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  • #16
    Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
    Only if the institution where you were treated acquires another institution where you want to be evaluated.

    If you're concerned that your surgeon will share information that might influence other providers, I would recommend that you get a copy of all the clinic notes. Read them over carefully. If anything is incorrect or untrue, you can challenge that information and ask that it be revised.

    --Linda
    "Clinic notes" -- would this be part of my medical records?

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    • #17
      Originally posted by Tina_R View Post
      "Clinic notes" -- would this be part of my medical records?
      Probably. The notes from each of your office visits. In many clinics, I think the office visit notes are not part of the hospital record.
      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

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      • #18
        Tina you could also try a different specialist. If you were treated by an orthopedic go to a neurosurgeon or a Dr of physical medicine. That actually may help you the most. A Dr of physical medicine can look at the whole body to determine if something else can cause your symptoms.
        And as much as it is difficult to live with, not everything has an answer that can lead to treatment. Sometimes it isn't one answer.
        T10-pelvis fusion 12/08
        C5,6,7 fusion 9/10
        T2--T10 fusion 2/11
        C 4-5 fusion 11/14
        Right scapulectomy 6/15
        Right pectoralis major muscle transfer to scapula
        To replace the action of Serratus Anterior muscle 3/16
        Broken neck 9/28/2018
        Emergency surgery posterior fusion C4- T3
        Repeated 11/2018 because rods pulled apart added T2 fusion
        Removal of partial right thoracic hardware 1/2020
        Removal and replacement of C4-T10 hardware with C7 and T 1
        Osteotomy

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        • #19
          Originally posted by jackieg412 View Post
          Tina you could also try a different specialist. If you were treated by an orthopedic go to a neurosurgeon or a Dr of physical medicine. That actually may help you the most. A Dr of physical medicine can look at the whole body to determine if something else can cause your symptoms.
          And as much as it is difficult to live with, not everything has an answer that can lead to treatment. Sometimes it isn't one answer.
          I've seen a neurosurgeon.
          I'd never heard of Dr of physical medicine so I googled it and it's probably the same as physiatrist. I've never considered one of those. Have you been to one?

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          • #20
            Yes that is correct. I have seen one. They look at the whole person. They work with you and can help find out your strengths and weaknesses. If one leg is weaker the Doctor can make suggestions to help improve. I know you want clear answers but sometimes getting a little help will improve your situation. It's worth a try and is non invasive.
            T10-pelvis fusion 12/08
            C5,6,7 fusion 9/10
            T2--T10 fusion 2/11
            C 4-5 fusion 11/14
            Right scapulectomy 6/15
            Right pectoralis major muscle transfer to scapula
            To replace the action of Serratus Anterior muscle 3/16
            Broken neck 9/28/2018
            Emergency surgery posterior fusion C4- T3
            Repeated 11/2018 because rods pulled apart added T2 fusion
            Removal of partial right thoracic hardware 1/2020
            Removal and replacement of C4-T10 hardware with C7 and T 1
            Osteotomy

            Comment


            • #21
              Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
              Probably. The notes from each of your office visits. In many clinics, I think the office visit notes are not part of the hospital record.
              If they're not part of my medical records, do I have as much right to see them as I do my medical records? And would I have to get them directly from the physician rather than from the medical records section of the hospital?

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              • #22
                Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
                Only if the institution where you were treated acquires another institution where you want to be evaluated.
                Institutions in my area have merged into two or three major monolithic hospitals. They are like the Amazon and Google of my area. This is the way the world is going -- monopolies. It's bad for getting unbiased diverse opinions if all the elite spine surgeons work for only two hospitals. I might have to travel far away from here to get a second opinion. Which is ridiculous, because there are plenty of doctors here.

                Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
                On the other hand, if there is information in your records that is true, and makes it appear that you were a difficult patient, you might consider writing to your surgeon, explaining about your frustration, being careful to not blame them. While I'm sure it's difficult for surgeons to treat patients that make it seem like they're being blamed or accused of doing something to cause a poor outcome (I'm not saying that's what happened with you), they're typically smart and compassionate individuals, who want you to get better.
                Are you saying I should write to my surgeon and apologize for anything I might have done that made it difficult to treat me? This isn't going to get me back into his good graces. True, I didn't follow every last edict of his and I had good reasons. But my biggest crime is that I had a bad outcome and patients with bad outcomes get shunned by some doctors. We make them look bad so they want us to disappear.

                He's already ghosted me when I needed care, which I consider unprofessional. Can this patient-doctor relationship be fixed after something like that?

                I never blamed him for causing this. Maybe he caused it, maybe he didn't, I don't care. It's a difficult, risky surgery. Stuff can happen. I just want to be fixed if I can be fixed. I wasn't seeing any action, just avoidance and assurances that there was nothing wrong. Then finally after too long a time, a curt "Go see a neurologist".

                Originally posted by LindaRacine View Post
                I'm not saying you did anything wrong, but if you can't get help from anyone, perhaps it's a good idea to switch strategies.
                I never said I couldn't get help from anyone. Of the other doctors I consulted, no one can figure out what the problem is, and some of them point to each other. The surgeons say it must be neurological, the neurologists say it isn't. There's not enough evidence for any diagnosis.
                Last edited by Tina_R; 04-03-2021, 10:54 PM.

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by jackieg412 View Post
                  Yes that is correct. I have seen one. They look at the whole person. They work with you and can help find out your strengths and weaknesses. If one leg is weaker the Doctor can make suggestions to help improve. I know you want clear answers but sometimes getting a little help will improve your situation. It's worth a try and is non invasive.
                  I had only a vague sense of what a physiatrist is and lumped them in with healers I would never think of trying, like chiropractors and acupuncturists. I think the word "holistic" being associated with them is what does that for me. But maybe that's wrong and I should try a physiatrist. They are real doctors, after all. Heck, maybe I should try acupuncture, too, which one of my neurologists practices. Thanks for the suggestion.
                  Last edited by Tina_R; 03-26-2021, 09:06 AM.

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