I recently told Dr. Hummell that he is my #2 hero, right after my husband. He performed a miracle on me, and my husband and I will always be grateful.
Here's my story: I had a pinched nerve in my cervical (neck) spine. It had given me trouble over a few years, but suddenly one day in July it became excruciating and wouldn't stop. The major pain was in my arm, and it was so bad within a few days that I couldn't be in any position other than flat on my back for more than a few minutes. Otherwise, I would be in tears. After undergoing multiple weeks of chiropractics and physical therapy, I got an MRI.
The MRI indicated that I needed surgery. Spine surgery is not something to be entered into lightly, so I talked to seven surgeons, including "the best of the best" in Houston. One surgeon recommended a double fusion of my vertebra, and the others recommended a single fusion. I really wasn't excited about any kind of fusion, as I love to waterski, surf, and snowboard, and I wasn't sure if I could still do those things with a fused spine.
The seventh surgeon I talked to was Dr. Hummell. He was the ONLY surgeon to actually sit down in front of a large screen and explain my MRI to me in detail. Then he gave me his recommendation, without asking what the other surgeons recommended. (I had a few surgeons ask me what recommendation(s) I had received before they gave me theirs, which I thought to be somewhat unprofessional and lacking in confidence.)
Dr. Hummell also made a recommendation that no other surgeon had made. He thought that because of the location of my herniated disc (to the side) that he could enter through the back of my neck and simply remove it, without the need for any fusion. He couldn't guarantee with 100% certainty that it would be successful (I don't think any surgeon in that position could), but he felt very good about it, and I felt very confident in him. If it didn't work, he would do another surgery with a frontal approach and do a fusion, like all of the other surgeons wanted to do.
I told him I was willing to go for it, as I really didn't want a fusion. He then warned me that entering the spine from the back involves cutting through a lot of muscle, and the recovery was going to be extremely painful. He really emphasized this point. (By contrast, cervical fusions are generally done from the front, and because they don't cut much muscle, I understand that the recovery really isn't that bad.) Again, I wanted to avoid a fusion, so I said OK to the painful recovery.
He did the surgery from the back (a partial discectomy of the C6-C7 disk, with no fusion), and OH MY GOSH, I have now experienced an 11 on the 1-10 pain scale. I didn't realize that I needed to wake myself in the middle of the night to take my pain medication. There were 2 or 3 times when I didn't take them at the exact right time, and the pain felt like I was being eaten by a wild animal. So TAKE YOUR MEDS precisely, including setting an alarm in the middle of the night to take them. And then get off the meds as quickly as possible, as they really mess with your mind.
After the major pain subsided, I still had some lingering pain and a couple of setbacks. (Ten days after surgery, I fell as a result of major vertigo.) So I really didn't know for several weeks if the surgery was "successful" or not. There were a few weeks when I thought I was going to live with mild to moderate arm pain for the rest of my life. But I am thrilled to say that I am now 3 months post-op, and I have ZERO pain (and have for several weeks). Dr. Hummell saved me!
I will forever be indebted to Dr. Hummell. He took a position that no one else took, presented it with the confidence that only comes from years of experience, and he performed perfectly. On top of that, he is very kind and compassionate. We cannot recommend him enough!! read more