[QUOTE=LSKOCH5;128371Am I wrong on Shriners, meaning I felt it was so important to try to find the best surgeon& work from there. Dr Cronen in Tampa does surgery w Shriners as well, but if I went through Shriners don't they just assign a surgeon without input from us? Or is the whole Shriners experience just that much more conducive to his best shot?[/QUOTE]
Hi there,
I am sorry to hear of your son's scoliosis and that he needs surgery. I know what a shock that all comes as.
I want to encourage you to check out Shriner's--I think you may have the wrong impression of Shriner's, they do not provide second-rate charity care. They provide absolutely top-notch, state of the art care to all, regardless of a family's ability to pay. My daughter was under the care of Shriner's Philadelphia for a year or so when she was diagnosed at age 6, then we transferred care to Shriner's St Louis to get an earlier surgery date. (She had a smaller curve and had vertebral stapling, so a different situation from your son's). She had surgery in St Louis and I can't say enough about the high level of skill of the surgeon and the entire staff.
I know of a highly-skilled and very much beloved surgeon who moved from Shriner's Philly to Florida. I believe he is associated with Shriner's Tampa, but I'm not sure. Here is the contact info I have: Dr. JahanGir Asghar Tampa Shriners Hospital 12502 USF Pine Dr.Tampa, FL 33612-9411 (813) 972-2250. I also think he works in Miami: 3100 SW 62nd Ave, Miami, FL 33155 (305) 662-8366
I know his curve is large, but scoliosis surgery is rarely an emergency, and you have time to seek some other opinions and find the right surgeon for your son and your family.
Good luck, and please ask any questions you may have.
Last edited by leahdragonfly; 11-06-2011 at 09:12 AM.
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