Johnson Mathew B Jr PA

#127
I have had health issues all my life and a majority of them left undiagnosed, such as the problem that eventually led me to meet Dr. Johnson. For over a decade I suffered from excruciating abdominal pain that would appear for no apparent reason and then go away. There was absolutely nothing over the counter that would stop the pain and countless doctors gave me the, «I see nothing wrong» line after many blood workups and testing.
I had tried menstrual cramp meds, Tums, heat pad, Pepto, borrowed pain meds and nothing would ease it. I became so desperate or delirious from unrelenting pain that, at one point, I partially smoked a cigarette and the pain stopped immediately. I’m not a smoker and do not know why I tried a cigarette then, but that was my secret weapon for my mystery pain, keep a pack of menthol cigarettes in the car. When the pain struck it would be relieved after three pulls of a cigarette. That helped me get through from the mid-​90s to 2005.
I was at work and an attack hit me, but worse than I have ever experienced and there were spasms that took my breath away. I slumped over a chair gasping for air and a security guard found me, called my husband and off to the ER. This is when and where I met Dr. Johnson. He had blood drawn and returned within a few minutes and told me my protein was elevated and that meant my gall bladder had to come out, but he ran a sonogram to be 100%.
At this point in my life I was no stranger to pain, doctors, tests, pills, stitches, punctures and such, but I had never experienced surgery of any type. I was noticeably upset and it didn’t get better when he told me it needed to come out now, because it could burst at any time and I’d die from the poisoning. I asked him how many of these surgeries he has done and he said, «100s» and I ask how many died and he replied, «only 2, but one was because of a shotgun blast to the stomach and the other was because the person was 300+lb overweight.»
His mild manner and honest straightforward answers put me at ease enough to go through with the surgery. I made it through surgery fine, but the anesthesia had me pretty sick. A short time after surgery Dr. Johnson came in to check on me and explained that I should be leaving within a couple hours. I don’t remember that visit and according to my husband I was not very friendly toward him at that juncture. Apparently, I was extremely mad and disappointed in the fact that he had promised me, all that pain I had been experiencing for over a decade would be gone and I’d feel like a new person… yet, I informed him in an unladylike manner that he was wrong and I hurt more than ever before.
I didn’t get to leave within a couple of hours after surgery like everyone else that has had this procedure. I stayed in there for 3 days due to the anesthesia, but Dr. Johnson came in to check on me routinely and was always smiling, even after the incident with me cursing at him so. He said it has happened to him before and he understood that I didn’t mean it. After this surgery I have not had a single mystery pain and threw out the cigarettes. I have a couple of scars where he cut slits to do the laparoscopic surgery but that is it.
It is because of Dr. Johnson’s bedside manner that helped ease my tensions and apprehension over surgery and would help me years later when faced with another necessary operation through another doctor. I hope you never have to meet Dr. Johnson, if you do, I’m sure you will not forget him.