Dellon Institute
 

Hello,
I recently received a phone from a concerned relative who suggested I contact this institute located in Maryland, looking at their website it looks as this implies nerve surgeries as a treatment for PN. Has anyone on this forum had any dealings with this outfit. In six years I have progressed to the wheelchair after trying most of the medications and supplements. I would appreciate any information and results. I'm no fan of surgeries, but the way this has progressed I'm no fan of wanting to endure another winter. I take supplements recommended on this forum and take 10mg of Methadone twice a day for pain. I just tried recently amitriptyline for six weeks and quit it. Its good for sleep taken in small dosage 10mg at night. Thanks

My mom had talked to him when this condition first happened to me and a doctor brought up tts as my dx which it was not. Regardless if it was this is a treatment he does that can cause a lot of problems because anytime you deal with nerves it can impact other ones. I hate to say bad things but when I hear this guys name it makes me cringe. My mom said he was like a salesman on the phone and said I was a candidate for his surgery yet I never saw him. Also odd some of his staff had this procedure. I thought I recall someone here having this done and it having bad results.
I know things are ruff now but I would be very careful in what procedure or treatment you do.
Have you seen a regular pain doctor/anestesolgist?

It would really depend on the cause of your pn. if its not nerve impingement then i dont see how it could possibly help.

I'm forced to say "NOT AGAIN !".

Someone always 'finds' this 'institute' as if it were something new on the scene.

Do a search of this site on 'Dellon' and you will find many,
many posts about this treatment. I think he is either a chiropractor or podiatrist/surgeon.
It is primarily for entrapment of nerves and is a surgery to
release the pressure that is causing the PN. Diabetics are his primary patients.
It will not work for other types of PN.
Dr Dellon trains other docs, all over the country, to do this procedure and gets a split for every one done, under his name. He does not do most of the surgeries.
He developed the procedure while practicing at Johns Hopkins and started his own independent practice he calls his 'institute'.
Results have been iffy- 50/50, according to the volume of posts here and on other sites.

Thanks for the reply, I must have had a mental blank as surgeries are no remedy for CIDP, this is going to be fun explaining this to my concerned relative.

Don't Do It!
 

Dr Dellon did surgery on me and I am much worse and my bank account is empty now. Don't do it!

I really can't see how any diabetes caused neuropathy could possibly benefit from this surgery either, only good contol of sugars over some time are going to help heal damaged nerves.
I would have thought that scam would have been closed down by the authorities by now.

I'm with you! Do not do it! I had TTS surgery on both feet and I'm much worse now. RLDS in one foot in bad now!! It really freaked out my nerve and seven years later it has not burned out and rages on.

At one point in time, I seem to remember that Dellon's 'institute'
did not accept insurance of any type. I guess no ins co. considered his
treatment eligible at that time. All his patients had to fork over the sheckels themselves.
I don't know what the current status is.

He still does not take insurance. I tried to get reimbursement from my insurance company for the surgery and only after 2 appeals was I able to get just a small fraction back of what he charges. Furthermore, I have since learned from a simple punch biopsy that I have small fiber neuropathy and even Dr Dellon has admistted to me that small fiber neuropathy cannot be helped by his surgery. I'm left wondering why he didn't test me for small fiber neuropathy BEFORE he cut up my leg, ankle and foot.

been there, done that
 

Stagger,
Several years ago I went to the "Dellon Institute" for evaluation of my sensory neuropathy. After a days worth of tests and discussions they determined that their surgery would not help me since my PN was not casued by a neurological impingement. As Bob noted the procedure may give relief to diabetics who suffer from nerve entrapment or perhaps patients with carpal tunnel syndrome but otherwise it is not generally applicable to the myriad of other causes for PN.
A comment re: your experience w/ amitriptyline, it might be worth asking your doc to try a brief course of nortriptyline, the metabolite of amitriptyline - it's known to have fewer anticholinergic side effects yet it is equally effective. That was my experience BUT everyone's physiology is different so one can not predict the effects of drugs from one person to another with complete reliability.
Good luck.
Alkymst

Hi Stagger. I had lost feeling from knees to toes and elbows to fingers by 1997 when introduced to Dr. Dellon. He did surgery - 3 nerve releases in each limb - one limb at a time - one set of surgery every 3 months in 1998 and 1999. My Diabetic Symptoms had started in 1976 but wasn't diagnosed until 1991, hence lots of nerve damage which got progressively worse. Was retested every year for first 10 years after the surgery and no degradation of feeling. I am still as good as new 17 years down the road after my first round of surgery. So happy my local Podiatrist heard Dr. Dellon speak and referred me to him. It worked for me and I hope it will work for you. His office can test you to see if you are a candidate for surgery. Not everyone is, but he will give you a candid assessment. Best of luck.

A Google search turned up some extremely frightening reviews:

http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Arnold_Dellon/reviews

... and past malpractice lawsuits in the state of Nevada if it is the same Arnold Lee Dellon:

http://medboard.nv.gov/Verification/Search.aspx

You can type the last name in the search box.

Nevada link is busted. I've been having a tough time. I can't see this as an option I'd explore myself, though.

Welcome FLDiabetic. :Wave-Hello:

Thanks Jon. The link is corrected now. :)

Dellon sham
 

I was seen at the Dellon Lab in Townsend, MD. Dr Dellon did not take anything but $, so I was given one of his assistants. The procedure only took away my money, but my pain is so much worse 6 years later. No alcohol, taking b12, ALA, Turmeric and Methadone Without the Methadone, I could not walk at all! They give you their sham testing device and of course they said they could fix me. I shelled out the $ that i somehow got my insurance to pay a bit. It may work for large fiber impingement therapy, but not for small fiber PN. I felt I was used and taken by a group of MD's who went to Johns-Hopkins, I will never just base my decision on the hospital they went to for their medical school. I would be in a wheelchair if I could not take the Methadone. All the other meds, such as Amytriptiline, Neurotin, Lyrica did NOTHING. I hate to take Opioids, but i have no choice. My thoughts are to stay away from them unless you definitely have Large Fiber Impingement syndrome and most surgeons can take care of that, ie. Carpal Tunnel procedures.

John Hopkins also lied and denied that hundreds of coal miners had black lung costing them untold misery and denial of benefits that were due them.