Hello all, I'm a new member and have been following this board for a few months now. Incredibly helpful information and thanks to everyone who contributes - hopefully I can do the same as I go through the process.
So I'm trying to figure out what to do. I'm 31 now and live in Orange County, CA. In 2000, I was first diagnosed with scoliosis with a 40 degree lumbar curve. Fast forward to 2007, and it was then at like 54 or so. Every two years or so it goes up a few degrees, and now I'm at 58 or so. My ortho recommended I see a spine surgeon and consider surgery. So I went to the random doctor in my HMO, who was a spine surgeon and he recommended it. Obviously having a knowledgeable and reputable doctor is the #1 priority, so even though it's been an incredible hassle through my HMO I've managed to see three doctors now, although as indicated below not all were necessarily surgeons I'd consider.
Doctors
1. First doc in my group, Dr. Richard Lee, not much information about him and he was ready to the surgery. He just said to do 3 months of core exercise physical therapy to get my back/stomach ready to handle the surgery and aid in recovery.
2. Second doc came recommended as a top spine doctor, Dr. Jeffrey Wang at UCLA. Saw him, incredibly nice and took a lot of time with me, but he doesn't do surgeries. He said he refers people like me out to Dr. Bederman at UCI or Dr. Hu in SF. He said before Bederman came to OC, he would send everyone to Dr. Hu but now that he's seen Dr. Bederman's work he is more than comfortable sending patients to him to do the surgeries for people local to southern California.
3. Third was Dr. Bederman. Talk about not your usual doctor. He spent almost 90 minutes with me explaining every little thing and answering all my questions. He ordered a ton of testing (Dr. Lee did not), and I've done that and now just waiting for my insurance to authorize more visits.
So should I go see other doctors? I know Melissa on this board seems very fond of Bederman (right?). But no other reviews so to say on him. Also he is not listed on that SRS organizations list of doctors. From just general research I know Dr. Pashman is highly respected in LA, but some patients reviews have him as unfriendly, not caring. My uncle is the chief of radiology at a hospital in NY, and his spine surgeon there recommended I see Dr. Kamshad Raiszadeh in La Jolla. Both of these gentlemen are listed in the SRS, for whatever that is worth. Any thoughts?
The Surgery Itself
I really do not have that much pain. I exercise very hard 3-4x a week. I can run, play basketball, etc. I do get pain and I know it is because of my scoliosis, but it does not stop me from doing anything. Like after long walks, after basketball, after sitting for a while my back will always stiffen up and get painful, but it goes away. I do have a significant rib hump and my height has decreased almost an inch in the recent few years. So if the pain is manageable, but the curve is worsening and aesthetically I am getting worse, should I do the surgery? All the doctors say yes, including my two uncles who are radiologists, but I'm just worried given the severity of the operation that either something will go wrong or I'll just overall be worse than I am now. On the other hand, my height has decreased and I don't really want to be a quasimoto type guy in a few years given the increase in curvature over the years. I am relatively young at 31 and in the best shape of my life, so I'm hoping that will aid in the recovery timeframe.
Anyway, thanks in advance to anyone who replies and I look forward to being a part of this group as I deal with my scoliosis and its eventual treatment.
So I'm trying to figure out what to do. I'm 31 now and live in Orange County, CA. In 2000, I was first diagnosed with scoliosis with a 40 degree lumbar curve. Fast forward to 2007, and it was then at like 54 or so. Every two years or so it goes up a few degrees, and now I'm at 58 or so. My ortho recommended I see a spine surgeon and consider surgery. So I went to the random doctor in my HMO, who was a spine surgeon and he recommended it. Obviously having a knowledgeable and reputable doctor is the #1 priority, so even though it's been an incredible hassle through my HMO I've managed to see three doctors now, although as indicated below not all were necessarily surgeons I'd consider.
Doctors
1. First doc in my group, Dr. Richard Lee, not much information about him and he was ready to the surgery. He just said to do 3 months of core exercise physical therapy to get my back/stomach ready to handle the surgery and aid in recovery.
2. Second doc came recommended as a top spine doctor, Dr. Jeffrey Wang at UCLA. Saw him, incredibly nice and took a lot of time with me, but he doesn't do surgeries. He said he refers people like me out to Dr. Bederman at UCI or Dr. Hu in SF. He said before Bederman came to OC, he would send everyone to Dr. Hu but now that he's seen Dr. Bederman's work he is more than comfortable sending patients to him to do the surgeries for people local to southern California.
3. Third was Dr. Bederman. Talk about not your usual doctor. He spent almost 90 minutes with me explaining every little thing and answering all my questions. He ordered a ton of testing (Dr. Lee did not), and I've done that and now just waiting for my insurance to authorize more visits.
So should I go see other doctors? I know Melissa on this board seems very fond of Bederman (right?). But no other reviews so to say on him. Also he is not listed on that SRS organizations list of doctors. From just general research I know Dr. Pashman is highly respected in LA, but some patients reviews have him as unfriendly, not caring. My uncle is the chief of radiology at a hospital in NY, and his spine surgeon there recommended I see Dr. Kamshad Raiszadeh in La Jolla. Both of these gentlemen are listed in the SRS, for whatever that is worth. Any thoughts?
The Surgery Itself
I really do not have that much pain. I exercise very hard 3-4x a week. I can run, play basketball, etc. I do get pain and I know it is because of my scoliosis, but it does not stop me from doing anything. Like after long walks, after basketball, after sitting for a while my back will always stiffen up and get painful, but it goes away. I do have a significant rib hump and my height has decreased almost an inch in the recent few years. So if the pain is manageable, but the curve is worsening and aesthetically I am getting worse, should I do the surgery? All the doctors say yes, including my two uncles who are radiologists, but I'm just worried given the severity of the operation that either something will go wrong or I'll just overall be worse than I am now. On the other hand, my height has decreased and I don't really want to be a quasimoto type guy in a few years given the increase in curvature over the years. I am relatively young at 31 and in the best shape of my life, so I'm hoping that will aid in the recovery timeframe.
Anyway, thanks in advance to anyone who replies and I look forward to being a part of this group as I deal with my scoliosis and its eventual treatment.
Comment