Victoria
Dr. Zeeger's charges the highest consult fee of any doctor I've contacted.
I can tell you this, I was very hesitant to pay it and honestly didn't have the money. I emailed him with my "story" and gave him my contact phone number.
He called me the next day. I was shocked by that. There was no charge for this first call. I think it is his way of talking to you and explaining what he does and why he charges what he does. It takes him many hours to give you his opinion.
Most doctor's just want your current xrays, mri, ct, etc.
Some doctor's will use Dropbox, Google docs, etc for you to send your scans and other's want a hard cd mailed to them.
I have talked to MANY doctor's now.
Pimenta and Corenman didn't charge me anything.
Most of the US docs seem to want around $350 (for about 20-30 minutes)
Back in 2011, I paid $400 to have my consult with Boeree and that fee was applied towards surgery if you opted for it with him.
So, when Zeeger's told me his fee was $1,100...I was shocked.
But, my problem is I asked many doctor's for their opinion and was told many different theories so now, which guy do I listen to?
If they were all saying the same thing, that would make life easy but it doesn't work out this way. The fact that I was still hunting for answers also meant, I hadn't found the right doc yet or I'd stop looking.
Zeeger's doesn't diagnose from "films".
He will contact you and have a short discussion.
If you want his opinion, he will want ALL of your tests.
NO OTHER DOCTOR has asked to see my previous tests/films.
Zeeger's is the only doctor who looked at my 2010 MRI/Xrays/etc which was before surgery
He looked at my 2011 MRI/Xrays/etc which was post op
He looked at my 2014 MRI/Xrays/Ct scan/DEXA/etc.
He will send you a questionnaire to fill out.
He went over all of my years of tests.
Even recommended some new tests for me to have done (like a Lyme disease test and a nuclear bone scan).
I have sent him a ton of files.
His response to me was about 17 pages.
It takes him many hours of work to send this back to you.
I have spoke with him SEVERAL times on the phone and I have emailed him MANY times with LOTS of questions.
If I figure how much time I've spent talking with him via phone and emails, he really didn't make any money on me!
He is very patient and doesn't mind that I ask him every question I can think of.
I can tell you from my own experience that he does not pressure you into anything. He is diagnosis only. He likes to say "I am just the mechanic, you have to decide who does the work".
He is the most thorough doctor I have ever spoke with.
What I like about him is he doesn't just say "you need this surgery and it will be this much money".
Zeeger's will explain his diagnosis to you and tell you why he thinks what he does.
Once you speak to him, it's kinda hard to even consider another doctor because no one else was that thorough and that patient with me.
You have to get used to his English. He can seem kinda harsh but he's not really. He has a good sense of humor and after you talk to him a few times, you can figure him out. I can talk to him like I do my family (curse words and all!). The spine is a frustrating thing and can make us nuts!
So, sorry for the long post but I really wanted to tell you that it's the best money I've ever spent. I wished I had found him back in 2010 before my surgery.
It sounds like you are an extremely difficult case and you will require an enormous amount of time for him because he will literally look at all of your previous films/records/scans/bloodwork/etc.
That's what you want. A diagnosis with real thought and explanation behind it.
Mark is like a walking spine dictionary and can be very helpful as well, but since he's in some pain now, I'm guessing that sitting at a pc is challenging at the moment (he'll still do it anyways!).
I would not have my sanity right now if it weren't for Mark's help.
Mark knows many doctor's all around the world and he can guide you as well. Just in case you aren't aware, Mark is MMGlobal on this site.
If you can swing Zeeger's fee, I'd say to do it.
Also, go to his Facebook page. He posts lots of spinal information there as well.
I know that he is trying to have his website redone.
If you need to contact him, this is his email:
wzeegers@zeta.demon.nl
If you want to private message me, feel free to.
Hopefully, Mark can give you a shout out too.