Hello all! I live in Central Florida and I've been dealing with back pain on and off for 10 years. About 5 months ago I woke up with severe pain. I started getting better with PT, but then I went to a different (highly recommended) Physical therapist who was too over eager and I've been in excruciating pain, including pins and needles in my left foot. I had an MRI and I have a severely herniated disc (2 cm!). I've seen 4 different neurosurgeons and an orthopedic surgeon and they all say I need surgery. I'm considering driving to a neurosurgeon in Ft. Lauderdale/West Palm Beach because people come from all over the world to have surgery there. Also considering the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. I'm so nervous to have surgery, so I wanted to reach out and see if anyone here has a recommendation for a neurosurgeon in Florida - someone you've had surgery with or you know someone who has had surgery. Thank you!
Dr. Raffa, Paley Orthopedic & Spine Institute, St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach.
Excellent surgeon, but also the best office and support team. The post surgery care is absolutely the best. Private wing in the hospital with dedicated nurses that are trained specifically to care for you after surgery. Please reach out to me if you need.
Paley has had their share of poor results. Do your homework.
Oh wow! Do all the doctors at Paley have a bad reputation or is it just a certain few?
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Great to hear! I'll look him up. Thank you!
I had spinal fusion and with Dr Elias Dakwar at Cleveland clinic - he’s now with Baptist I believe. Loved his manner and his conservative approach. Good luck -
I'll look him up now! Thank you for the recommendation!
I had spinal surgery to remove a scarred in spinal Cord Stimulator at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. The entire experience was excellent and far exceeded all my expectations. I had two failed spinal fusions and two failed spinal stimulator surgeries then 5 years of being bed bound. It was a breath of fresh air to have a complicated spine surgery with hours of deep epidural fibrosis removal, two laminectomies, two discectomies, and I came out perfect, up walking the next day unassisted (I was using a cane/walker to get around before surgery). It’s hard to get in there, it took a while with referrals/imaging, approvals, but it was well worth it, and once you are in it’s easier to get other appointments for other specialties as well.
That's an amazing testimonial. Did you have multiple surgeons? Can you choose your own surgeon or do they choose the surgeon for you?
I did not have the option to choose the surgeon. I was assigned a surgeon, and then during the surgery due to the complexity an additional neurosurgeon came to assist. My surgery was in 2017. I went back four years later for a follow-up and my original surgeon was no longer there. Luckily with the Mayo Clinic everything is right there in the same complex. I live about 3 hours away in Brevard County. So if you need to travel they try and consolidate all your appointments the same day or two days. So you can get all the imaging/diagnostic tests and see all the experts, and then by the time you see the surgeon (last appointment of the day), he/she has all the information needed in order to make a fully informed decision on how to proceed. I already had X-rays. Ct, mri, EMG, from my local hospitals/physicians, but they redid everything. I was then scheduled for surgery two weeks later. All my follow ups worked in the same fashion since I was from out of town, starting with imaging and any other needed appointments then ending meeting with the surgeon. I was extremely impressed with the organization, scheduling, professionalism, and how well the system worked. This is truly how all medical care/treatment should work.
This is incredible. Thank you so much for the insight. It would be a two and a half hour drive for me and I was afraid that would be inconvenient for follow-ups, etc., but it's good to know that you had good success with it. Thank you so much! I'm going to reach out to them!
I had spinal fusion with Dr. G Clay Baynham Palm beach orthopedic
Thank you, Holly! I assume you had a successful surgery and outcome? I'll look him up now! Appreciate the recommendation.
When i thought i had a need for a neurosurgeon in the area, my primary told me to go to U of M if staying in state. Best decision i made since they determined i didnt need surgery. My doc was Komotar. But i dont know if he does this type, but highly reccomend UofM
Thank you so much for the recommendation.
Andrew Fine in Sarasota.
Thank you so much! Really appreciate the recommendation.