5 /5 Karen R: Dr. Nathan Douglass is your go to doctor for orthopedic surgery of the hand. From my initial consultation with him it was apparent to me I had chosen the right surgeon. Beyond his expertise of applying his training and skills he is a caring person.
Dr. Douglass creates a comfortable environment where just talking is seemless. I find that to be key. Communication is far more enriching when done in a relaxed atmosphere.
The surgical side went very well.
I had broken my wrist in a few places on a Sunday. I went to the ER for xrays and temporary casting. They advised me to be evaluated by an orthepedist. Since I dont have one of those Drs in my contact list, Monday morning my research began. After spending hours reading reviews and credentials, Dr. Douglass is the one who made it to the top of my list even though he was not associated with the hospital I use.
Monday just before 5pm I called his office, received an apt for the following day and he did surgery that Thursday.
Each follow-up visit was spot on. I note that because during my initial consultation, Dr Douglass laid out exactly what to expect going forward. From the day of surgery through the year ahead. He covered who did what in surgery, what my hand will look like, pain level, discomfort, the use of, therapy, etc.
The entire healing process has been as he said. Im not kidding.
Initially I was taken aback when he mentioned what to expect beyond a month. I thought in 30 days Id be good to go. Aparently not too bright but being it was my first wrist surgery what did I know. Thank goodness he knew.
Next week well be meeting for the 6 month follow-up and Im looking forward to it. Maybe Ill be the one who is ahead of the healing schedule.
Considering where I started out, Im so happy to be able to use my hand and its pointing straight again. From when I broke it to after surgery I was amazed at how huge my hand and fingers had become. I never thought skin could stretch that much but im happy to say it did shrink back.
Was the process painful? Only when the ER was casting it. I dont recall any pain from anything the Dr. did. Amazing right. He cut open my wrist, manuevered some bones, screwed in a plate, wrapped it up and really no pain.
I did have discomfort when it came to doing the physical therapy but lets be realistic, when you wake up a lazy part of your body its going to get cranky. I still experience stretching/tight discomfort however Im fine with that because Dr Douglass covered that when he TOLD me what to EXPECT and as I mentioned earlier, he has been spot on.
With any journey, if you know what to expect you can focus on reaching the destination.
Bottom line, if you are in need of a great orthopedic surgeon you are reading about one who is top shelf.
His support team is excellent as well.
