Vladimir B Santos

Finally, I get to voice the facts now that there is the internet. I was under this docs care almost 15 years ago as a 22year old girl just out of college and had just accepted a promising position at AIG. I had complained to him about fullness in my ears and he claimed that I did not have an ear infection. He did send me for extensive testing where they hook you up to machines and the technicians did find that there appeared to be some blockage/fullness and perhaps there was something going on in the middle ear. Dr. Santos dismissed their statements, claiming they are not doctors and send me off to seek other medical treatment even to suggest it was simply stress-related. After an entire year of suffering, being shuffled to see neurologists, neurosurgeons, undergoing brain MRIs, seeing psychologists I finally broke down and visited with a doctor who knew me since birth. My pediatrician. Someone who knew I couldn't and wouldn't be lying. He did a simple ear exam using ear instruments… that hook up to see if their is fluid in the ear and wouldn't you know it...I had a full blown ear infection for a year! I have lost 10% of my hearing (not enough to have sued him I was told) and I suffer from tinnitus (ringing in the ears). It is hard to be in silence or to concentrate. I had to quit my job 2 weeks of being offered the job b/c the middle ear infection had caused nausea, vomiting and headaches. I couldn't drive or sometimes do everyday things. I just wanted to lay in bed. All this could have been avoided and my pediatrician was furious! My pediatrician prescribed antibiotics for 2wks and 2wks later I was a new person. I finally started to pull my life back together and got a job...but I still have the tinnitus...I am now 38. This doctor should be ashamed of himself and he is very lucky I didn't suffer more damage b/c I did seek legal advice and unfortunately aside from lost wages (at the time a $30k job) and "only" 10% of my hearing, PI lawyers did not want to pursue. Shame on this doc for not taking patient care seriously and I paid the price!!!! I will always remember that awful time in my life and what it caused me as well as the opportunities that passed by me as a new college grad. This is why we each have to be advocates in our own care...don't trust any docs before getting a few opinions!