I would definitely go to HEI. I disagree with all of the people who say you should go with the surgeon you are comfortable with. Being comfortable with a surgeon is a great thing...but realistically..sounds ridiculous. This is brain surgery. Experts, real experts would be the only ones operating on my head. A good bedside manner is important...but the skill of the surgeon is number one in my book. This surgery can have life long side effects depending on the route you choose. I have never read or met anyone who went to HEI with Friedman or Brackmann that has life long side effects other than SSD and some minor balance issues, if any. Best wishes to you!
Perhaps a bit of clarification is in order.
It is certainly not 'ridiculous' to choose a doctor that is skilled and experienced in AN surgery and yet a person the patient feels comfortable with. However, I seriously doubt that any AN patient that is satisfied with their surgical outcome feels that way based on their doctors winning personality, alone. It's apparent that the physician one chooses to perform AN surgery must have the proper credentials and experience. However, if that same doctor is distant and/or unapproachable (
some of the best ones are) the already-nervous AN patient is going to have a hard time putting their confidence in them. As you accurately noted,
"this is brain surgery", making it not only demanding but intimate. Thus, having confidence in the doctor opening up your skull can only be enhanced by feeling that he cares about you as a person and you're not just that mornings 'AN case' then on to the next surgery. I had such a caring doctor; a board-certified neurosurgeon with 3 decades of experience with acoustic neuroma removals. He was not only highly qualified and had vast experience, he was also attentive to my concerns and showed a sincere interest in my quality of life, post-surgery. Although I didn't expect him to invite me to his home for dinner I did appreciate his genuine concern for achieving the best possible outcome for the surgery he would be performing. Its that
balance we seek. The combination of skill, experience
and compassion. I realize we can't always find a doctor that embodies all of these attributes - but we should try. Obviously, given the choice, anyone contemplating AN surgery would choose a doctor with great skill and vast experience over a doctor who simply had a pleasant 'bedside manner'. That's a no-brainer. Fortunately, we rarely have to make that kind of Hobson's choice.
I'm delighted to learn that you enjoyed a good outcome to your AN surgery at HEI and I hasten to add that I have absolutely no intention of disparaging any of their fine doctors, all of whom are well known in the 'AN community' - for good reason: they do excellent work. However, so do many other doctors throughout the country. My point is simply that HEI is not the sole repository of skilled doctors with vast experience in AN surgery and, with the high number of AN surgeries they perform each year, I'm sure they have had their share of failures. After all, we're discussing human beings here, not gods. Still, as I indicated in an earlier post, I, too, kept HEI as my fall-back choice had I not discovered a very fine 'local' neurosurgeon. As with your experience at HEI, my doctor did exactly what he said he would do and did it well. I enjoyed a smooth recovery. It was an nice bonus to 'work' with a highly respected neurosurgeon that also took the time to ensure that my quality of (
post-op) life was a good as it could be, within his power to make it so. I hope that every an patient can have a similar experience, no matter where they choose to go for their surgery.
Jim
