10 out of 10. 5 out of 5. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.
I want to leave this massive THANK YOU and shout-out to Dr. Tenckhoff. I have been a patient of his for several months (almost the entire year actually) and I continue to have regular appointments at his practice. The fact that he has any availability in his schedule is surprising to me. I say that because he has been the one "miracle worker" and the only doctor to help me get better.
This is a LONG story so get comfortable and grab your coffee. I'm leaving this much detail just in case someone with a similar experience needs help. I'm hoping this story helps them and they find Dr T!
Just to paint the picture a little bit more clearly.... My L5 disc snapped. A piece of it completely broke off. This was causing excruciating back pain originally, before it just completely transferred to a sharp pain and burning from my left buttock down to my left foot. I've had sciatica before, and this felt like sciatica to the 3rd power. I was unable to work, lost feeling and control of my left foot, could not walk more than 30 feet, could not even sit at home on my couch, or even lay down on my back in my bed. All I could do was lay flat on my stomach. All day, every day. This was the least painful position and only position I could even sleep in semi-comfortably. The pain was that intense (remember Sciatica to the 3rd power).
While the pain was occurring and before my diagnosis was known, I was seeing my primary care physician. They referred me to a bone specialist (Ortho Center) who then referred me to a spinal surgeon (Cedars-Sinai). During this time, I was given extra strength Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, various nerve numbing medications, and various shots (steroids I believe). While the steroids did work temporarily, with relief lasting for 1-2 days, nothing else provided long-term relief. In the end, after waiting close to a month to finally get a diagnosis from these various doctors , while still in excruciating pain (Sciatica to the 3rd power), I found Dr. Tenckhoff.
From the initial appointment, he was able to correctly guess (educated guess) diagnose my issue from his assessment and my symptoms. This is BEFORE any MRI's were even seen! He was then able to order my MRI since my doctors had failed to do so (only ordering an X-Ray). Once my MRI was available, I was able to bring it to the spinal surgeon who finally revealed that my L5 disc broke (just as Dr. T had mentioned) and he immediately recommended spinal surgery to resolve the pain and issue. The idea of spinal surgery to me was a last resort so I asked for a follow-up appointment in 6 weeks instead. After seeing the spinal surgeon, I was able to review my MRI with Dr. T who was able to confirm his initial diagnosis, and went into even greater detail than the surgeon. He was able to explain everything in greater detail and honestly, more compassion than all the other doctors.
Through regularly seeing Dr. T during those 6 weeks, I was able to go from: Sciatica to the 3rd power pain, to my leg no longer burning, being able to drive again, being able to sleep on my back, being able to work, and all the good stuff. While I was not completely at 100%, I was much better than I was while seeing the doctors and consuming all that medication. Fast forward to today, while I am still healing, I did not opt for the Spinal Surgery. I am still seeing Dr. T and I am worldssss better than where I was before I started seeing him regularly. Even after my follow-up appointment with the Surgeon, he too had to admit that I had gotten miraculously better and that the surgery was no longer a "necessity" and more of a "recommendation". He even mentioned that I should continue with my treatments with Dr. T based on the results.
In the end, Dr. T was able to order my MRI's, diagnose my issue, and create a treatment plan to help me all within around 6 weeks while other doctors were not able to do so. If you are experiencing any issues similar to mine, or even if you've had back issues, I strongly urge you to visit Dr. Tenckhoff in Brea. Your body will definitely thank you! read more