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Mark B. Dekutoski, M.D.

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  • Mark B. Dekutoski, M.D.

    Anyone heard of this doctor at Mayo Clinic?

    Thanks,
    Becky

  • #2
    Hi, I have most definately heard of this doctor. He is an awesome doctor and surgeon and I would recommend him to anyone. I am 16 years old and on the 2nd of this month, I underwent my 3rd surgery preformed by him due to Scoliosis. If you have absolutly any questions you would liked answered about him or as to why I would have to have 3 surgerys done by him, feel free to ask me!

    Abby
    18 year old female
    scoliosis curve of 50-60 degrees
    corrective surgery done at age 12( 2001), first surgery a screw went through a vertebra, was then closed up and then re-opened two days later.
    After second surgery, fusion was a success.
    Rods, hooks, and screws put in.
    Fall of 2004 in volleyball, fractured three vertebra's, on June 2nd, 2005 surgery was completed to fix that, old rods were taken out and replaced by stronger ones.

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi Abby: Yes I am curious why you needed three surgeries and also how you found this doctor. Was he recommended to you? Thanks, Zarafa


      Older adult, scoliosis since adolescence, no surgery.

      Comment


      • #4
        Hi Zarafa,
        This is kind of a long story, but its hard for me to make it a short story...i'll try to make it as short as possible! In the summer of 2001 (right befor i was suppose to start 7th grade,) i went in for a physical so I could play volleyball that fall. The phsician said that I had scoliosis and that it needed to be checked out. At that hospital, they don't really do anything with Scoliosis so I was sent to Mason City (Iowa) to have x-rays taken to see just how bad the scoliosis was. After my x-rays were taken, I talked to a specialist in Mason, he told me that the scoliosis had gone too far for them to be able to do anything about it. Due to having family close to Rochester, we chose to go up there and I was set up with Dr. Dekutoski. Probably within a month I had my appointment with him and he told us that the curvature had gone too far and surgery needed to be done. We were also told that the surgery could not wait untill the next summer because my ribs were starting to enclose on my heart and lung. So on November 12th, 2001, I went in for my surgery. They went through my side to try to make as little scaring as they could because I would have Proms and all that good stuff coming up in which my back would be showing. As the surgeons were putting the last screw in place, it pretty much went right through my vertebra. Since the surgery had already been a lot longer than expected, (it's usually 4 to 5 hours and mine was hitting what we think was 9 to 10 hours) they decided to close me up and then re-open me two days later cutting me straight down the back. That surgery went well, but was another long one. I ended up being in ICU for five and a half days, in which I don't remember much of due to all the pain meds I was on, and then another 4 days in a normal room. I ended with two long rods, many hooks and screws, and being fused from T3 - T11. It was a long recovery, but I healed really quickly and played volleyball the next fall as an 8th grader. I continued playing into highschool where I played as a freshman, and then this last year as a sophomore. During one of our practices this year, our coach had us to backwords summersaults, and then sprint down and back. I was horrible at them so the next day I practiced befor practice thinking that we would be doing them again that day. I did a few but then I did something wrong and ended up laying on the floor in pain for probably 15 minuets. It went away and my mom and I just figured it was a pulled muscle or something. After awhile I started to have this really sharp pain that would end up feeling like it was burning or if I would twist it would feel like something was ripping. We kept putting it off but it just kept up. My mom called up to the Clinic in January but Dekutoski was on medical leave that whole month, and then due to that, we were not able to get in until April 1st. I was sent up the day before that to have a bone scan done. When we visited him he looked at the x-rays and scan and saw a little area that he didn't really like the looks of so he sent me for a CT scan, a bone density test, and another x-ray to check it out. We went back the next week and you could clearly see in the CT scan that I had fractured a vertebra and pulled the hook through. So I decided to wait untill school got out befor having surgery. This last surgery went very well, but I ended up having three fractures kind of all in the same area instead of just one. Tomorrow will be four weeks and it definately feels like a lot longer than that. I find it hard to try to not bend, twist, or lift more than 10 to 15 pounds when im feeling so good. So there ya go, that makes three surgeries, almost befor I turned 16. Sorry it was so long but im sure after you read it you will be able to understand why it had to be so long. Like I said earlier, I was just set up with him through Mason City, but i'm glad that I was given him as a doctor, and I personally would recommend him to anyone. Feel free to write me back!

        Abby
        Last edited by Abbyjo_21; 06-29-2005, 11:59 PM.
        18 year old female
        scoliosis curve of 50-60 degrees
        corrective surgery done at age 12( 2001), first surgery a screw went through a vertebra, was then closed up and then re-opened two days later.
        After second surgery, fusion was a success.
        Rods, hooks, and screws put in.
        Fall of 2004 in volleyball, fractured three vertebra's, on June 2nd, 2005 surgery was completed to fix that, old rods were taken out and replaced by stronger ones.

        Comment

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