If you ever have to visit an Orthopedic Doctor, I recommend that you stay as far away from Seaside Orthopedics as possible. They have an office in Ocean Isle, NC and North Myrtle Beach, SC.

So here’s the back story:

Yesterday, we went outside to simply move the horses into another pasture around feeding time. Somehow, our biggest horse Oscar, got excited and kicked backwards. My Mom was standing just close enough that his feet clipped her arm. I took her to the hospital and she has a fracture in her arm (ulna to be exact). They created a make shift cast and sent us on our way with a referral to see Dr. Young, an orthopedic specialist.

So today began:

I called Dr. Young’s office at about 9:00 a.m. and told them I needed to make an appointment for my mother to get a cast for her arm. They asked if we could get there by 10:45 a.m. and they could squeeze her in. I thought that was fantastic and that we could get her taken care of today instead of sometime next week. Little did I know that their office was in Ocean Isle, NC so I had a 40 minute drive to get to their office (even though they have an office in North Myrtle!).

When we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the office was. It looked pretty new, nicely decorated and most important of all very clean. The receptionist was friendly and assisted us right along. We didn’t have to wait for very long before, who I believe to be the physician’s asst., Shane came to bring us back into a room.

My mother mentioned to Shane that she suffers from RSD in her left arm, and he recognized immediately what she was talking about. He even offered to forgo taking her blood pressure to cause her less pain in the arm. (RSD is nerve condition that causes sufferers to experience intense burning and pain throughout their affected limbs. It can spread to other parts of the body and is not curable. It causes muscles spasms, severe inflammation, weakness and the only way to manage it is through pain medications, anti-inflammatory medication, and anxiety reducers.) He then proceeded to bring us into a back room to wait for the doctor.

As soon as the doctor walked in, I noticed that the entire feel of the room changed. There was a significant arrogance about him that I disproved of instantly. He began the usual questions about what medications my mother was taking, any underlying health conditions, surgeries in the past,etc. All of it was completely understandable until he started grilling her more on her RSD with a condescending tone. Asking her if she was working, why she wasn’t working, why the RSD in her LEFT arm was making her not work, how was she able to have horses with RSD but not be a nurse..and so on and so on. Mind you, she broke her RIGHT arm.  I understand that doctors must ask certain questions to get a feel for their patients, but his line of questioning was completely uncalled for! I couldn’t believe that my mother held her breath for as long as she did.

The way in which he was talking to my mother infuriated me. His questioning had no impact on whether or not he was going to put a cast on her broken arm. His tone and attitude towards her and her suffering from a medical condition, which based on his actions I believe he has no idea what is is, was utterly ridiculous and uncalled for. It’s not as if she walked in like a drug seeker begging him for pain meds, she just wanted him to do his job and put a cast on her broken arm! We mentioned the doctor’s demeanor to Shane and Shane apologized and said that the doctor’s personality was “dry”.

Once Shane placed a cast on her arm, we headed out to the discharge desk. The lady waiting there ignored us for a few minutes while she loudly yelled at the receptionist for not righting down a fax number for an insurance company, or something of that nature. It was ridiculous and rude!

Once we left, my mother and I discussed how rude and disrespectful the doctor was and I wanted to let everyone else I knew, know about his horrible practice.

With that being said, Dr. Richard Young, Seaside Orthopedics only doctor, is arrogant, condescending and extremely nosy. His job was to simply put a cast on my mother’s broken arm and yet he grilled her and questioned her over her condition until both she and I were completely aggravated with him. If at any point you need to have a cast placed on your arm, or any kind of Orthopedic surgery or therapy, steer clear of Seaside Orthropedics and look for a doctor’s office that truly cares about their patients wants and needs.

UPDATE:

6 weeks or so later, my mother got her cast removed. She was hoping to have the P.A do it, but unfortunately, Dr. Young was the one holding the saw. Dr. Young sawed into the cast in the oddest spots and at one point the saw broke into my mother’s skin. The heat of the saw burned her skin while the sharp rotating blade sliced her open. When she exclaimed “Ouch!” Dr. Young said “Take it easy!” as if it was her fault for his mistake. This doctor is just absolutely ridiculous. Do not go to his office!!!!!