In September of 2015 I began having back and leg pain on my right side. As the pain got worse, I tried a chiropractor, then physical therapy. The pain kept getting worse so thinking that I had a hip problem, I made an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon at HSS. After x-rays and examination, Dr. Nestor determined that the problem was not my hip, but with my lower back and he referred me to a physiatrist, Dr. Wyss, also at HSS. We tried two epidural injections with no improvement. Although scheduling me for a third epidural, Dr. Wyss had the foresight to suggest that I consult with a back surgeon and recommended Dr. Cunningham.
Dr. Cunningham was great. He had a wonderful calming manner and didn't push me into surgery right away. He essentially left it up to me to decide whether to go for the third epidural or schedule surgery right away. After a few days, the pain got so bad that I called Dr. Cunningham's office and asked to be scheduled for surgery right away. This is where the extraordinary service came into play. I called the Monday before Thanksgiving. Dr. Cunningham's office manager, Tina Miller, went to work. She pulled out all the stops and managed to get me set up for pre-op physical the next week, got an emergency approval from my health insurance company and got my surgery scheduled for Nov 30th (NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE!!!).
The surgery went smoothly and the care that I received from HSS was amazing. Everybody from the surgeon, the nurses, the physical therapists to the people who changed the bed and generally cared for me was wonderful. Pleasant, helpful, caring and professional.
Currently, almost two months after my surgery I am walking around on my own almost pain free and feeling wonderful. I am particularly thankful to Dr. Cunningham who did such a great job with my surgery, to his PA Brenda, who always answered all my questions and returned my phone calls promptly, and to Tina for coming to my aid in my time of need.
This is my third experience with HSS. Torn meniscus and knee replacement with Dr. Nestor and back surgery with Dr. Cunningham. I wouldn't think of going anywhere else for any orthopedic surgery.
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