I’m extremely lucky to have found the best spine specialist after 30 years ! ( in Coimbatore)
To be a spine orthopedic surgeon is no mean job, I can
assure you that they take the risk of taking care of one of the most delicate part
of your body, which is as important as your heart or brain, yes, your spinal
column, which makes you stand straight. It is just not that, our messengers,
nerves travel through the spinal cord. These surgeons know, one slightest wrong
cut, can make the patient paralytic below hips, also these nerves control your
bowel, bladder and many other important work, especially the lower spinal cord,
that is where many people have problem.
Well, way back in 1988, I had the L4-L5 prolapsed disc
surgery done by then the best orthopedic surgeon in India. Prof. Balu
Shankaran, who diagnosed me not by reading the MRI report, but by seeing the
MRI film and by the way I walked.
He assured me that he’ld make me walk the next day after surgery. That
he did, soon after surgery, the terrible pain and burning sensation that I was
suffering from all disappeared.
After more than 3 decades, I was happy to find such a
wonderful orthopedic for my husband, who was suffering from severe lumbar
stenosis for several months. We’re referred to a surgeon saying that he is very
good, but apparently, I think he wasn’t an expert in spine. He told my husband,
due to age and since you had double bypass surgery, no one will operate on you.
He made our purse lighter by a lakh of rupees, saying giving 6 injections in
spine will relieve you of your pain, so get admitted for 2 days. There was no
relief. When our daughter being a Dr. said, ask the surgeon, if by any chance,
appa/ dad is suffering from spinal stenosis? The surgeon got angry, he said are
you a Dr.? Then why don’t you treat yourself.
Then we’re wondering what to do, I’ld not stand my husband
lying down for almost 22 hours of the day on the bed due to pain. Our daughter,
luckily came to know one of her college mate is an orthopedic in Coimbatore. I
told my husband, why not let us see what he says. He saw his MRI and told him,
it is a clear case of spinal stenosis, I can operate on you! He asked my
husband for the symptoms, he said it is all mentioned in our books for this case!
So, this great person is Dr. R. Karthikeyan, who specializes in spinal surgery
and has done more than 6,500 spinal surgeries. My husband said, that he is 76,
heart patient, he said, trust me, I’ll make you walk, that he did. He said soon
after surgery, your pain will disappear, it did, he told him, for surgical pain
to go, it will take 8-10 weeks. This surgeon
is young, just 46, but who knows his job,
who has thoroughly read through the books. Who is confident, assuring, that
itself gives the patient confidence that they can go ahead with their surgery
and that they’re in safe hands.
I always prefer the Dr. to explain to you about your
problem. He told husband, that by looking at your MRI, it shows the spinal
canal is narrow and is pressing on the nerves causing you such pain. What will
be done is widen the canal, so nerves aren’t pinched and some screws and cages
will be put there to strengthen the spine! Hubby is lucky to have 6 titanium
screws and 3 titanium cages in his spine! After the surgery, he explained,
normally in most cases, nerves grow over spine, but in hubby’s case, bone had
grown over the nerves! So, he had to carefully chisel out the bones, freeing
the nerves and slowly making the spinal canal bigger and putting cage and
screws individually in L4, L5 and S 1.
The surgeon jokingly said that he did more of a sculptor’s job of
chiseling out the bone. If he makes one wrong move, he knows that the patient
will lose control over vital organs below the abdomen. Unless, the surgeon
knows his job, he can’t be confident in doing such a delicate surgery. Now, he
is known as spinal Karthikeyan in Coimbatore! I’m sure that he must be having
patients not just from this city, but from neighbouring areas and countries
too.
I’m happy that he has started his own small hospital, SCOPE,
near Vadavalli, along with his wife, who is a plastic surgeon. Of course, the
hospital will be fully functional before the end of next month. Having such an
expert so close by, with so many senior citizens home nearby, he can surely do
wonders for the old bones and relieve them of their pains.
May God bless him with a long life and loads of happiness and success in caring for patients. My salutations to you Dr. Karthikeyan, I'm extremely happy that we came to know you at the right time.