for my shortness of breath. He listened to my heart for about 10 seconds, maybe less, then he said, "That's what I thought, you're too young to have heart problems". I also wanted to talk with him about a brain tumor or cyst I have recently been diagnosed with, to see if this might be a reason for some dizziness I have been having.
After everything that took place, I didn't want to talk about it anymore, but I had the report sitting next to me. He picked it up and looked at it. He said, "Oh, this is just about your brain lesion, I don't need this". And he put it back down on the table next to me. Also, on June 15, when I was standing outside with the police officer, Dr. Fernando sent a lady outside to tell me not to call the police anymore. She said right in front of the officer that Dr. Fernando thinks I have a mental problem.
This was very embarrassing to me. I don't understand why Dr. Fernando did not give me his reason for denying me my medical records in writing. This was a private matter to me. I was not expecting a confrontation with anyone from his office. I waited outside on the sidewalk, not on his property. And I did not park my car on his property. I did not enter his office anymore after Dr. Fernando's secretary told me she would not give me my records. The lady that Dr. Fernando sent outside to talk to me also told me in front of the officer that what I had with Dr. Fernando was a consultation only, Not a regular office visit. I asked why he was prescribing me tuberculosis medication and giving me antibiotic samples at a consultation, and she talked loud, so the officer could not hear me, when I tried to speak. The officer said that Dr. Fernando told him I never had tuberculosis.
I tried to explain I only had a positive skin test, and what the lady at the Center for Disease Control told me about having latent tuberculosis not active tuberculosis, but the lady talked real loud, so the officer could not hear me. The officer just repeated that he is the doctor, and he said I was not sick at all. Dr. Fernando revealed my private medical history to the police, who were just there to help me get my records, and made speculations about my mental health, or if he did read what I filled out, he revealed my private medical information to the police. He kept sending me to my primary care office to get my records from them, knowing that my primary care doctor cannot give me those records. He told this to the police also, several times. I had the letter requesting either my records, or a written statement why Dr. Fernando was denying to give me my records, but instead, this lady that Dr. Fernando sent out of his office pushed my letter and would not accept it, and told me and the officer I had mental problems and that's why Dr. Fernando will not give me my records. I would like this statement in writing from Dr. Fernando.
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