IU Health Gastroenterology & Hepatology - Near Northside

Reviews

• GV

  Grace VonDeylen

  Jan 27, 2025
  1.0
  My appointment with IU Health's gastroenterology department started off as any normal appointment would, the nursing staff was kind and respectful as they filled out my basic information. After they finished, Dr. Dunne came into the appointment room to begin our consultation. About halfway through my appointment with Dr. Dunne, he proceeded to pull out his cellphone and showed me a photo on his phone I thought was inappropriate for the context of the appointment. It was not medically informative nor any professional document. In the photo you see a split screen comparing two different photos taken at the beach. One side was of young women in bathing suits supposedly from the 1970's. The other side, showed three middle-aged obese individuals walking on the beach from the "present." From there, he proceeded to ask me what I noticed was the difference between the two photos. He described the women in the first half of the photo as being the "skinnies." He also proceeded to tell me about how he grew up in the 70’s and never noticed fat people. While it is no speculation that obesity is a problem in the United States, he made his point in a way that I believe creates a harmful narrative with no factual evidence present. My understanding of the photo as I saw it, is that it is a meme post created on the internet to create a false bias about the understanding of obesity in our country in a way that shames, and manipulates individuals into fearing obesity as if it is not a medical condition that affects nearly 1 in 3 adults. The images themselves were inappropriate in the context of a doctor's visit, and inappropriate in regards to the messaging behind it. Also, both photos were taken in a candid context where the individuals shown most-likely were unaware they were being photographed. These two photos are neither connected to my condition nor the reasoning for this appointment. For context, I am not an obese individual. I scheduled this appointment due to some stomach issues that I had been having during the course of weaning from a prescribed medication. I kept the appointment as a means to make sure there were no additional underlying issues, and I’ve had no additional gastro issues outside of this aside from the occasional anxiety based nausea I’ve had since I was 15 years old. The further we got into the appointment, the more uncomfortable I became. After the photo was shown, I no longer felt as if it was an environment where I could be transparent or receive any meaningful feedback. I was given unsolicited advice about issues that I did not come into this appointment seeking based on lab work information taken 2 years ago that no longer reflects my current health condition. I fear to think of other individuals experiencing the same thing I did whether they are someone who is affected by obesity or not. Images like that are not only spreading bias and false information, but they do not consider the feelings or experiences of individuals living with issues connected to their weight. I am absolutely disappointed and disgusted with Dr. Dunne's behavior.
• FP

  Francesco Perinelli

  Nov 29, 2022
  1.0
  01/05/23: My insurance was billed $9454. 1.5h, 15 min gastroscopy w/ 7 biopsies. My copay's in the thousands. B aware 12/10/22: This time a different nurse called me. I informed her that the quality of the sound coming through the phone line was preventing me to really understand what she said. She seemed bothered by this and kept repeating herself while getting every time more frustrated. I could barely understand. We found out Dr. Patel did not update my file when he doubled my medication. Asked to talk with Dr. Patel. Denied. Interrupted mid-sentence. Awful. 12/05/22: Dr.Patel call me back to check on me and I was finally able to find someone that listen. After understanding the severity of my synthoms, he double the dosage of medication. He referred me to my family doctor for pain management. The conversation was polite and respectful. Completely different from the verbally abusive behavior experienced with several different nurses, that never let you finish your sentence and keep talking over you until they make you quit talking, as they are clearly no longer listening to you. 12/04/22: Unfortunately after taking the prescribed medication precisely, I'm still experiencing constant pain. It has been another week of intolerable pain. Can't eat nor sleep properly. I called back for the first time today and spoke with the same nurse I met during the visit. She, like during the visit, had hard time to just listen and kept cut me off mid-sentence. With her attitude, like during the first visit, she again was unable to connect with me and she again escalated the situation to the point where I felt again she didn't care nor she had the right attitude in order to truly understand me and what I tried multiple times to convey to her. Several times she was very disrespectful and verbally aggressive. She initially denied even to let me speak with a doctor when her multiple disrespectful behaviors prevented her to form a connection with me. Terrible manners, at the human level, so bad that delayed the administration of the effective care I needed and sought through their service. The nurse even have the bronze face to insinuate the I was the one to blame for all of this. Maybe I just got unlucky but I'd would rather suggest you not to take the risk, if you need care ASAP. Truly disappointed, especially on the human prospective. Nov 2022: Awfully scary experience. I was told that I'll have the option to be moderately sedated but I said I wanted to be awake and I specifically asked not to be put asleep because I need to show the doctor a spot I was concerned about, while the procedure was been performed. The procedure can be done without sedation but the doctor insisted he'll have better chance to spot something if I'm slightly sedated so I won't move as much. I was hesitant but he convinced me about getting a little sedated by telling me that I won't be asleep but awake, just more relaxed. Instead they put me in a state of semiconscious compliancy. I was awake and I was reacting to verbal commands by without my will or consciousness being present. A compliant patient. By the time I "woke up" and regained control of my "conscious me", everything was already done. Hence I couldn't show the doctor the spot I was concerned about. The level of sedation was too strong for me and made me have a bad reaction when I "woke up", without any memory, and comprehensively upset by the fact that my request to be kept awake has not been materialized. Therefore now I have to go someplace else and redo the entire procedure. I won't trust this department anymore. I'm not sure why they initially seem to listen but then they disregard my simple request. Probably it was easier for them that way. Very disrespectful and borderline abusive, especially since I made clear I want to be awake. They twisted my request and kept me awake but mentally subdued. I felt violated by someone that leverage their knowledge with potent drugs to trick patient into submission. I'll never go back and I'll recommend everyone I know to avoid this department at all cost.