I was just wondering if anyone else here had Dr. Urschel from baylor in Dallas and if you did what was your experience.

He actually performed my surgery 10 years ago, he was starting to retire and I think he quit shortly after my surgeries. I now know that he invented many of the tools used in the surgery. He did a really good job on my back, I didn't have any complications from the surgery. He was not a big talker that I remember, but one of the few things he said to me after surgery was "how was you working like that"! (I was working as a home health nurse). I was in agony, but when I woke up I already felt so much better. I had a cervical rib that was just smashing one of my major nerves. I was just so thankful to him because I just couldn't take that kind of pain for much longer. So even though I had new pain from the surgery it was nothing like the nerve smashing pain.

The last time I saw him I was walking out of the room and I turned back to him and said "so who is going to fix your extra ribs"?? ....he just laughed and said "I have enough room for them to fit, but you are just a tiny thing"......I feel so lucky to have been one of his patients.

I have been reading stories here and am just so angry at how people are being treated by these "new doctors". If it is not bad enough to ever have to feel the pain of TOS ...then be treated like a number after the surgery. Some of these new doctors won't even help with problems or complications! OMG....I just think this is a atrocity! Some patients do have breathing problems after surgery and need oxygen therapy, that is just one of the many complications that can happen. It is the surgeons JOB to help the patient and make sure they have what they need, like OXYGEN THERAPY! I read where someone had to go to a lung doctor trying to get help. WHAT!!!! That should not have happened to her. That doctor was supposed to have helped her with any breathing problems following surgery, she needed oxygen assistance so she could sleep.

I have also read many other people talking about how they are treated by these new doctors and I am just so shocked. I just had my surgeries 10 years ago, so it has not been 100 years ago!

PEOPLE WHO HAVE TOS DO NOT DESERVE TO BE TREATED BAD! Nobody who has TOS wants to have it just to get off work. It is a very painful condition and these doctors need to remember that!

sorry about rant, I just am so mad right now after reading how some of you are being treated.

My experience (post surgery 28 months) is like others,.... you get a diagnosis, have surgery (mine x 3), go back for followups (never see the surgeon, only med. assistant & nurse practioner) and told it is "baby steps" when you explain your concerns and the complications.... then go for a second opinion with another TOS specialist, basically told that what I am experiencing is something I have to live with?? Sounds to me like not wanting to get involved!!!
Also, fairly certain that TOS specialists studies that are done on Patient cases don't always include "failure and poor long term outcomes"......those cases they just want to forget or not document??.....makes me so mad also!!

Bunch of chickens I say!....never see the surgeon AGAIN? That is just straight up wrong! Only that surgeon knows what was inside of you and he needs to tell you what happened....honestly. I guess I got really lucky and just didn't know!

Dr. Urschel told me that I would always have pain because my skeleton was deformed, and all he could do was to get the deformity off my nerves. Which he did do that......So I was fully aware that I was not ever going to be free from pain because I was told....not because I read about it........When these kind of things happen it is traumatic and the doctor needs to help the patient understand what is going on and what to expect....

Maybe medicine these days is just too sales pitchy.....because it can be, as the surgeons do not have to face the patient ever again....not good.

I do think that if a patient requests a conference post -op a good surgeon would do that. Guess the good -ol days are over where marcus welby walks out and tells you everything that happened in surgery.......wow that ages me. lol

oh, almost forgot, I agree with you about information concerning real outcomes of this surgery, that information is hard to find....gotta dig hard!

I love this forum. I am one of those people, a bad outcome and the surgeon didn't want to deal with me after surgery but was actually SO NICE prior. I felt like I was manipulated. Well I still feel that way. Now I have to redo surgery because of his mistakes and his lack of proper follow up and his treating patients like lab rats.

I consulted with Dr. Urschel last year. But he is very old now, in his 80s and I think he has retired and has his new protege doing the surgery so that was why I chose not go with him but it was great speaking to him over the phone from NY, very nice man, told me his entire story with his cervical ribs and how he was a football player and everything....surgeons need to stop acting like they are damn celebrities and be the people they should be. You choose the field of medicine to HELP PEOPLE. That should be your first and foremost goal. To do anything to interfere with that means you are in the wrong field to begin with and all you care about is making money and a name for yourself with your conveniently positive outcome studies.

EXACTLY!!.....We should do our own study on the failures/poor outcomes and then present that to the medical journals.

There has to be a way to show the truth about TOS!

I got lucky and was told the truth from day one by Dr. Urschel, I had no idea that I landed into one of the best surgeons in the country office. I was just so lucky......I have read on this forum and I have cried many tears.....I just did not know.

I am sorry parbie...I just am stunned right now. Here is a hug, but I don't think it will help very much....I wish there was something I could do.

I did write how to stop infections on here yesterday....am doing everything I can to help, it is the least I can do since I have information of my journey that saved my life.....

I really want to contact Dr. Urschel but don't know how, can you tell me how you contacted him? I just want to tell him that I appreciated his help.....thank you parbie

I saw Dr Urschel two years ago. He was going to remove my rib. I really liked him. I found out the rib was not my problem so I went to another type is TOS specialist. Last I heard he was still overseeing his team at Baylor. Definitely a gentleman.

This is the number I had for Dr Urschel at Baylor. I have not tried to call.
(214)824-2503
*admin edit*

Thanks! It does help, this forum helps so much because sometimes when I talk to anyone about TOS (family/friend/ANYONE) it feels like I'm speaking jibberish to them because they nod their head as if they get it, but they just don't.

I'm sorry I don't have Dr. Urschel's # anymore, hopefully the one Chroma posted is the right one