6.13.2011
About Dr. Andrew Goldstein
I already posted this as a comment in response to Claudia's question about my experience with Dr. Goldstein in Washington, D.C. So if you've read that, this contains nothing new.
I really liked him. He's got about a 50% bad rap online, if one searches around, but I went anyway. I have so much pain I decided it doesn't matter if he's a complete ass, so long as he doesn't hurt me unnecessarily. Maybe he's an asshat who can help, right?
But...I liked him. A lot. He's quite direct, very bright and knowledgeable, and he doesn't screw around. He knew I wasn't coming to him for treatment - just for direction, and he didn't try to "sell" me on having him personally do any of the things he recommended. He was empathetic about the pain and my anger and despair around it without being "mushy." The man hugged me in the hallway as I was leaving. (It felt, and was, appropriate.) He spent a good deal of time with me. Hardly an ass.
Now, if one went to see him wanting only to hear what one "wants" to hear, then he'll come across as bossy/pushy/arrogant. He talks fast and doesn't talk "down" (maybe because I'm a professional and talk like I am, but maybe he talks to everyone like that, and some people experience it as arrogance or showing off?) Don't expect to be treated like a child or royalty, and you'll appreciate him for treating you like a patient with awful pain who has tried lots of things and doctors already.
I actually asked him about his reputation online, in the middle of the exam portion of my visit. Hard to believe I did that, but I was really liking him, so I asked what he thought it was about. His thoughts matched mine, though he added one thing. He said his wife (a dermatologist) once told him that if he was going to specialize in something so narrow, where there is a handful at best of treatment possibilities, he'd "damned well better be the best at it." Maybe that's arrogance, he said, but he figured if he could not be the best at this, he should do something else. I can appreciate that.
But...I liked him. A lot. He's quite direct, very bright and knowledgeable, and he doesn't screw around. He knew I wasn't coming to him for treatment - just for direction, and he didn't try to "sell" me on having him personally do any of the things he recommended. He was empathetic about the pain and my anger and despair around it without being "mushy." The man hugged me in the hallway as I was leaving. (It felt, and was, appropriate.) He spent a good deal of time with me. Hardly an ass.
Now, if one went to see him wanting only to hear what one "wants" to hear, then he'll come across as bossy/pushy/arrogant. He talks fast and doesn't talk "down" (maybe because I'm a professional and talk like I am, but maybe he talks to everyone like that, and some people experience it as arrogance or showing off?) Don't expect to be treated like a child or royalty, and you'll appreciate him for treating you like a patient with awful pain who has tried lots of things and doctors already.
I actually asked him about his reputation online, in the middle of the exam portion of my visit. Hard to believe I did that, but I was really liking him, so I asked what he thought it was about. His thoughts matched mine, though he added one thing. He said his wife (a dermatologist) once told him that if he was going to specialize in something so narrow, where there is a handful at best of treatment possibilities, he'd "damned well better be the best at it." Maybe that's arrogance, he said, but he figured if he could not be the best at this, he should do something else. I can appreciate that.
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