Seeing Red over Harrisons artical

DWebster · #1 08-15-2005, 07:52 PM

I am normally a laid back kind of person but this article makes me want to smack the writer up the side of the head. It is obvious that they did not get there facts!! I have a hospital 30 minutes from me that is doing ADR and at least four others in the state that are doing it. I am a big guy, it made it harder to access the spine and I was not cut from breast bone to pubic bone, in fact my incision started 10 inches from my breast bone (it started just above the belly button) and ADR recovery taking longer than fusion? Bad info like this scares people away from getting help that they really need. They also make Stenum sound like they are angles!!! People really need to know the truth; I am going to try to get in touch with the paper and get them to print the really story. I am going to offer them an interview me and if there are any other willing to do it Please Say SO. If I have to I may pay to have something printed.

Please read Harrisons artical before replying.

Seeing RED, Dave

spotty14 · #2 08-15-2005, 09:46 PM

Another inaccurate atatement - I know there are more than 2 hospitals (one in Calif. one in Arizona) doing ADR surgery even though I haven't had it done yet.

DWebster · #3 08-15-2005, 10:11 PM

I talked with the editor of the new paper and they will be calling me sometime this week. I am going to give them my story and Mark ******* has agreed to talk with them also, he thinks MrBee will be willing to talk and others. This is our chance to get the truth out and maybe even bring up the insurance issue. If you are willing to talk with them please let me know.

We need to tell them the truth not make anything up, the facts are ammazing enough.

I was pretty upset when I first read it but after reading it over and over I feel the writer was given bad info by a certain hosptal that wants to make them selves look good. I regert my first statment.

Dave

SenecaGirl · #4 08-15-2005, 11:14 PM

Did the reporter do ANY research - check alternate sources? Jeez.

I am 26 (the woman in the article was 25), and wouldn't mind talking about the excellent care I received from my Neurosurgeon in Binghamton, NY, and how recovery is not supposed to be a "miracle" overnight -- you need to put in the work too! I too was on more meds post-surgery, but that doesn't mean a set-back.

I have a very pretty 3 inch horizontal scar 2 inches below my belly-button if anyone asks.

SG

Kim · #5 08-15-2005, 11:43 PM

I too was appalled at the inconsistency of the article. On one hand it made Stenum look much better than our medical providers here, stating that they provided free care for this woman when she could get no help here, but correct me if I am wrong it also looked like she might not feel that she was healing as she should have. She stated she felt good til she came home then started to have problems. Red flags flew up here as I have read the stories on the boards from those who have had bad luck with surgery at Stenum.

It really made the US look bad in my opinion that a citizen has to fly half way across the world to get medical care due to the fact that for whatever reason she was unable to receive it here. Yes all of us know the problems that we have getting coverage in this country for our procedures but the rest of the country does not. I wish that the article had delved into that area a bit more to show how many people are being denied medical care that is appropriate in my opinion in this country.
I think its a shame and a disgrace too that if European drs can offer free care to those in need even those who are half a world away that a country such as ours does not have any sort of resources to do the same. Something is wrong with this picture folks!

I feel that we have excellent providers and hospitals here, please do not get me wrong, my peeve is that we cannot get insurance coverage for our medical care in order to get our lives back. We pay dearly for our insurance and should be afforded decent medical care that we need in order to get our lives back.

I would love to talk to the editor or reporters that wrote that article I would give them an earfull on why there are not more surgeries performed here. Its due to the greed and stingy beaurocrats at the ins companies! If this procedure was accepted and covered in this country as a whole ADR would be a widely practiced surgery and a whole lot more people would have better lives!

OK off my soap box for the night! WHEW thanks for letting me vent

.

Alastair · #6 08-16-2005, 05:07 AM

Well what I'm going to say here is not going to be popular especially with our USA members.

I can understand their anger at the "Picture Perfect" which is given about Stenum, which everybody here knows is one person's experience seen through rose coloured glasses. The members here know the dreadful happenings which have occurred at Stenum. The fact that this has been publicly aired I suppose must cause anger.

As a person who doesn't live in the USA, please be aware that the USA is not a place of perfect surgery. There are patients being taken in as day cases, (I'm sure this is to save the insurance company money), and the outcomes are absolutely tragic. People are coming out of hospital in the USA with ADR, bowel and bladder incontinence, not making a recovery at all, so please don't think that the only errors are across in Stenum.

The centres of excellence are in Europe (Zeegers and Bertagnoli), the USA has been at this with FDA approval for less than 12 months, and Europe has been doing this since 1989, so loads more experience, and expertise.

One thing which should jump to the fore with all patients is that people who are discharged in less than three days, have probably still got problems with their bowel in trauma -- -- -- because it has been handled, the time needed for patients to recover properly from the surgery is quite often not observed by USA hospitals, so please don't think that you are perfection across their.

American medicine being based upon insurance, is basically based on money. It is only by conversations on this board by patients who have been to the conscientious and good doctors in the USA who are getting the really good surgeries. There's a whole host of people who are getting very second-class treatment.

I think that this free surgery which was given to this patient was for publicity purposes and to re-establish Stenum in the minds of American people who do not know the full truth. There are thousands and thousands of people out there who don't belong to this board -- -- -- yet blindly go and have ADR with the first doctor who offers it to them irrespective of their experience.
Best,
Alastair

Alastair · #7 08-16-2005, 05:08 AM

Members should read this

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/14/health/14patient.html...094&partner=homepage

letteski · #8 08-16-2005, 12:52 PM

Taken from the link above "Thanks Alastair"

Quote:

The job of being a modern patient includes not only decision making, of course, but often coordinating doctors, medical records and procedures, as well as negotiating with insurance companies, who are often the ultimate arbiters over which treatment options will be covered.

But as the patient it is your responsibility to look over everything and make the ultimate decision for your life. If your area does not provide the top health care in the country you have to seek it out and be the best advocate you can for your situation.

If I had listened to the 1st doctor I went to I would have been his first ADR patient but something in side of me said no. If I listened to the 1st ADR experienced doctor I would have had the Felxicore Disc. If I listened to the 2nd experienced ADR doctor I would have had the Charite Disc. If I had listened to the 3rd ADR expert I would have been fused. Now I am at Doctor 9 and I have chosen with the help of many here and those that I respect incredibly the Prodisc with Dr D one of the best in the US. This has been through large amount of research and discussion on my end. It is up to you as the patient to make the best decision not the insurance company you have to live with your decision for the rest of your life.

Regarding incision here is a Link from my vascular Dr Braw If you are a bit squeamish say away from the slide show. Jackhammering and Setnum I guess they got something right.

I would be willing to speak with anyone!

djscal · #9 08-16-2005, 01:16 PM

Alastair,

Your post is full of generalizations and does not at all describe my experience (in the U.S.) . I had a 5 day hospital stay at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Beverly Hills, CA and I could have stayed longer if I wished. I was never rushed out and made to feel like I had to leave when I wasn't ready. My surgeon has performed roughly 200 ADR surgeries. I am making an excellent recovery. Also, you say that the U.S. has less than a year experience with ADR. Not true, some surgeons have been doing ADR in the U.S. since 2001 when the FDA trials started. Please stop your USA bashing, not all of us have to go to Europe to get a successful ADR outcome.

Dan

Alastair · #10 08-16-2005, 01:56 PM

djscal,
I'm afraid what I put there is absolutely true because Europe and Zeegers (over 1500 ADR surgeries) has been doing since 1989, which I think is a little before the year 2001.

Having explored your options you chose Dr Regan who you were advised is a good doctor and you knew he had done 200 surgeries. I should think mainly due to the information on this board. There are thousands of people who are not here and don't have access to this information. I did say quite clearly that there were good surgeons and poor surgeons in the USA.

You can see from the posting by Paulette that she made a really detailed investigation into the doctor who did her surgery.

You Should Talk to Mark if you want to hear about some of the dreadful things which are going on in the USA. He tries to guide all his clients away from these problems.
Best,
Alastair