How to know what spine surgeons and their reviews are honest?

Posted by annie1 @annie1, Jun 6 10:58pm

A friend of mine was helping me look up some surgeons I have had appointments with and one of them had very brief reviews, like "Good" or he is a great surgeon, etc. None of them had any first name with last initial as I have seen in some other review sites. So, how do I know anything about his work?
Another surgeon I am going to see had two or three horrible reviews, like, "he ruined my life." But how do I know that is real? Any knowledge of how these things work please let me know.

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annie1 | @annie1 | Aug 8 11:55am

In reply to @kjoed53 "If you're in NJ or Pa, I can recommend a neurosurgeon" + (show)

@kjoed53
I'm in NY, I can get to either place depending on where it is in the State. You have to send names of surgeons in a private message I believe. Thanks! Did you have surgery with them and do you have osteoporosis?

annie1 | @annie1 | Aug 8 12:03pm

In reply to @painsurvivor "Hi. It's a big decision, I appreciate. I would be inclined to make another appointment with..." + (show)

@painsurvivor
So how do you manage your pain? My problem is walking triggers my pain, which obviously makes every day activities difficult. It isn't excruciating, but very uncomfortable. The only thing that helps me is biking when possible to get places and taking opiods. I don't know if I can be on opiods for the rest of my life.

annie1 | @annie1 | Aug 8 12:12pm

In reply to @painsurvivor "Hi. It's a big decision, I appreciate. I would be inclined to make another appointment with..." + (show)

@painsurvivor
What kind of pain do you have and how do you manage? I have had to give up alot of things I love doing, like taking walks, going on tours that involve walking, but I certainly don't want to have worse pain or multiple surgeries.

kjoed53 | @kjoed53 | Aug 8 12:42pm

In reply to @annie1 "@kjoed53 I'm in NY, I can get to either place depending on where it is in..." + (show)

@annie1
I didn't have the surgery. I have severe cervical arthritis, spondylosis and stenosis. When I started having shoulder and neck pain, it was initially attributed to a pinched nerve and my cervical spine issues deteriorating. One neurosurgeon was thinking about surgery but then decided to send me for a second opinion. That doctor looked at my X-rays and MRIs and said that my pain symptoms were not matching what he was seeing. He thought it was an autoimmune disorder, ordered the blood work to prove it and referred me to a rheumatologist who diagnosed PMR. I hold a great deal of respect for a doctor who knows more than his specialty and is experienced enough to realize that although surgery might fix my neck, there was something non structural going on. I'll PM you his info. He practices in several locations.

painsurvivor | @painsurvivor | Aug 9 7:15am

In reply to @annie1 "@painsurvivor What kind of pain do you have and how do you manage? I have had..." + (show)

Hi Annie, that's a good question and somewhat complicated to answer. So I'm aiming to answer succinctly and will post that soon.

Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Aug 9 10:13am

In reply to @marcd2k "@ccchang My wife and I are talking about traveling out-of-state as well as out of the..." + (show)

@marcd2k I had spine surgery at Mayo Rochester with Jeremy Fogelson. He is a deformity expert and from talking with other patients I know he considers bone quality before surgery. He has asked patients to build bone first before planned spine surgery. Deformity experts have to consider bone quality when placing rods and screws because that can fail if the angles and forces are not balanced and the screws can pull out. They usually have advanced fellowship spine training to be able to do the big surgeries to reconfigure the spine. I recommend Mayo. My experience was stellar and my surgery was a simple one level cervical fusion.

marcd2k | @marcd2k | Aug 9 11:50am

In reply to @jenniferhunter "@marcd2k I had spine surgery at Mayo Rochester with Jeremy Fogelson. He is a deformity expert..." + (show)

@jenniferhunter Hello, and thank you for writing, Jennifer. It's always good to hear when people have had successful outcomes with surgery, especially with spine surgery. I will definitely be looking into Mayo if the treatment I'm going through now does not work out. I have been to all of the major hospitals in my city, so I will be looking out-of-town, out-of-state, and even outside the US.

Have a great rest of your weekend!
Marc

annie1 | @annie1 | Aug 9 12:39pm

In reply to @jenniferhunter "@marcd2k I had spine surgery at Mayo Rochester with Jeremy Fogelson. He is a deformity expert..." + (show)

@jenniferhunter
I saw another surgeon at Mayo but the problem was he said I would be in a hotel after the surgery in the area. I can't imagine being alone in a hotel after spinal fusion. That freaked me out. I live in Brooklyn, NY so I would need a rehab place in Rochester.
I might check Fogelson.

Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Aug 9 9:33pm

In reply to @annie1 "@jenniferhunter I saw another surgeon at Mayo but the problem was he said I would be..." + (show)

@annie1 I found the hotels in Rochester to be comfortable and quiet. I had my husband with me. Do you have a friend or relative that you can bring along?

Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Aug 9 9:42pm

In reply to @marcd2k "@jenniferhunter Hello, and thank you for writing, Jennifer. It's always good to hear when people have..." + (show)

@marcd2k Thanks Marc. You may want to check the billing page on the website and call Mayo to confirm if your insurance is accepted there. I am 10 years past my surgery and have no other spine issues. I had a single level fusion at C5/C6 done without hardware. I had pain everywhere before the surgery and it solved all of that and I don’t have spine pain anymore. I wish you success with your journey. Mayo really is a great place. When I broke my ankle, Dr. Fogelson gave me a referral to an orthopedic trauma surgeon there and I returned to Mayo.