Dr. Justin John Sonderegger, MD

Dr. Sonderegger was one of the most condescending doctors I have ever seen. I have two heart conditions that can make my heart flutter out of control whenever and for whatever reason. I take medication to control my heart rhythm, but occasionally I get breakthrough palpitations. Per MY PERSONAL CARDIOLOGIST, if I am uncomfortable due to the extra heartbeats that I experience, I can take an additional dose of my medication to get my heart back into a normal rhythm. My heart began to race at home, so I took one more pill from my PRESCRIBED medication and took my blood pressure. My BP was 83/39, 85/42 and then 83/40. I was so 'out of it' that my family took me to the Renown Main ER, which is where I was seen by Dr. Sonderegger. He was absolutely dreadful. He kept asking, "So you took two pills?" I said, "No. I took one pill this morning at 5am and one pill tonight (at about 10pm), which my cardiologist told me was OK for me." Then this not-so-brilliant doctor said, "So you misused your… medication by taking two pills?" Oh my God! "No! My cardiologist said that if I was having heart palpitations that make me uncomfortable, then I can take another dose. I just need to pay attention to how I am feeling." Doctor S, "So why are you so sleepy? Have you been drinking or using drugs?" Holy cow! Seriously? "No! I don't drink and I have NEVER done recreational drugs or abused my medications!" A little bit later... Dr. S, "I contacted Poison Control and they said that you have overdosed and that I need to keep you here for at least six hours as the drugs run their course. Really now? I DID NOT TAKE TWO PILLS AT ONCE! There was at least 17 hours between doses and my doctor, that knows me and my body, told me it was OK to do so. Also, if it only takes 6 hours for the meds to 'run their course,' shouldn't my morning pill already be out of my system? My blood panel came back and showed that I was dehydrated. I got three bags of intravenous fluids (NS infusion), wide open, to rehydrate me. So, let me get this straight; I'm dehydrated, which is probably what got my heart going and my irregular heart beat would have caused my blood pressure to drop (hypotension). Seems easy enough to figure out; that is if you LISTEN to your patient and not automatically jump to the conclusion that they are drunk or high! I was neither! I'm not sure if it ever occurred to this doctor that maybe I couldn't stay awake because I had been up since 4:30am for work and it was nearly midnight before I was in a room or maybe I was tired because my BP had dropped so low. It is my opinion that my heart came back into a normal rhythm because I did as I have always done in these instances (I have had one heart condition for 25 years and my second for 3 years, so I kind of know how my body works) and took the additional medication I needed. When my heart regulated, my BP went back to normal. Thank you for the fluids though. I didnâ??t realize I needed hydration. How dare you treat a patient with such disrespect? I wasn't some doped out user who was in distress! I was a patient with two heart conditions and low blood-pressure that needed your help, not judgment. I am so angry that I saw on my discharge papers that my 'discharge diagnosis' was "Hypotension Due to Drugs." Even if I was a drug user or I was raging drunk when I came in, no one would have deserved to be treated that way. I shudder at the thought of how you would treat a person who actually is an addict. I hope my insurance pays properly on my claim because of this doctorâ??s personal bias. This doctor is arrogant and cocky and knows how to make a patient never want to go to the ER again. If this doctor was in private practice, I would never see him a second time. Had I been coherent, I would have asked for a different doctor while I was still in the ER. If you need to go to the Emergency Room and this is the doctor you are supposed to see, try and get someone else. That is unless you don't mind someone who doesn't listen, doesn't understand your existing conditions and passes judgment with no relevant basis on facts. My potassium was low, my BUN was high; Iâ??m sure he could have come up with a more appropriate discharge diagnosis.

Emergency visit- Doc diagnosed immediatley and kept me alive.