UCLA Health 200 Medical Plaza — Attraction in Los Angeles

I was a patient at the Westwood Ambulatory Surgery center for a major knee surgery on July 24, 2023. This was my third knee surgery and the second surgery at this particular surgical center. I kinda know what to expect at this point in the post operative period. After the surgery I was very much in pain and was waiting to see my surgeon after the surgery to discuss how my surgery went (after all this was my third surgery on the same knee). The surgeon was tied up in another case and needed time to finish up that case and come and speak to me and I was willing to wait but the nurse insisted that I leave early without speaking with the surgeon after the surgery. She stated she will ask the surgeon to call me after he was done with his case. This was reinforced by her nurse manager/charge nurse. In fact the charge nurse that day came to me was first of all very rude and asked me to leave the surgery center asap. She then threatened to call the ambulance to take to the main hospital for an admission to the inpatient hospital if I didn't leave immediately as they didn't have enough nurses to care for me after the surgery. After all I was spoiling her nurse to patient ratio. Little did she care about me as a patient and all she cared about was her nurse to patient ratio. I requested to speak with her supervisor and this charge nurse was the supervisor and no supervisor was available to talk to me that day and no one has called to speak with me since that day (today is September 3,2023 - almost 6 weeks after the surgery). After raising much hue and cry I was able to speak with my surgeon post operatively (which did not seem like a right but a luxury that was bestowed on me because I cried to speak with the surgeon after the surgery.)

In the post operative period I cried in front of these people in pain and in misery and no one seemed to care. In fact this charge nurse didn't even come back and apologize to me. When I asked her name so that I could report her, I received this generic response that we are not allowed to tell full names of the nurses, it's against company policy. In fact they stripped me of my right to even file a complaint against their rude and negligent staff. Well this goes to a 1 star...

Note: Dr Prager opened his new practice, California Pain Medicine, in Santa Monica several years ago and we followed him there.

As far as I'm concerned, no other pain doctor comes close to Dr. Prager. You can look up his impressive credentials, his education, professional alliances, his medical and surgical experience. I will relate my personal experience.

When I first saw Dr. Prager, I was laying in a reclining wheelchair, shaking in pain. I had a heating pad on my abdomen and ice packs all around my pelvis. I have a severe form of interstitial cystitis (which destroys the lining of the bladder) and pudendal neuralgia, for which there is no cure and no effective treatment. I had been ill for over 15 years, gradually declining until I was bedridden for the last three years. I could not walk, sit, or even stand. The pain was relentless, day and night, and I was at the end of my rope.

However, as Dr. Prager started talking, I began to feel a glimmer of hope. He really seemed to understand the kind of pain I was in, and my confidence grew as he outlined a plan that would possibly give me back my life. Out of all the doctors and specialists, and after all the failed treatments and surgeries -- Dr. Prager was the one who finally helped me.

It has been more than two years since I had the surgery that gave me back my life. In November of 2012, Dr. Prager implanted an intrathecal pain pump into my abdomen. It contains a mixture of three medications which drip slowly into my spinal fluid and, to put it simply, anesthetize (deaden) the pain signals. We knew it would work because a trial with the same medications a month earlier had been an astounding success. I remember SITTING without pain for the first time in 4-5 years, and WALKING, by myself, around the nurses station at least 7 times!

Today I am walking, laughing, and enjoying life. I can go places, eat at restaurants, see the latest movies. My husband and my sister, who were there during the darkest hours, cry tears of joy when they see me happy and doing things. My husband has been known to get misty-eyed simply from coming home from work and finding me in the kitchen...

I had an unsettling experience with Clinical Social Worker Victoria Gerdts during a recent appointment at UCLA. From the moment she walked in, she did not greet me or acknowledge my presence in a way that made me feel welcome. Instead, she began with a series of questions, including one about my past alcohol use, which was not only irrelevant but also intrusive. I have never made any statements about being an alcoholic, and I found her approach cold and unprofessional. It was at that moment, when I could no longer tolerate her coldness and rudeness, that she asked me, "Are you still an alcoholic?" I found it completely out of place and couldn't help but question why she was asking me that.

When I expressed my confusion and discomfort, she dismissed my concerns by saying she was just "doing her job." I understand that professionals must follow protocols, but the way she asked her questions felt more accusatory than investigative, especially considering the emotional distress I was already under due to my daughter’s medical condition. I was at the appointment for my daughter’s cardiology check-up, and learning that she might need open heart surgery was overwhelming enough without feeling judged.

At this point, a nurse (Ashley, if i recall correctly) finished the questions. She was calm, empathetic, and conducted herself in a professional manner, never once making me feel uncomfortable or judged. Her approach was completely different from Victoria's, and it was a welcome relief. I felt that she understood the gravity of the situation and treated me with respect.

When I asked Victoria to leave the room, she continued to insist on staying, explaining that her line of questioning was necessary and not her fault. I understand the importance of asking difficult questions, but the lack of empathy and professionalism in this situation was deeply upsetting. As a long-time member of UCLA, I expect a higher standard of care and respect, especially in a medical setting. This experience was not only hurtful but also a stark reminder of how crucial it is for professionals to approach sensitive topics with compassion and...