Dr. Melissa Jan Mikami, MD

I have a chronic health condition involving my digestive system. I’ve been having a lot of complications the last three months that have had me in and out of the hospital and on and off pain medication, but the hospital and its staff have always been helpful and understanding. After a month of no issues I got sick again and went to ER. I explained history, etc. and even though she was only in my room less than 2 minutes and didn’t show any emotion, initially she at least seemed to understand my situation. She ordered me nausea and pain medication, and said the pain could be given to me as needed every hour. But the second I said my pain wasn’t controlled and requested the meds, the nurse was like I need to ask her (the point of as needed is to avoid the waiting while the pain gets worse but fine), and she ended up giving me the meds but the immediately added Dr. Mikami wanted a urine sample, which was fine and I did. Next thing I know I’m getting a MyChart alert that my urinalysis drug… test is back. I’ve never been tested before, but didn’t care because I knew I hadn’t taken anything. So the only thing that came back positive is opioids, because she tested me AFTER giving two IV doses of pain medication. Had she used common sense she would have tested prior if she thought I was using opioids, and it would have come back negative. (Also, I have a legally prescribed prescription for an opioid at home, so even if I had taken it, it would have been as prescribed?) Next thing I know she’s coming back with the nurse saying my CT and labs are fine and she’s giving me a last dose of pain medication and discharging me. I tell her I don’t feel any better than when I arrived: not just the pain but the nausea, the bloody stool, the dehydration. And she’s like you don’t need to be here, and I’m crying asking her to call the admitting doctor, and finally she starts stomping out and says fine but they shouldn’t give me narcotics, and then proceeds to remove the “as needed” from my chart so that I can sit here for hours waiting for the admitting doctor and be given nothing (no nausea meds, no more fluids, no antacids) while I wait. I have never felt more embarrassed and ashamed for something I didn’t even do. She all but accused me of being a drug addict, and by insinuating it to other doctors she could permanently hard my medical record, affecting my future care. I was crying, embarrassed, sick, and scared, and then left in my room with no one checking on me while waiting. (Also, if I had been struggling with opioids, why would she not come in and discuss it with a nonjudgmental level of concern? She could easily say, “I’m worried that being on and off opioids for your illness might be turning into an issue. Let’s talk about alternatives and where you could get help if you need it.”) Dr. Mikami is uneducated on chronic illness, suspicious, judgmental, and utterly uncaring about her patients and their mental well-being. I’ve never encountered her before today, and I never want to again. If we’re lucky, she’ll retire and let an actual doctor with critical thinking and true concern and empathy for their patients take her place.

i was in alot of pain and gave her alot of grief, she handled it like the pro she is,, thanks doc