Dr. John Robert Bettinger, MD

Here's how my experience evolved, from start to finish... 1) Dr. B refused to allow me to speak with his Anesthesiologist prior to my Endo and he wouldn't provide me with a name. He ignored my request for the type of chemicals that I have little reaction to. I have a history of bad symptoms with most all medications (which I never take unless it's required for a diagnostic test or operation). When I did meet the Anesthesiologist in person at the time of my appointment, I made my request to her for the chemicals that I need, as well as the type that has been provided to me in the past. She said she didn't bring the one I requested with her and told me she wished I had contacted her earlier so she could have brought it! I informed her that this doctor wouldn't allow me to talk to her, nor would he give me her name. She was surprised at this. I think doctors are suppose to allow you this right. 2) Also, at the time of the procedure, Dr B refused to give me "light" Anesthesia… as I requested. I told him that with all my prior endo's that I either had light anesthesia or none at all, in one situation. Dr. B refused again and gave me only 2 options: Either I have full strength anesthesia with what was available to me, or nothing at all! I was shocked because I am very sensitive to any medications & didn't want full strength, as I've told him. I thought about having none, but didn't trust him. So reluctantly, I said, "full strength". This resulted in my being completely over drugged. The staff couldn't wake me up when it was time to close. And the person picking me up was told to come back at a later time, and was then late for an international flight! I've had many Endo's (combined with Colonoscopies, which this one wasn't) and was fine within 20-30 minutes and would drive myself home. With this one, I was out for hours and felt dizzy and sick for the rest of the day. I could hardly walk. 3) Once my results were in, the nurse/mgr of the endo clinic called me and advised me to physically go to the doctor's office, instead of phoning him, so I could receive an immediate in-person consult bec there were things abnormal with my test results that she couldn't discuss with me. So, I did go to the office in-person. But Dr. B would not see me. I told the woman at the desk that I have something wrong with my tests and was advised to have an immediate consult with the doctor. Their policy is to give patients a follow-up appointment and the results of their "normal" tests no later than 2 weeks. And if something is wrong the doctor is suppose to notify their patient immediately. But I didn't hear from Dr B and couldn't get an appointment earlier than a month. And the end result was that I wasn't able to see this doctor for THREE (3) MONTHS!! I tried calling for cancellations without success and asked to be put on their wait list. The only time the office called me was really early one morning when I was asleep. I had a vm msg saying the doctor could see me 1st if I could get there within 20 minutes!! It would take me longer than 20 minutes to drive there. Yet, I wasn't even awake yet. . I don't live near their office so obviously it would have been impossible for me to make it. They knew where I lived. It was like a bad joke that wasn't funny. 4) Now after 3 months I'm in Dr B's office. He told me I had pre-cancer signs of the Esophageal (Barrett's) cancer and pointed to a chart on the wall, saying there were 3 ring patterns in the lining of my esophagus that indicated a risk (or start) of cancer. However I couldn't see anything from where I was sitting because he and his desk were in front of the illustration on the wall. Then he said I had Acid Reflux diseases and would need to take medication 3 times a day for the rest of my life. And that I also had a Hiatal Hernia and Candida. During this time period I already believed my pre-cancer was now cancer by the time I could finally see him. I didn't know that acid reflux would make the pre-cancer worse. Had I known 3 months earlier, maybe I could have prevented the cancer signs from occurring. My symptoms were really bad with my throat in a lot of pain, unable to eat or drink anything but water and eat mild foods. Nothing that was acidic or spicy, etc. My stomach hurt and I had trouble walking and throwing a ball for a dog. My throat would have episodes of intense pain at the roof of my mouth, so I knew I had gotten much worse during these 3 months of waiting, and thereafter. I had difficulty eating and swallowing. Dr B mainly discussed how to treat the acid reflux and gave me some samples to take home and try. He didn't say much about the "pre-cancer" treatment or Candidia or offer to do any further tests. In fact he told me that I will never need to be tested again....which I thought was really strange and irresponsible. How would I know about the state of my esophagus, Barretts, etc., if he was never going to do another test. Maybe he didn't want any documentation of what happened during those 3 months of waiting. I don't remember him asking me about my current symptoms. This Doctor was very irresponsible with me, from start to finish. I never went back to him and I never heard from him or his office. Initially I was very impressed with Dr. Bettinger because he appears to be very intelligent and has a fine bedside manner. But he has a need to control and he didn't care if I was given the wrong medication, the wrong strength or the results of my tests in a timely manner. I could have had treatment sooner and eliminated the symptoms sooner had I known. Consequently, I give this Doctor and his staff an F rating. And I would never go there again. If something is wrong with your tests, the Doctor is suppose to notify you immediately. I had at FOUR (4) things

He's an "outstanding" gastroenterologist who diagnosed my husband's stomach cancer after a few years of questions regarding his diagnosis. He quickly assessed and made appropriate referrals to address this problem. He was straightforward and personable in working with us. He was also our advocate throughout the process. I have only thankful feelings about his clinical expertise, professionalism and personable qualities.

My initial impression was extremely positive, particularly the office staff, which is outstanding. I've been in pain for three years now, recently completed my third belly surgery, which was an ileostomy reversal. I was hoping Dr. B would help me with the adjustment which I understood would be very difficult and take up to a year. He became obsessed with my pain meds, even though with great difficulty, I limited my pain meds to one tab per day with full support from my pain doctor. Dr Bettinger accused me of being an addict and threatened to inform my pain dr he should not prescribe for me; he sent this accusation to my other drs tho he did send a correction. In the midst of an extremely frustrating and challenging time, he told me to make an appt in 6 months, which essentially is abandoning me. If you have a problem that requires ongoing medical management, Dr Bettinger is not the doctor for you.