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Dr. Lawrence Lenke, M.D.

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  • #31
    Office Wait

    Jennifer,
    Thanks for the warning about the wait. I have already had my first appointment with Dr. Lenke in March and I knew nothing about how his schedule ran but I assumed it was probably like my local spine surgeon who usually runs 5-6 hours behind on office visits. All of his long term patients know to take plenty of things along to occupy your time. I usually have a back pack with all kinds of things including a bottle of water. It is kinda of funny to listen to the very new patients complain about the wait and hope it is better the next time or they are going some where else. Well these doctors are so good and in such demand it is hard to work all the people in. I never mind waiting because when it is finally my turn they always seem to give me all the time I need and that is all I am asking for not to be rushed when he gets to me. After all patience is a virtue but it is hard when you are in pain to remember.

    Take care all of you.

    Doreen

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    • #32
      hi jennifer,

      thank you for the heads up on the wait!!! i'm thinking monopoly! i am going up the day before to get my x-rays out of the way. my children and i are flying out that eve. at 6pm. i will need to be at the airport by 3:30-4. hopefully that will be enough time.
      i haven't been home to boston in 2 years so i kinda spontaneously booked these tickets. i think i'm running and hiding!!
      i completely understand what you said about almost finding relief in the pain! so weird but then you realize i must do something.
      having been through this when i was 11, fearless and carefree is soooo different than as a wife and a mother.
      barb

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      • #33
        spndrift,

        thank you for posting your experience with dr. lenke. it is encouraging to hear of another successful surgery! others have said as you did that he is very straight forward. i am anxious to hear his opinion.
        take care, barb

        Comment


        • #34
          We saw him last week for our infant son. His staff is amazing.
          Action Jackson - no brace is going to slow me down!
          Diagnosed with a 70 degree thoracic curve 6/6/07
          MRI on 6/14/07 - comes back clean on 6/15/07
          Brace arrived on 6/20/07
          1st Cast applied by Dr. Mehta 8/1/07 at 70°
          Yielded no results, back up to 70 out of cast.
          2nd Cast improved down to 40s, 3rd got us into the 30s, as did cast #4.
          At 20 months, in cast 5, correction isn't being achieved.

          Comment


          • #35
            Hi Jack's Mom,

            I just have to comment on what an adorable baby you have! That is the cutest picture of your little tyke wearing his brace.

            Chris

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            • #36
              Hello Jack's Mom

              Loved the picture. I am a patient also of Dr. Lenke's and I am getting ready to have a long revision surgery August 27th. I think Dr. Lenke and his entire staff are just wonderful.

              Doreen

              Comment


              • #37
                jack's mom

                your boy is PRECIOUS!! dr. lenke is great. all my best to you!
                barb

                Comment


                • #38
                  wow i did not realize there had been so many replies about dr. Lenke on this post since i wrote it in february!! It's so good to hear from so many patients of his and your experiences. I just thought i'd give an update on what i've been doing... basically i decided not to schedule surgery for this summer, as my curves are, although quite uncomfortable, very borderline. I didn't have an appointment with dr. lenke either after that decision. I am really stumped what to do now, as my current dr. h as just told me to have my curves rechecked in two years (even thought they have been progressing). I have about a two-year window in which i can have surgery if I decide to, as after that I will be in medical school and I can't be having surgery during that or anytime afterwards.
                  I think i'm going to have xrays redone sometime in the next year and see what that shows and go from there. If I decide to have surgery though I will definitely be seeing dr. Lenke to get his opinion on things!
                  aBbiE
                  22 yr old F,KU college student
                  Kyphoscoliosis...
                  Scoliosis (25T, 23L) diagnosed @ 14 yrs old; curves June 08 were 45T, 32L with 18 degree rotation
                  Kyphosis of 65 degrees...
                  I am missing a lumbar vertebrae

                  Surgery 6/30/2008 with Dr. Lawrence Lenke
                  Fused T2-L2


                  before/after pics
                  all smiles!

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Thank you all for your kind compliments on my handsome little guy

                    Best of luck to you - we've decided to not go the surgical route right now either, but if that time should come we definitely know whose hands Jack will be in!!!
                    Action Jackson - no brace is going to slow me down!
                    Diagnosed with a 70 degree thoracic curve 6/6/07
                    MRI on 6/14/07 - comes back clean on 6/15/07
                    Brace arrived on 6/20/07
                    1st Cast applied by Dr. Mehta 8/1/07 at 70°
                    Yielded no results, back up to 70 out of cast.
                    2nd Cast improved down to 40s, 3rd got us into the 30s, as did cast #4.
                    At 20 months, in cast 5, correction isn't being achieved.

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Appointment!

                      Hello to everyone that posted on this before again... I just wanted to say that I just made an appointment for a consult with Dr. Lenke on Wednesday September 12th at 1pm. I live in Kansas City, Kansas, so it's about a 4 hour drive. Unfortunately, my classes will have started at KU and I will be missing a full day (my busiest day) of classes. His nurse told me that the only day he is in clinic is Wednesdays, so I guess I'll just have to deal with it. oh well, I was pretty impressed that I could get in that quick. Anyone else have appointments around then?
                      Last edited by amae28; 07-25-2007, 11:11 AM.
                      aBbiE
                      22 yr old F,KU college student
                      Kyphoscoliosis...
                      Scoliosis (25T, 23L) diagnosed @ 14 yrs old; curves June 08 were 45T, 32L with 18 degree rotation
                      Kyphosis of 65 degrees...
                      I am missing a lumbar vertebrae

                      Surgery 6/30/2008 with Dr. Lawrence Lenke
                      Fused T2-L2


                      before/after pics
                      all smiles!

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        If you are really concerned about missing classes that day you could always tell Dr. Lenke's office to put you in if there is a cancellation.
                        Original scoliosis surgery 1956 T-4 to L-2 ~100 degree thoracic (triple)curves at age 14. NO hardware-lost correction.
                        Anterior/posterior revision T-4 to Sacrum in 2002, age 60, by Dr. Boachie-Adjei @Hospital for Special Surgery, NY = 50% correction

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          well i have the same classes every wednesday, from 8am - 5:20pm, so no matter which wednesday it is, and i guess my consult is only possible on a wednesday according to the nurse, then i will miss a heck of a lot of class. I think i'm just going to have to make some really good friends in my classes this semester, lol.
                          aBbiE
                          22 yr old F,KU college student
                          Kyphoscoliosis...
                          Scoliosis (25T, 23L) diagnosed @ 14 yrs old; curves June 08 were 45T, 32L with 18 degree rotation
                          Kyphosis of 65 degrees...
                          I am missing a lumbar vertebrae

                          Surgery 6/30/2008 with Dr. Lawrence Lenke
                          Fused T2-L2


                          before/after pics
                          all smiles!

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Betty

                            Hello Betty, and others,
                            I have heard so many good things about Dr.Lenke and would love to talk with you and others who have had surgery with him. I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I am 70 years old and am considering a second surgery because the lower half of my spine did not fuse from a Jan.2oo6 surgery to correct a 60 degree curve. The surgeon, Glenn Minster in Detroit, fused from T10-S1 and also corrected some rotation. However, I went into the surgery with a forward tilt and that was not corrected, and I have a 12cm. sagittal imbalance.

                            I went for a second opinion to Stanley Lee at U Michigan to ask about correcting the imbalance, and that's when I learned that my lower spine had not fused. Dr. MInster never told me that.
                            At my first appointment, Lee described the surgery to refuse my spine,saying that the hardware was moving around because of the non fusion and that could pose problems, including increasing the imbalance. But at my second appt, he said let's observe you and not do surgery now.
                            He also told me that correcting the sagittal imbalance was a VERY risky operation and that the risks out weigh the benefits. However, I see lots of people on this forum who are having osteotomies for flatback. I would like to hear from you.
                            I am getting very mixed messages from Lee. I feel really anxious about doing anything to to cause further non fusion and also feeling like I will have to live with the flatback.

                            Any information anyone can give me about your experiences and Dr. Lenke would be helpful. I also hear good things about Dr. Boachie and La Grone. None of them are near where I live but I would be willing to go to the best doctor.
                            Phyllis Ponvert

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Phyllis

                              I am currently a patient of Dr. Lenke's. He has not yet done surgery on my but I am going to have my surgery on August 27. I am from southern Indiana and this will be my 9th surgery over the past 16 years. I am fused from T1 to S1 for an original curve of 95 degrees and somewhere along the line one of my fusions never got hard and over the years of movement two of my rods broke and thus my curve has gotten worse. The problem now is that after all the surgeries my spinal canal has gotten so small that there is hardly any room for anyone to work on it. My spine surgeon at Evansville Indiana said it is too complicated for him to do and he really needed to send me to someone who is the best at revisions and very complicated cases so that is why I am going to Dr. Lenke. My spine surgeon said Dr. Lenke is the spine surgeon's specialist and he handles extremely complicated cases. My spine surgeon from Evansville is going to go with me to the surgery and observe Dr. Lenke. He said he is an amazing surgeon. I cannot say enough nice things about his office staff. They are all wonderful and so encouraging and caring. Feel free to contact my anytime if you would like. You can send me a private message or email at my home email dlamar@psci.net

                              Doreen

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Doreen

                                Hello Doreen,
                                From what I have read about Dr. Lenke, you are in the best of hands.
                                You described the movment of the non fused part of your spine causing the rods to break and the curve and imbalance to get worse. That's what I am afraid of, but the MD at the U of Michigan wants to wait. Until the rod breaks???????
                                You are a brave woman with 8 surgeries and the 9th to go.
                                My email is Phyllis2007@earthlink.net if you would like to contact me.
                                This forum is amazing: I have learned so much about many people's determination to never give up and "live with it." Which of course is a viable option and each person is different.

                                Regards, Phyllis

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