If you’re like me, you read reviews to assist in your decision. Had I done that for my first back surgery, maybe I wouldn’t have had post-surgery problems. However, I didn’t. So, I had complications (L4 & 5) that never healed. In addition, a new problem (L3 & 4) had arisen. I never considered returning to the first doctor (not with OSC). As a matter of a fact, that first experience made me very reluctant to having another back surgery. Pain, however, will make you reconsider.
So, I searched for another doctor, just for a consultation. Enter Dr. Jeffrey Carlson at OSC. I found Dr. Carlson to be extremely professional, courteous and very knowledgeable. We discussed the results of my MRI and options (to include conservative treatment, up to surgery). Even though the options seemed plausible, it was obvious that another surgery was inevitable. I expressed my concerns to Dr. Carlson. The hospital stay following the first surgery was three days – how long now? A week? I was out of work for two months the first time. How long this time? Four months? I don’t want to do it! No way! However, every concern that I expressed, Dr. Carlson allayed my fears with a supreme air of self-assuredness and medical facts that could not be refuted. He made me feel so comfortable that we agreed on the date for my surgery right then and there. I left his office that day knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I had the right person for my back surgery.
I was in the hospital one night. I was out of work for three weeks. This time, I had a back brace and a bone growth stimulator. I had a home health nurse and home physical therapist. All were part of Dr. Carlson’s post-surgery team. Their expertise and care was exceptional. As a matter of fact, EVERYONE associated with Dr. Carlson and OSC was exceptional, except for the unusually long wait in the waiting room.
I expressed to Dr. Carlson my desire to stand pain free and be able to take long walks. He assured me that I would be able to do that with no problems. Well, it’s been three months since surgery. Before, I could only stand maybe a minute without pain. Now I’m standing an hour or more, pain free. Before, I could walk only 10 yards, now I’m walking three miles a day. I couldn’t carry any packages from the grocery store to my car. Now…please…no problem whatsoever. I can stand straight and look straight without any pain. How do I feel post-surgery? Like new money in a remodeled bank. And I owe it all to Dr. Jeffrey Carlson at OSC. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Robert Thomas