Patient
My family and I recently had an appointment with Dr. Luisito Gonzales, and I feel compelled to share our experience because of how upsetting and unprofessional it was. This was not just a disappointing visit; it left us feeling dismissed, belittled, and concerned for my father's well-being. 1. Lack of Basic Patient Care and Medical Awareness - Dr. Gonzales never asked about my father's blood pressure readings at home, nor did he ask when my father last took his blood pressure medication. These are fundamental questions that any cardiologist should ask when managing a patient with hypertension. - Even more troubling, he seemed unaware of the basic rule my father was instructed to follow: if blood pressure is under 130, take the medication; if it is over 130/90, pause. For a cardiologist not to recognize or acknowledge this guideline is deeply concerning. 2. Questionable Accuracy and Competence - Dr. Gonzales measured my father's blood pressure sitting and standing, and claimed there was "no change." This contradicts three months of documented readings that show my father's blood pressure consistently drops at least 10 points when standing. This raises serious questions about whether Dr. Gonzales conducted the test properly or reported honestly. If he cannot even use a stethoscope accurately, how can we trust his assessments? 3. Reliance on Personal Bias Instead of Medical Judgment - Rather than offering thoughtful, medical solutions, Dr. Gonzales brought up his own privileged situation; suggesting that since he could hire a worker for his own father, I should be able to do the same. He also compared my situation unfavorably to his, saying he had a brother to help out. These comments were not only unhelpful but felt prejudiced, judgmental, and dismissive of the real challenges my family faces. It also shows a lack of self-awareness for the privileges he has, such as significantly higher income and other family to assist. 4. Unrealistic and Unsafe Treatment Recommendations - His only solution for my father's blood pressure issue was prescribing extremely tight compression stockings; stockings so tight that my mother cannot put them on, and even hospital nurses have struggled greatly with them. Expecting my elderly mother to manage something even medical staff cannot is both unrealistic and irresponsible. When I raised this concern, instead of working with me to find alternatives, Dr. Gonzales became defensive and told me I "thought I knew better than him." - He even went so far as to suggest that not using these stockings could be seen as "negligence" by a social worker. How is it negligence when the treatment is not physically possible to perform at home? Allowing a patient to leave the hospital with an unworkable solution seems much closer to malpractice. 5. Poor Professionalism and Lack of Conflict Management - After I expressed that I wanted a second opinion; a reasonable request when a doctor's solutions are not working; Dr. Gonzales stormed out of the room. When I asked if he was seriously walking out on us in the middle of a discussion, he ignored me. His behavior was unprofessional, emotionally driven, and showed a lack of concern for the patient in front of him. - Even when I tried to calm the situation and asked about alternatives (like velcro-based compression solutions), he dismissed me and told me to "go ask home health" since I supposedly wanted to see someone else. Conclusion This experience with Dr. Luisito Gonzales was deeply disappointing and concerning. He failed to ask basic medical questions, dismissed important symptoms, provided unrealistic recommendations, inserted his personal privilege into medical discussions, and reacted defensively instead of collaboratively. Most troubling of all, he walked away when we most needed solutions. My father deserves competent, compassionate care, and instead we were met with negligence, bias, and unprofessional behavior. Families like mine deserve better than this.