Dr. Michele Ann Armet, MD

Dr. Armet was my attending physician the 2nd time I was brought into Cottage Hospital after a 25’ fall. Where I had sustained TBI on my Frontal Lobe. I had severe neuromuscular injury and several fractures. Dr. Armet, was excessively rude and condescending. She repeatedly called me an alcoholic, due to my ‘ confusion’ from the frontal lobe trauma. Now please keep in mind, this is my 2nd ambulance visit following that 25’ fall where my toenails were scrapped off both feet, I was bruised all over had road rash from the L side of my forehead down to the tips of my toes on both feet. I’m sure I was concussive, disorganized in thought process & confused and mostly in extreme pain. Cottage Hospital ran NO SIGNIFICANT TESTS on me the 1st trip to the ER, EVEN though it felt as my head was being crushed. I couldn’t walk, it felt as though my hips or pelvic was fractured, that my ankles toes, rib cage wrists and fingers were fractured. The attending ER Physician decided to release me WITHOUT… EVEN CONCUSSION ORDERS! For the 2nd time in approx. 48 hours, I was again taking by ambulance to the ONLY hospital in Santa Barbara - Cottage Hospital. Apparently, Dr. Armet, the Director of Physicians was called in on my case. She was Called into Cover the Hospitals potential LIABILITIES! Not to be MY CARE PHYSICIAN. Based on an erroneous report with false information that had zero substantiated evidence or proof only an opinion based from a Doctor whom, I Against Medical Authorization left the hospital after 24 hours on a Nitroglycerin Drip that HAD NOT brought my excessively high Blood Pressure 250/137 down 1 point. I knew he did not know how to treat my cardiac condition and per my nephrologist was advised several years ago: “ if they do not drop your blood pressure from 250 to 160 within 5 hours, they will KILL YOU and CAUSE you to have a massive stroke!” He advised me to leave whatever hospital IMMEDIATELY! & do an AMA! Dr. Armet legally had no authorization to have that information, about my AMA or that doctor’s unsubstantiated personal opinion, under HIPPA Laws, as it is a breech of patient Privacy; yet she told me she procured that information. The week I spent at Cottage Hospital was treated with abject disrespect, name calling by Dr. Armet and subordinate caretakers. Dr. Armet called me 1st an alcoholic for days, but she had no tests that substantiated that! Then she called me a Drug Addict and no tests to substantiate this false accusations. She could’ve done a hair strand test, as my hair is past my waist. However, she wasn’t interested in the TRUTH or her HYPOCRATIC OATH, Her licensure or her violation and breech of HIPPA. She just wanted to smear my name and create a false history of me! Dr. Armet stood between my room and the nurses station & screamed at me “ WHY DIDN’T you just stay in hospital, after your 1st ER visit? I responded “ Has hospital Policy Changed, I can just admit myself whenever I want I? I thought the Attending had to make that determination?!” She was afraid & intimidated by me. I was more educated than she & saw through her like a glass wall. I,in fact challenged a statement she made that “alcoholism is a disease.” I stated I AM A CANCER SURVIVOR CANCER IS A DISEASE and alcoholism is NIOT a disease, it’s a choice, at most it’s a mental illness listed in the DSM. I stated you can’t buy a 12 pack of cancer or Parkinson’s! She was livid! She had to hear the TRUTH and another doctor had to hold her back from coming at me as though she were going to strike me! If I were really an alcoholic or drug addict wouldn’t she under her medical code of ethics gotten me treatment? She was attempting to Cover the Potential of Medical Liabilities that await her and Cottage Hospital. Dr. Armet & her egregious behavior & her colleagues behavior with me and towards me, shall long live in my memories, my diaries and my hospital videos. Poor, poor, insecure Dr. Armet, from my encounter with her she should remain in MT.

Several years ago I was a patient at Cottage for a serious illness and I was there for about 3 weeks. Dr. Armet was a terrific doctor. She coordinated my care with the specialists who were following me. Dr. Armet took her time with me; she brought me literature on my disease (I have a rare disease). She never spoke down to me - we were on an equal footing. I respect her both as a doctor and as a human being.