Before Rimoun Goris had surgery at LSI, he lived with excruciating lower back pain, which radiated down his arms and legs. These symptoms were the result of a herniated disc and scar tissue buildup from a failed open back surgery. The severe pain affected Rimoun's ability to perform the most basic functions, including  sleeping, walking or sitting. The discomfort had both a physical and emotional impact on Rimoun, decreasing his tolerance level and patience. "If the wind blew against my face the wrong way, I was upset," he painfully recalled.


Three years ago, Chief Spine Surgeon Dr. James St.Louis was able to decompress the disc and release the nerve that was being impinged from excessive scar tissue build-up. Overall, the LSI experience for Rimoun was fascinating! He was impressed with the courtesy and support of the entire LSI team. His recovery time was short, which he thoroughly appreciated, having previously experienced the long and grueling recuperation process after an open back surgery.

Since his LSI surgery in 2006, Rimoun has regained his zest for life! He compares his experience to regaining sight after not being able to see. Free from pain, Rimoun was able to return to normal activities as well as the game he loves - soccer, as a coach, player and referee.

You have heard the old saying, "getting old ain't for sissies." All you 50 somethings who are reading this are nodding your heads saying, "Boy is that so true." Your skin gets thinner , your bladder gets smaller , your waist line gets bigger , hair grows where you don't want it, but  not where you want it , and the only six pack you buy is  reading glasses at Walmart, so you can leave them everywhere the light is dim. You have to think before you eat because it will affect your cholesterol, triglyceride, or keep you up at night. Based on these physical changes coupled with social representations of aging, one would think that nothing good can be said for growing old, except it beats the alternative.

However, I have finally found one wonderful reward for getting older - my first grandchild. Adam Corbitt Salman was born on Friday, April 24th, 2009. He weighed 8 lbs. and 5 ounces and was 21 ½ inches in height. My daughter endured 28 hours of labor to deliver this little angel and my future sidekick. And, she was absolutely correct when she said that night, "Dad, he is PERFECT!" He is definitely the best medicine for all the aches and pains that come with growing older.

 
Moreover, he is a friendly reminder to take care of myself, so that I can share in the joy only a child can bring. I can truly say that little Adam has reinforced my sense of purpose. I find it amazing that a beautiful little baby can bring about huge changes in our lives and thank God for these miracles. Like with each of my children, when I held him in my arms, I had a feeling that I had never felt before.  It was and is indescribable and I look forward to spending each passing day enjoying each moment.

So, I may have to put on my reading glasses to see every perfect little feature in his face, but I thank God for the opportunity to watch him grow. And, I am thankful that his arrival has opened my eyes enough to finally realize I have not done enough with my own children, family and friends. I can't wait to start the second half of my life and do better than I have done before!

Last Wednesday, May 13, we hosted our first webcast. I am thrilled to announce that over 750 persons tuned in and submitted questions to Dr. Michael Perry, our Medical Director. Due to the overwhelming response, we were not able to answer everyone's questions live, but those persons are being contacted individually after the webcast to discuss their individual questions and concerns.
 
This is an exciting venture for LSI, and an important step in our efforts to continue to function as a valuable resource for back and neck pain sufferers worldwide. Currently, we utilize several vehicles for educational purposes. These include our monthly newsletter - The Spinal Column, educational seminars across North America, and most recently - live webcasts. For those of you who did not get a chance to tune in last Friday, the webcast will be archived and will be available for viewing on our website very soon.

LSI has made significant strides in the past several months through our utilization of technological resources, especially this blog! Through this forum, I have been able to communicate and build relationships with many of you, address issues within our organization through your feedback and improve our overall patient service. Thank you all for your comments, suggestions and support!

I must confess that I was never technologically savvy and writing was not really my forte, so I was a bit apprehensive about starting a blog. In fact, I am extremely lucky to have an assistant because I type considerably slow and I still use a rotary dial telephone - just kidding. Jokes aside, as I realized the immense potential for improving our patient service and connecting with back and neck pain sufferers, I was willing to step out of my comfort zone.

 With tremendous support from my staff, before I knew it, I was blogging.  Thanks to you, I have been enjoying this new adventure. Moreover, I have been able to learn a great deal about our patients and the back pain community in general. One of the things I realized was that there is a need for expert advice and greater accessibility. As a direct response to that need, we launched the webcast, making an effort to reach those in places that we have not visited, or who may find it challenging to attend our seminars, an opportunity to have their questions answered and learn more about minimally invasive spine surgery - all from the comfort of their home or office.

LSI continues to spread its wings, tapping into different avenues to connect with you! As a matter of fact, we are now on Twitter and Facebook, so as we build our online community, I encourage you to visit our pages and continue to help us to serve you better. I have provided the links to our Facebook and Twitter pages below.

Click here for Facebook
Click here for Twitter

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize all the mothers across the world. They are truly special people and cannot be adequately compensated for the work that they do on a daily basis. Time and time again, women have proven their dynamism, tenacity, and resilience. Today, I am extremely proud to see how they have been able to overcome numerous obstacles and risen to the highest levels. When we look around, we can see that they are often tasked with balancing their professional responsibilities and their never-ending maternal responsibilities. Amazingly, they do a stellar job!

At LSI, I am always amazed to see our mothers demonstrating their versatility. Take the examples of our VP of Human Resources, Maria Martinez and our VP of Compliance Dotty Bollinger. They are both talented, assertive executives, while at the same time, they are nurturing, compassionate mothers. I had a chance to observe this dynamic role firsthand on Bring your Daughters and Sons to Work Day on April 23rd. Among our other dedicated staff members, these professionals demonstrated their work-life balance and proved that they can execute their job functions effectively and contribute sufficient time to their work family, while mastering the skills of motherhood and fulfilling their commitments to their home family.
 
Over the years, we have had the opportunity to observe the impactful role of mothers, not only among our employees, but also among our patient family. LSI has been able to help several mothers to get their lives back. We feel truly privileged to be in a position where we can contribute to improving the quality of life for the core of one of society's most important institutions- the family.  Dads, please don't feel left out, you will be recognized in June!
 
One of the most emotive patient testimonials is from our former patient, Cheryl Harper, in which she discusses the effect of back pain on her ability to function as a mother and how those functions were restored after her LSI experience.  Believe me when I tell you that this is a classic story of agony and victory.  Several mothers and grandmothers have had similar experiences and we are all grateful to Cheryl for being an inspiration to back pain sufferers by sharing her story. Later this month, we will have an educational video, featuring several LSI patients, including Cheryl. As soon as that becomes available, I will share it with you! Until then, an excerpt of Cheryl's story can be seen in our Five Day Process Video. You can watch it by clicking here.

In addition to helping our patients and their families get their lives back, one of my truly greatest pleasures is seeing so many young individuals succeed so early in their careers. We have some amazing young talent and it is wonderful to step back and watch them work. Several of our employees, under the age of 40, have risen to the ranks of departmental Directors and Vice President.
 
Each of these young, talented individuals shares the passion to care deeply for our patients and their families. Similar to the pleasure and pride that you feel when you watch a child grow, mature and progress, I have been blessed with that opportunity with my employees.  A true testament to outstanding leadership, diligence and the entire staff's dedication to excellence, LSI achieved over 90% in patient satisfaction, which is approximately 25% higher than other providers.
 
 In many companies, employees come up with better ideas than executives. Try it some time and you may be surprised. Put all of them in a room and ask them to brainstorm with you about how to make each department better and you may be alarmed at the ideas that they can help you to create and implement.  And, just to think that all you had to do was ask. So, there you go! Now you know one of the secrets to my success. Hire talented and dedicated folks who share your vision and care enough to listen to what they have to say!

How many times have you read about LSI's signature 5 day process?  If you have been reading my blog, visiting our website, or receiving our newsletter, I can guess your answer - a lot! So, what is the five day process and how did it come into being?

The five day process came out of our commitment to consistently cater to patients' needs. We realize the importance for patients returning to their normal lives in a timely manner, as well as the physical and mental strain that often accompanies preparation for a surgical process. As a result, we streamlined the entire process, making it possible to complete everything from pre-op to physical therapy in as little as five days!

Now, while I won't promise that you will be able to hike the Himalayas immediately after the 5 day process, as I said in my last post, you will be able to perform low to moderate intensity activities.  For example, some of our patients have been able to enjoy Arizona's historic museums and art galleries, strolls along Florida's beautiful beaches, or park visits, after completing the five day process.

Patients and families are amazed that within this short time period, our cutting edge technology, expert staff and comprehensive facilities allows us to safely and successfully complete all diagnostic testing, digital imaging, medical clearance exams, pain management, spine surgery and physical therapy in any of our surgical centers.
 
Many patients prefer this alternative to having five to eight separate doctor appointments, in addition to overnight hospital stays, which may sometimes span over several weeks or months. Having the task of making multiple appointments can be time consuming, stressful and frustrating. We all know that the prospect of surgery creates enough anxiety, so the last thing that any patient needs is additional stress!

With that knowledge, we hold firmly to our commitments to delivering the best medical care in our area of specialty, above and beyond patient service, and ensuring ultimate comfort and convenience. In so doing, patients can devote all their attention to new adventures on the road to recovery!