Dr. Barbara Joan Gardner, MD

I suffered needlessly, for years, because of Dr. Gardner. It's difficult for me, at times, to not resent her for contributing to my suffering. I should get over it, but it's difficult. In 2006, I had gastric bypass surgery and all was going well, until 2008 when I began showing odd symptoms of numbness in my feet. I just stopped feeling them. Dr. Gardner ran some tests, including an MRI, but didn't find anything unusual, and said "You have some signs of arthritis, but I really think it's your weight loss surgery. The nutritional deficiency is likely to blame. Up your vitamins and follow up with your GP." I did, and for years, my feet got worse and worse and nothing helped. In 2011, I finally went back to my GP in tears and said "This is just so difficult. I trip, I fall ... it's getting worse." My GP referred me to a different neurologist who ran an MRI and did the same tests as Dr Gardner and said "You have Multiple Sclerosis." There were lesions on my spine and in my brain… which if she had just spent more effort diagnosing me instead of taking the easy way out and blaming it on a surgery that made me HEALTHIER, she would have better recognized the symptoms. The follow-on neurologist saw the MS lesions in both her MRI, and his own, 3 years later. For 3 years I could have been taking medication and getting therapy. Her incompetence caused me needless suffering and anguish.