I was diagnosed with needing an anterior cervical fusion-level 1…Once I met with Dr. Jeffrey Carlson, it was determined that surgery was necessary. When I looked into what the surgery would entail, I was extremely nervous about the procedure, being my first surgery ever. I was warned that Dr. Carlson would go in from the front, move my esophagus, and go straight back to the disc in my neck.
When I arrived at Mary Immaculate Hospital, they took me in right away and started pre-op. Dr. Carlson came in, and answered all the questions my wife and I had. I went back into surgery approximately 7:30 AM, and I woke up at approximately 9:00 AM with my neck brace on. I immediately noticed all the pain that I had experienced was now gone.
I was told I would probably need to be on a soft diet for a few days and to expect a sore throat. I experienced none of the side effects of the surgery. When I awoke, a nurse was there and asked if I was hungry. I was starving. They gave me graham crackers and a big cup of Pepsi. I was in the neck brace approximately 12 days.
I cannot overstate how professional Dr. Carlson and his staff are. He had come highly recommended from my primary care provider, on whom Dr. Carlson had performed the same procedure. Any orthopaedic needs I have in the future will surely be done by Dr. Carlson. My recovery was so much better than I ever anticipated. I cannot thank Dr. Carlson and his physician assistant, Tonia, enough. If anyone is preparing to get this surgery done, I highly recommend OSC.
David Kruger