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  #1  
Old 07-01-2016, 11:39 AM
twowheelyankee twowheelyankee is offline
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Default Zeegers Response Time

Hey all,

While I have decided to postpone surgery, I initially requested Dr. Zeeger's paid service of a full analysis of my lumbar condition. It has been over two months and he still has not provided any report or analysis. I have sent him an email every two weeks asking for progress and an estimate and his response is that quality cannot be rushed.

Has anybody else had an issue receiving a timely report? I know the European Union is in chaos right now, but that is no excuse for a doctor to default on his paid services.

Thanks,
Jim
__________________
8 mm A-P herniation with annular tear at L4/L5
Initial Injury 2004
Chiro, 14+ Epidural Injections, PT
ADR insurance appeal won in 2013, delayed surgery
2016 pain is now affecting quality of life. Contemplating ADR surgery again.

2016 delayed surgery again due to successful pain management with meds.
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  #2  
Old 07-03-2016, 02:00 PM
pbrav pbrav is offline
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Hello. I am in much of the same situation as you. I have been waiting for Zeegers advice for three months now. I know he is working on it though. He called me recently to advice me against a certain course of action I had asked specifically about, but said he needed more time to work out a full report and advice. As I understand it he often asks for opinions from his contacts among other surgeons as well, and this will take time. I trust that he actually will deliver, and from the phone call I got the impression that he actually is as thorough and well qualified as his patients say. So, I think it will be worth the wait - but I must admit I get a little frustrated just like you.
__________________
Considering ADR. 52 years old.
Off and on with soreness and minor pain in lower back through the years.
Herniated S1L5 august 2014.
S1L5 reduced height and partly desiccated.
Herniation has receded but I'm left with bulging disc and constant sciatica.
Still relying on pt. and core strengthening pr. mars 2015, but starting to lean towards ADR.
There's a life to be lived out there!
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  #3  
Old 07-07-2016, 07:44 AM
spineally challenged spineally challenged is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 58
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HI
I’m in the same situation too. I’ve been waiting just over three months and I’m a prior patient of his - so no favouritism there! Hopefully the wait for all of us will be worthwhile..
wishing you all well, Tim
__________________
Decompression/Laminectomy L3 - S1 1988..
ADR Dr Zeegers July 2003 - L3/4 and L5/S1
My story is here: http://adrsupport.org/groupee/forums...1/m/5281042181
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  #4  
Old 07-07-2016, 09:55 AM
twowheelyankee twowheelyankee is offline
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Default Doubtful on Zeegers

Honestly, I am disappointed that his reputation precedes him. If I had known it would have taken over 3 months for a medical report, I would not have done it. Based on our conversation on the phone, Dr. Z indicated it would take 2-3 weeks. Then on May 25, a month later, he said 10-14 days. 6 weeks later and he does not even respond to emails.

So yes.....I hold a man to his word, especially since he has been performing surgery for over 2 decades. He is a professional and a service was paid for and not provided. We have words for that in the US.....

So.. I am no longer holding my breathe. Integrity.... whatever happened to it?
__________________
8 mm A-P herniation with annular tear at L4/L5
Initial Injury 2004
Chiro, 14+ Epidural Injections, PT
ADR insurance appeal won in 2013, delayed surgery
2016 pain is now affecting quality of life. Contemplating ADR surgery again.

2016 delayed surgery again due to successful pain management with meds.
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  #5  
Old 07-07-2016, 11:44 AM
Cynlite's Avatar
Cynlite Cynlite is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 666
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Dr. Zeegers kept telling me to get more tests done which my insurance wouldn't cover and so, I never did get his final report. I paid out of pocket for the nuclear test he wanted that showed no infection and he still wouldn't give me his final diagnosis. It took me about a month and a ton of phone calls with doctors here and emails with him to try and figure out what the heck he wanted! Tests in Germany and tests in the U.S. apparently don't translate well. He wanted me to go get a CAT scan too but, at that point I decided to go with Dr. Clavel and trust his advice.

It took Dr. Zeegers about 9 weeks to give me my draft which was basically all the information I gave him typed up so, he didn't give me a lot of guidance that was useful to me. He's a very nice man and his reputation as a surgeon on this board has always been good. I've never read a bad thing about him. In my case, he was focused on my neck x-ray and thought the bone fusion didn't look right. He told me that before I paid him and he never moved off that topic. It really bugged him. I trust his experience and skills as a surgeon but, at some point we have to make a decision when the surgeons are not agreeing with each other. So, I gave up on him.

In his defense, it took Dr. Clavel about 8 weeks to give me his opinion. Dr. Bierstedt was the quickest but, I felt that Dr. Zeegers and Dr. Clavel were better for me. So, they both take a long time to respond but, it will be worth it once you get past this waiting period. I think Dr. Zeeger's is a pretty conservative surgeon so, having his input will be valuable to you once you get it. I do appreciate the time I spent with him on the phone. Also, once summer hits in Europe, the response time gets even slower because everyone goes on vacation there and they take long vacations. I know how hard it is to have patience when the body is in so much pain. Us Americans don't like waiting but, it is what it is. They have a different culture over there.
__________________
2006: epidural shots did nothing; 2 surgeons recommended 2 level fusion, I declined.
2007 - 2010 4 foraminotomy and cord decompression cervical surgeries and 2 endoscopic discectomy T7-T8 surgeries; total 6 with Dr. Jho (Pittsburgh,PA) My C6/C7 autofused around 2009.
2013 - 2015: epidurals 3 times (again did nothing) and 4 Radiofrequency ablation (or RFA) procedures.
2016 more RFAs, hit the 10 year mark of this insanity and pain, 3 level M6-C ADR with Dr. Clavel May 19, 2016
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  #6  
Old 07-11-2016, 11:00 AM
twowheelyankee twowheelyankee is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 28
Default Thank you

Thank you Cynlite and others for your input.

I am glad that I am not the only one that was waiting for a "long" period of time. Dr. Clavel and Dr. B responded to me in weeks. Dr. Bertagnoli had a response with in a week and says I was a candidate for a "Mobi-C" device even though I have L4/L5 issues. hahahaha It was his assistant Jay that I communicated with so I doubt the doctor ever saw my paperwork.

If Dr. Zeegers had said it was a 2-3 month process, I would have been content. But on several (more than 3) occasions he indicated I would have my report with a week, or 10 days, or 10-10 business days.

Now that I have pressured him for the report, I feel it will be rushed and it will basically regurgitate what I sent him. It will just be a neatly organized summary of the data. That was not what I was looking for.

I received an email this morning promising me to have the report by week's end. Not holding my breath.

Thanks again for the time and input provided. I will follow-up when I get my report and the content.

Thanks,
Jim
__________________
8 mm A-P herniation with annular tear at L4/L5
Initial Injury 2004
Chiro, 14+ Epidural Injections, PT
ADR insurance appeal won in 2013, delayed surgery
2016 pain is now affecting quality of life. Contemplating ADR surgery again.

2016 delayed surgery again due to successful pain management with meds.
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  #7  
Old 07-11-2016, 12:38 PM
Cynlite's Avatar
Cynlite Cynlite is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 666
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If he didn't ask you for any more tests, I would assume he will give you his recommendation at the end of his lengthy report. Another patient hired Dr. Zeegers last year right after me and had the same long wait. Sounds like he is almost done and you'll get your answers. He's just a very analytical guy and the report will confirm to you that he paid attention to everything you told him.

Dr. Zeegers did tell me he only recommended two ADR's in my neck IF I was a ADR candidate (see notes above.) Dr. Bierstedt recommended ADR for the same two levels. They were both more conservative. Dr. Clavel however said that I had significant cord compression at the one in the middle so, he recommended three. No other surgeon made that comment. It was a tricky decision but, I went with Dr. Clavel and the rest is in my post surgery story.

Dr. Zeegers is known for being a great lumbar surgeon so, he is worth the wait. (Not a lot of people from this Board went to him for cervical disc replacement so, for him I just lacked the data I wanted plus, the other things I mentioned.) I know it's frustrating but, at least you are almost there! The other thing about Dr. Zeegers is that he will talk to you on the phone a lot about his diagnosis. He's a good ear to bounce your thoughts off of when trying to noodle out this puzzle.
__________________
2006: epidural shots did nothing; 2 surgeons recommended 2 level fusion, I declined.
2007 - 2010 4 foraminotomy and cord decompression cervical surgeries and 2 endoscopic discectomy T7-T8 surgeries; total 6 with Dr. Jho (Pittsburgh,PA) My C6/C7 autofused around 2009.
2013 - 2015: epidurals 3 times (again did nothing) and 4 Radiofrequency ablation (or RFA) procedures.
2016 more RFAs, hit the 10 year mark of this insanity and pain, 3 level M6-C ADR with Dr. Clavel May 19, 2016
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  #8  
Old 07-14-2016, 09:28 PM
RiverMiles RiverMiles is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 19
Default Surprised but good to know

Hi all.
I just submitted my docs and records to Dr. Z a couple of weeks ago and I appreciate this thread because it tells me what i am apparently in for!
I have to say it really surprises me though. I've read where some members have had trouble getting responses from surgeons overseas. Dr. Z himself called me within half an hour of my initial email to him. I almost dropped my phone!
__________________
Nov-Dec 2015 - 10 miles in the kayak, a N. GA mt summit, a 12-mile day-trek.
Late Dec '15-Mar '16 - Years of "normal" tension in my neck became radiculopathy w/ neuro deficits / Standard conservative treatments. / MRI reveals C5-C7 unpleasantness.
Apr 18th, 2016 - 2LVL ADR scheduled for May 3rd!.......Apr 29th, 2016 - Surgery unscheduled by insurance co.
May 2016 to present - Appealing. Summit the couch daily; trek to restroom/kitchen as necessary.
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  #9  
Old 07-14-2016, 09:53 PM
Cynlite's Avatar
Cynlite Cynlite is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 666
Default

LOL, he is that way. He's really good out of the shoot. I had the same experience but, he will take time to get you his final response.

It's such a puzzle to put this together. He really didn't play a lot into my final decision but, I don't regret working with him. He's a good man, honest IMO and a high analytic so, you have to be able to engage on that level with him. As far as spine surgeons go, he's one of the more "real" ones.

It was pretty darn expensive but, how do you put a price on your future? I put my health first because everything else is meaningless if you don't have the ability to live life. Having input from the best surgeons in the world, helped me decide what was best for me. It starts out as an analytical decision and then becomes a gut feeling...if that makes sense. I hope it does.

I wish you the very best outcome and hope you find a pain free life soon. Patience is the key for all of us and holding on to hope for release from pain. Don't ever give up.

P.S. Several people I know of just had surgery from Dr. Riew in New York City. He has an impressive resume and specializes in cervical patients but, I only know of these two and they just had their surgeries two months ago. If he's in your network, he might be worth checking out too.

P.P.S. I'm so sorry your insurance company screwed up your surgery. When things like that happen, I try to think that something better is in store for me.
__________________
2006: epidural shots did nothing; 2 surgeons recommended 2 level fusion, I declined.
2007 - 2010 4 foraminotomy and cord decompression cervical surgeries and 2 endoscopic discectomy T7-T8 surgeries; total 6 with Dr. Jho (Pittsburgh,PA) My C6/C7 autofused around 2009.
2013 - 2015: epidurals 3 times (again did nothing) and 4 Radiofrequency ablation (or RFA) procedures.
2016 more RFAs, hit the 10 year mark of this insanity and pain, 3 level M6-C ADR with Dr. Clavel May 19, 2016
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  #10  
Old 07-15-2016, 08:29 PM
RiverMiles RiverMiles is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 19
Default

Hey Cynlite - I really appreciate the hopeful words and the lead! My impressions of Dr Z and his character are the same as yours. And it was his thorough, methodical reputation that drew me to him in the first place. Guess that's probably true of all of us.

The first neurosurgeon I met with looked at my films for two and a half minutes then told me I needed a two-level acdf. This approach, obviously, represents the other extreme, the anti-Zeegers, if you will. While I'm not qualified to dispute that assessment, I can say it didn't help me understand my circumstances or prepare me to make one of the most important decisions I will ever make.

We learn pretty quickly that there are no certainties in surgical outcomes. But I think the kind of comprehensive, highly individualized analysis you receive from someone like Dr Z can at least help instill a sense of certainty that you are having the correct surgery or are correct to have or to not have surgery, can help to empower you to make those decisions confidently. That's my hope anyway. So I was prepared to wait and it would be misaligned with my ultimate goal of making an informed decision to rush Dr Z's mojo. Kind of like asking him to, "try and make this operation thing snappy," in pre-op.

Joking aside, I know it's not about rushing him; it's about something you need being delivered as promised. And yankee, pbray, and challenged, I hope you receive your reports soon and they help you achieve outstanding outcomes.
__________________
Nov-Dec 2015 - 10 miles in the kayak, a N. GA mt summit, a 12-mile day-trek.
Late Dec '15-Mar '16 - Years of "normal" tension in my neck became radiculopathy w/ neuro deficits / Standard conservative treatments. / MRI reveals C5-C7 unpleasantness.
Apr 18th, 2016 - 2LVL ADR scheduled for May 3rd!.......Apr 29th, 2016 - Surgery unscheduled by insurance co.
May 2016 to present - Appealing. Summit the couch daily; trek to restroom/kitchen as necessary.
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