Spine & Brain Neurosurgery Center

It took me about three months just to get in to see him. He's really quite the neurosurgeon around here. They were very nice. His bedside manner is very nice and he's very professional. It took me three months to get in, and when I got there, they didn't have me listed as having an appointment that day. So I had to wait to get worked into the schedule, about an hour and 20 minutes. He has a very good reputation and his staff was very nice. He takes you through the MRI and shows you everything he's doing. I've never had anybody do that before. It was pretty interesting.

It didn't go anywhere. I did get a call from Dr. Razack's office and indeed was asked several questions by his representative, mainly about whether this was an accident, injury, congenital condition, whether I had prior surgery, etc. I answered all the questions honestly, including the one about why I chose not to go back to the surgeon who performed my 2007 surgery. I said I didn't like the way he ran his practice. The lady on the other end chortled at that, as if to say that mere mortals cannot judge whether a doctor runs his practice well or not. In any case, she then signed off, telling me that my file would be given to the doctor for further evaluation. I think my file must have wound up in the garbage can. I never heard from them again. After waiting two weeks, I called, but could not reach a human being. The automated menu led me to Dr. Razack's case manager's voice mail, which announced that calls would be prioritized based on -- well, I'm not sure I understood that completely. I left a detailed message, indicating that I would like to hear from them one way or another, but never got a call back. That was well over a month ago. It is their business if they want to cherry-pick patients. I have no argument with that. However, I firmly believe that whether I'm accepted as a patient or not, the courtesy of a phone call is appropriate. Specifically, someone should call me either to arrange an appointment with the doctor or tell me why they can't offer me services. Clearly, they have no intention of treating me (or anyone who knows me) because if they did, why would they insult me with such lousy non-communication?

My experience overall was very positive. He was very realistic about what was going on with my neck and explained all of my option very clearly. I never felt rushed - he always took time to answer my questions, and never made me feel stupid for asking them. I lso never felt pressured into doing anything. There were several options for dealing with the injury and the pain I've suffered since the accident. He explained the pros and cons of each treatment, as well as the success rates of each option. When I made the decision to have him do injections, the appointments were set up quickly, the procedure went very smoothly, and his office followed up with me to make sure I was OK after the treatment. Dr. Razack's manner and calm voice give you a feeling that he is competent and confident. I went to him originally because I had heard good things about him, and my experience tells me that reputation is well deserved.

Dr. Razack explained that I have two ruptured discs (4-5 and 5-6) in my neck that are pressing against my spinal chord causing the pain in my arm. He would like me to begin physical therapy to see if this can relieve the pain as opposed to rushing into surgery.