I am currently 8 days post op, so I totally plan on updating when I have more time under my belt. Dr. Tseng and his staff were absolutely amazing from beginning to end. I met with Dr. Zucherman at Saint Marys, however, doctor Tseng was a much better fit for me. When I arrived at my first appointment with my MRI he reviewed it with me. Dr. Tseng was able to explain to me what I was seeing in the MRI. He reviewed my pain meds provided Dr. and made recommendations. He provided my options, statistics on outcome, and addressed my fears. I left undecided about surgery with a follow up appointment in two weeks to discuss. During the two weeks I decided to do surgery, so my follow up because my pre-op.
The scheduling process: When I called Dr. Tseng's scheduler late Friday the same week of my exam, I informed her that I wanted to proceed with surgery. She let me know that we would have to get some sort of clearance from doctor Tseng, once received she would give me a call the following week with available times. Normally when I hear "Next week", I think OH GAWD, this is going to take forever. I received a call from the scheduler on the following Monday morning at 10 am with available surgery times, and instructions on my pre-op appointment with my PCP to clear for surgery. She IMMEDIATELY faxed all the information my PCP needed to clear me for surgery so I was able to get in with my PCP a.s.a.p.
Pre-Op appointment w/Dr. Tseng: When I returned for the Pre-op appointment, which was scheduled at 1pm, I was seen ON TIME, this appointment required x-rays, which were completed in 15 minute. During the appointment I expressed that I was now experiencing pain on both sides. I was able to get an MRI authorized with my insurance company, paid my out of pocket percentage, and completed within the hour. My MRI's (I had two) were very painful, I cried in both. The Tech was phenomenal, he was so kind, and he let me know exactly how long I was going to have to stay in the machine. I also met one of the nurses that worked in the surgery center who was attending an appointment with a family member. She was supportive, gave me recommendations for dealing with low back pain, and told me she would be there on the day of surgery. All and all - I had my pre-op appointment was x-rayed, had my MRI and was out of the office by 3pm (two hours total).
Surgery day: I arrived at the surgery center, was quickly registered and met with all of the processionals. Everyone was SO kind. Surgery went well. Surgery center nurses were awesome. And the nurse from the pre-op appointment really did come check on me. It meant the world. I was released with both verbal and written instructions, and headed home without incident.
The next day: Dr. Tseng called to check on me, answered all of my questions, and told me the result of the surgery. The surgery center called me, to check on me and answer any questions.
When I started this process I was terrified and I wasn't sure surgery was the right choice. I am currently pain free, without complication. I would highly recommend Dr. Tseng to the patient that needs hand holding, read more