Dr. Lyana Mahmoudi, MD

I reported severely swollen tonsils, bleeding, and facial swelling. As symptoms worsened, I took doxycycline prescribed under 3 wks prior for a toenail infection. Despite pain and impaired gait, I’d deferred taking it, trying to avoid unnecessary antibiotics.My neck swelled badly (so swollen my skin was tight and hard to pinch) after I began spitting blood from my tonsils. Denied a same-day appt, I made a judgment call: take a 3-wk-old doxy script or face a costly ER visit. Reasonable question, right?The visit (backup Dr): No ENT referral—referred to oncology instead. A nurse (not the doctor) discharged me over 1 hr after rapid strep results had already hit my phone (doctor had told me to stay put).The Call: Later, Ms. Mahmoudi called and scolded me for taking the med she prescribed, ignoring my symptoms. Worse, my record now leads with “anxiety” (for a one-time propranolol rx for public speaking?) and frames my judgment as misuse of “leftover antibiotics” (quoted from report).