Spine Care Institute Patient Stories

Chris Pates, East Haven, CT — spine surgery
I am deeply grateful to Dr. Federico Girardi and the extraordinary nursing, diagnostic and rehabilitation teams at the Spine Care Institute at Hospital for Special Surgery. Eight months ago, I ruptured a disc in my lower back sparring in karate. I immediately sought the opinions of two orthopedic surgeons and a neurosurgeon at different academic medical centers in Connecticut. An MRI revealed that disc fragments were pressing on one of the primary nerves that control the hip flexor and quadricep in my right leg. A disc fragment had also severed a vein, causing a hematoma. The surgeons told me I needed a laminectomy, which consists of removing parts of the spine, in order to repair the damaged areas. They told me that after surgery, I would need to give up most elements of my active lifestyle. I could never do karate, snowboard or run again, but if I was fortunate I might be able to continue cycling. I was also told that if left unattended, the atrophy in my leg would continue to progress and that the damage would eventually be permanent. This was simply unacceptable news and I was immediately standing at a crossroads. My wife and I began praying for a better option, for guidance, for hope. more

Chris Pates, East Haven, CT — spine surgery
I am deeply grateful to Dr. Federico Girardi and the extraordinary nursing, diagnostic and rehabilitation teams at the Spine Care Institute at Hospital for Special Surgery. Eight months ago, I ruptured a disc in my lower back sparring in karate. I immediately sought the opinions of two orthopedic surgeons and a neurosurgeon at different academic medical centers in Connecticut. An MRI revealed that disc fragments were pressing on one of the primary nerves that control the hip flexor and quadricep in my right leg. A disc fragment had also severed a vein, causing a hematoma. The surgeons told me I needed a laminectomy, which consists of removing parts of the spine, in order to repair the damaged areas. They told me that after surgery, I would need to give up most elements of my active lifestyle. I could never do karate, snowboard or run again, but if I was fortunate I might be able to continue cycling. I was also told that if left unattended, the atrophy in my leg would continue to progress and that the damage would eventually be permanent. This was simply unacceptable news and I was immediately standing at a crossroads. My wife and I began praying for a better option, for guidance, for hope. less

My favorite quotation from Thomas Jefferson is “delay is preferable to error.” The next Saturday morning I learned how right he was. While watching class at my karate studio, Charles, one of my fellow students, asked me how I was doing. I shared the recommendations and bleak prognosis with him. He said “You need to go to a place where they do a lot of specialized procedures on the spine. You need to go to Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.”

I make my living as a fundraiser in healthcare and have worked closely with physicians, surgeons and scientists for 20 years. I have also had the privilege of knowing countless grateful patients who have supported the programs and research interests of their physicians. However, it was not until my experience with Dr. Girardi that I would truly understand what it means to be a grateful patient.

From the initial evaluation, Dr. Girardi and his team were clearly different than others I had seen. Dr. Girardi spent more time examining me than the combined total of all previous evaluations at other institutions. After reviewing the MRI with me and my wife, he told us that he could perform a minimally invasive procedure called a microdiscectomy to repair the damage. He would not need to remove any major portions of my anatomy and he would repair the damaged disc and clean-up the gel which coated the nerves of my spine. The best news of all was that the pain in my leg would subside shortly after surgery and I would be able to return to normal physical activity in a few months.

You just know when you find a doctor who you will trust to operate on your spine. Dr. Girardi performed a microdiscectomy on me at HSS a week later.

During the recovery, he told me that disc fragments had torn the dural layer of a nerve and it was leaking spinal fluid. The imbalance caused me to experience severe headaches whenever I attempted to sit up. I was confined to bed rest on my back for six days to allow the nerve to heal. It was a frightening and frustrating time, but I never lost confidence in Dr. Girardi, the nurses or the physical therapists. Any medical team can handle the routine, even complications from surgery, but you really get to see the remarkable character of true excellence when things do not go as expected. Dr. Girardi, the nursing staff and rehabilitation teams were nothing short of exceptional. Moreover, I learned that Dr. Girardi's bedside manners rival his surgical talent.

Three months into my recovery, my wife and I were at a dinner party in Greenwich, Connecticut. The conversation turned early on to a question and answer session about my recent surgery. Two people responded by sharing that they too had been operated on at Hospital for Special Surgery. My friend Rocky told us he had a hip replacement at HSS. The wife of another friend from Boston shared that she had a procedure to treat her advanced scoliosis at HSS. I found it quite remarkable that three of the four couples that night had profound reasons to be grateful to people at HSS.

Three weeks ago I celebrated the six-month anniversary of my surgery at Big Sky Montana on a snowboarding trip with friends. Sitting on the lift one morning on my way to the summit, I could not help be reminded of Dr. Girardi’s promise that I would return to the physical activities I dearly love. I took this picture of "the bowl" just as I was thinking of Dr. Girardi and thanked him in my mind. A few minutes later I was floating down through knee deep powder. Snowboarding is a lot like life. Really challenging terrain is full of unexpected twists and turns, and sometimes it can be pretty scary. If you are not falling, then you are not pushing yourself to excel and improve. At 44, the real trick is being able to get up after a hard fall and keep going.

I am back doing all the physical activities I enjoy. I offer heartfelt thanks to Dr. Girardi and the exceptional team at Hospital for Special Surgery for this and for getting me back up on the mountain of life. God bless.

Donald T. Donofrio, Newton, NJ — spine surgery
One late August morning in 2010, I woke up with what felt like a knife stabbing me between the shoulder blades. Over the next few days, the obvious symptoms of a disc herniation manifested themselves, including the most frightening for me—a loss of 70-75% triceps and chest strength in my right arm. After a few weeks of conservative treatments, which did not resolve the problem, I was ultimately referred to Dr. Bernard Rawlins at HSS by a friend who was not only a healthcare professional, but also a former patient of Dr. Rawlins. I was diagnosed with a severe herniation at C6-7 that was impinging my spinal cord. Without surgery, I risked the loss of use of my arms and/or a continuing degradation of motor function. On October 11, 2010, I entered HSS, where Dr. Rawlins and his team performed ACDF surgery on me. Immediately upon waking, I knew I was better. My first question was, "When can I get back to the gym?" I was discharged the next day. I had to wear a hard collar for about 4 weeks, then a soft collar for a couple of more. more

Donald T. Donofrio, Newton, NJ — spine surgery
One late August morning in 2010, I woke up with what felt like a knife stabbing me between the shoulder blades. Over the next few days, the obvious symptoms of a disc herniation manifested themselves, including the most frightening for me—a loss of 70-75% triceps and chest strength in my right arm. After a few weeks of conservative treatments, which did not resolve the problem, I was ultimately referred to Dr. Bernard Rawlins at HSS by a friend who was not only a healthcare professional, but also a former patient of Dr. Rawlins. I was diagnosed with a severe herniation at C6-7 that was impinging my spinal cord. Without surgery, I risked the loss of use of my arms and/or a continuing degradation of motor function. On October 11, 2010, I entered HSS, where Dr. Rawlins and his team performed ACDF surgery on me. Immediately upon waking, I knew I was better. My first question was, "When can I get back to the gym?" I was discharged the next day. I had to wear a hard collar for about 4 weeks, then a soft collar for a couple of more. less

So here I am, close to six months later. I am happy to report that I have regained what I believe to be 100% of my strength and function, and I am in probably the best physical condition of my life. I just ran my first 5K, and am training for an extreme endurance competition in mid-April, a half-marathon in May and a sprint triathlon in July. I'll be 49 years old in May. Obviously, my surgery was a success, and I feel truly blessed to have been referred to HSS and Dr. Rawlins. I can't say enough good things about the entire HSS organization and its employees. Everyone I came into contact during my pre-surgery evaluations and testing, my stay at the hospital, and my follow-up interactions were nothing short of outstanding. THEY are the true ambassadors of HSS, and for them, I remain grateful. The best reference is a good referral, and I have referred several of my friends to Dr. Rawlins and HSS for their spinal conditions, in the hope that they too may be blessed as I was by the spectacular people at HSS.

Nancy Guerriere, Hackettstown, NJ — spine surgery
During the past two years both my husband and I have been patients and had spinal surgery at HSS. In Aug. 2008 my husband was diagnosed with a herniated lumbar disc. When treatment with physical therapy, meds and an epidural injection failed to relieve his symptoms and they actually became worse, our doctor advised us to see a spine specialist. I have been a nurse for 35 years in a suburban community hospital and am very sensitive to how patients are treated and was a little wary of a 'big city hospital'. I couldn't have been more wrong. more

Nancy Guerriere, Hackettstown, NJ — spine surgery
During the past two years both my husband and I have been patients and had spinal surgery at HSS. In Aug. 2008 my husband was diagnosed with a herniated lumbar disc. When treatment with physical therapy, meds and an epidural injection failed to relieve his symptoms and they actually became worse, our doctor advised us to see a spine specialist. I have been a nurse for 35 years in a suburban community hospital and am very sensitive to how patients are treated and was a little wary of a 'big city hospital'. I couldn't have been more wrong. less

I knew about HSS' excellent reputation and since we were dealing with the spine, I wanted the best. The physician referral service gave me the name of Dr. James C. Farmer. We saw Dr. Farmer within a week and were very impressed with him. He was friendly, approachable, and confident but not arrogant; he answered all our questions and explained procedures thoroughly, along with risks and benefits. Regardless of how busy the office was, we never felt rushed during our visits. His office staff is helpful, friendly and efficient. They scheduled all tests and visits on the same day which made things easier for us. Dr. Farmer recommended a microdiscectomy, which was done late Nov. 2008. My husband's neurological symptoms cleared up but the pain continued, so under the recommendation of Dr. Farmer, my husband had a lumbar epidural done by Dr. Christopher Lutz in July 2009. It was a complete success, eliminating the pain.

Unfortunately, two more discs herniated late Sept. 2009, which necessitated a two-level spinal fusion in Nov. 2009. Dr. Farmer had made us aware that this could be a possiblity prior to the first surgery so we weren't taken by surprise. Meanwhile, I had been having issues with my neck and in April 2009 was diagnosed with herniated cervical discs. My first go-round with meds and physical therapy was successful but about six months later, my symptoms returned, only worse and in both arms. This time the meds and PT didn't work. Without hesitation I went to see Dr. Farmer. He was surprised to see me but he spent time with me and did not assume that I knew what would be happening; he explained thorougly the procedure, risks and benefits, and answered all our questions. We decided to try an epidural first, which I had done at HSS. Unfortunately, it didn't relieve my symptoms, and since I had a reaction to the steroids, it was decided not to repeat the epidural. I still felt I had very good care in Special Procedures; the procedure itself was painless and Dr. Richman was very conscientious about keeping in touch with me and following up.

In a subsequent visit with Dr. Farmer we decided to go ahead with the surgery. Both my husband and I never felt pressured to have surgery; the decision was made as a team. Dr. Farmer operated on me on June 1, 2010, performing a two-level cervical spinal fusion. In the recovery room, I knew my symptoms had cleared up. I was only just a little nervous about the surgery because I knew that I was in good hands. For both of us, throughout the pre-op work-up - MRIs, CT scans, lab work, medical clearances, neurological workups - we were treated with kindness, respect and concern. We did not come across one person at HSS that did not make us feel that we were in excellent hands.

As inpatients, we were very impressed by the professional, warm, caring attitude of everyone we came across - from lab techs, OR staff, recovery room staff, physical therapists, nurses, x-ray techs, nurses techs, physician assistants, anesthesiologists (Dr. LaSala and Dr. Ya Deau), pain management team, and surgical residents. There was even a kind soul from dietary who brought me a coffee and muffin one morning during my husband's hospital stay. There is a culture of professionalism, compassion, expertise and pride in the work they do that permeates HSS and the staff. That in turn makes you feel secure that you are getting the best treatment and care possible. I have been very grateful that we "found" Dr. Farmer and for the care that he, HSS and the staff have given us.