and don't forget about dr. steve annest.

he is not chopped chicken liver, folks.

dr. reeves, who is a pain psychologist at cedars sinai and also a fellow at ucla i believe, writes in his book about preparing for surgery: the mind/body approach (can't put my hands on the exact title at the moment, but i will get it for you if you do indeed become a candidate for TOS surgery as a result of this trip to denver and your consult[s] there; gave my copy to steve annest, as a matter of fact, for his ever-crowded waiting room...), that some people are "information gatherers" by nature, and when facing major surgery do better behind finding out all they can about the nature of their injury or illness, the best surgeon to perform the operation to correct the damage, what the recovery time is, what rehab entails, etc. etc. etc.

others do better by placing their faith and trust in the medical professionals and hoping for the best. they simply do not want to know from all those pesky details and scientific facts. doctor knows best, and all like that there. (i guess you'd better hope this personality type has a good "doctor picker...").

if i had to go out on a limb, my guess would be that most TOS'ers belong in the former personality group... sort of a no-brainer, right? OK, terrible pun, sorry.

i do think talking to former patients who've had surgery with a doctor is always a good idea. i just wish there was a way to talk to the not-so-successful stories in addition to the success stories, to get a truer picture, but i suppose you can't fault any of these guys for directing you to their proudest moments, now can you? as long as the patient is willing to talk to you, it doesn't violate anything under the HIPPA laws for the surgeon's office to give you the contact info, so be sure to ask for it. it really helps.

and do bring with you any recent medical records. annest was only interested in one prior year's worth. saved me from having to rent a U-haul to go to denver

also, he had a dedicated coordinator to work with the out-of-state TOS'ers. i assume drs. brantigan and sanders work much the same way, as all 3 have patients seeking much-needed specialized care from all over the country. make that from all over the world.

TOS does not discriminate.

good luck. i'm excited for you. feels good to take action, doesn't it?

everybody has their favorites. it's none of it personal.

alison