I have been a patient of Dr Yong's for approximately 8 months. I have found her to be the most dedicated and caring physician that I have encountered in my 57 years. Having raised 2 kids with various issues I have seen many physicians, and while some of them were very good, none of them compare to Dr. Yong. To start off, she takes the time to learn everything she can about your medical history and to address each health concern you may have. On my initial visit, Dr. Yong spent well over 90 minutes personally getting to know me and going over the details of my history, which I can tell you is absolutely unheard of. I have been using a CPAP machine for about 10 years, and I went through several sleep studies with Dr. Yong. The attendants were all professional, explained the process thoroughly, and the environment was very home-like --the experience was nicer than any of my previous sleep studies. Yes, they need to put many sensors on in order to collect the necessary data, but the wires a very lightweight, and I had no problems getting to sleep. Through the sleep studies, Dr. Yong was able to determine that I had a complex type of sleep apnea that was apparently missed by my previous physician for years. After getting on the proper machine, and getting the pressure adjusted properly, I have been sleeping better and have much better energy. For those that don't want to wear a mask, I will tell you that when I started using CPAP (which was many years ago), it does take some getting used to. The mask feels strange, and sometimes I would wake up to my mask on the floor. But I stuck with it, and while it took several weeks to get used to, it did become second nature, and it really is no trouble at all to wear the mask. In fact, I don't want to go to sleep without the mask, because I know how much better I feel when I wear it.
Sleep apnea has been found to contribute to or cause many health conditions: high blood pressure, obesity, heart problems, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, liver problems, depression, anxiety, and memory loss (I'm probably missing a few, and they seem to be finding new conditions every year). A 2019 study at the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center found that the use of the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask was tied to a 62% decline in the odds for death over 11 years of follow-up. So going through the necessary sleep studies, and some initial discomfort to get used to a mask really seems to be a no-brainer.
For those trying to lose weight, note that in addition to the many health issues correlated with sleep apnea, untreated sleep apnea has a big effect on hunger and energy, making it very difficult to lose weight. It makes a lot of sense that Dr. Yong makes identifying and treating any sleep disorders a priority, before deciding on the best path for treatment. Since I started seeing Dr. Yong, I have met with her almost every week, and she reviews my diet and the progress in my health issues. In addition to being a physician, she is also a teacher --she takes time to explain and teach me about everything going on with my health and weight loss. So in addition to the improvements I am making in my health, I am learning about all aspects of my health, which really is invaluable. To date I have lost over 50 pounds, have seen improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and am feeling better than I could have imagined.
Earlier this year, I came down with folliculitis, which my local urgent care treated with antibiotics. Dr. Yong recognized that this was something more serious, and sent to the ER. It turned out that I had a serious case of cellulitis, and if I hadn't gone to the ER I could have lost my arm or worse. I was in the hospital for 7 days on multiple IV antibiotics and ended up having surgery to treat. Dr. Yong was an amazing advocate for me while I was in the hospital. She got in touch with the appropriate medical staff (attending physician, infectious disease team, and surgery team), and called them daily. She also called me daily to see how I was doing, let me know what she learned from the physicians, guided me on what to expect for next steps, what requests to make, and what questions to ask. She really went above and beyond what a normal physician would do. While I believe I was in a very good hospital, I honestly don't know how things would have turned out if she hadn't been there to send me to the hospital in the first place, and to follow up on the physicians, instill importance in my case, and ensure that the doctors were taking the best steps in my treatment. Dr. Yong really is an amazing physician, and I am very lucky to have her as my physician. read more
