/April

[Guest guest]

Hi yes, Im okay, just the usual, trying to get through winter, the endless snow

we are having in DC this year...trying not to hit the pain meds too much but

there is always that ache.

I am seeing a ortho surgeon at Hopkins next week who specializes in XLIF as I

have been told that is what I need (spondylsis at L4-5) and if I have to have it

I want to go to the best in infection control and post op outcomes as well as

the best surgeon...I actually do worrry more about post op infection as a

risk...

so hanging in there with my once very 8 weeks epidurals and pain meds...Im lucky

I can work at home cause otherwise Id be screwed....but I cant move on until I

deal with this either, so therein is the dilema.

thank you for inquiring.

[Guest guest]

Hi Kate

Im supposed to see Dr. Kaled Kebaish. Does that ring a bell?

[Guest guest]

H i - I am in the Balt/DC area and wondering how do you find out about the

hospitals with the least infection risk?

Thank and prayers for pain free days and successful treatments!

________________________________

From: wendy.tom <wendy.tom@...>

spinal problems

Sent: Wed, February 3, 2010 10:12:15 AM

Subject: /April

Hi yes, Im okay, just the usual, trying to get through winter, the endless snow

we are having in DC this year...trying not to hit the pain meds too much but

there is always that ache.

I am seeing a ortho surgeon at Hopkins next week who specializes in XLIF as I

have been told that is what I need (spondylsis at L4-5) and if I have to have it

I want to go to the best in infection control and post op outcomes as well as

the best surgeon...I actually do worrry more about post op infection as a

risk...

so hanging in there with my once very 8 weeks epidurals and pain meds...Im lucky

I can work at home cause otherwise Id be screwed....but I cant move on until I

deal with this either, so therein is the dilema.

thank you for inquiring.

[Guest guest]

Hi Mark

Hopkins repeatedly gets top marks every year in the annual survey that is

done.

I found out because my Nursing Journal publishes the top ones in this area and

you can also find out online if you goggle " top hospitals in the US " you will

get a site, I cant remember right off the top off my head..something like USA

Report where they give you a breakdown in the departments and infection

complications, but if your in Baltimore, you can be sure that s Hopkins is

ranks in the top #5, I believe its number #2.

Thats why I dont want to go to INOVA Fairfax where the local ortho down here

does the surgery, they rated like fourty or something...not worth it.

Ill see if I can find a link for you.

wendy rn

[Guest guest]

Thanks - I have use both Harbor Hospital in Baltimore and St Agnes...are

they in the listings? just wondering what percent complications I dodged...and

whether I would use them again...It is hard to choose between surgeons you trust

and hospitals!

________________________________

From: wendy.tom <wendy.tom@...>

spinal problems

Sent: Wed, February 3, 2010 11:21:50 AM

Subject: Re: /April

Hi Mark

Hopkins repeatedly gets top marks every year in the annual survey that is

done.

I found out because my Nursing Journal publishes the top ones in this area and

you can also find out online if you goggle " top hospitals in the US " you will

get a site, I cant remember right off the top off my head..something like USA

Report where they give you a breakdown in the departments and infection

complications, but if your in Baltimore, you can be sure that s Hopkins is

ranks in the top #5, I believe its number #2.

Thats why I dont want to go to INOVA Fairfax where the local ortho down here

does the surgery, they rated like fourty or something... not worth it.

Ill see if I can find a link for you.

wendy rn

[Guest guest]

You know my guess is that they are both good, baltimore has some really

excellent hospitals and since they are all close together I would think they

would all be competeting with each other to offer the best.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm glad to know you are still out hanging on! I live in Georgia and the

Winter's down here do a number on me so I can not imagine being in a colder

climate. Thankfully a couple of weeks ago we had two warm days. I was so

thankful for them because I was to the point that I didn't think I was going to

make it until Spring. Now it's back to talking about a little snow again! I HATE

it.

I go to the neurosurgeon next week and I have pretty much healed from the

tethered cord surgery back in June, so now it's time to figure out where the

extreme pain is coming from since that surgery. She wanted to start the testing

in November, but I wasn't over the last surgery (mentally) to even discuss what

else was wrong yet!!

My last MRI showed bulging disc from L1 all the way to S, my neuro thinks it

could be scar tissue once again attaching to my sciatic nerve this time instead

of my cord (which I guess is a step up from the cord but hurts like h & ^^) or one

or more of the discs have totally herniated. The neuro has already said if I

need a lumbar fusion they cannot go in posterior to do it because I have no

muscle left from the previous 3 surgeries in that area. So the xlif sounds very

interesting to me.

On the xlif procedure, do they do that on more than one level at a time? I am

like you, terrified of the infections running around out there. I have been

lucky up to this point and wonder how long my luck can hold having surgeries. If

my problem does require surgery on the disc, I wish they would go ahead and fuse

from L1 all the way down because I am so sick of surgeries.

I hope everything goes great for you and Spring gets here soon!!

Barb

>

> Hi yes, Im okay, just the usual, trying to get through winter, the endless

snow we are having in DC this year...trying not to hit the pain meds too much

but there is always that ache.

>

> I am seeing a ortho surgeon at Hopkins next week who specializes in XLIF as I

have been told that is what I need (spondylsis at L4-5) and if I have to have it

I want to go to the best in infection control and post op outcomes as well as

the best surgeon...I actually do worrry more about post op infection as a

risk...

> so hanging in there with my once very 8 weeks epidurals and pain meds...Im

lucky I can work at home cause otherwise Id be screwed....but I cant move on

until I deal with this either, so therein is the dilema.

> thank you for inquiring.

>

>

>

>