I put two stars only so this can’t be deleted, but if I could put negative a million stars I would.
I came to the ER after a terrifying episode where my throat suddenly closed and I was gasping for air immediately after eating. Doctor treating me was Trevor Marler.
The experience left me feeling dismissed and honestly scared. Only a chest X-ray was done, and my symptoms were quickly labeled as anxiety. That conclusion seemed to be based on something in my chart from nearly 10 years ago, rather than my current symptoms and what I was actively experiencing. There was no real attempt to explore other possible causes, even though throat tightening and difficulty breathing after eating can point to serious airway or allergic issues.
When you’re struggling to breathe and feel like something is wrong in your body, being told it’s “just anxiety” without a thorough evaluation is not only frustrating, it’s unsettling. It also felt rushed, as if the goal was to move quickly rather than fully understand what was happening to me.
As a Black patient, this experience raised deeper concerns for me. There is a long-standing pattern of Black patients’ symptoms being minimized or dismissed in healthcare settings, and this interaction made it hard not to feel like that could have played a role. When serious symptoms are quickly attributed to anxiety without proper evaluation, it reinforces that fear that your concerns aren’t being taken as seriously as they should be.
I left without answers, without reassurance, and now facing an ER bill for what felt like very limited care. I came in scared and left still scared, just with fewer explanations. I can only hope future patients in similar situations are listened to more carefully and given a more thorough and thoughtful evaluation.
