A Surprise and Serious Spinal Diagnosis
When shoulder pain proved to be something more serious, the multidisciplinary team at the Eastside Neuroscience Institute in Kirkland sprang into action.
John Lemire has lived in the Puget Sound region all his life, growing up in Seattle and joining the tech workforce in Kirkland as a software engineer. Now nearing retirement, John and his wife, Linda, enjoy a jam-packed travel schedule, trekking to destinations around the world.
When a sharp pain in his left shoulder became persistent enough to slow him down, John scheduled an appointment with Kelly Weaver, MD, a physiatrist with EvergreenHealth Sport & Spine, which is part of the Eastside Neuroscience Institute, the partnership between EvergreenHealth and Overlake Medical Center & Clinics.
Dr. Weaver's first thought was that this pain would likely improve with some care and caution on John's part. But six months later, John felt increasing pain – now in his right shoulder. He returned to Dr. Weaver, who decided it was time to investigate further and look beyond the shoulders, so he sent John for an MRI scan of his neck.
The findings from the MRI were staggering: John had cervical stenosis, which is a compression between two vertebrae at a narrow place in his spinal column, pinching and bruising his spinal cord. Any small accident – like a fall or a fender bender – had the potential to cause major spinal cord damage and render him a quadriplegic.
Immediate Action and Seamless Communication
That's when the multidisciplinary team at EvergreenHealth leapt into action, coordinating a treatment plan for John with specialists all co-located under one roof.
Dr. Weaver knew immediately that John would need surgery. He was able to gather additional x-rays they needed right down the hall from his practice. The surgical admin was waiting for John in Dr. Weaver's office when he returned, and they scheduled his surgical consultation four days later with Mark Freeborn, MD, an orthopedic surgeon who is chief surgeon for EvergreenHealth and chief medical officer of EvergreenHealth Medical Group.
"Dr. Freeborn reviewed everything with me on Monday, and I was in surgery on Thursday," John said. "It was a relief to not have to be cooped up at home stressing about it."
John and Linda appreciated how all the providers involved communicated across different specialties, showing genuine concern for John's situation and acting with a sense of urgency. In the end, it was a mere eight days between identifying the problem and coming home after surgery.
"It's comforting to know that they're talking about your case when you're not there, and that they really care about what happens to you," said John. "They're really concerned about the impact on your life."
A Quick, Routine Procedure with Critical Impact
Dr. Freeborn performed an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), a surgery to remove a herniated or degenerative disc in the neck. It's a proven, life-changing procedure for patients and typically has a quick recovery time.
"John's experience is the epitome of what the Eastside Neuroscience Institute was designed to do best," Dr. Freeborn said. "He was diagnosed by a physiatrist, who connected him with an orthopedic surgeon literally just down the hall. While the surgical procedure we performed is common, our specialists' collaborative approach to caring for patients from one location is what stands out – and it's exactly what the Eastside Neuroscience Institute was designed to offer."
Linda did extensive research on the procedure and prepared for potential pain during recovery, but John said the whole experience was quick and painless. They were thankful for the compassion and kindness they felt from everyone they worked with.
"They saved my life," John said. "It was nothing short of a miracle."
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