Aa
chiari doctors
I have a appt, with Dr, Oro, from Aurora, Colorado on August 21,if anyone has any feedback on this dr. would appreciate info,thanks Valerie820
Chiari is a very tricky thing, and Dr. oro is the best there is, in my opinion, and that is from reading TONS of information about all the doctors, and from also having the surgery. My case was a little different, in which I had a 15 mm herniation, and having drop attacks, so I had to have the surgery, but I didn't develop the drop attacks untill after I had seen him, and he told me the same thing. But by the time I had the attacks, I had no other choice but surgery. No good doctor is going to tell you the surgery is going to make you feel completely better, because it's different for everyone. At the same time, some peole psychologically don't want to get better, so even after the surgery they have symptoms, or have been living so long with the symptoms they "think" they have symptoms. Or, some people only get a little bit of relief, and some of these wanted complete relief, so they think the surgery didn't work. So it comes down to him having to tell you, "it may or may not work." An honest answer is far better than a dishonest answer with the promise of a nice payment speaking behind it.
I saw Dr Oro in March 2010 and I went away not very happy. I traveled many miles and had great helps of him sitting down and walking thorugh everything with me and I got nothing. All he said was surgery may or may not help. I thought he would help me to go through my symptoms and help with different options and he didn't. I had also done a lot of research and thought he sounded like the one to go to. I have a 9mm chiari and many neurological symptoms and it was a waste of time and it is now October and I still don't no where to go or turn
Hi Valerie,
My adult daughter just had her decompression surgery by Dr. Oro July 9th. The following text is cut and pasted from a previous post. It's long, but hopefully it will help.
We traveled to Denver from Alaska because there were no qualified neurosurgeons here who could do the surgery, although one offered to take a crack at it! 8-O
I did a lot of research before we selected Dr. Oro (I'm a librarian - that's what I do.). His name, along with Mihlorat and Bolognese at TCI, came up most often. Along with the usual medical journal articles and conference papers, he's published a book on Chiari that my daughter found very helpful. I checked one of the "rate your doctor" sites and everything there was very positive, except for one comment about one of his office staff not returning calls promptly. There were no lawsuits listed.
The clincher for us was when we found his poem, "So I Say", which is on this forum. What kind of surgeon writes poems for his patients! He just had to be compassionate and a great listener. And when we met him at the consultation in May, he was just that.
Dr. Oro pays attention to details. He walked into the room and greeted us by name, even me! before we introduced ourselves. He asked lots of questions and listened to the answers. Like Plumsaki, my DD was so relieved that for once, she didn't have to do any "convincing" about what she was feeling.
At one point Dr. Oro said to my daughter, "So you don't feel like the person you used to be." And she told him no she didn't. Then he looked at me and asked me what I thought. I started to tear up when I told him how hard it's been to watch her go through life as she struggled with the chiari. But I was so surprised that he would ask my opinion. The other drs. didn't. After having so many disappointing appointments with other drs, we were so grateful to find Dr. Oro. He gave us something the others didn't - hope that things could get better.
Dr. Oro does NOT pressure you at all. In fact, his website says, you can even change your mind about having the surgery up to the point where they give you the anesthesia. He spent a lot of time with us answering all our questions and providing info we didn't even know to ask about. He explains things in a way that is easy for lay people to understand.
My daughter's surgery went well. She is now 18 days post-op and doing well. Her chiari was 12 mm and when Dr. Oro cut the membrane, the tonsils sort of popped out, they were under so much pressure.
The day after surgery, when the physical therapist got her up the first time, my daughter noticed that the weakness she'd been feeling on her left side for years was gone. So was the dizziness and vertigo, the double vision and "fireflies" that she used to see, and the pain in the back of her legs. It took a few days for her to sort out the post-op pain from the usual pain in her head, but she said the pressure in her head is gone! She is still healing and gets headaches, but it's so much better than it was. She said, these improvements alone are worth the surgery. They warned her that some of the symptoms might come and go. So far so good. Of course, everyone's experience is different, but this is what my daughter has experienced so far.
Pain control was one of my DD's big concerns, since she has been on a lot of pain meds for several years. Dr. Oro and the staff at the Medical Center of Aurora were very concerned about controlling her pain. They were able to keep her at a 3-4 level, which was a huge improvement over her daily pain level. The worst part - the only time I saw my daughter cry - was during a magnesium IV. Her levels were very low and magnesium is important for the muscles. So they gave her the IV which, like potassium IVs, can be very painful. Her nurses found a way to time her meds so they could reduce the IV pain.
Everyone at the hospital raved about how wonderful Dr. Oro is and how nice he is. Some drs. are great to the patients but hard on staff. We were told he is nice to both.
The hospital was very nice - there's a brand new "tower" and the older part of the hospital has just been renovated. Very nice rooms. And the food was really good. Run like room service. You select from a 6-page menu. And if you don't call by mealtime, they call you and ask what you want!
Everyone we met at the hospital was very nice and helpful. Even the janitor and the lady who delivered the meals asked how my daughter was feeling and if there was anything else they could do for us. The day she got her staples out, we went back to the hospital and delivered chocolates to the nursing staff in ICU and on the floor. [My thanks to Selma for that idea.]
While we were in Denver, the newspapers ran articles about a drug addicted nurse who infected patients at two hospitals (not Aurora) with Hep C. The article listed about incidents at other area hospitals and the Med Center of Aurora had none.
When my DD was released from the hospital, we went across the street to Dr. Oro's office to pick up her Rxs. While we were waiting, two women who were waiting for appts introduced themselves to my DD. One from Denver was 4 months post-op and one from Texas was 2 months post-op. They shared their experiences and email addresses with my DD and were very encouraging.
We flew back to Alaska the day after her staples were removed. Today we celebrated her 34th birthday. It was the first birthday in several years that she has really enjoyed. Her hair is long so you can't even see the incision. Dr. Oro only shaved a 2 inch wide strip down the middle and the hair is already growing back.
Sorry this is so long. I just can't say enough good things about our experience with Dr. Oro. If you have questions, let me know.
You're in good hands with Dr. Oro. I wish you all the best.
Carrie in Alaska
My adult daughter just had her decompression surgery by Dr. Oro July 9th. The following text is cut and pasted from a previous post. It's long, but hopefully it will help.
We traveled to Denver from Alaska because there were no qualified neurosurgeons here who could do the surgery, although one offered to take a crack at it! 8-O
I did a lot of research before we selected Dr. Oro (I'm a librarian - that's what I do.). His name, along with Mihlorat and Bolognese at TCI, came up most often. Along with the usual medical journal articles and conference papers, he's published a book on Chiari that my daughter found very helpful. I checked one of the "rate your doctor" sites and everything there was very positive, except for one comment about one of his office staff not returning calls promptly. There were no lawsuits listed.
The clincher for us was when we found his poem, "So I Say", which is on this forum. What kind of surgeon writes poems for his patients! He just had to be compassionate and a great listener. And when we met him at the consultation in May, he was just that.
Dr. Oro pays attention to details. He walked into the room and greeted us by name, even me! before we introduced ourselves. He asked lots of questions and listened to the answers. Like Plumsaki, my DD was so relieved that for once, she didn't have to do any "convincing" about what she was feeling.
At one point Dr. Oro said to my daughter, "So you don't feel like the person you used to be." And she told him no she didn't. Then he looked at me and asked me what I thought. I started to tear up when I told him how hard it's been to watch her go through life as she struggled with the chiari. But I was so surprised that he would ask my opinion. The other drs. didn't. After having so many disappointing appointments with other drs, we were so grateful to find Dr. Oro. He gave us something the others didn't - hope that things could get better.
Dr. Oro does NOT pressure you at all. In fact, his website says, you can even change your mind about having the surgery up to the point where they give you the anesthesia. He spent a lot of time with us answering all our questions and providing info we didn't even know to ask about. He explains things in a way that is easy for lay people to understand.
My daughter's surgery went well. She is now 18 days post-op and doing well. Her chiari was 12 mm and when Dr. Oro cut the membrane, the tonsils sort of popped out, they were under so much pressure.
The day after surgery, when the physical therapist got her up the first time, my daughter noticed that the weakness she'd been feeling on her left side for years was gone. So was the dizziness and vertigo, the double vision and "fireflies" that she used to see, and the pain in the back of her legs. It took a few days for her to sort out the post-op pain from the usual pain in her head, but she said the pressure in her head is gone! She is still healing and gets headaches, but it's so much better than it was. She said, these improvements alone are worth the surgery. They warned her that some of the symptoms might come and go. So far so good. Of course, everyone's experience is different, but this is what my daughter has experienced so far.
Pain control was one of my DD's big concerns, since she has been on a lot of pain meds for several years. Dr. Oro and the staff at the Medical Center of Aurora were very concerned about controlling her pain. They were able to keep her at a 3-4 level, which was a huge improvement over her daily pain level. The worst part - the only time I saw my daughter cry - was during a magnesium IV. Her levels were very low and magnesium is important for the muscles. So they gave her the IV which, like potassium IVs, can be very painful. Her nurses found a way to time her meds so they could reduce the IV pain.
Everyone at the hospital raved about how wonderful Dr. Oro is and how nice he is. Some drs. are great to the patients but hard on staff. We were told he is nice to both.
The hospital was very nice - there's a brand new "tower" and the older part of the hospital has just been renovated. Very nice rooms. And the food was really good. Run like room service. You select from a 6-page menu. And if you don't call by mealtime, they call you and ask what you want!
Everyone we met at the hospital was very nice and helpful. Even the janitor and the lady who delivered the meals asked how my daughter was feeling and if there was anything else they could do for us. The day she got her staples out, we went back to the hospital and delivered chocolates to the nursing staff in ICU and on the floor. [My thanks to Selma for that idea.]
While we were in Denver, the newspapers ran articles about a drug addicted nurse who infected patients at two hospitals (not Aurora) with Hep C. The article listed about incidents at other area hospitals and the Med Center of Aurora had none.
When my DD was released from the hospital, we went across the street to Dr. Oro's office to pick up her Rxs. While we were waiting, two women who were waiting for appts introduced themselves to my DD. One from Denver was 4 months post-op and one from Texas was 2 months post-op. They shared their experiences and email addresses with my DD and were very encouraging.
We flew back to Alaska the day after her staples were removed. Today we celebrated her 34th birthday. It was the first birthday in several years that she has really enjoyed. Her hair is long so you can't even see the incision. Dr. Oro only shaved a 2 inch wide strip down the middle and the hair is already growing back.
Sorry this is so long. I just can't say enough good things about our experience with Dr. Oro. If you have questions, let me know.
You're in good hands with Dr. Oro. I wish you all the best.
Carrie in Alaska
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi I have to agree with plumsaki that Dr Oro is one of the best in the country for Chiari...please see the poem at the top of the foum...Dr Oro wrote it.
Do keep us posted on ur progress and remember we r here for support.
"selma"
Do keep us posted on ur progress and remember we r here for support.
"selma"
You won't hear anything but positive raves about Dr. Oro from me!!! He performed my PFD on January 6, 2009. He is the first and only Dr I have encountered who 'gets it'. I cried tears of joy at my first appointment with him because I didn't have to attempt to convince him my symptoms were real. You will also more than likely meet Kimberly Sexton at your appointment. She is an angel! My experiences have been nothing but positive with Dr. Oro, his staff, and with the Medical Center of Aurora South.
If you do any kind of internet search on Dr. Oro you will find loads of positive information regarding him. There are also others here who have had wonderful experiences with him. You are in some of the best hands possible when it comes to chiari specialists!
If you do any kind of internet search on Dr. Oro you will find loads of positive information regarding him. There are also others here who have had wonderful experiences with him. You are in some of the best hands possible when it comes to chiari specialists!
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