LOOK ELSEWHERE. I almost lost my life. Please read this if you're considering care with Dr. Zuri A…read more Murrell.
It's taken me a long time to share my experience because what I went through under Dr. Murrell's care was deeply traumatic. Writing this brings up PTSD, but I feel an obligation to speak up in the hope that it might protect others.
Dr. Murrell initially came across as confident and smooth-talking, which is why I trusted him. I now deeply regret that decision.
He told me he didn't accept insurance and required full payment upfront. I paid out of pocket using our savings. After surgery, I received a separate hospital bill for several hundred thousand dollars, including charges I was told would be covered. The bill was eventually waived, only after I required a second corrective surgery -- a possible indication that the hospital recognized something had gone wrong.
I originally sought care for a bowel resection following a diverticulitis-related micro-perforation. Before the scheduled resection, Dr. Murrell performed a colonoscopy that perforated my colon and resulted in hospitalization for sepsis and peritonitis. I was placed on IV antibiotics via a PICC line for 3 weeks. During this time, Dr. Murrell left for vacation and was unreachable. The hospital ultimately had to intervene to adjust my care. I felt abandoned and seriously unwell.
The resection surgery that followed was 10 hours long. I woke up in extreme pain. I was hospitalized for two weeks and left unable to stand. My blood pressure dropped dangerously low, and I was bruised black across my genital area. My mother, a nurse, raised concerns that were dismissed. I was discharged in a wheelchair -- still bleeding and barely able to function.
The following two months were a nightmare. I could barely have bowel movements, even with 8-10 laxatives a day. I was in constant pain, using a cane, losing weight, unable to eat or sleep. ER imaging showed internal bleeding, 2 rectoceles, and a potential stricture -- all dismissed as "normal healing."
Dr. Murrell said he'd only perform a follow-up if full payment was received upfront for another colonoscopy. I told his office I didn't trust him to do that again, but agreed to a free in-office sigmoidoscopy. He told me everything looked fine. I was back in the ER shortly after.
An ER doctor later told me Dr. Murrell had insisted to their team that he was the "colorectal expert," and my concerns were dismissed accordingly. MRI and lab results were ignored. I was terrified and knew I was being denied care.
My mother, still by my side and advocating as a medical professional, continued logging my symptoms. Even she was ignored, despite clear signs that my condition was deteriorating.
During surgery, Dr. Murrell also told me he had done me a "favor" by detaching my uterus from the abdominal wall -- a decision never discussed with me beforehand. He said he had "hooked me up free of charge." That so-called favor led to my uterus collapsing and fusing to my bladder, causing severe chronic pain and urinary issues. I eventually had to undergo surgery to have it removed.
In sheer desperation, I was forced to leave California because every ER I went to deferred to Dr. Murrell and dismissed me because he kept insisting I was ok. I had to get out of his reach just to find someone who would listen. Out-of-state, I was finally taken seriously. They performed an 11-hour surgery, where they found a severe stricture and necrotic bowel-- direct complications from the previous surgery. If I had stayed under Dr. Murrell's care, I would not be alive.
I now live with long-term complications and physical deformity from what was supposed to be a healing procedure. The emotional, physical, and financial toll has been devastating.
To Dr. Murrell, if you're reading this: Please listen to your patients. A good surgeon doesn't stop at the operating room. Your lack of follow-through, empathy, and accountability nearly cost me my life. Not everything is about money. Patient experience and safety matter.
To others: Trust your instincts. Get second opinions. Ask hard questions. Be your own advocate--or bring someone who will. I'm sharing this because no one should have to suffer like I did
