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Dr. Peter Slabaugh in Oakland, CA?

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  • Dr. Peter Slabaugh in Oakland, CA?

    My health system has referred me to Dr. Peter Slabaugh in Oakland, CA.

    I've had several Scoliosis surgeries and think I may have come down with flatback; in any event, my L4 and L5 has collapsed and I've been in terrible pain for the last two years. I have been asking my health plan to send me to UCSF but they have so far refused. Instead, they are sending me to this doc in Oakland. I called his office and they said he does ten scoliosis revision surgeries per year. Does anyone know anything about him? I'm scared! I wish I could go to UC Medical in San Francisco.

    Thanks,
    1st surgery: Fused T1-L3 in 1987 with contoured Harrington Rods. Rods broke at top.
    2nd surgery: Re-done two weeks later; fused C7-L3. Left in chronic pain.
    3rd surgery: Hardware removal 1997, but still pain for 30 years.
    4th Surgery: Fused to the sacrum in 2016. Came out of surgery with left foot paralysis. (Drop Foot) Can't walk on my own.
    I'm blessed to have found my peace and reason to live not from a husband or kids (I have none) but from God and within myself.

  • #2
    Tableone

    Oh you poor thing.....

    Looks like he is a professor at USCF....interesting.

    Linda will know.

    Hang in there

    Ed
    49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
    Pre surgery curves T70,L70
    ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
    Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

    Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

    My x-rays
    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

    Comment


    • #3
      Never mind...

      .........I have just been informed that Dr. Slabaugh's office will not see me due to my health plan, even though my health plan told me to go there!

      How does one get in to see Dr. Serena Hu? When I called the UCSF spine center today, I was told I had to fax in records and then they might get back to me. The girl I spoke to was not very encouraging. If anyone has a connection or an in there, I would appreciate a contact to help me book an appt.

      Thanks,
      1st surgery: Fused T1-L3 in 1987 with contoured Harrington Rods. Rods broke at top.
      2nd surgery: Re-done two weeks later; fused C7-L3. Left in chronic pain.
      3rd surgery: Hardware removal 1997, but still pain for 30 years.
      4th Surgery: Fused to the sacrum in 2016. Came out of surgery with left foot paralysis. (Drop Foot) Can't walk on my own.
      I'm blessed to have found my peace and reason to live not from a husband or kids (I have none) but from God and within myself.

      Comment


      • #4
        Linda Racine, our moderator, works there. You might send her a PM - I don't think she reads every thread.

        Comment


        • #5
          Hi,

          I guess you will not be seeing him, but I wanted to tell you that I grew up in Berkeley and Dr Slabaugh was my ortho when I was diagnosed with scoli around 1980. He is a very nice guy and extremely caring, but I imagine he must be getting toward retirement age by now.

          I personally would insist on seeing someone who does revisions regularly. Sometimes these idiot insurance companies can't grasp what type of doctor you need to see. Be persistent about getting to UCSF--that is definitely where I would go if I still lived in the Bay Area.
          Gayle, age 50
          Oct 2010 fusion T8-sacrum w/ pelvic fixation
          Feb 2012 lumbar revision for broken rods @ L2-3-4
          Sept 2015 major lumbar A/P revision for broken rods @ L5-S1


          mom of Leah, 15 y/o, Diagnosed '08 with 26* T JIS (age 6)
          2010 VBS Dr Luhmann Shriners St Louis
          2017 curves stable/skeletely mature

          also mom of Torrey, 12 y/o son, 16* T, stable

          Comment


          • #6
            Hi,

            I guess you will not be seeing him, but I wanted to tell you that I grew up in Berkeley and Dr Slabaugh was my ortho when I was diagnosed with scoli around 1980. He is a very nice guy and extremely caring, but I imagine he must be getting toward retirement age by now. He did my L4-S1 fusion when I was 17 for severe spondylolisthesis.

            I personally would insist on seeing someone who does revisions regularly. Sometimes these idiot insurance companies can't grasp what type of doctor you need to see. Be persistent about getting to UCSF--that is definitely where I would go if I still lived in the Bay Area.
            Gayle, age 50
            Oct 2010 fusion T8-sacrum w/ pelvic fixation
            Feb 2012 lumbar revision for broken rods @ L2-3-4
            Sept 2015 major lumbar A/P revision for broken rods @ L5-S1


            mom of Leah, 15 y/o, Diagnosed '08 with 26* T JIS (age 6)
            2010 VBS Dr Luhmann Shriners St Louis
            2017 curves stable/skeletely mature

            also mom of Torrey, 12 y/o son, 16* T, stable

            Comment


            • #7
              Hi Tableone...

              I've known Dr. Slabaugh for years. I don't hear much about him in terms of scoliosis surgery any more, as I think most people end up at UCSF. Bizarre that he won't take your insurance plan when it was the plan that wanted you to go there in the first place. So, the good news is that your plan will hopefully now be willing to send you to UCSF. The bad news, however, is that I think Dr. Hu is not taking new patients. She's moving from UCSF to Stanford later this summer. :-( I don't know if you can get in to see her through Stanford yet. I sort of doubt it. She probably won't start seeing patients until September or October. Both Sigurd Berven and Vedat Deviren do a lot of revision surgery, and it should be fairly easy to get in to see one of them if your insurance plan approves it. Dr. Berven did my own revision surgery.

              Regards,
              Linda
              Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
              ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
              Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

              Comment


              • #8
                How do I choose Dr. Berven over Dr. Deviren? When I called the appointment line at UCSF, I was told by a not very friendly scheduler that I had to fax them some kind of papers I had never heard of, (did they mean records - they didn't say records, they used some sort of other term I didn't know) and that then the doctors would decide who would see me and maybe get back to me. I'm feeling a bit intimidated by their system, and I would like to know who to speak to about seeing Berven. I'm sure Deviren is excellent as well, and he also seems super experienced, but I prefer to see a doc who went to medical school here in the US. I greatly appreciate any assistance in getting through to this Berven since Hu is not available. I would also like to hear from anyone else who has had Scoliosis surgery in the past five years with Berven. Thanks!




                I've known Dr. Slabaugh for years. I don't hear much about him in terms of scoliosis surgery any more, as I think most people end up at UCSF. Bizarre that he won't take your insurance plan when it was the plan that wanted you to go there in the first place. So, the good news is that your plan will hopefully now be willing to send you to UCSF. The bad news, however, is that I think Dr. Hu is not taking new patients. She's moving from UCSF to Stanford later this summer. :-( I don't know if you can get in to see her through Stanford yet. I sort of doubt it. She probably won't start seeing patients until September or October. Both Sigurd Berven and Vedat Deviren do a lot of revision surgery, and it should be fairly easy to get in to see one of them if your insurance plan approves it. Dr. Berven did my own revision surgery.

                Regards,
                Linda[/QUOTE]
                Last edited by Tableone; 05-25-2013, 02:07 AM.
                1st surgery: Fused T1-L3 in 1987 with contoured Harrington Rods. Rods broke at top.
                2nd surgery: Re-done two weeks later; fused C7-L3. Left in chronic pain.
                3rd surgery: Hardware removal 1997, but still pain for 30 years.
                4th Surgery: Fused to the sacrum in 2016. Came out of surgery with left foot paralysis. (Drop Foot) Can't walk on my own.
                I'm blessed to have found my peace and reason to live not from a husband or kids (I have none) but from God and within myself.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Hi...

                  Did you write down the name of the paperwork they requested? I'm guessing they want any clinical and/or surgery notes as well as xrays or CT scan.

                  I can't personally tell you how to choose one doctor over the other. I usually look at where they did their fellowship, but since both did UCSF fellowships, that doesn't help you. It seems to me that if you want someone who went to school in the U.S., then Dr. Deviren won't fulfill your criteria.

                  Send me a private message with your name, phone number, and email address, and I'll be sure our new patient coordinator books an appointment for Dr. Berven (assuming you can get your insurance company to approve).

                  --Linda
                  Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
                  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
                  Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Dr Burch would also be an excellent choice.......

                    Ed
                    49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
                    Pre surgery curves T70,L70
                    ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
                    Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

                    Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
                    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

                    My x-rays
                    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

                    http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Good luck with finding the right surgeon. That is the first step in this process

                      Melissa
                      Melissa

                      Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

                      April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

                      Comment

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