Looking for a doctor

I have been trying to find a neuro dr to get a second opinion. That is tough but finding one that is close to home and one that participates with my insurance is hard.

Dr Fraser Henderson in Chevy Chase, MD does not participate with my insurance. And his first available appointment is in October. I have contacted the Mayfield Chiari Clinic in Ohio and I am waiting to hear back from them today. They are over seven hours away from me. :(

Thanks Abby. I have been over this list several times. I found a dr in Ohio and Wisconsin that both participate with Anthem and both have been listed numerous times. I was hoping to find someone closer. I know there are drs closer but I am having trouble finding people that know anything about them. It would be nice to find someone that people know and can speak for.

I have read good things about him. I even read some testimonials and a girl said she sent her scans to him and he called her on a Saturday to discuss his opinion. When I called and spoke to the receptionist she was very blunt in telling me her doesn't do second opinions. You have to come see him for an evaluation. I told her that I was over three hours away and she quickly responded with we have people come from all over the world.

He is the closest doctor I have found that I felt like I would be comfortable with but he doesn't participate with my insurance and even if he did, I don't want to wait seven more months to see him.

I guess I will keep on searching. I have been searching for answers for the past 14 years so I guess there is no reason to get in a hurry now. Its just nice to finally fell like I am getting a little closer to having reasons why I feel the way I do.

I have Anthem and I had my first decompression at Mayfield with Dr. Tew (there are good docs there, but I wouldn't recommend him in particular, as he missed the fact that I was having a CSF leak and also has very antiquated views on pain relief).I had my second surgery at the Wisconsin Chiari Center with Dr. Heffez (who is great!). As a bonus, the company that does the neurological monitoring during Dr. Heffez's surgeries also took my Anthem insurance.

Hope that helps!

Well that is good to know. I have already sent my scans to Dr Heffez. I was just trying to find one closer to home in case of complications or after care since I will have to fly to WI. I have a good friend from high school that went to Dr Heffez and she recommended him as well. Maybe I just need stop looking for a doctor and deal with the fact of him being so far away.

Hi there. Sorry for such a late reply. My wife used Dr. Tew out of the Mayfield Clininc in Cincinnatti, OH. He was very experienced and very knowledgeable about Chiari.

My wife had her decompression surgery in January. The physical issues are fixed. The CSF blockage is now gone, however, she still experiences headaches.

According to her, they are tolerable, and we are still seeking treatment for chronic headaches. The "pressure" headaches are gone.

Do lots of research on your physician if you have the time.

How about Dr Jon Weingart at John Hopkins Neurosurgery - I live out-of-State and they accepted our insurance. I got my 2nd opinion from him. Initial opinion was from Hershey Neurosurgery.

Dr. Ringer at Mayfield did my surgery and I am beyond happy with him! My insurance was out of network but they worked with me and offered a discount!

I would like to note that there are two Dr. John Jane's at UVA. A Jr. and Sr. The Sr. is in his 80's and semi-retired but he still does some surgeries. I got my first opinion from him and then later saw Dr. Ringer at Mayfield. Ultimately I felt more comfortable having Dr. Ringer do the surgery because he was a lot more open to answering questions and seemed to generally be more up to date on current Chiari research. Just a personal opinion...nothing negative to report on Dr. Jane.