An 87 year old man with intractable abdominal pain makes an appointment to see his gastroenterologist. He lives alone but manages to get a ride to the doctor’s office. Steps away from the entrance, he receives a phone call, “Mr. D__, I’m sorry but the doctor will not be able to see you today.” Mr D had tested positive for COVID 9 days earlier, and office policy prohibits anyone from entering who has tested positive within the past 10 days. Mr D had not shared this information over the phone - he felt fully recovered and had no respiratory symptoms - but the office staff used EMR to comb through his records and discovered it.
He turns around without a fuss and heads home. “Spilt milk,” he calls it. He has a good attitude, but treatment is delayed and soon after ends up in the ER for the second time in a week. The ER has no diagnosis and sends him home with an antibiotic and hydrocodone, a medication notorious for causing severe constipation.
This story is my father’s, and it happened last week. My father was not upset, perhaps because he is weak from his illness but also because the pandemic has normalized the rigid, unscientific mindset, disregard for patient privacy and autonomy, and cowardice of physicians and our public health system. My father even defended his doctor, claiming it wasn’t his fault. The doctor told me the same thing, “It’s office policy, there’s nothing I can do.” I asked my father, “What would have happened if the doctor had said, ‘No, let him in, I will see him.’ Would they have fired him?”
When the pandemic started, I faced a difficult choice. I had patients asking me for help, but I also had four children to care for. I was financially secure; I did not need to work and could have easily closed my office and stayed home with my children. But I didn’t. Not only did I stay open, I expanded my hours to 7 days a week. I took care of people while other physicians stayed in the safety of their homes. I am an ENT, not a primary care doctor, but soon became one out of necessity. So many people told me “My primary care doctor won’t see me, told me to go to the ER if I can’t breathe.”
I recall being scared during the early part of the pandemic, but it was fear of the government more than the illness. I wrote notes for my staff to carry in their cars in case they were pulled over for violating the lockdown. We wore masks because I was worried OSHA would shut us down if we didn’t. Early on, I gave patients breathing treatments in my office but moved them to people’s cars for fear of being ‘reported.’
As time went on, I became braver; I spoke out against the vaccine and fought for a dying man to get ivermectin - ultimately, I was reported to the Texas Medical Board for my ‘misdeeds.’ But despite the threats to my license, I have no regrets. I’ve saved many lives and have treated over 5500 COVID patients - everyone who received early treatment is alive and well. I never forced anyone to wear a mask or take an experimental shot and never turned a sick person away.
I urge other doctors to do what I did. No matter how difficult, speak up, say something, and help your patients. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m glad I did.
Stop taking COVID tests. They are meaningless and non specific to COVID.