Dr. Wendy Flapan, a Board Certified Physiatrist (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist), sees patients at Eastern Plumas Health Care’s Graeagle Clinic. She received her medical degree from Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ, and completed a physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at UC Davis. She also completed special training in medical acupuncture through UCLA. Dr. Flapan specializes in disorders and pain of the musculoskeletal system and spine.
Recently, EPHC’s Director of Human Resources, Lori Crown, was very frustrated after taking her mother, Kelly Block, to the ER twice in the middle of the night for extreme pain, only to be told by ER doctors that nothing was really wrong with her. She recommended that Block make an appointment with Dr. Flapan, driving her up to Graeagle from Reno for the appointment.
According to Block, she too was very upset with the lack of real care she received in Reno. She worked for “gifted doctors” for most of her life, and was used to a high standard of care. “I’m older,” said Block, “but I still expect the same care and sincerity that I used to get. I don’t get it anymore in Reno, but I found it in Dr. Flapan. On my first visit, she seemed totally concerned with me as an individual. She makes you feel as if there’s no one else around—that you’re important to her. The exam was extremely thorough. She set my mind at ease.”
Block said that perhaps what matters most to her is a having a doctor who is “thorough and honest—that’s what counts with me. It’s 90% of your battle. If you have a doctor who’s honest, you can conquer a lot of things.” She touched on the importance of the emotional side of medicine, which is also emphasized by Dr. Flapan. “Her sincere response to my questions and the answers she gave weren’t every day—they were truthful and whole. I left feeling much better mentally because I got answers, and I hadn’t had answers for a long time.”
It’s clear that in complex cases, treatment is a process that involves ruling things out as much as pinpointing a single culprit. “I asked if it was lumbar stenosis,” said Block. “Any other doctor would have come up with some story. God love her, Dr. Flapan said, ‘I really don’t know.’ I appreciate so much being told the truth.”
According to Dr. Flapan, “Sometimes it’s good to know where you need to keep looking.” But, in the meantime, they’re chipping away at the problem (which includes back and leg pain as well as arthritis) bit by bit. Currently, according to Crown, Dr. Flapan has adjusted her mother’s medications and “she’s a different person,” which includes finally being able to get good sleep at night.
Block is clearly doing well, she has a youthful vitality, and a great admiration for Dr. Flapan. Block said the doctors she has seen recently inReno aren’t “the type I used to work for. Dr. Flapan is. It’s a long distance for me to come, but I feel so grateful. I worked for gifted doctors, and Dr. Flapan is one of those.”