I am personally offended that you would lie and try to make Dr. VanDercar look bad. I am not in the habit of accusing a stranger of being a liar, but let’s face it – most of your complaints in this letter do not make any sense. So, either you are extremely confused or you are a liar.
The first thing that I noticed in your complaint is that Dr. V obviously had your pain under control, as that is something that you did not complain about. That means he did his job effectively. Dr. V is a pain management doctor – that means his goal is to get you out of pain and develop regimen that will allow you to manage your pain and life a full and productive life. I suffer from chronic pain and I have seen specialist after specialist, including the doctor who is supposed to be the best orthopedic doctor in the country. No one could get me out of pain, after trying what seemed like everything in existence. I am a pretty tough woman and I was raised to accept these things and keep a smile on my face. However, after years of excruciating pain that I could not escape from 24/7, I just couldn’t take it anymore. It is horrible to never be able to escape such pain. When I could fall asleep, as soon as I moved in my sleep the pain woke me up immediately. The pain was so bad that I was persistently vomiting – I had become literally “sick to my stomach” from the continuous pain. I also began to suffer from anxiety attacks, which are terrifying if you have never experienced one, and I certainly hope that you never do. Even though you are quite obviously an idiot, I do not wish that you suffer in any way, especially from an anxiety attack.
I became clinically depressed and I knew that I could not continue to live in such a state of never-ending pain. I lost my ability to work and ended up at home – depressed, sick, and crying constantly. This is totally unlike me in all ways. I am an extrovert who never lets anything in life ‘beat’ me…but this pain was taking me down and I was losing my will to fight it. My husband is a very kind and caring man, and it was breaking his heart to watch me suffer, knowing that he was helpless to do anything at all to relieve my pain and suffering and depression. Plus, there were times when my pain was so bad I would take it out on him and I know that I was very hard to live with. We are married because we are best friends who enjoy life and having fun together; taking advantage of every opportunity to do something new or have fun in some way. At that point in my life I was no fun at all and I wasn’t physically able to participate in most activities. And if there was an activity I could participate in, the theater or concerts, going to movies, etc., I just did not want to go. Even sitting through a play or a concert was excruciating for me. Additionally, the depression had made me lose my interest in everything life had to offer me. That is no way to live.
My primary care doctor was aware of all of the above. She had me on tons of NSAIDs and Vicodin – all of which are just horrible for your body and internal organs. My mother has been on NSAIDs for several years now and now has irreparable liver damage. I explained this to my PCD and explained to her that I was now afraid to be taking NSAIDs and Tylenol (compounded in the Vicodin) every day; especially since none of those medications were alleviating my pain whatsoever. The only small benefit to me was that Vicodin would help me get an average of 2 hours per night of sleep.
Thank GOD I have found Dr. V and the Tampa Pain Clinic. They have literally saved my life and reinstalled my will to live and be productive again. Not to mention they have probably saved my marriage. On my first visit, I was totally shocked to have to take a drug test! Not that I had anything to worry about, but I was impressed with the thoroughness of the Tampa Pain Clinic and the fact that they do not play around with individuals who may be junkies or doctor-shopping, etc. Dr. V has very high ethics and morals. In fact, the Tampa Pain Clinic works closely with local law enforcement. Twice I have seen officers of the law in the office asking the clinic for assistance with various matters. How many doctor offices do you know of that help the Police Dept/Sheriffs Office? (I’m not sure which I saw in there.) I know of only this one, myself. But I feel that this is a prime example of Dr. V’s ethics and priorities.
He truly cares about his patients and getting people out of pain is his priority because he does care. Dr. V is also a Psychologist and has held several very important and prestigious positions at the University level in which I imagine he made quite a lot of money at. And Psychology is a very financially rewarding field, as well. However, Dr. V as a pain management doctor is saving lives, and he is making life worth living to each and every one of his patients. I have never had the impression that he does this for the money like so many doctors nowadays do. Instead, I have always been made to feel as though my condition is the most important thing going on that day. I’m sure that the Doctor and his staff make everyone feel that way. We all get plenty of personalized attention and we are able to spend as much time with the doctor as we need – no one is ever rushed through appointments no matter how busy they happen to be that day.
I have no idea how many doctors I have seen over the years before finding Dr. V, but not one of them ever addressed my weight. On my first visit Dr. V explained to me just exactly how and why weight affects pain management. He was very encouraging about the issue and made me feel like I can do it. I have tried diet after diet on my own (to look better) and nothing ever worked. However, with the support of everyone at the clinic, I consistently lose weight; every month when I go in I have lost weight. Jennifer is the staff member who does the weigh-in and blood pressure check, and she is ALWAYS so happy for me that I have lost weight! It really makes me feel good, it’s like she is cheering me on every visit. This impresses me because Jennifer is extremely busy as she is also the office manager and runs the front desk as well. So, for her to take the extra time and be happy for me really motivates me to continue to lose weight and improve my health. So, all along it wasn’t that diets were failing, it’s that I wasn’t getting the support and motivation I needed – even from programs such as Weight Watchers.
Dr. V’s assistant/nurse as you refer to her is named Emily. Emily is extremely knowledgeable and has been personally trained by Dr. V. I get the impression that she is exceptionally educated well beyond her job requirements. Emily is very kind and caring and has a great personality. I look forward to seeing her every month and being able to visit with her because she is so friendly – I really like her a lot and at the same time with her I feel like I am in good hands. Whenever I have a question, she will usually answer it, but she makes sure to tell me to also discuss it with the doctor when he comes in. I always do, and he always gives me the same answer Emily did – just proving how well-trained she is. Both Emily and the doctor read through the monthly questionnaire that we are required to fill out, and they both discuss with me the responses I have written out. So, to rebut your claim, there is no way that your information never got past Emily – you put it in writing yourself and both Emily and the doctor read it. It is not possible for information to stop at Emily because of this program in place. Also, every visit each patient visits with Dr. V – that is when you are to bring up anything that the doctor should address or be aware of. That is YOUR responsibility as a patient. He does not have the ability to read your mind. But he does have the ability to read your questionnaire, so I suggest using it.
To sum up, since finding the Tampa Pain Clinic, my pain has become manageable without the worry of using medications that will cause damage to my organs. My depression has receded and Dr. V has me on a prescription for my anxiety attacks. The clinic has always been able to accommodate my schedule, such as being out of state when my appointment was due. I am again able to participate in activities with my husband and able to enjoy my life. I have a reason to live and be happy now. Also, because of my continuing weight loss, I am in an even better state than before because I look so good now, and the weight loss also enables me to do more physical and athletic activities. Dr. VanDercar has saved my life and improved my quality of life in countless ways. I feel Blessed to have found him. I don’t think I could have gone on much longer in the state I was in. That was no way to live.
You claim to be a chronic pain sufferer as I am – so if Dr. V had your pain under control and was helping you in that regard, why in the world aren’t you happy and grateful to this man? How in the world could you bad-mouth him in such a way? I cannot understand you in this regard – why you do not appreciate the man that has controlled your pain. This is no easy fete and finding a doctor like Dr. VanDercar is so difficult and so rare – it is a shame that you have left his care. I am quite positive that you will regret doing so once you see that he is one of a kind. I wish you all the best, and I am so sorry that you are such a sad and miserable person that has to make herself feel better by degrading others for no good reason. You have only hurt yourself in this case, and that is the real shame here.