I saw Dr. Friedman at the Patient First Urgent Care Clinic in Delran, NJ with a complaint of shortness of breath. I explained to him that I had been to my GP 3 days prior and was diagnosed with Strep Throat and was currently being treated for it with antibiotics. I figured that was important information for him to have but stressed that my complaint was that I could not catch my breath. I wasn't wheezing (I am an asthmatic so I am very familiar with that experience) but any mild exertion I did resulted in feeling completely winded and an inability to catch my breath. I am a runner so I should be able to walk 100 feet without any struggle. I would not have come to an urgent care facility for a sore throat or a cold. I was having difficulty breathing. Not only did Dr. Friedman not listen to me but he talked over me the whole time. He told me I have post nasal drip which was what was making my throat sore and that I had head congestion so he was prescribing me a nasal decongestant. I told him that I don't care about a nasal decongestant, that my head & nose are fine; my throat doesn't hurt anymore, and that it hurt 3 days ago because I tested positive for strep throat, which has since been remedied. I restated that I was there because I could not breathe. He told me a nasal decongestant would clear up my nose and help me breathe better. I told him that I was very upset because he wasn't listening to me. I don't care if I can breathe through my nose or not, it's my LUNGS that hurt and can't seem to function properly. I said that I'm upset, that this whole trip was a waste of my time, and I proceeded to leave the facility and go straight to a teaching hospital's urgent care facility, where several people actually listened to my lungs, said that I had PNEUMONIA, and prescribed me oral and inhaled steroids that will ACTUALLY help me.
This is not just upsetting for me as a patient's personal experience. This is scary and dangerous. A doctor that will not listen to his patients and completely overlooks a severe medical condition because he can't be bothered or is in some kind of rush to get them out is negligent. The care that he gives and his bedside manner are not only sub par but medically negligent. He SHOULD NOT be practicing medicine if he tries to cure pneumonia with a nasal decongestant.