In September of 2023, I went to a podiatrist to have a simple surgical procedure, and ever since that fateful day, my life has been turned upside down.
My nightmare was a particularly egregious case, because not only did my healthcare provider not do a good job on my surgery, but she also gaslit me! My podiatrist told me that my surgery was a success, and that my foot would eventually return to full functionality (I was even one of the lucky ones that would lose almost zero range of motion!), but I would have to give it up to two years for my foot to properly heal (coincidentally, two years is the amount of time one has to file a lawsuit for medical malpractice in Alabama), and that the real issue was that I was too anxious. I might never be able to run, box, or wrestle again, but according to my podiatrist, I was being too anxious.
I eventually got a second opinion (and a third, fourth, and fifth opinion) from an orthopedic surgeon. After meeting with other doctors, it became clear to me that the podiatrist who performed my original surgery made multiple identifiable and consequential errors. Not only did she (the podiatrist who performed the original surgery) botch my surgery, but during the post-op period, she also consistently failed to recognize what should have been obvious problems with the outcome of my surgery. As if that wasn’t bad enough, before surgery, she never once told me that I qualified for a minimally-invasive procedure, because she chose greed over her patient’s well-being.
I’m currently recovering from my fifth surgery, and I’ve lost quite a lot, including a good bit of functionality in my foot, being exposed to years of radiation, dealing with an unreal amount of stress and worrying, and spending tens of thousands of dollars. Quacks, like the one who botched my foot surgery, need to be held accountable.