How to contact Dr Bierstedt?
 

I'm trying to contact Dr. Bierstedt for an opinion. When you google Dr Bierstedt you get three or so different spine sites, all with the goal of hooking you up with him. Is one better/faster/cheaper/more official than another?

This appears as the top hit:
ONZ Spine Surgeon for Disk Replacement, German Spine Specialists – M6 ADR Artificial Disk Replacement - Stop spine pain now, Lumbar Cervical Spine Surgery

but then there's this one:
Dr. Thomas Bierstedt

and this seems more direct and official:
Vita/professional background

Any advice?

The first site you mentioned works. One hte left side is a column, the lowest one being "Contact Us". However, to save you some time, I would e-mail Malte Peterson directly at m.petersen@germanspinespecialists.com I would not recommend you deal with the American team leader, Kelli Meier. She is a former patient of Dr. Ritter-Lang, who doesn't have a good reputation on these boards. She is currently a chiropractic student in Colorado and has a busy schedule. Furthermore, if you deal with her and ultimately use Dr. Bierstedt, she'll get a commission. Malte works directly with the doctor and has more knowledge than Kelli.

Good luck getting in touch with him!

Gene

Yes, contact Malte, the address NYGene posted is correct. I am 3 weeks post-op from Dr. Bierstedt and doing well!

NYGene - Wish I'd actually seen this a bit sooner, I actually attempted to contact Dr. Bierstedt through his website a couple weeks ago and the response I received was from Ms Meier. It would appear that her lack of a good reputation is well deserved as, during our conversation, she make it sound as though her cervical ADR was done by Dr. Bierstedt (having never mentioned anything about Dr. Ritter-Lang). Personally, I got the feeling she was more of a pitch-person than a patient advocate, and now find myself questioning my decision to contact Dr. Bierstedt at all. While he and I had a nice conversation, for nearly an hour yesterday, this turn of events has me really wondering who I can really trust. :uhoh:

I have heard these allegations about Kelly before on this site and do not know first hand anymore than what I have heard from others. I have always dealt directly with Malte. I can tell you that my whole experience with Malte, Dr. Bierstedt, and Medicos has been nothing short of spectacular. I am now 3 weeks post-op a 3 level lumbar and am doing very well, still a long road ahead, but am told I am healing ahead of the curve. If you have any questions I would ask Malte directly, I do not think it is fair for allegations about one person so far removed from your actual surgery and recovery to have an impact on your choice for what is best for you.

Try the Canadian rep
 

Hi,

Ken, the Canadian rep wont mind if you contact him, I know that.

ken@germanspinespecialists.com

Or

ken@myspinesolution.com

When contacting Ken I usually use both email addresses.

If you PM me with your email address I'll be happy to forward your email to him. Ken also has a nice list of tips for when you go to Germany. He keeps it updated with info from patients that come back from Germany with more info or tips.

Thanks, Boris. Ken was actually in touch with me today, and I plan to give him a ring this weekend.

Please don't mistake my previously mentioned frustration as a criticism of Dr. Bierstedt and/or ONZ. Rather, it's a cynical fear that there's a wild west mentality out there, where some are clearly less interested in the patient than making a buck. This is obviously a BIG DEAL and, inching closer to finally "pulling the trigger", I don't take my decision lightly.

Wild Wild West
 

Tatonka_usn,

That is an excellent question about screening possible surgeons and surgeries they propose to finding a surgeon AND procedure you are comfortable with. Unfortunately that quest is yours and yours alone. You will find many here that are or who had gone through that process and I would encourage you to read their posts to understand their reasoning. Possibly to contact them for follow up information.
For myself,one technique I used was when I got my MRI's digitized I sent them to 3 doctors in the US and 3 in Europe. 5 responses got back to me, all 5 said I needed L3 to S1 discs dealt with. They had different procedures but I thought 5 out of 5 was pretty amazing that they all identified the problem discs.
After a bit more research in the procedures that I was interested in I SPECIFICALLY asked in which series which image they saw the problem in in the MRI images I sent them. When that question was answered to my satisfaction I began to get a sense that I was talking to the right people.
I hope more people here will share their decision making process with you as we are all unique and make the decision based upon what we believe is the best for ourselves.

Hope that helps

Im still a bit unsure though: should I contact Malte or Ken or does it not really matter? Also I feel the same way about what's out there-- it IS the wild west. Look at the discourse my seemingly simple question generated. You never know who youre talking to and what their true motivation is. Worse still is that that sometimes holds true for doctors as well. This site rocks...but unfortunately for me, the researching it inspires often happens in the middle of yet another sleepless anxious night while under the covers so as not to disturb my wife. Thank you to everyone for helping to separate the wheat from the gunslingers.

If I might add my two cents, Malte and/or Ken are both excellent choices for contact with Dr. Bierstedt. They are in constant communication throughout the process and DO NOT leave you hanging. I am aware that Dr. Bierstedt's surgical partner, Dr. Illerhaus, will be in Canada (Edmonton, Manitoba & Ontario) at the end of the month through the first week in September. If interested in an appointment, PM me and I will forward contact information. Dr. Bierstedt's office is very respectful of the requirements of this forum.

I also agree that the choice for alternative surgery overseas is a big decision and one that requires the patient to be his/her own advocate. I, too, became the victim of a doctor's who stood more to gain financially than what was in my best medical interest.

Stonewall has sound advice in that you should send your diagnostics to both US and overseas. Once you've acquired their surgical opinions and have done research, you will know who is YOUR best choice. If you are constantly second-guessing (LIKE ME), you will know you are moving in the wrong direction.

Good luck to you on your quest.