John Hopkins Hospital

gluteninva · Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Posts: 3 Location: madison, va

Hi all! I have a question about John Hopkins Hospital. A woman from my local CD support group in Charlottesville, VA. Had told me that her husband had stayed at the hospital for about a week and they had run a battery of tests on him. They seemed to find out some other problems that his doctor had seemed to miss. That doesn’t surprise me. I was just wondering if anyone else had any experiences with John Hopkins. I sent an e-mail to the coordinator this weekend and am waiting for a reply. I was just wondering if anyone could share some information about the hospital.
Thanks
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cori in virginia

cultureslayer · Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 757 Location: NC

They're all cocky bastards. No, really. I spent a year in Baltimore at the university half of JHU. Never went to the hospital, but being interested in BME I met a few of the researchers and doctors. They know JHU's #1, so be prepared to deal with that. I'm sure there are a few good drs there (I wish I'd been able to meet Ben Carson). You might get some overworked and depressed interns and med students, but that's going to be expected to some extent at any hospital.

You're best to find an individual dr there with an exceptional record and make an appointment with that one. That's true for pretty much anywhere, though.

I'm at UNC, so if you are planning on heading this way I could try to get some info for you.
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Lauren
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.

yellowoctopus · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 45 Location: Washington, DC USA

The culture at JHU do indeed have the reputation of being 'cocky', but if they do have good doctors (technical knowledge), one have to accept that. I believe that one of the best Celiac Research Centers is also in Baltimore...part of the University of Maryland. JHU is not the only good choice up there.

cultureslayer · Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 757 Location: NC

The cocky part can be a problem if you have a problem that's extremely difficult to diagnose or one has to admit that they initially gave you the wrong diagnosis. Other than that it's just annoying, but I'm lucky since I literally live down the street from UNC. The only bad part is that my student insurance makes it more difficult than it should be to see one of these docs (they want to keep you at student health).
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Lauren
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.

jherara · Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 47

I went to John Hopkins in September of 2004 b/c of increased allergy problems.

I saw one of the top 5 allergists listed in the book America's Top Doctors.

My experience? "We aren't quite certain what causes these 'sensitivities,' but as you tested negative for the skin prick test I'm recommending avoidance and use of a nasal steroid."

The quack that I saw let a rotating resident (she had been in the allergy dept for only 2 weeks) review my medical history. He only tested me for food allergies b/c I requested it. There was NO challenge testing (i.e. food consumption) and he stopped at the RAST testing (again, I had to request) and simply marked me as a hypersensitive individual.

He diagnosed me BEFORE meeting me in person. He also made several cuious comments about my insurance status (an HMO at the time) and my primary care physician (who happened to be a nurse practitioner).

2 years, a lot of stress, and a helluva lot of money later and I finally found a FANTASTIC allergist in La Crosse, WI at the Allergy Associates of LaCrosse. That allergist in "1" day discerned more about my problems then anyone to-date. He did IgG testing to see if I suffer from any auto-immune delayed reactions (instead of just the normal IgE RAST that looks at immediate reactions). He also did injection testing instead of skin prick testing. Skin prick places a small amount on the skin at a site that has been "scratched." Injection testing is the injection of a small amount of the allergen under the skin--thereby providing both immediate reaction signs and delayed immune system signs.

If you want to go anywhere--go to La Crosse. It's worth the trip.

And leave John Hopkins to those who want horrifically bad healthcare.
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J.