Daughter to have surgery in 2005

[Terri]

My daughter has 3 curves to her spine over 50 degrees from T3 to L3 they want to schedule her for surgery in 2005. I went to Dr. Betz, (Shriners Hospital of Philadelphia, I went for a second opinion they said Dr. Betz is excellent but I should go to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. How do I pick the right doctor & the right hospital I'm scared to death I'm going to make the wrong decision.

[LindaRacine]

Hi Terri...

Unfortunately, you'll never really know whether you've chosen the right doctor until your daughter has a good outcome. Even great doctors have lousy outcomes occasionally.

I can tell you that I've heard Dr. Betz' name a lot, and I think all the comments have been positive. You might want to do a search here for information on him. There's a search icon in the upper right corner of this page.

Regards,
Linda

[Carmell]

Hi Terri,

I agree with Linda - every surgeon has good and bad outcomes. Your job is to research and make the choice for surgery based on what's right for your daughter (no pressure there).

You mentioned "they" said you should go to CHOP for her surgery - who are "they"? I know of several patients in your area, and for extensive scoliosis/spine care, they all see Dr. Betz. He is well-experienced with patients who have unique spine circumstances. He also is pro-active in the latest technology, whether that technology is good or bad, or right or wrong. If you've already seen him for an opinion, it wouldn't hurt at all to get another opinion from a doc at CHOP. Remember that the CHOP doc will likely be more traditional in their recommendation for your daughter.

How old is your daughter? Does she have congenital scoliosis or idiopathic scoliosis? Does she have any other medical issues that would complicate her scoliosis or the surgery? Good luck and let us know how things go.

[lrmb]

Hi Terri,

I know that CHOP has an excellent reputation and always comes up high on the US News and World Reports hospitals listings for pediatrics... but I have heard wonderful things about the Shriners Hospital here too. I second the others' thoughts about getting a few opinions, from different surgeons, if you can; and ask the surgeons or their staff if you can talk to the moms of other children who went through surgery at their facility.

I think there is a scoliosis support network around Philadelphia, but maybe out in the suburbs. You could google it and see if you could meet some people that way too.

All the best. ~Laura

[Terri]

Hi

Thank you so much for responding to my questions, I was so nervous in writing I forgot to say my daughter's name is Amanda she is 13 years old and she was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis. Any research I've been doing regarding Dr. Betz was all positive, but so far even in these postings people said they went to Shriners for an appointment but had surgery done elsewhere is there a reason for that? We did go for other opinions and they all confirmed she needs the surgery. She just failed the PFT test and they said this could be because of the scoliosis. I'm just so confused in how to pick the right hospital & doctor.

[Joe's Mom]

Terri,
My 15 year old son has had 4 major surgeries in his life . . .none of them related to his scoliosis/kyphosis (yet!). You are not ever going to know or find the BEST surgeon/hospital . . it doesn't exist! Searching for it will make you crazy!

What you will find are competent and trained professionals and facilites to help you and your child and you will have to have a lot of trust and faith in whatever doctors and hospitals you choose.

My son has had surgery at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and at the Cleveland Clinic. He has also seen doctors at Children's Hospital of Cincinnati, but has not had surgery there.

Any major urban area will have a children's hospital program and that is where you will find specialists in orthopaedics. Shriners Hospitals are also out there.

What I do is try to make sure the doctor(s) we are dealing with are experienced in the issues. I ASK them! How many kids with XYZ have you seen? For one of my son's surgery, the local doctors had NEVER seen it before . . . none of them. When my son's problem recurred immediately, I called around and found a surgeon at Cleveland Clinic who HAD seen such a condition 13 times and she was able to effectively treat him. After that experience, I freely seek second or third opinions and research the problem like crazy. Then I place my faith in the doctor who seems to fit the bill.

All you can do is ASK politely if the doctor has experience with XYZ and listen carefully to the response. The you have to place your faith and trust with them that all will be OK. I can tell you that each of my son's surgeries was more difficult for my husband and me. We were shell shocked by surgery #4 for his foot deformity, having been through 3 other totally unrelated surgeries for other issues. We will also be shell shocked for his spinal surgery, but that won't stop us. Hang in there, ask appropriate questions, and pray a lot. You need to have faith and hope that the people you choose will do their very best . . that is all you can ask for. There is no single BEST person or place . . there are a lot of competent folks out there who will do their best for you and your child. The world of scoliosis specialists is a very small place and anyone who shows up as an expert very likely is!