l broke my left humerus on december 17th 2020. l went, in an ambulance, to st. paul's er, where they put a cast on it, and sent me home. the cast was so hopeless that l had to go back the next day to have it re-cast. after that, l was referred to a dr. gammon, at footbridge, who saw me regularly, with x-rays, but waited until february 10th to operate, and stabilise the break with a steel rod. l'm a profoundly left-handed 70-year-old woman; an artist, a calligrapher, a writer, and a musician; my quality of life depends on being able to use my left arm. the nerve was badly damaged when l fell; although l had significant (and slowly increasing) pain, my arm was numb, my hand, thumb and fingers were numb, and l couldn't control my left hand at all. l did see various specialists, all of whom assured me that l would regain the function, and feeling in my arm and hand, but l always couldn't help feeling that if l were (for example) a young male football player, l would've been treated quite differently. dr. gammon went back to ottawa; my arm slowly continued to improve, but the pain, rather than diminishing, grew steadily, although not alarmingly, worse. and then, out of the blue, not long before this past christmas, l got a phone call summarily informing me that l had an appointment with a dr. pike at st. paul's. l was horrified, because l thought that this dr. pike was going to replace the doctor who was supposed to be operating on my thumbs. when l rang back, however, the receptionist assured me that it had nothing to do with my thumbs, it was because dr. gammon had asked dr. pike to see me. l couldn't go to that appointment (because of an ongoing gastrointestinal issue); it was rebooked for the first week of january. l caught covid over christmas; the appointment was rebooked yet again, and l finally saw him yesterday. l had x-rays, and was given a questionnaire to fill in before he saw me. the questionnaire was bizarre: l had to not only rate my difficulties accomplishing such tasks as moving a table, but also how my problem was affecting using a hammer, bowling, or playing golf. l've already said who and what l am: such gross motor skills as hammering, and recreational activities like bowling or golf don't interest me. the questionnaire had a definite young, and male, bias. and, while life could go on for me without hammering, bowling or golfing, my actual problem was seriously affecting what defines me.
when he came into the room, he announced that he was dr. pike, sat down, and asked me what l wanted from him. l explained that an appointment had been booked by his office; l hadn't specifically asked to see him. he told me that "that was some time ago"(?). what did l want now? this seemed a confrontational approach. l explained about my increasing fear about being able to draw, paint, write, play my autoharp, with the increasing occurrence, in my arm, shoulder, and even elbow, of sudden pain so intense that it would cause me to cry out. he told me that there was nothing that he could do about any of that. l have ehlers-danlos syndrome, so, although the pain might be severe, or even excruciating, l still have a very good range of movement in my elbows and shoulders. the physiotherapist at st. paul's whom l saw during the summer, told me that there was no point in continuing to see her, as l was already capable of more than most people would be able to achieve after months of physio. dr. pike basically told me the same thing. l can raise my arms incredibly high, and bend my elbows beautifully, therefore l should be grateful for that. unfortunately, while this might really help with my bowling scores, or my golf swing, or even shoving furniture across a room, it does absolutely nothing for the control over my left hand that l had before l broke my arm. l recognise that l broke my arm; no-one else did. l recognise that it isn't dr. pike's fault that having meaning in my life consists of being able to express myself, primarily through the use of my left hand. but l can't understand the complete lack of understanding, or empathy, or even a pretence of either, about my predicament evinced by dr. pike. l couldn't get past feeling that l mattered less to dr. pike than something he might've found stuck to the bottom of his shoe. l have no idea of his knowledge, he told me that everything l might have hoped for was impossible. as for helpfulness... l can't, in all honesty, give dr. pike even one star for either, although l was required to do so in order to submit this comment. l left his office, in tears, distraught, devastated, and eventually, angry. and now, 13 months after having broken my arm, 11 months after having had surgery to repair it, l have to try to find yet another doctor, or alternative healer, or god-only-knows-what, who might, possibly, help me get back enough use of my left arm to use until l die. thank you, dr. pike.

Submitted Jan. 12, 2022

1 of the worst dr. I have had the opportunity to have a 4 min. Visit with. He forgot to call me in after i was reffered to him. He finally saw me 5 mnths later when i called in about my app. On the 7th i called he saw me on the 9th of jan. He said hes scheduling me for a ct scan. After seeing my MRI of a valgus fractured shouder. I waited for 6 mnths since jan. Called st pauls about my ct scan appointment. There is no record of Dr. Pike scheduling me for a ct scan. He just forgot all about me.. worst 2 years of my life up to this point. Wrote a letter to the top best 3 in vancouver. I got a phone call 5 hrs later from a special orthopedic surgeon. Whom is going to make all the wrong things right..write.

Submitted Sept. 9, 2019

Jeff Pike is the kind of doctor you wish all doctors would be.

I fancy myself somewhat of an expert in this regard, having had many, many years of experience with doctors (and having interviewed many in my work as a broadcast and print journalist).

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at age six and have lived with active disease for the last 37 years. I have seen upwards of 30 rheumatologists, therapists, surgeons and specialists in many areas since I was diagnosed, and I also have a fairly recently diagnosed blood disorder. I have had ten Arthritis-related surgeries and an equal amount of non-Arthritis related surgeries as well. Dr. Pike is simply the finest medical professional I have had the pleasure to spend time with and be helped by. He performed my recent shoulder replacement and is now involved in my follow-up care.

I have had other joints replaced and while the surgeons for those were certainly competent, they was also egotistical and every single one of them rushed me through every single appointment, only referring me to different web sites when I asked any questions.

Dr. Pike is knowledgeable, confident and professional, yet hands-on, caring and considerate. Beyond the surgery, Dr. Pike is involved and invested in the outcome.

(He is so patient in appointments that I have often wondered if he doesn’t see many patients in the clinic setting, until a staff member told me he can see as many as 60 patients in one day.)

Dr. Pike’s extended staff are a pleasure to see and get to know, and they are as caring as he is.

I can’t say enough good things about this fine human being. I wish that there were more doctors like him.

Submitted March 31, 2015

Dr. Pike is a fantastic surgeon. My son needed a elbow and wrist surgery. Dr Pike was patient, explaining everything in detail, but at a level we could understand. He has a fantastic bedside manner. He gave his cell number to us in case of complications. We needed to call him after surgery, and he answered the call immediately. He often has residents training with him and they were great too. Dr Pike called us at home after a second surgery to make sure everything was ok. When my son had other complications, he came to the hospital with his children to visit my son. He is so compassionate. His assistant, Mumi, is amazing. And his receptionist in his office is not like any specialist receptionist i have ever had to deal with. She had me text images of my son's arm from home to show Dr. Pike an inflamation. After showing to Dr. Pike, we had an appointment the next day. Dr Pike came from a seminar where he was the key speaker to check it out. I HIGHLy recommend him!!!

Submitted Jan. 7, 2014