Las Vegas Sun

I have contracted hepatitis C due to one or more of these clinics. I have had 6 or 7 colonoscopies due to colonrectal cancer. I was due again just 3 months ago and was enraged to hear that what the doctor prescribed for cleansing would not work and I'd only have to come back in two weeks to do it again. I was also told that I should have the colonoscopy and endoscopy anyway!!! I was extremely vocal about this and many other people heard it. I left with some pretty harsh words, vowing to never go back. Now I see that he and many others that put people at risk are listed and work at these clinics. If any of you can remember the screaming patient, please speak out. I know that there was a lady at the front desk with a very young child who heard the nurse say that the medication I took would not work. Please, you know what happened for a fact and heard what the nurse said. I found out about the infection when I had applied for a life inurance policy a couple of years ago. I had tested negative prior to that. It was recommended to take the test again to ensure that it was not a false positive. This diagnosis almost destroyed me and almost cost me my marriage. My wonderful internist has stood by me and agrees that prosecution is necessary. These doctors and nurses that committed these heinous and vicious crimes are BIO-TERRORISTS and should be treated as such. I wouldn't mind giving each and everyone of them a colonoscopy with a dirty scope, without the benefit of anesthesia so they can feel the pain of knowing that one way or another they'll be infected with something. Okay, I'm done. Have a nice day. I have just one more thing to say. You must also have a Quantitative PCR test. It is a very expensive test, but will catch very minute amounts of virus in the blood. Let the Health Department pay for that. You will likely only get the routine hepatits c panel required if you do not specifically ask for this test.(there will be a lot of false negatives if you don't do the more sensitve testing). Now I'm done.

KC
Thank you for standing up. It is a little confusing for me when a doctor from out of state claims to know how the medical board works here. Maybe now the truth about LV medicine will come out. As I said, I have a couple of wonderful doctors here and I don't want them affected. The other thing I wanted to say is that I just had an ovarian tumor that weighed 7 pounds. I called a friend who works for a great doctor and the doctors words to me were, "If I had any major illness like that, I'd get the hell out of this city". Her recommendation for MD Anderson was a Godsend. I am 14 days post op and doing just fine. Thanks again for your comment. It is CHILLING to think that this WILL become a national health care crisis. I too am a believer and know that prayer works. I pray that your husbands results come out negative and I pray for the terror that is stalking you. I also pray for the doctors and nurses that are innocent and get caught up in this nasty web of lies and deception.

bcutter,

I don't believe I demeaned you in anyway and if you feel I did, I give you my sincere apology. I believe that you were the one who insulted me in your comment about usernames. I was just questioning your credentials as you suggested I do with all doctors and you took the bait. I am not blaming you. I realize that you probably did not mean to insinuate that you practice in Nevada, but it sounds that way when you write. Sometimes writing can get in the way of a good face to face. It is a well known fact amongst native Nevadans that Las Vegas has an overwhelming population of bad doctors, we call it the Medical Mafia. Our own doctors go out of state for care! Of course we also have an overwhelming amount of tortes attorneys and none of us call them our saviors, believe me, we have the highest insurance rates in the country. Both are facts. Our doctors and dentists also advertise on television and the internet, etc. It's as bad as the prescription drug commercials in my judgement. It is extremely difficult for all of us and I do not want any ethical doctor to be hurt by this. At this point in my life it is difficult to trust anyone. As a doctor you would surely understand this. As mentioned in my previous comments, I do not plan to sue because the damage is done and no amount of money will give me my health back. All I can do is stand up for those who are hurting. I am calling for a Congressional Hearing and those that are behind this need to call and write their local, state, and national representatives. You should too.

bcutter,

I reread your last post. Dr. Desai has myriad doctors working in all of his clinics. The doc that did my colonoscopy has no disciplinary record, neither did the anesthesiologist. If you truly understand what a clinic is, then you should know this. As I had said in my post to recovery 747, you obviously don't practice in Nevada and further anyone can post that they are a doctor. I am not judging you, it would just be nice if you gave your full name and where you actually practice. Myers and Gomel did exactly that, why can't you? If you are so willing to help, you should open up a hotline so people can call or e-mail you for support and suggestions. Give the facts and back them up.

By recovery747,
I totally agree with you on this. Most doctors from third world countries go through 2 to 4 years of training, if that. Why we accept such totally inept "doctors" in the US is a matter of politcal correctness. How this happens is very well known. Most of the certifications are 1-2 day classes, these you'll find plastered all over the walls at these doctors offices. Alot of times all they have to do is join an organization, pay a yearly fee and it makes them look like experts. Thanks for not being politically correct. As far as I'm concerned these doctors are bio-terrorists and should be treated as such. As you can see I've had a back and forth with bcutter and if you read between the lines, he does not practice in Las Vegas, and I am unsure that he is even a doctor. If he is, he should say where he practices, his real name(bcutter sounds a little fishy, especially the cutter part). I'm happy that someone like you stands on your prinicipals and is not afraid to speak up. You are what is known as a "Stand Up Guy".

bcutter

I appreciate this comment. I do have 2 doctors that I trust here and you are right about the ambulance chasers. I have no respect for attorney's that advertise on television either. I have no intentions, at this point, of suing for that very reason. Not to mention there is no point since the damage is already done. I do love my internist and my general surgeon, if not for them I would not be here today. My greatest fear is that this bobble-headed doctor will shorten the blood supply because of his nefarious practices and this will go far beyond infection. People will now be afraid to give blood and many needy patients will suffer for it. The scope of this is like "the shot heard around the world". I have made many suggestions, and am heavily involved in many aspects of patients rights, etc. I do have a suggestion. The Health Dept. grades restaurants constantly, a good thing, however I have never seen a health inspector go through any private practice doctors office or go into a hospital to grade them. This would help patients make better choices and it would protect doctors from frivolous lawsuits. These grades could be posted at the place of business and in the newspapers, exactly the way they do it with restaurants.

bcutter,
I did not miscontrue anything about KimRn. News flash, I have been typed. You try going through chemo and hep c treatments at the same time. I do give my doctors colonoscopies so to speak, but you know as well as I do that most cases are settled out of court and disciplinary action is normally covered up by an agreement with the opposing attorneys. I have two good doctors here in town. I have been through this system for years and know that I would have to hire a private detective to check out one doctor in all 50 states and now all over the globe. Las Vegas is notorious for letting doctors practice here when they can't get licensed anywhere else. I've been before the medical board before also. 2 attorneys, 3 doctors. Guess who spoke up for me? It wasn't the doctors.

KimRn,

It seems that you are feeling sorry for these people because their expenses are so high. Save money and kill a patient, is that right? You should have your license revoked just for that comment. You have no idea what it's like to live like this. By the way it is not insurance companies that take the Hipocratic Oath. Please let me know where your clinic is so I don't go there. You are the perfect example of why I go out of state for my complex medical conditions. You may be next on the prosecutions list if you believe in what you just said. So much for care, it's all about the bottom line isn't it?

paine_girl, Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity. I appreciate your comment very much. This has been a very difficult time for me, but in some ways I feel vindicated. It is difficult to talk about with anyone since the disease is so misunderstood. I wrote down every thing I could think of that may have caused me to contract this. I kept going over and over it in my head and could not come up with an answer. I was told to just forget about ever figuring it out. I even refused to believe the tests were correct for a long time. I blamed everything from the nail shop I went to( I no longer go for fear of giving it to someone else), maybe picking up the wrong tooth brush, the list is so long. I spent a year bleaching my hands and still am afraid that everytime I cut myself that I will give it to someone else. I don't think that I'll sue, since money won't cure me and I can't take treatments because of the cancer. I have however, since the infection, become somewhat of an advocate for hep c patients. I don't know that I'll ever be able to do enough to help them. Again, I thank you so much for your support and caring. It means alot to have a total stranger send such a powerful message. For that I will always be thankful.

I happen to be one of the unfortunate recipients of the Hep C award through this procedure. Curiously, all records are missing on my case. Not surprising considering the gravity of the situation for the gastroenterology doctors in Las Vegas. Each and every one of these centers should be investigated to ensure public safety. No amount of money will give me my life back. I had suspected all along since my diagnosis that this is where the disease came from. It almost destroyed me emotionally and it destroyed many relationships and even the way doctors and nurses treat me. I was told that either I was an intravenous drug user, a sexual deviant(although the disease is not normally transmitted through sexual contact), etc. Nice things to say to a patient who is innocent in all of this. If the investigation is only going back to 2004 and the other endoscopy clinics are not looked into than our Health Department is putting many more lives in danger. Dr. DeSai and his entire staff should be prosecuted for attempted murder for each case and if someone dies, they should be prosecuted for murder. Again as for me no amount of money can undo the pain and leper status that I am now dealing with. My trust in Las Vegas doctors was diminished a long ago when I went in for my very first colonoscopy and the doctor "forgot" to take a biopsy of a tumor the size of my thumb. I was told it was something else. Luckily my General Surgeon did a biopsy and I had a malignancy, which was promptly taken care of. He literally saved my life. I am now going out of state to MD Anderson Houston for treatments. I suggest anyone with any chronic disease get the hell out of this state before these morons kill you.