Guest guest Posted December 16, 2000 Report Share Posted December 16, 2000 Candace, in Joplin, MO Can you explain this to me? >I talked to Dr in St Louis. He says no one knows how to treat OCD in S Mo or N Ark. And he asked for $105 which of course I don't have. Seemed very nice. Will send literature.< Did you call to consult with him about therapy? Did you establish that this was an information gathering interview? Maybe things are different in the States, but I have never paid to interview a professional over the telephone. IF I/we attended an appoitment, then we paid for the services. A blanket statement like " no one knows how to treat OCD in S MO or N. Ark. " is questionable. Did you check university psych. departments? the American Anxiety Disorder Association http://www.aada.com ? How about the Obsessive Compuslive Foundation http://www.ocfoundation.org >Have others here done his program? Anyone with housing suggestions if we were to go to St Louis? < When I called the St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute I received an outline of their program and an explanation on how they help families from out of town. Among the services is to help find accomodations to fit the families needs and budget. If you need to be there for 6 weeks, an apartment maybe be more suitable than a hotel, for example. If you are considering their program for Amber, ask for references. Hope this helps! wendy, in canada _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 1, 2003 Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 I had anterior and posterior revision surgery by Dr. Bridwell last May. He relies on his excellent support staff to communicate with patients. He's an outstanding surgeon and has one of the best reputations for revision surgery. His bedside manner isn't what I'd like and I've developed quite a relationship with his two main support staff members who've cleared up much of what he was " trying to say. " But I'm very happy with the results of the surgery and that was the most important thing to me. Since I only met Dr. Bridwell and haven't talked to or heard from patients of Dr. Lenke, I'm not qualified to comment on comparisons between the two. I will say that -Jewish Hospital gives outstanding care and can see why it had such a high rating. They supply " sitters " so you're never left alone and that was important to me since I was in such a daze from anesthesia and pain medication. I think Dr. Bridwell is an excellent choice if you can travel to St. Louis and your insurance covers out-of-state health care. For some reason, none of the doctors recommended for revision surgery in the information I found were from Chicago, so I'll make the trip for the 7-month checkup in December and then I believe only again in May for the annual checkup. Best of luck to all of you going through this. It's quite an ordeal and I won't be able to return to work until mid-January, almost 9 months after surgery. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize the heaing process though so I'll do whatever it takes, and hope this is the last surgery I'll need. Final comment in this long e-mail. Dr. Bridwell did say he wouldn't know for sure that everything was healed and final until the 5-year mark and if things weren't healed, the instrumentation would break. That remark scared me to death but I'd have to check with one of his assistants to see if this is a frequent occurrence. Best of luck to all of you preparing for, recovering from, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 1, 2003 Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 trip and ashley The reason that I chose Lenke was because Joan said Bridwell spent 5 min with her and did not answer her questions. Of course that might have been an isolated incidence. I think that Lenke is also internationally respected but am not sure which one would be best for your condition. If you do a search on google for " Lawrence Lenke " you will find a wealth of information on him to determine. Did you check out all the sites I included? Another tip, if you go to St. Louis... Best Western Inn at the Park just about 4 blocks from -Jewish Hospital/Advanced Medical Center will give you discount rate of 60.00 or so dollars if you tell them you are going to hospital. They have free shuttle to and from hospital and to Metro-Link. Let me hear from you. St Louis > > > , I think your point is a good one. Joan had also mentioned > Bridwell. Are he and Lenke in the same group? A > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 1, 2003 Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 Hi - Here's some basic information on my surgery with Dr. Bridwell. My original fusion done by a doctor in Chicago had been done very poorly and caused me tremendous amounts of pain - amazing since I didn't have any pain before this original fusion (T4-S1). The revision surgery was extremely challenging as I was told by other doctors I consulted before I contacted Dr. Bridwell. He not only corrected all of the problems with the first fusion, but did then fuse me to the sacrum. I'm very happy with the results and have almost no pain at all now. I'm unable to go back to work until January because he has restrictions of no bending or stooping for 7 months post-operatively and my job requires that. Otherwise I would have been able to return much sooner after surgery. I didn't stay in St. Louis after I was released, and have had to return for a 2-month and a 4-month post-operative checkup. My next one is the 7-month check to make sure the instrumentation is intact and that the fusion is progressing properly. You're right about the reason hardware would fail after 5 years - only if the bone hadn't fused. " Cone down " x-rays are taken at each post-op visit so he has a good idea if the bone is fusing. So far so good on that one. My family stayed at the Holiday Inn - Forest Park. They have a discount rate for patients and families of $62 a night and provide a shuttle service to and from the hospital. My family was very happy with it. I wish you the best of luck with your visit to Dr. Bridwell. His assistants are Bernie Sitterly and Annette Berna and they are fantastic. Dr. Bridwell is a very nice, quiet man, but not a great communicator and he very neary scared me off after my first visit. Berrnie and Annette spent a lot of time with me answering questions and explaning some of the statements he made. As I said he's an oustanding surgeon who is thoroughly devoted to complex revision surgery and I was amazed at the results he achieved. Bedside manner can be said to be lacking not because he is rude but because he doesn't spend a lot of time and is very technical in the information he provides. If you'd like information on the Holiday Inn or have any other questions, I'll be happy to answer them. I was absolutely terrified going in - mostly because my first surgery in Chicago 6 years ago was a terribe experience during and after - but am very, very happy I was able to go through with it. a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 1, 2003 Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 Thanks a lot. I spoke with Debbie in guest services at barnes today and she advised me about the shuttle and made my res. I found more articlesby Bridwell and they really dealt with the issues I face, so I picked him, rather arbitrarily. I will doublecheck again about Lenke as long as I am going up there. When is your surgery scheduled? A Pinion wrote: > trip and ashley > > The reason that I chose Lenke was because Joan said Bridwell spent 5 > min with her and did not answer her questions. Of course that might > have been an isolated incidence. > > I think that Lenke is also internationally respected but am not sure > which one would be best for your condition. If you do a search on > google for " Lawrence Lenke " you will find a wealth of information on > him to determine. > > Did you check out all the sites I included? > > Another tip, if you go to St. Louis... Best Western Inn at the Park > just about 4 blocks from -Jewish Hospital/Advanced Medical > Center will give you discount rate of 60.00 or so dollars if you tell > them you are going to hospital. They have free shuttle to and from > hospital and to Metro-Link. > > Let me hear from you. > > > > > St Louis > > > > > > , I think your point is a good one. Joan had also mentioned > > Bridwell. Are he and Lenke in the same group? A > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 1, 2003 Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 trip and ashley, Dr. Lenke told me that he would do 11 fusions on my back with none of my own bone. He said that he would use genetically engineered protein which works " better than your own bone. " He also said that I would be in St. Louis 3 wks. One week in regular part of the hospital and two weeks in physical therapy part of the hospital. I was surprised about no bone graft. I wonder if anyone out there is familiar with the use of this protein for more than one fusion. Re: St Louis a - Are you now fused to the sacrum? Were you prior to Bridwell's surgery? How long did you remain in St L after surgery, and where did you stay? It is my understanding that the hardware is intended to hold bone in place only until the bone fuses; at which point it is actually the bone holding the hardware in place. If the fusion fails, there is nothing holding either. This is simply because no company can make a substance as strong and reliable as God made bone. I have an appt with Bridwell now, so may be asking you further q's re your surgery if you do not mind. Thanks - paulakuntzp@... wrote: > I had anterior and posterior revision surgery by Dr. Bridwell last > May. He > relies on his excellent support staff to communicate with patients. > He's an > outstanding surgeon and has one of the best reputations for revision > surgery. > His bedside manner isn't what I'd like and I've developed quite a > relationship > with his two main support staff members who've cleared up much of what > he was > " trying to say. " But I'm very happy with the results of the surgery > and that > was the most important thing to me. > > Since I only met Dr. Bridwell and haven't talked to or heard from > patients of > Dr. Lenke, I'm not qualified to comment on comparisons between the two. > > I will say that -Jewish Hospital gives outstanding care and can > see why > it had such a high rating. They supply " sitters " so you're never left > alone > and that was important to me since I was in such a daze from > anesthesia and > pain medication. > > I think Dr. Bridwell is an excellent choice if you can travel to St. > Louis > and your insurance covers out-of-state health care. For some reason, > none of > the doctors recommended for revision surgery in the information I > found were > from Chicago, so I'll make the trip for the 7-month checkup in > December and > then I believe only again in May for the annual checkup. > > Best of luck to all of you going through this. It's quite an ordeal > and I > won't be able to return to work until mid-January, almost 9 months after > surgery. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize the heaing process > though so I'll > do whatever it takes, and hope this is the last surgery I'll need. > > Final comment in this long e-mail. Dr. Bridwell did say he wouldn't > know > for sure that everything was healed and final until the 5-year mark > and if > things weren't healed, the instrumentation would break. That remark > scared me to > death but I'd have to check with one of his assistants to see if this > is a > frequent occurrence. > > Best of luck to all of you preparing for, recovering from, etc. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Hi, . Google to the rescue! http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2002/07/01/daily20.html http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:z2MnqWwJPfAJ:www.fda.gov/cdrh/mda/docs/p000\ 058.pdf+genetically+engineered+protein+bone+graft & hl=en & ie=UTF-8 Re: St Louis a - Are you now fused to the sacrum? Were you prior to Bridwell's surgery? How long did you remain in St L after surgery, and where did you stay? It is my understanding that the hardware is intended to hold bone in place only until the bone fuses; at which point it is actually the bone holding the hardware in place. If the fusion fails, there is nothing holding either. This is simply because no company can make a substance as strong and reliable as God made bone. I have an appt with Bridwell now, so may be asking you further q's re your surgery if you do not mind. Thanks - paulakuntzp@... wrote: > I had anterior and posterior revision surgery by Dr. Bridwell last > May. He > relies on his excellent support staff to communicate with patients. > He's an > outstanding surgeon and has one of the best reputations for revision > surgery. > His bedside manner isn't what I'd like and I've developed quite a > relationship > with his two main support staff members who've cleared up much of what > he was > " trying to say. " But I'm very happy with the results of the surgery > and that > was the most important thing to me. > > Since I only met Dr. Bridwell and haven't talked to or heard from > patients of > Dr. Lenke, I'm not qualified to comment on comparisons between the two. > > I will say that -Jewish Hospital gives outstanding care and can > see why > it had such a high rating. They supply " sitters " so you're never left > alone > and that was important to me since I was in such a daze from > anesthesia and > pain medication. > > I think Dr. Bridwell is an excellent choice if you can travel to St. > Louis > and your insurance covers out-of-state health care. For some reason, > none of > the doctors recommended for revision surgery in the information I > found were > from Chicago, so I'll make the trip for the 7-month checkup in > December and > then I believe only again in May for the annual checkup. > > Best of luck to all of you going through this. It's quite an ordeal > and I > won't be able to return to work until mid-January, almost 9 months after > surgery. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize the heaing process > though so I'll > do whatever it takes, and hope this is the last surgery I'll need. > > Final comment in this long e-mail. Dr. Bridwell did say he wouldn't > know > for sure that everything was healed and final until the 5-year mark > and if > things weren't healed, the instrumentation would break. That remark > scared me to > death but I'd have to check with one of his assistants to see if this > is a > frequent occurrence. > > Best of luck to all of you preparing for, recovering from, etc. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Sharon, Thanks so much for the links. Very informative. However, I still cannot find any info on whether genetically engineered protein has been effective for multiple fusions and fusions above the lumbar region. If anyone has any such info I would appreciate it. Re: St Louis a - Are you now fused to the sacrum? Were you prior to Bridwell's surgery? How long did you remain in St L after surgery, and where did you stay? It is my understanding that the hardware is intended to hold bone in place only until the bone fuses; at which point it is actually the bone holding the hardware in place. If the fusion fails, there is nothing holding either. This is simply because no company can make a substance as strong and reliable as God made bone. I have an appt with Bridwell now, so may be asking you further q's re your surgery if you do not mind. Thanks - paulakuntzp@... wrote: > I had anterior and posterior revision surgery by Dr. Bridwell last > May. He > relies on his excellent support staff to communicate with patients. > He's an > outstanding surgeon and has one of the best reputations for revision > surgery. > His bedside manner isn't what I'd like and I've developed quite a > relationship > with his two main support staff members who've cleared up much of what > he was > " trying to say. " But I'm very happy with the results of the surgery > and that > was the most important thing to me. > > Since I only met Dr. Bridwell and haven't talked to or heard from > patients of > Dr. Lenke, I'm not qualified to comment on comparisons between the two. > > I will say that -Jewish Hospital gives outstanding care and can > see why > it had such a high rating. They supply " sitters " so you're never left > alone > and that was important to me since I was in such a daze from > anesthesia and > pain medication. > > I think Dr. Bridwell is an excellent choice if you can travel to St. > Louis > and your insurance covers out-of-state health care. For some reason, > none of > the doctors recommended for revision surgery in the information I > found were > from Chicago, so I'll make the trip for the 7-month checkup in > December and > then I believe only again in May for the annual checkup. > > Best of luck to all of you going through this. It's quite an ordeal > and I > won't be able to return to work until mid-January, almost 9 months after > surgery. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize the heaing process > though so I'll > do whatever it takes, and hope this is the last surgery I'll need. > > Final comment in this long e-mail. Dr. Bridwell did say he wouldn't > know > for sure that everything was healed and final until the 5-year mark > and if > things weren't healed, the instrumentation would break. That remark > scared me to > death but I'd have to check with one of his assistants to see if this > is a > frequent occurrence. > > Best of luck to all of you preparing for, recovering from, etc. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 trip and ashley, Sounds as if you are on your way to St. Louis. Keep me informed. I go on Dec. 10 for pre-op visit and surgery is Jan. 21. You will love the area around the hospital...very safe...old brick streets, sidewalk cafes, excellent restaurants, lots of character, residential section is one of most affluent older sections of St. Louis where World's Fair was. Be sure that you find out which way to travel on Metro. I think you go from Lambert East to Central West End. Travel east leaving airport and west returning to airport. But verify that with someone. Need $3.00 in ones for adult fare. Go to www.metrostlouis.org for further information. Good luck. Will expect to hear from you. You can email me directly at npinion@.... St Louis > > > > > > , I think your point is a good one. Joan had also mentioned > > Bridwell. Are he and Lenke in the same group? A > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Thanks so much, a, for this valuable information. I cannot tell you how helpful it is to hear from someone who has gone thru almost exactly what you are considering. Do you mean that you went straight from the hospital to your home? By plane or car, and how long was that after your surgery?? thanks paulakuntzp@... wrote: > Hi - Here's some basic information on my surgery with Dr. > Bridwell. > My original fusion done by a doctor in Chicago had been done very > poorly and > caused me tremendous amounts of pain - amazing since I didn't have any > pain > before this original fusion (T4-S1). The revision surgery was extremely > challenging as I was told by other doctors I consulted before I > contacted Dr. Bridwell. > He not only corrected all of the problems with the first fusion, but > did then > fuse me to the sacrum. I'm very happy with the results and have > almost no > pain at all now. I'm unable to go back to work until January because > he has > restrictions of no bending or stooping for 7 months post-operatively > and my job > requires that. Otherwise I would have been able to return much sooner > after > surgery. > > I didn't stay in St. Louis after I was released, and have had to > return for a > 2-month and a 4-month post-operative checkup. My next one is the 7-month > check to make sure the instrumentation is intact and that the fusion is > progressing properly. > > You're right about the reason hardware would fail after 5 years - only > if the > bone hadn't fused. " Cone down " x-rays are taken at each post-op visit > so he > has a good idea if the bone is fusing. So far so good on that one. > > My family stayed at the Holiday Inn - Forest Park. They have a > discount rate > for patients and families of $62 a night and provide a shuttle service > to and > from the hospital. My family was very happy with it. > > I wish you the best of luck with your visit to Dr. Bridwell. His > assistants > are Bernie Sitterly and Annette Berna and they are fantastic. Dr. > Bridwell is > a very nice, quiet man, but not a great communicator and he very neary > scared > me off after my first visit. Berrnie and Annette spent a lot of time > with > me answering questions and explaning some of the statements he made. > As I said > he's an oustanding surgeon who is thoroughly devoted to complex revision > surgery and I was amazed at the results he achieved. Bedside manner > can be said > to be lacking not because he is rude but because he doesn't spend a > lot of time > and is very technical in the information he provides. > > If you'd like information on the Holiday Inn or have any other questions, > I'll be happy to answer them. I was absolutely terrified going in - > mostly > because my first surgery in Chicago 6 years ago was a terribe > experience during and > after - but am very, very happy I was able to go through with it. > > a > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 I have heard good things about some bone morphogenetic protein. I would say that in my initial surgery, the surgeon used my bone grafted from iliac crest, and it gave me pain for years, so avoiding the donor site might be nice. Others may have had different experiences. A Pinion wrote: > trip and ashley, > > Dr. Lenke told me that he would do 11 fusions on my back with none of > my own bone. He said that he would use genetically engineered protein > which works " better than your own bone. " He also said that I would be > in St. Louis 3 wks. One week in regular part of the hospital and two > weeks in physical therapy part of the hospital. I was surprised about > no bone graft. I wonder if anyone out there is familiar with the use > of this protein for more than one fusion. > > > > > Re: St Louis > > > a - Are you now fused to the sacrum? Were you prior to Bridwell's > surgery? How long did you remain in St L after surgery, and where did > you stay? > > It is my understanding that the hardware is intended to hold bone in > place only until the bone fuses; at which point it is actually the bone > holding the hardware in place. If the fusion fails, there is nothing > holding either. This is simply because no company can make a substance > as strong and reliable as God made bone. > > I have an appt with Bridwell now, so may be asking you further q's re > your surgery if you do not mind. > Thanks - > > paulakuntzp@... wrote: > > > I had anterior and posterior revision surgery by Dr. Bridwell last > > May. He > > relies on his excellent support staff to communicate with patients. > > He's an > > outstanding surgeon and has one of the best reputations for revision > > surgery. > > His bedside manner isn't what I'd like and I've developed quite a > > relationship > > with his two main support staff members who've cleared up much of > what > > he was > > " trying to say. " But I'm very happy with the results of the surgery > > and that > > was the most important thing to me. > > > > Since I only met Dr. Bridwell and haven't talked to or heard from > > patients of > > Dr. Lenke, I'm not qualified to comment on comparisons between the > two. > > > > I will say that -Jewish Hospital gives outstanding care and can > > see why > > it had such a high rating. They supply " sitters " so you're never > left > > alone > > and that was important to me since I was in such a daze from > > anesthesia and > > pain medication. > > > > I think Dr. Bridwell is an excellent choice if you can travel to St. > > Louis > > and your insurance covers out-of-state health care. For some > reason, > > none of > > the doctors recommended for revision surgery in the information I > > found were > > from Chicago, so I'll make the trip for the 7-month checkup in > > December and > > then I believe only again in May for the annual checkup. > > > > Best of luck to all of you going through this. It's quite an ordeal > > and I > > won't be able to return to work until mid-January, almost 9 months > after > > surgery. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize the heaing process > > though so I'll > > do whatever it takes, and hope this is the last surgery I'll need. > > > > Final comment in this long e-mail. Dr. Bridwell did say he wouldn't > > know > > for sure that everything was healed and final until the 5-year mark > > and if > > things weren't healed, the instrumentation would break. That remark > > scared me to > > death but I'd have to check with one of his assistants to see if this > > is a > > frequent occurrence. > > > > Best of luck to all of you preparing for, recovering from, etc. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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