Flanagan is more interested in money than care of patients.

Submitted July 8, 2021

Dr. Flanagan is very competent. He is in Greenville SC and I live in Spartanburg, but I have no faith in the urologists here, so I sought him out online and scheduled an appt. with him for a second opinion. He is friendly enough but his bedside manner could use some work. Those of us with needle phobia, and particularly with problems urinating after local anaesthesia need more attention, and absolutely NO rude comments. I was told that Dr. Flanagan would remove a 15 mm stone from my bladder as an out patient. I was also told, in contradiction to a previous out patient surgery, that if I awakened unable to urinate, I would be sent home anyway with a bag attached to my person and strapped to my leg. I said this was unacceptable, especially the "instructions" I was given to remove the device in a week's time. I don't know when the "college of urologists" changed the rules that said "if you don't pee, you don't leave", but for years that was a golden rule--I should know having had 9 kidney stones and had to have 8 removed surgically. If the policy has been changed that is not Dr. Flanagan's fault, but he could have been less brusque about it. He also continued to discuss "self-catheterization" even though I told him the topic made me physically ill and there was no way I would subject myself to it. He also indicated that cystoscopes were done without ANY sedative or analgesic, which is barbaric. I further asked that I not be left in the waiting room, prior to surgery, curled in a fetal ball, shaking and fearful, when the anaesthesiologist could come in, give me a shot to calm me, thus avoiding all the anxiety, nausea and other unpleasantness. This also doesn't fit the standard mold of how to treat patients, as I was told I must request a shot to relieve the anxiety and nervous symptoms. Therefore I asked what the name of the medication used for pre-surgical procedure, and was told it was Versed. I wrote "Give me Versed NOW" on my gown and pointed to it from 5:30 AM when I arrived until they finally put me in the pre-surgery writhing room, where they finally got around to giving me the shot. 2 hours of terror and panic could have been avoided with a simple shot. Post op was long and drawn out, for what was supposed to be a simple procedure. I even went to Emery for a second opinion. I am now awaiting a call from a "P.A.", whatever that is, who it seems will see me sometime in April or May, because I have 3 stones in my right kidney. It doesn't seem to matter that my history of passing stones is 1 for 9, which is less than Greg Maddux's lifetime batting average. Still, I am quoted stats such as "79% of people with stones of this size pass them on their own." That is interesting, but applies not one whit to me, who can't pass a grain of sand. Dr. F is a knowledgeable doctor but too stuck on the cookbook style of medicine. If someone has a history, that should override any textbook way of practicing medicine. And when I make an appt. to see a DOCTOR, that's who I want to see. I don't see P.A.'s or "a practice"; I see a doctor. MY doctor. I do exactly what my doctors tell me to do. He wants me to have a KUB in February in preparation for the office visit in April or May. I will do this Feb 2. I hold up my end of the doctor-patient relationship. I expect nothing less than the same courtesy from the other side.

Submitted Dec. 22, 2016