Dr. Matthew Blake Stahlman, MD

I was referred to Dr. Stahlman by my primary care doctor because I have a history of high blood pressure and high cholesterol and stopped taking statin drugs when they caused problems with blood sugar levels. (It turns out they had a number of other nasty side effects that I didn't realized were caused by statins until I stopped taking them, but that's another story.) Dr. Stahlman gave me a clear explanation of the risks and the mechanics of coronary artery disease, and he scheduled several tests that seemed prudent. My blood pressure had been well-controlled for several years, but the weekend after I saw him, I felt tightness in my chest that did not subside. Since I had just seen a cardiologist, it occurred to me to check blood pressure. Over the next 90 minutes I had four readings over 190/90, the highest being 201/99. Since afterhours clinics were already closed, I called the nurse line for my primary care. After asking the usual questions about symptoms, history, and so on,… she strongly recommended that I have someone drive me to the emergency room. My high blood pressure continued, subsiding only slightly after several hours and a dose of nitroglycerin. Even though EKG and heart enzymes were normal, the on-call urged me to stay and have a nuclear stress test in the morning. All tests were normal the next day, so they sent me home without any explanation of why my BP was high and with instructions to contact my cardiologist. I called both my primary care and cardiologist the next day. Primary care responded quickly and had me come in the next day. BP was normal and tests were reviewed. He told me to follow up with Dr. Stahlman. Since then, his nurse has called twice to tell me they don't have the records from the hospital, even though my primary care--on the same system--pulled them up on the computer. Ten days after hospitalization and eight days after calling, I still have not heard from Dr. Stahlman. Pathetic.