Scott L. Rex, MD

Dr. Scott Rex LISTENS. He then proceeds to treat me with the the most thorough care.. He is a good example of the phrase “ wonderful bedside manner “ .
He LISTENS & he is THOROUGH!!

In October 2019 I was diagnosed with acute Septicemia caused by a Streptococcus bacterium in my blood. The bacterium caused major damage to my heart requiring replacement of my aortic valve. After successful heart valve replacement, I was discharged and spent the next thirty days in Huntington Hills given daily infusions of antibiotics to suppress any further infections.
I was feeling pretty good for a while until March of 2020. At this time, I developed an acute pain in my right leg. To alleviate the pain and purge the infection, now determined to be Enterococcus bacterium in my blood, I went through minor leg surgery to drain the site.
In grading the severity of my problems, the crippling pain was just “the tip of the iceberg”. After performing a trans-thoracic echocardiogram (TTE), Dr. Rex and his team determined that my new aortic valve had a ”fungus” growing on it and would have to be replaced (for a second time!). Prior to this surgery I was advised to have my double inguinal hernias repaired. This was skillfully done as an outpatient at SFH and I was back on my feet immediately.
This second heart surgery was successful and, again, I was eternally grateful to SFH and its capable team of doctors and nurses.
The term “three times is a charm” may be inappropriate in this context but I will use it anyway in recounting this next chapter of my ordeal.
In SFH recovery and ICU, I developed a third blood infection; a Pseudomonas bacterium was detected in my blood! This insidious problem would not go away! AGAIN, my aortic valve had again been damaged, now requiring a rebuild of my aortic root, and replacement of the valve. My mitral valve was also repaired at this time.
After lots of imaging, analysis, and study, my team of doctors concluded that either my small bowel or my gall bladder was throwing off bacteria into my bloodstream. My small bowel was imaged and determined to have a distorted shape at its tip, suggesting a possible infection. My gall bladder showed intermittent blockages due to gall stones. My gall bladder was removed, and my small bowel had a piece of it removed.
During this period, I developed a ruptured spleen, requiring surgery to remove it. To mitigate breathing challenges a tracheotomy was performed.
All told, I required 21 transfusions and went through periods (although brief (thank God!)) where my heart stopped.
Against the medical advice of other staff situated on the periphery of my nightmare, my doctor, Dr. Scott Rex, persevered and remained committed to me and to my survival and fought the fight.
The doctors (all affiliated with SFH) supporting him include:
• Dr, Neil Bercow
• Dr. Ari Ezratty
• Dr. Neeraj Kaushik
• Dr. George Dinoto
• Dr Vitaliy Krol
• Dr. Evan Sorret
Special mention goes to Dr. Bercow, heart surgeon, who literally performed miracles on me. I am eternally grateful to him.
After all of this I experienced a temporary paralysis in my left arm but thankfully all muscular control returned. Prior to my illness I had worked in the fields of microwave, communications, and radar engineering for over 50 years. I was able to return to the field I loved within 6 months of my discharge from SFH. I am a musician and enjoy building complex electronic devices. Both pursuits require strong cognitive skills and full functionality. I believe I retained most, if not all, of my capabilities.

Scott Rex is our family primary care physician. The word “care” in his title is significant. He is thorough, skilled and very proactive. Those attributes are important and much appreciated. But his very sincere and caring approach to his practice is impressive. He is clearly a great professional.

We met Dr. Scott Rex in 2007 or 08, when my mother became eligible for Medicare & Medicaid. Before that, our family used to see another GP in Port Washington. When we asked him about my mother, he said he did not accept Medicare, and said there was “a new kid down on Port Boulevard” who “probably does…” so off I went (for mom…) Well… mom immediately fell in love with this “new kid”. Little did our GP know that he wears a cape with a huge “S” on his shoulders, and is able to leap between home, hospitals and office at all times of the day or night with a single bound, and crush all kinds of ailments wherever they may occur. In short order, my family all switched over to this “new kid’s” practice, and have remained for over 12 years. Dr. Rex saved my mom’s life on at least two occasions when she was critically ill, and managed her last days with extraordinary compassion and understanding for both her wishes, and our family’s needs. He was there holding her hand when she passed away ~ I was unaware, attending a work meeting in NYC until he called me with the news, and with real emotion in his voice. I will always be grateful for that, as I know how much she loved and respected him. Thank you, Dr. Rex. And then, a few years later, I had outpatient nasal surgery at a local specialist’s office... I was given a huge dose of oral sedatives and painkillers to suppress the anticipated pain (which I never felt during the procedure) that kicked in with full effect after the event, as my wife drove me home. Needless to say, I was a lump of soundly-somnambulant, 170 lb blubber when we arrived home, and she was just totally unable to get me out of the car and up the steps. Well.. providence, or a sixth sense, sent a certain caped crusader our way as she was struggling to get me out of the car and into the garage… Dr. Rex hauled all of me out and up a flight of stairs to the living room couch. Afterwards, he said it would have been funny if he had fallen down the steps with me ~ and we’d both ended up in adjoining hospital beds ! Funny …haha ~ but NOT. In our conversations (doctor-patient and other), we have found a shared interest in music and in my line of work, which he shared in a past incarnation as “Wonder Pool-Builder”. To my great surprise, I was standing in line to get into a Stevie Wonder concert at MSG a couple of years ago, and Dr. Rex and Laura joined the line right behind us (!), tapped my shoulder and started a conversation about the show and other performances we’d been to…. We have added our musical interests and experiences to the long, detailed & incisive medical inquests he conducts when he holds my physical reviews: it’s always a relief and fun to share a bit more than the somber stuff about lipid profiles, killer fat cells and dour probabilities of getting XYorZ in the upcoming “golden” years. Makes a big difference how a REAL doctor handles reality and quells anxieties ~ while earnestly telling me just how much he fears for my fellow countrymen (Indians) because of their horribly poor diet… I always feel I’m in good hands. And then, along came a spider: Covid-19 !!! ….with its long, and sticky web. Without divulging sensitive details, I know and appreciate, that Dr. Rex pushed a lot of boundaries to get my wife and me out of that entanglement, that is still not fully understood. Most others would not have done half as much. We’re definitely around to tell the tale because he listened and had great judgement ~ far more than those in a higher, whiter domicile. But, Yes, he’s been wonderful to us. One of the specialists I saw some years ago in Manhasset described Dr. Rex as “the finest internist he knows” and I, and a lot of folks in Port Washington, would fully agree. Thank you, Dr. Rex, and Thank you Laura, for sharing him with us. It’s a great show ~ don’t let the roadies take the stage.