LED Testimonials

To Whom It May Concern,

I gladly will share my experience with anyone who wants to read this, or anyone who is, looking for an alternative to traditional back. surgery, because I am still amazed at this experience, and I am also saddened that more people do not know about this procedure!

Let me start by telling you that Dr. Schiffer is an awesome person. He is a very talented surgeon, but also a very kind and gentle man. I am very thankful that be was able to help me, and I still cannot believe it when I tell people that I just had back surgery I do not feel like I've had surgery at all. I just feel an incredible sense of relief.

I am a 41 year old mother of three teenagers. I have a full time job, take care of a husband, the house, and two small businesses. I have always been very very active, what most people would call a go-getter. About 1 1/2 years ago, I noticed a severe, disabling pain in my lower back, that didn't seem to want to go away. Because I am a cancer survivor, and I could not remember a specific injury, panic ensued, and test after test after test and many doctors later.... an MRI determined that I had a mildly herniated disc at L4-5. We tried everything we could to eliminate, or at least alleviate the pain, to no avail. My last option was surgery, and when I indicated that I would rather just live in pain, than have someone cut around on my spine ... my very much trusted chiropractor referred me to Dr. Schiffer.

I saw him in August of 2001. I immediately liked his warm, caring, gentle attitude, and I was thankful that he felt he could help me with minimally invasive back surgery. (I really like the words... minimally invasive... here.). He thought I should have a Discogram first to determine if there were other problems.

Towards the end of October, I bad the discogram, which in some senses is very much like the surgery itself..... and is no big deal... and it showed some signs of degeneration in my L3-4 disc, along with the herniation at L4-5, so Dr. Schiffer thought a combination of the LED procedure, and the IDET procedure, would be best for me,... to take care of the problems with both of those areas.

I had the procedures done at the end of November, and I cannot believe how simple it all was. I went to the surgery center at 7:00am the morning of my surgery. The staff at the Blackhawk Surgery Center are incredible!! They made sure I was always very comfortable, and around 8:00 that morning, I went into surgery. I remember only bits and pieces about the operating room (mostly conversations), but what I do clearly remember is that I was never uncomfortable. I also clearly remember the recovery room and realizing there already... that the procedure bad been successful! (Thank You God!!) I was on my way home again shortly after 11:00 that morning. Because I have had cancer... I have had about 9 surgeries in my life, and this was probably the most serious one .... but .... the least traumatic of them all. I do not think they should call it surgery.... It is more like a procedure. ? It truly was no big deal at all!

The hardest part of this whole experience has definitely been the recovery. I had a few restrictions for a while, and they were harder than the surgery itself. I feel so incredibly good. I have not had a back ache since the "procedure", and when I feel good it is difficult for me to not get up and go work in the garden or something...

It has only been three short months, and now....... I get my whole life back!! (Thank You Again!)

Dr. Schiffer is a talented, caring, and amazing man! God has blessed him so richly, and he has the ability to drastically improve peoples lives with so little trauma what-so-ever! (or in my case..none)! I feel so blessed that this path in my life, has led me down THIS road!

Thank you Dr. Schiffer! Your amazing!

Brenda Struiksma