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Mayo process to get connected to doctors
Hello All, I am writing to inquire about the process of getting my brother some help. He has been on a 21 year journey dealing with ongoing pain. He is at his wits end & desperately needs some to find the right team of doctors to help him. He has had the right leg pain from day one & now the left leg pain has returned from the 2011 surgery. His time is on his legs is very limited, about 2 hours per day. He is in the bed most of the time. When he stands from sitting he has a lot of stiffness & & downward compression. He struggles with depression that has gotten worse even with meds & he has no quality of life. He has spinal stenosis & varying degrees of deterioration along with arthritis. He has headaches for a while & they are now daily. As he has aged, now 61 years old the pain & his condition has gotten worse.
Unfortunately, in our area we have yet to find a doctor to help him. We just don’t have the quality of medical people that have the expertise that he needs. I am unsure of how to apply for help at Mayo. Do we choose a certain doctor to see or is there a team of doctors that would have a neurosurgeon & orthopedic surgeon that work together? That is where I need the help in how to apply. The following is a very brief history of his journey.
• 12/2001 - Stepped off treadmill & shooting pain from lower back
down right leg.
• 06/2002 - Back surgery @ L2 & L3, partial laminectomy on the right – No relief - was prescribed pain meds & physical therapy.
• He went through many series of epidural blocks which provided no relief. A neurosurgeon told him that they wouldn’t help him.
• He tried to strengthen his core muscles, with no improvement. He continued to work for 8 yrs after the failed surgery taking the pain medication. He has always had rigorous physical jobs.
• It got to the point where the pain meds just weren’t touching the pain.
• He started walking with a limp which in 2011 he was experience pain going down left leg. He seen a neurosurgeon that did a surgery on L4-5 microdisectomy on left side. Surgery was successful in relieving the left leg pain.
• He then seen an orthopedic surgeon to address the limp & right hip pain – He had severe bone on bone osteoarthritis. He had a hip resurfacing surgery to help.
• 2012 Started experiencing shoulder pain & getting shoulder shots to help with pain & movement & continue getting them every 3 months. He is also experiencing knee pain that he has gotten shots to help.
• He has been in pain management since 2008. He just tried the Nevro Spinal Cord Stimulator which didn’t work for him.
It has been a journey. He was a very active person, ran marathons & had many hobbies. It’s been heartbreaking to see him go from the person that he was to how he is today. I would appreciated any assistance on doctors that have the skills to help him. Do we make appointment or do we send his documents & tests to see if they can help. We are located in Kentucky, but willing to travel to any place that can help him. I was wondering about the waiting period, once you apply. Thanks to anyone that has any information or advice for us. I also wanted to inquire if anyone had Dr. Bradford Currier as their doctor?
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@pfraz118 Hello & welcome to Mayo Connect. It sounds like your brother has dealt with a lot, and it's very good of you to step up to help him.
The way for your brother to find care at Mayo is to go to this link:
http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
There is a questionaire to respond to, then your application will be reviewed and you will be contacted, usually within about 5 business days. After an interview, he may be asked to submit medical records so they can decide if there is a good likelihood of being able to help.
Sue
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2 ReactionsThanks Sue. I submitted the request. I appreciate your help.
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1 ReactionI think you need a strategy to help build cartilage.
There is a Regenerative Medicine Dept. at Mayo in Florida.
I take Glucosamine Sulfate(from shellfish), MSM, Vitamin C
.....you could look into those......theoretically these help build
cartilage, but not proven in trials..
Doug
@pfraz118, Welcome to Connect. I see that Sue already sent you the link to contact Mayo Clinic. I applied to Mayo for spine surgery 6 years ago, and in preparation for them to review my case, I was asked to send in copies of my imaging on discs and a list of the symptoms I was experiencing. He should make a condensed list of past surgical history and treatments related to the spine to send with the imaging. It probably is not good to send mountains of medical records. They will advise you of what is needed when you speak with them. When Mayo contacts you, they will set up a temporary patient account to track the material that you will mail in, and you can also discuss insurance and find out if Mayo Clinic is in network for your insurance. You can go to any of the campuses in Minnesota, Florida or Arizona. After review of his case, if he is accepted for a consultation, Mayo can assign a specialist based on the best match given his past spine surgeries, so you don't need to worry about figuring out which surgeon to see. I did choose my surgeon myself, but that was because I was reading his medical literature and I found a match with my symptoms that had been missed by other non-Mayo doctors. I had spine surgery with a wonderful surgeon in Rochester.
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1 ReactionThanks Jennifer. I appreciate your information on how the process works.
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1 ReactionHello @pfraz118. I see some great members have come in to help you with your request. It has been several days and I wonder if you have any updates to share?
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1 ReactionNo updates yet. I have been through the interview where they gathered the info & access to the imaging. We are just waiting to hear back from the team review.
Thank you for asking,
Pam