Dear Cindylou, thanks for the pat on the back! I'm very proud of what I can do in some cases. The idea that you may cancel your hip replacement surgery and have a much less invasive surgery that is more accurately targeted to a bigger pain generator than your hip is wonderful. Of course, we won't know the outcome and you may still need your hip done, but at least you have the opportunity to go into your surgeries with a complete workup on the bigger picture. Also, you get to do the surgeries in a more appropriate order. If you get such great improvement from the SI surgery that your hip turns out to be a minor problem that doesn't rise to the level of surgery, this will be a great save for Dr. Stark and GPN.
I was considering not going to SAS in May this year as it's sooo expensive.... this kind of experience reinforces the value of what I do. The networking that happens for me at these conferences translates into such a meaningful difference for many patients as these connections are made. I have other clients that may turn into Dr. Stark saves too.
For those of you interested in reading about my recent connection to Dr. Stark, check out this thread:
http://www.ispine.org/forum/ispine/1...ohn-stark.html
I believe that Dr. Stark is the real deal. He seems to be interested in the difficult cases and sees them as a challenge instead of something to be avoided. I look forward to learning more about him and his practice.
All the best,
Mark