Re: Doctor in Atlanta

[Guest guest]

I'm happy that your experience with Dr. Horton was more positive.

But I will never subject myself to his cruelty again. As I posted

earlier, all he could tell me was that I was fat (well, duh!) and

that I needed to lose weight. He put me in a brace and that was the

end of it. No medication to help the pain, no plans for further

visits.

The whole issue of going to see a ortho doc is difficult for me. I'm

fat because the constant pain keeps me from exercising. I've been

fat since I was a young child and have yo-yo dieted until my

internist told me to stop. Horton's remarks were uncalled for. He

treated me like I was a THING--not a human being with feelings!!!

Who else have you seen here in Atlanta??

Thanks,

Kim

>

> Hi Kim,

> I live in Atlanta and had revision surgery in Sept. 2005. I'm 57

and

> had Harrington rods in 1983. I was sorry to hear that your

> experience with Dr. Horton was less than stellar. I have been

> seeing him since 1997, when I moved here from TX. Dr. Horton at

the

> Emory Spine Center is the best in my book. Even though I had seen

> Dr. Horton for years, when I decided to move forward with surgery,

I

> saw two other doctors (one in Atlanta and one in Dallas TX) who

were

> also experts in the field, before making a decision. He not only

> took care of the chronic pain, degenerative disks, stenosis, and

> flatback, but he also personally went to bat for me when at the

last

> minute my insurance company said they would not cover the BMP

> portion of the surgery. His nurse is a saint and was a huge

> support to my family as well as me. I am totally pain free now, am

> back to playing golf, and pretty much doing everything I want

except

> for sitting on the floor, unsupported, with my legs crossed!

> If Dr. Horton is out of the question, you may want to call the

Emory

> Spine Center and ask them for the name of another doctor who

> specializes in Adult Scoliosis and flatback.

> I know finding a doctor you are comfortable with is crucial. I

wish

> I could offer more help. Email me if you just want to talk about

> what's going on or if I can help in any way. Good luck!

> Dianne

>

[Guest guest]

Unfortunately some doctors really do have a bee in their bonnets about weight. True enough, a lot of things are better if you're slimmer - having been seriously underweight, seriously overweight (which I still am) and everything between, I know many things are less of a problem when my weight is lower. I also know just how much difficulty I had keeping it from increasing massively, let alone trying to lose any when I could scarcely do anything because everything hurt so badly. I was helpfully told by one doctor that what I needed to do was swim, which was actually even more painful than walking.

By the time I had the revision surgery, I weighed in at 110kg/243lbs. Admittedly I'm large framed and the weight I'm best at is about 77kg/170lbs, but even so that's a very large amount overweight. I came through the surgery just fine - while I'm sure my surgeon would have preferred me lighter, I think he was well aware that losing weight at all, let alone the large amounts needed to really make a difference, just wasn't an option.

I really hope you can find someone who will look further into it and help you at least with pain medications, and with surgery if you want it. Weight (alone at least) most definitely does not have to be something that prevents you from having an entirely successful surgery, and certainly any doctor who restricts the options available to you on that basis isn't the right doctor for you. Hopefully if you can get to see Dr Rhee, he'll prove more amenable to addressing things, even if that is initially at least with conservative care.

titch

-- The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out, it's just sort of a tired feeling - a Poundstone

[Guest guest]

Thanks. If Horton had kindly said something about my weight and

included it in a LIST of things we needed to do, I would have gone

along with it. But that was ALL he would talk about! And he was not

kind at all.

My weight has been an issue for me since I was a child. I had to

lose about 25-30 lbs. before I had the orginal surgery and I was only

12. So I know that the weight is a factor in my pain. But to make

it the ONLY issue is wrong.

To be honest, I am terrified of surgery and of any kind of spinal

puncture. Just talking about it here and reading everyone's stories

sent me into a huge panic attack!

I have to come in in small doses.

Kim

>

> Unfortunately some doctors really do have a bee in their bonnets

about

> weight. True enough, a lot of things are better if you're slimmer -

having

> been seriously underweight, seriously overweight (which I still am)

> and everything between, I know many things are less of a problem

when my

> weight is lower. I also know just how much difficulty I had

keeping it from

> increasing massively, let alone trying to lose any when I could

scarcely do

> anything because everything hurt so badly. I was helpfully told by

one

> doctor that what I needed to do was swim, which was actually even

more

> painful than walking.

>

> By the time I had the revision surgery, I weighed in at

110kg/243lbs.

> Admittedly I'm large framed and the weight I'm best at is about

77kg/170lbs,

> but even so that's a very large amount overweight. I came through

the

> surgery just fine - while I'm sure my surgeon would have preferred

me

> lighter, I think he was well aware that losing weight at all, let

alone the

> large amounts needed to really make a difference, just wasn't an

option.

>

> I really hope you can find someone who will look further into it

and help

> you at least with pain medications, and with surgery if you want

it. Weight

> (alone at least) most definitely does not have to be something that

prevents

> you from having an entirely successful surgery, and certainly any

doctor who

> restricts the options available to you on that basis isn't the

right doctor

> for you. Hopefully if you can get to see Dr Rhee, he'll prove more

amenable

> to addressing things, even if that is initially at least with

conservative

> care.

>

> titch

>

>

> --

> The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out,

it's just

> sort of a tired feeling - a Poundstone

>