Dr Wagner

Posted to LJ on Apr. 8th, 2008 at 7:52 PM

Dr. Wagner is not cranky. OLD yes, cranky no.
Getting in to see him was a little akin to registering for classes at the U. Or at least as the UW registration experience is compared to the SMC registration experience. There were many more desks to stand at, repetitive forms to fill out, and gratuitous uses of computers. It wasn't particularly slow or even difficult to figure out, but it was much more complicated than walking in to a small clinic. Oh and once I got in the exam room there were like 9 different colored blinking lights that sent messages to the central control desk about my current status. Oh Oh and the X-ray machine was computer operated and reported its results out to some server so the doc could just log on to the computer in the exam room and find and draw on my films right there in front of me. (He was OLD but quite technically literate)

The results:
He said pretty much exactly what the last doc said. My case isn't exactly unique or noteworthy as scoliosis goes. My thoracolumbar (lower) curve is the most dramatic (bent and rotated), but the thoracic curve is clearly not just a compensation. If we only correct the lower curve there's a good chance I'll wind up looking more tilted than I do now. The surgery he described and the length of the fusion were the same as I heard before.

I did feel more comfortable with him than with Dr. Car-salesman. The UW clinic might be institutional, but at least they're up front and efficient about it. My only concern: Dr. Wagner is OLD, as in considerably less coordinated than his younger counterparts (he dropped stuff, knocked things over, and lost his train of thought during dictation several times). On the other hand, he's got TONS of experience. If something weird comes up chances are good he's already seen cases like it and will know what to do.

Where do I go from here?
The scoliosis surgery book shipped today so I'll probably spend quality time reading that with Russell over the next few weeks. Provided I don't learn anything new, I'll make calls to schedule surgery in the first week of May (call in May for surgery in October)