Hi,
My brother lives in Goldsboro and just had an MRI showing five herniated discs and will probably need surgery. Does anyone know of a highly regarded Neurosurgeon in the Goldsboro area? I think/hope my brother would be willing to travel to The Triangle if need be. Any recommendations for highly regarded Neurosurgeons in The Traingle would also be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jeffrey
Definitely Allan Friedman and also Henry Friedman, also at Duke.
I have had two procedures with Dr. Allan Friedman. He is by all reports an excellent surgeon and I have no complaints about his surgical technique, not that I'm really qualified to assess such.
But be warned, Dr. Friedman has the bedside manner of a goat with irritable bowel syndrome who is late for another appointment.
My first operation was when I was 20 and my back was a wreck. Basically, I saw Friedman for about 5 minutes. Someone later came in and told me I was scheduled for surgery.
Ten years later, after a recurrence, I went to him again. This time, Friedman sent me home twice for a month of bedrest with massively insufficient drug meds. During the second appointment, my eyes were literally watering from the sciatica pain. He was very dismissive. After I begged and pleaded for an MRI, he grudgingly signed off on one. His office called me a day or two after the MRI and scheduled surgery. The resident who came by the next day told me that the consensus in the OR was that they had removed the biggest piece of disk herniation anyone there had ever seen.
My current doctor is Craig T. Derian in Durham. His specialty is fixing botched/failed back procedures, unfortunately not as uncommon as one might think until you realize what a subtle and tricky thing the back is. But he also performs more common procedures.
When my disk ruptured AGAIN a few years ago, Derian sat down with me and discussed my options for WELL OVER AN HOUR. He exhaustively explained what was actually going on in my back, and laid out my options. He gave me so much information I ended up deciding AGAINST his primary recommendation, and opted to ride it out-- which was more possible than under Friedman because Derian's pain management was sufficient to allow me to make rational decisions. To the surprise of both of us, over the next few months my pain receded entirely.
I don't want to be overly harsh on Friedman, my experience may very well be an outlier (Gawd, I sure hope it is!), but EVERYONE who's dealt with him is unimpressed with his bedside manner.
Bottom line-- get your brother to get a second opinion. Even if he's totally sold on Friedman's rep (make no mistake, EVERYONE thinks Friedman is the best), he really owes it to himself to schedule an appointment with Dr. Derian while he's in Durham. At the very least, he will get a firm handle on what his options are and what's going on in his back.
Please feel free to PM me.
Hi,
Thank you very much for the very valuable information! When I researched Dr. Friedman's specialty (tumor and vascular surgery) earlier today, I incorrectly concluded he would not perform disc herniation surgery. It's very valuable to know that he may take my brother's case. I also greatly appreciate your warnings about his bedside manner.
In addition, your point about two opinions is spot on! Thanks for the information about Dr. Derian. He sounds like my kind of doctor.
Best regards,
Jeffrey