Could you please post how you have done since the surgery? How long if took to be out of pain from the surgery? How you had to care for the incision, and what the size of the incision was?
And had it continued to be the answer?
Thank you!
Barbara
And had it continued to be the answer?
Thank you!
Barbara
Julie, will be thinking about you and hope you get some answers. Hope your injections were OK for travelling. Let us know as soon as you get a chance and Y'all hang in there.
Bye for now.
Shirley
Bye for now.
Shirley
Does anybody know when Julie is to leave or left?
Julie, if you haven't yet, or even if you have, will you please call me when you get a chance? Hopefully you still have my phone # I can't find your number or your email address. I hope everything goes well for you!
Debbie
Julie, if you haven't yet, or even if you have, will you please call me when you get a chance? Hopefully you still have my phone # I can't find your number or your email address. I hope everything goes well for you!
Debbie
If you folks will forgive me, I meant to address one last issue in my previously posted thesis regarding Dr. Filler. Forgetting is a part of getting old. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
The issue I forgot to address was cost and my reminder was listening to a sports show this morning and they were talking about the Yankees charging $2500 per a behind home plate seat for a single game in their new stadium. I think it's fair to say that the first thing that comes to mind when you hear of such a cost for a ticket to a baseball game being $2500 is "that's a ridiculous cost". Yet, the Yankees have pre-sold every single one of these tickets.
As I previously mentioned in my thesis, one could make an argument that Dr. Filler is one of, if not the, leading expert in the field of piriformis syndrome diagnoses and treatment. From my experience, I wasn't even aware that there was another surgeon who treated for this affliction at the time of my surgery. I also mentioned that, despite the very human side of treating people in pain, Dr. Filler is simply running a business. Fortunately for him, Dr. Filler is runnning what Warren Buffet refers to as a "toll booth" business meaning if you have a need, then you must go through him to receive the service. Frankly, you can count on one hand the number of competent providers of this service. More accurately, I know of only three other providers.
My point is that, yes, I wasn't crazy about paying the signficantly higher costs for his service but I wanted to get well. In my mind, and I've stated this in previous posts, I finally had to reconcile this issue by coming to the conclusion that even if I had pay him off over the rest of my life, it would be worth it to me to feel good again. My much smarter than I am bride added that what else would I do with the money if I wasn't feeling well enough to do anything. BINGO! DECISION MADE!
I admit I think his fees are too high but it doesn't really matter what I think. I am part of his market and I was willing to pay that price in exchange for my return to health, even with no guarantee. I can understand why he charges what he does and I assume his logic is no different than an oil company or Macy's or any other free enterprise driven business. You charge what the market will pay. I also can understand why any doctor would not want to contract with an insurance company if he/she doesn't have to in order build and maintain a practice. It's a business and businesses are in business to make money. It seems cold and cruel, especially in the field of health care, but why should the health care industry be economically different than my field which is energy(natural gas)? We price our services and products just as high as we possibly can and not lose market share.
I will also say this about Dr. Filler. I have inquired about payment plans and courtesy discounts where I thought I could present a valid argument to do so. In these cases, Dr. Filler's office has worked with me and I have found them to be pretty darn flexible.
As time goes on and more physicians become educated regarding PS and the associated treatment, then Dr. Filler will probably have to adjust his rates to maintain his practice in this area of treatment. Unfortunately(and fortunately) for me, he is currently part of a very select few that have dedicated a portion of their practice to diagnosing and treating PS and my timing, as life would have it, is just plain poor. Good for him, bad for me but I can't find fault in his fee structure or me choosing to pay his fees.
Okay, that's what I forgot to add. Combine this with my expectations that come from paying these fees and my sense of his responsibilities and my experience of where he meets, or does not meet, my expectations and you have the total of my thoughts and opinion.
Sincere apologies if I have bored everyone to tears and, of course, I SINCERELY hope everyone is doing as well as possible.
Your friend,
David
The issue I forgot to address was cost and my reminder was listening to a sports show this morning and they were talking about the Yankees charging $2500 per a behind home plate seat for a single game in their new stadium. I think it's fair to say that the first thing that comes to mind when you hear of such a cost for a ticket to a baseball game being $2500 is "that's a ridiculous cost". Yet, the Yankees have pre-sold every single one of these tickets.
As I previously mentioned in my thesis, one could make an argument that Dr. Filler is one of, if not the, leading expert in the field of piriformis syndrome diagnoses and treatment. From my experience, I wasn't even aware that there was another surgeon who treated for this affliction at the time of my surgery. I also mentioned that, despite the very human side of treating people in pain, Dr. Filler is simply running a business. Fortunately for him, Dr. Filler is runnning what Warren Buffet refers to as a "toll booth" business meaning if you have a need, then you must go through him to receive the service. Frankly, you can count on one hand the number of competent providers of this service. More accurately, I know of only three other providers.
My point is that, yes, I wasn't crazy about paying the signficantly higher costs for his service but I wanted to get well. In my mind, and I've stated this in previous posts, I finally had to reconcile this issue by coming to the conclusion that even if I had pay him off over the rest of my life, it would be worth it to me to feel good again. My much smarter than I am bride added that what else would I do with the money if I wasn't feeling well enough to do anything. BINGO! DECISION MADE!
I admit I think his fees are too high but it doesn't really matter what I think. I am part of his market and I was willing to pay that price in exchange for my return to health, even with no guarantee. I can understand why he charges what he does and I assume his logic is no different than an oil company or Macy's or any other free enterprise driven business. You charge what the market will pay. I also can understand why any doctor would not want to contract with an insurance company if he/she doesn't have to in order build and maintain a practice. It's a business and businesses are in business to make money. It seems cold and cruel, especially in the field of health care, but why should the health care industry be economically different than my field which is energy(natural gas)? We price our services and products just as high as we possibly can and not lose market share.
I will also say this about Dr. Filler. I have inquired about payment plans and courtesy discounts where I thought I could present a valid argument to do so. In these cases, Dr. Filler's office has worked with me and I have found them to be pretty darn flexible.
As time goes on and more physicians become educated regarding PS and the associated treatment, then Dr. Filler will probably have to adjust his rates to maintain his practice in this area of treatment. Unfortunately(and fortunately) for me, he is currently part of a very select few that have dedicated a portion of their practice to diagnosing and treating PS and my timing, as life would have it, is just plain poor. Good for him, bad for me but I can't find fault in his fee structure or me choosing to pay his fees.
Okay, that's what I forgot to add. Combine this with my expectations that come from paying these fees and my sense of his responsibilities and my experience of where he meets, or does not meet, my expectations and you have the total of my thoughts and opinion.
Sincere apologies if I have bored everyone to tears and, of course, I SINCERELY hope everyone is doing as well as possible.
Your friend,
David
David: Well spoken once again. No one is bored. I'm impressed with your "dissertative" abilities and envy how well you've expressed your views and addressed the issues. I feel blessed that I live in the San Francisco Bay area so Dr. Barbaro was the perfect option for me. I had never even heard of Dr. Filler until I got on this forum but by that time I'd already started my relationship with Dr. Barbaro. If not for Dr. Barbaro, I'm sure I would have sought out Dr. Filler and paid out of pocket to get relief from this 11 year ordeal. It's just money, after all. Your bride sounds like a smart lady!
Debbie: Julie got up at 4 AM this morning to drive to Nashville to make the trip out here. They'll arrive at the San Francisco airport at 3:30.
HawaiiGirl: We're all concerned about you and would love to hear what's going on. You're in my prayers.
Take care all,
Margie
Margie
Debbie: Julie got up at 4 AM this morning to drive to Nashville to make the trip out here. They'll arrive at the San Francisco airport at 3:30.
HawaiiGirl: We're all concerned about you and would love to hear what's going on. You're in my prayers.
Take care all,
Margie
Margie
David--Your thesis is excellent! You definitely have a way with words and an excellent ability to express your thoughts. Thank you for speaking up for all of us. I'm new to this forum but have had this pain for 4 yrs. Every nugget of information on this forum is priceless and gives me hope for a better future. Constant pain is no life and seeing how well you've done gives us all hope. I'm finding that doctors in this area don't believe in PS or treating pain.
Margie--Thanks for the info on Julie. I finally found the msg she sent me so I called her and left a msg. I told her she's in our thoughts and prayers. I hope all goes well for her. I didn't realize that Barbaro was also your surgeon until your most recent post. I would really like to talk with you if you don't mind. I'll send you a PM.
HG--I second Margie's concern. We know how painful and emotionally draining PS is and we're here to support you. You're in my prayers.
Boy, my prayer list has really grown since being on this post! It's great to have people that really care but I know we all wish the pain never existed.
Debbie
Margie--Thanks for the info on Julie. I finally found the msg she sent me so I called her and left a msg. I told her she's in our thoughts and prayers. I hope all goes well for her. I didn't realize that Barbaro was also your surgeon until your most recent post. I would really like to talk with you if you don't mind. I'll send you a PM.
HG--I second Margie's concern. We know how painful and emotionally draining PS is and we're here to support you. You're in my prayers.
Boy, my prayer list has really grown since being on this post! It's great to have people that really care but I know we all wish the pain never existed.
Debbie
Margie--tell me about the piriformis and sciatic notch injections. Are they just with Marcaine and for diagnostic purposes? What kind of diagnostic procedures does Layzer want before he sees someone? I'm trying to figure out what I can do here.
Hey guys, I have had a really bad 24 hrs. My pain was 3-4/10 when I left for the PM appt yesterday morning but by the time I drove, waited 1 1/2 - 2 hrs to be seen by his PA (appt was supposed to be with the doc), my pain was 8/10. After the trip home it was 9-10/10 and I couldn't stop crying. My PM doesn't believe in anything that's not interventional and won't give me anything orally for pain while I wait during the workup for the Spinal Cord Stimulator. I was out of my mind with pain and called my PCP at midnight. Mistake. My dtr took me to the ER and we were told the wait was 10 hrs and 12 people were ahead of me. Mistake. There was no way I could sit anymore and they said they didn't have a gurney for me to lie down on so we went home. More tears and hopelessness. My ortho is on vacation this week so no luck there. I just feel like I'm alone (outside this forum) and nobody in the healthcare field cares anymore. The only narcotic I've ever had was Percocet one tab twice a day and it didn't do squat. Nothing for >2 wks. I don't drink. I don't abuse or do drugs. I just want somebody to help with this pain. This is not a life. Don't they understand that? How can medical personnel be so callous? I've been a RN for >20 yrs and the care I've experienced makes me sorry to admit I'm part of the field. Maybe I should've remained a teacher. Either way, you get beat up on.
Sorry guys but I just had to vent. I need some hugs and prayers please. I've been up all night and the pain remains, of course. Thanks for the shoulders to cry on.
Debbie
Hey guys, I have had a really bad 24 hrs. My pain was 3-4/10 when I left for the PM appt yesterday morning but by the time I drove, waited 1 1/2 - 2 hrs to be seen by his PA (appt was supposed to be with the doc), my pain was 8/10. After the trip home it was 9-10/10 and I couldn't stop crying. My PM doesn't believe in anything that's not interventional and won't give me anything orally for pain while I wait during the workup for the Spinal Cord Stimulator. I was out of my mind with pain and called my PCP at midnight. Mistake. My dtr took me to the ER and we were told the wait was 10 hrs and 12 people were ahead of me. Mistake. There was no way I could sit anymore and they said they didn't have a gurney for me to lie down on so we went home. More tears and hopelessness. My ortho is on vacation this week so no luck there. I just feel like I'm alone (outside this forum) and nobody in the healthcare field cares anymore. The only narcotic I've ever had was Percocet one tab twice a day and it didn't do squat. Nothing for >2 wks. I don't drink. I don't abuse or do drugs. I just want somebody to help with this pain. This is not a life. Don't they understand that? How can medical personnel be so callous? I've been a RN for >20 yrs and the care I've experienced makes me sorry to admit I'm part of the field. Maybe I should've remained a teacher. Either way, you get beat up on.
Sorry guys but I just had to vent. I need some hugs and prayers please. I've been up all night and the pain remains, of course. Thanks for the shoulders to cry on.
Debbie
Debbie, you should never sit. Stop sitting completely. Every time you do, you are causing the area to become further inflamed and it will never heal.
Unfortunately we live in a society where no medical system or doctor will admit that there are diseases and injuries that make it impossible to sit. When I go to the doctor now, I pretty much threaten to sue them under disability law provisions, telling them they MUST provide a gurney or else.
I also have provided my own gurney or portable massage table on occasion.
Making you sit is like making somebody with a unhealed broken leg walk without a cast or crutches. It is medical malpractice.
Bill T.
Unfortunately we live in a society where no medical system or doctor will admit that there are diseases and injuries that make it impossible to sit. When I go to the doctor now, I pretty much threaten to sue them under disability law provisions, telling them they MUST provide a gurney or else.
I also have provided my own gurney or portable massage table on occasion.
Making you sit is like making somebody with a unhealed broken leg walk without a cast or crutches. It is medical malpractice.
Bill T.
Debbie, I feel so bad for you. I can't believe your doctors won't give you anythingfor pain. I did lots of research on narcotic pain meds before I finally gave in and took it and everything I read said that people hope are prescribed opioids for pain don't have a danger of addiction unless they were addicted to something before so why oh why are some doctors still so afraid to prescribe. I am so sorry to hear you are in so much pain and without any support or meds.
Go to The American Pain Foundation website. I highly recommend it as it has lots of articles about pain and also about the right to be treated for pain. Oneman also sent something abot the patients right t be treated for pain.
I send you lots of hugs and prayers and hope you can get out of this dark hole.
Love
Shirley
Debbie,
I am so sorry that you are in such pain. I'll have to admit that I don't think the pain I've endured even comes close to what you and others on this post have had to deal with. My surgery was very straight forward. All Dr. Barbaro had to do was cut the piriformis. There was no scar tissue to clean up or anything. So although my PS journey lasted 11 years, it was manageable. Don't get me wrong. It definitely altered my life and I could no longer do many of the activities that I used to do - running, hiking, working out at the gym. All I could do was swim and some days not even that. But I was able to keep working and maintain a normal life - albeit one clouded with constant pain. So I really feel for you and others whose pain is/was so much worse than mine. Mine sucked. Yours must suck big time!!
Dr. Layzer did not require any specific tests prior to my seeing him. Of course I did have to provide him with all my previous records, MRIs, Xrays, etc. He is the one that ordered the MRN and then, based on his assessment that PS was a definite possibility, he passed me on to Dr. Barbaro who ordered the sciatic notch injection. I'm not sure if it was Marcaine that was used but if not, it was something similar. It was definitely just a diagnostic tool and it was perfectly clear once it was done that PS was my issue. I had a blissful 3 hours with no pain in that leg. Heaven!! I hope that answered your question. If not, feel free to ask more.
Hope your day goes better.
Margie
David , where did a guy who did engineering learn to write like that--you sound more like an English major. Very well expressed. I wondered if Dr. Filler's fees were bad compared to other neurosurgeons in theUS. It was Cedars Sinai's fees that I found incredibly high. I thought Dr. Filler's fees were in the range for neurosurgery but of course I haven't had surgery yet, just the injections. He was with me for at least 2 hours the day of the injections. Canadian fees are not nearly as high as US because they are controlled by the government.
You must be doing well as I have heard no complaints recently. Thanks for staying on.
Shirley (not Jackson)
You must be doing well as I have heard no complaints recently. Thanks for staying on.
Shirley (not Jackson)
Debbie:
Unbelievable that you can't get pain medication. I don't even know what to say to that. I'm so sorry to hear that you are suffering. Please hang on and know that we are here for you to listen so vent as much as you need to. I do find that Aleve helps quite a bit. I realize it may not help at all because it sounds like your pain level is off the charts. Worth a try I suppose if you haven't tried it yet. I'm just trying to think of something that might help even a little.
David:
Well said to say the least.
Leesa
Unbelievable that you can't get pain medication. I don't even know what to say to that. I'm so sorry to hear that you are suffering. Please hang on and know that we are here for you to listen so vent as much as you need to. I do find that Aleve helps quite a bit. I realize it may not help at all because it sounds like your pain level is off the charts. Worth a try I suppose if you haven't tried it yet. I'm just trying to think of something that might help even a little.
David:
Well said to say the least.
Leesa
Hi all.
Debbie - So very sorry to read about your pain. NEVER be afraid to vent on here. We've all done it and although no one on here can directly ease your pain, we can certainly support you. Hang in there the very best you can until you can find some help.
Shirley - Yes, I'm doing pretty darn well. Walking about 1.5 miles a day and working in the yard. It's not the old me but it's a far cry from where I was.
With regard to Dr. Filer's fees. Good point. I didn't mean to imply that his fees were much higher than a typical neurosurgeon. I meant that his ffes are high on an after insurance payment basis. Again, he doesn't contract with an insurance company so his fees, post insruance allowance, end up having a much harder impact on out of pocket expenditure. Actually my Cedar-Sinai payment was a tiny fraction of what I owed Dr. Filler because they are a contracted provider with BC/BS. So yes, I received a $100,000 bill but my out of pocket cost was only $189 after insurance adjustments and payment. Not complaining but go figure!!!!!!
Debbie - So very sorry to read about your pain. NEVER be afraid to vent on here. We've all done it and although no one on here can directly ease your pain, we can certainly support you. Hang in there the very best you can until you can find some help.
Shirley - Yes, I'm doing pretty darn well. Walking about 1.5 miles a day and working in the yard. It's not the old me but it's a far cry from where I was.
With regard to Dr. Filer's fees. Good point. I didn't mean to imply that his fees were much higher than a typical neurosurgeon. I meant that his ffes are high on an after insurance payment basis. Again, he doesn't contract with an insurance company so his fees, post insruance allowance, end up having a much harder impact on out of pocket expenditure. Actually my Cedar-Sinai payment was a tiny fraction of what I owed Dr. Filler because they are a contracted provider with BC/BS. So yes, I received a $100,000 bill but my out of pocket cost was only $189 after insurance adjustments and payment. Not complaining but go figure!!!!!!
Hi Everybody:
I had my 2 month follow up phone call yesterday with Cece (she called about 20 minutes early by the way which was great). She s very kind and compassionate. I left some questions with her for Dr. Filler and hope to get a call back today. Because I m still in pain and still recovering, the main question I have for him is if I return to a full work schedule and basically my normal life, will I do further damage and/or hinder the recovery process or will it just be that I m in pain?
I ve taken a bit of a turn for the worse these past couple of days. The other day I miscalculated a curb and guess I jarred my back a little. Didn t think it was a big deal at the time, I just retraced my steps after my lower back started killing me for what seemed to be no reason. Then late yesterday, all night and now today my butt and leg (and now lower back) are probably the worse since surgery. For the most part I ve really been taking it easy, I swear! Cece said this recovery has many ups and downs which I already know from everyone else s experience. Nevertheless, it is scary to have set backs. You feel like it might get stuck there. I may go on another steroid pack. If I remember correctly some of you took two or more rounds of steroids after surgery.
Did anyone have new/different back pain after surgery? I m really finding it hard to believe that curb incident caused any harm, it wasn t a huge jarring at all and I m not even sure that s what happened.
Blah, blah, blah...........
Leesa
I had my 2 month follow up phone call yesterday with Cece (she called about 20 minutes early by the way which was great). She s very kind and compassionate. I left some questions with her for Dr. Filler and hope to get a call back today. Because I m still in pain and still recovering, the main question I have for him is if I return to a full work schedule and basically my normal life, will I do further damage and/or hinder the recovery process or will it just be that I m in pain?
I ve taken a bit of a turn for the worse these past couple of days. The other day I miscalculated a curb and guess I jarred my back a little. Didn t think it was a big deal at the time, I just retraced my steps after my lower back started killing me for what seemed to be no reason. Then late yesterday, all night and now today my butt and leg (and now lower back) are probably the worse since surgery. For the most part I ve really been taking it easy, I swear! Cece said this recovery has many ups and downs which I already know from everyone else s experience. Nevertheless, it is scary to have set backs. You feel like it might get stuck there. I may go on another steroid pack. If I remember correctly some of you took two or more rounds of steroids after surgery.
Did anyone have new/different back pain after surgery? I m really finding it hard to believe that curb incident caused any harm, it wasn t a huge jarring at all and I m not even sure that s what happened.
Blah, blah, blah...........
Leesa
Leesa,
Well c**p! I'm so sorry to hear about you latest pain issue! Who'd have thought that bumping a curb would do that? We all know there are ups and downs but we keep hoping for just "ups" and no "downs"! I hope you feel better quickly. Also, let us know what Filler says when he calls and answers your questions. I have a list started for Dr. Barbaro when I see him in a couple of weeks. If anyone out there can think of any questions I should be asking, please let me know and I'll add it to my list if it's not already there.
Hang in there Leesa.
Margie
Well c**p! I'm so sorry to hear about you latest pain issue! Who'd have thought that bumping a curb would do that? We all know there are ups and downs but we keep hoping for just "ups" and no "downs"! I hope you feel better quickly. Also, let us know what Filler says when he calls and answers your questions. I have a list started for Dr. Barbaro when I see him in a couple of weeks. If anyone out there can think of any questions I should be asking, please let me know and I'll add it to my list if it's not already there.
Hang in there Leesa.
Margie