Mae Bae 2 months ago

I had a violent fall when I was rammed from behind by a powerful dog that broke my wrist and shoulder in 4 pieces. I was taken to Atrium Hospital by ambulance and admitted for surgical evaluation. I was told if no one from OrthoCarolina came by to evaluate me, I don’t need surgery and would be released the next day. No one came by. I was released the next day thinking my injuries would heal on their own. However, since my pain was severe, we immediately called Orthocarolina for an appt. Thankfully there was an opening with the PA. After the X-rays, Mr Powers said this was a really bad break and contrary to what I was told, I needed reverse shoulder replacement surgery. During the appt, Dr O’Neal joined us. He said the break was so bad that the ball was dying and this was my only option. I was incredibly grateful that they were able to work me in for surgery the very next week, especially since they only allowed me Tylenol for pain.Dr. O’Neal was AMAZING when it came to responding to messages in the portal. There were times he answered my message within minutes and even after hours. He is top notch when it comes to this and should be commended. I think the most I ever waited for a response from him was one hour. I have never had a doctor, let alone busy surgeon, have this kind of remarkable response. And…it was actually him responding, NOT his PA. In fact, he never handed me over to the PA for follow up appts, which I thought was also rare.That said, I do have some constructive criticism. I was admitted after the surgery and that night I had the worst pain. The white board at Atrium Hospital stated the pain levels clearly; see the photo uploaded. Level 10 was “hurts worst”. Level 8 was “hurts whole lot.” I feel like everyone knows the first night after surgery is the worst of the pain. A lot of the night I was up asking the nurse for something stronger. That morning Dr. O’Neal personally came into the hospital to visit me and said he had heard I was in a lot of pain. He then asked me to rate it from 1-10. I said it was a 10 because, yes, it “hurt the worst.” Immediately he said, “No. It wasn’t! A ten is, ‘I want to kill myself because the pain is so bad.’” To justify himself further he said, “I’m just trying to give you a little tough love.” I was stunned. He treated me as if I was a rebellious child that needed to hear the word no. If I wasn’t so dependent upon him providing me with pain meds going forward, I would have given him a few choice words of tough love myself. Dr. O’Neal really should have some compassion and not minimize someone else’s pain levels. This was very insulting to say the least. Staying true to his disbelief of my pain levels, he didn’t give me enough REAL pain meds at discharge to make it through a day or two. Did he really think I was faking my pain? Is this surgery supposed to be a breeze? My husband ended up having more success getting me additional pain meds than I did. Even more insulting, several weeks later, a different surgeon there gave my husband an RX of 15+ oxy pills (PRIOR to even having a minor surgery) and there I was begging from day to day after a more serious surgery.In the end, Dr. O’Neal seemed to do an excellent job on the surgery, because my recovery is over and above what he told me to expect. However, he seemed overly concerned that I not overdo PT stating I merely want day to day functioning, since I need this shoulder implant to make it to the “finish line.” He went on to say, there is nothing else to be done if/when this shoulder implant fails. This caution was the exact opposite of three different physical therapists I engaged. It really made me wonder about the disparity of outcomes I was being told. Half joking, I began to wonder if I got a refurbished implant or an earlier model that doesn’t last long. Heck, I’m still wondering. One thing I do know: If I ever have a problem, which I sincerely hope not, I will NOT return to a doctor that minimized my pain level in the name of “tough love.”

Deneen & Ron Castriano a month ago

Dr. Lezesky is one of the best doctors I have ever been to. She was so good a administering the injection into my hip, that I didn't even realize she was through when she finished. She and her staff were "on point" in every way. In fact, all the people I have had interaction with at OrthoCarolina have been excelent in every way.

rachel a month ago

Made time i very busy day to check my knee dr singer put in last year. Explained what i needed to work on. The SSA had changed many medicare numbers without notifying us yet. The check in and staff were absolutely so helpful and patient. They are a great team and Alexandria was great.

Michael Roberts 2 months ago

I saw Taylor for my post-op appointment after my right sided L3-4 lateral microdiscectomy performed by Dr. Spector. Taylor was thorough, informative and patient. She put me at ease because I am still experiencing nerve irritation despite my surgery. She answered all my questions to my satisfaction and implemented a good game plan for me moving forward over the next 4-6 weeks. We discussed several options for pain management and I was very pleased with my treatment plan moving forward. I left the appointment feeling better than I did when I went it. Higher recommend Taylor for any patients who require high level, dedicated spine care.

Carolyn Stewart 2 months ago

I had concerns and questions about my knee. Alexandria Skow is part of Dr Singer’s team. I chose to see her. We did X-rays of my knee and then discussed the path forward. She answered all of my questions and reassured me that we were in the correct path. My visit was efficient, on time and I never felt rushed.