2 /5 Kristen Singh Henry: I actually didn’t make an appointment to see Dr. Aqbal. I was seen by Dr. Pignanelli and Aqbal came in later. Pignanelli was great and all was fine until Aqbal came. She comes in, folds her arms and leans forward to begin speaking down to me like a clueless child. She was well prepared to unleash her loaded questions and implications. I began to state my symptoms and she shook her head while squinting at me and said, “What fatigue? What’s the fatigue?” Didn’t quite understand the question but I told her I have myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) so my fatigue can be attributed to that. In response to ME/CFS, she asked “What’s that?” then asked who I see for it. I answered, “Dr. Susan Levine.” The tone in every question was as if I was being interrogated and she was trying to catch me in a lie about this silly disease I made up. She told Dr. Pignanelli to Google Susan Levine. As she read about her, she shakes her head and CHUCKLES. Her next question was “Have you looked into mental health?” “Do you see a psychiatrist?” I do not. Then she proceeds to tell me, “This could be a mood disorder.” Anyone suffering with any autoimmune disease is all too familiar with this response. Then she asks sounding more irritated than before, “Who referred you here?!” As in, why am I wasting her time? I told her my Mom sees Pignanelli. I was brought to tears afterwards. Being talked down to in this way hurts. I hope she is better to others.
