Dr. Elizabeth Chandler Oehler, MD

Dr. Oehler was present a calm in my storm and felt in the safest care when at Dell Seton E.R. Thank you for your excellance in medicine and human care.

She is the best. Kind and knowledgable.

I had to be admitted to Brackenridge hospital after a surgery for a complication with Addison's disease. I had been vomiting all afternoon and finally, the doctor on-call suggested that I go in for steroid injection with IV fluids. THEN I met this doctor. Her bedside manner is awful. She told me that 50% of back surgeries were failures and I should KNOW this as I signed the papers. I had just had the back surgery 3 days before. She had the nurse come in with IV morphine, nausea meds and 2 steroid pills- to swallow. I refused to take the pills as I knew I would not keep them down. She scoffed at me and tried to make me feel ridiculous in her manner. My husband and I were stunned. I was firm. I have Addison's disease- this is a complication from the surgery and it had happened before. I have had this disease for awhile and know the signs of trouble. She wanted to "see what was causing the vomiting....". She acted like I was ridiculous for not taking the steroid orally and meanwhile, no… steroids were administered. I told her that I could not hold down ANY steroids at home and they are awful to (TMI) vomit therefore, until I was clear, I was not taking anything orally. I suggested she try apple juice first and if that stayed down, I would take the steroids. The apple juice did not stay down. She scoffed at that when she came in stating I was "Upset and needed to settle down"....sometime after that, she ordered liquid steroid to be injected and it worked- in an hour, I was feeling better, less dizzy, not as queasy, etc. She knew nothing about Addison's disease. I asked to be discharged after our first discussion as I could see I was not going to get help. She came with the discharge papers after the steroid injection and was trying then to appease me- "What can I do for you to make you happy?" Too little, too late. My husband was furious at her insensitivity as well as her lack of knowledge- professional and otherwise. I would not recommend this doctor at all. Surgery and Addison's disease are a rough combination. The treatment for what was happening to me is IV steroids and fluids as I had been through it before. It took hours and 2 arguments to get the steroids injected as well as so much attitude from her. I do not expect to need to argue with a doctor about my care- particularly if they are not familiar with the diagnosis.

My brother was admitted to Brackenridge for alcohol poisoning. Dr. Oehler was his ER dr. She wanted to discharge him before he was able to go home on his own. When I talked to her she said I should come up and pick him up to make it more convenient for her. That if I were a loving and caring family member, I would take on the responsibility of his healthcare to make it easier on her. Seriously. I couldn't believe my ears. I researched and she is very young and inexperienced, which help me to understand her self centered and self-absorbed attitude that did not include the wellbeing of my brother. I explained how his illness has been going on for 32 years and that this time was particularly bad since his blood alcohol level was 4.3 (I'm not exaggerating) He had only been there 5 hours, she refused to check it again even after I explained to her that he consumed over a half gallon of vodka in less than 24 hours and 3 more half gallons two days before that. She said "from the way he… looked, he was fine". After writing this I realized I needed to call and have another Dr on staff look at him. I am also going to contact Dr. Darryl Camp, who is the Director of Brackenridge about her unprofessionalism, lack of caring her ineptness in treating patients effectively/