Dr. Zhouwen Tang, MD

Nov 4th, 2019

I went to see Dr. Tang with severe abdominal pain located centerline and also left, which typically indicates some type of IBS. I had already had a colonoscopy a few months earlier so we proceeded with a lower CT scan which showed nothing, then an upper GI x-ray series, which also showed nothing. At this point Dr. Tang suggested dietary changes but had no real solution for my pain. I have broken my femur before, that's my 10/10 for pain. This pain was intense, like an 8 or a 9 at times and I told Dr. Tang my comparison scale and the intensity. He was not able to offer me anything in the way of relief, nor a course of investigation or treatment. I finally saw a doctor who has nothing to do with the GI system and she used her records to find a pattern in my medications that no other doctor had noticed (I saw no less than 5 GI docs). I had a drug side-effect and upon discontinuation of said drug the pain subsided in 2 days and never returned. While I can't expect my rare case to be indicative of effectiveness, I can say there was a distinct lack of empathy for my situation. Still, I suggested my wife see Dr. Tang for GERD-related problems. Dr. Tang prescribed several PPI's none of which were consistently effective. He proposed a pH test for which you cannot take a PPI or H2 inhibitor, both of which are the most common and most effective acid-relief drugs like Prilosec and Zantac. Upon her discontinuation of her PPI, she went into severe pain, her levels also being very high. Upon consultation with Dr. Tang's nurse she was told she could take "one Tums". Dr. Tang was no more sympathetic to the very high level of pain she was in. I do not agree with treating patients like this and ignoring their symptoms, particularly persistent and urgent symptoms like severe pain. Dr. Tang needs to listen to his patients better regarding their symptoms, particularly pain, and at the very least offer suggestions for referrals or alternative treatments.
Dec 13th, 2019