Dr. Sara Venkatasubramanian, MD

Back when I was a student at Duke, I began having some health issues, including extreme fatigue. I could barely manage going to class. I saw Dr. Venkat and (probably because I'm black), she tested me for anemia immediately. I've been tested for anemia countless times and that has never been the issue. However, I went along with the test and she concluded nothing was wrong. I went back to Student Health due to bloody stool and she found an ulcer, for which she recommended a colonoscopy. Other medical practitioners I saw later looked at me in horror like "why did they give you such an invasive procedure?!?" However, I think I was very nervous about doing the removal from the tracheal end or something... Either way, it turns out that I've been suffering from an autoimmune disease this entire time. I knew that I was not anemic and I knew that I did not need psychiatric help (which Dr. Venkat also implied). I believe she tried, but the effort was not all that great because she made… assumptions about the problem based on my race and did not seem open to exploring other possible illnesses. I wish I had known how to better advocate for myself, but I was a young college student struggling to balance work, school, and what I now know is an autoimmune disease. I understand that doctors are provided with clues and they're more like detectives trying to figure things out, but just because you can't figure out the illness DOESN'T MEAN THERE'S NO ILLNESS. My grandfather died 3 years ago from the same illness I have, so I'm very lucky (by God's grace).

Very good experience.