I’m 63 years old and I still work full-time.  I’ve been and regional manager and an account manager for a transmission company for the past 38 years and I’ve traveled the upper mid-west on business.  My wife and I live on a farm in Iowa and I stay active.  I enjoy woodworking, mowing and growing and selling sweet corn.  We have 3 adult children and 9 grandchildren to keep us busy as well.  I have a great quality of life and I’m looking forward to enjoying my retirement years.  You have one life to live, and I believe you need to live it your way.  You don’t get to start this life over and try again, so make decisions that are best for you - and that includes being active in deciding your health care options. 

I needed to make some very serious decisions about my health care a little over a year ago.  I had spinal stenosis and it had gotten so bad that I couldn’t even walk 10 feet without being bent over at a 90-degree angle.  I was in constant pain and my lack of mobility was affecting my work and recreation. I was referred to Dr. Smucker at the UIHC Department of Orthopeadics and Rehabilitation UI Spine Center.  I don’t take any surgery lightly.  I need to believe in the skill of my doctor, or they won’t be doing surgery on me.  I need to have confidence in my surgeon before I put my life in their hands.  Most people ask more questions to their mechanic when they take their car in than they ask a doctor who is about to do surgery on them!  You really need to ask questions, don’t just sit there hoping that the doctor can read your mind.  You need to ask get answers before you decide if this is the right doctor for you.  I did, and I had great results. Dr. Smucker answered all of my questions, and he was down to earth and kept me involved in the decision making process.  I had total confidence in his skill going into my surgery, and that is important to me.  As we discussed my options I knew that surgery was a possibility for me, but I wasn’t ready yet.  We tried an epideural as a first step, but I got no relief.  Overall, I have a high pain tolerance and if I can plow through a situation I will.  But I was on business trip out West and my situation had gotten so bad that I had to be in a wheelchair for the week.  I called Dr. Smucker and set up a time for surgery when I got back home.  I realized that my situation was not going to improve and I was actually getting worse.  The decision was now clear to me now, I needed to have back surgery if I wanted to live a quality life again.

My surgery went very smoothly and I recovered beautifully.  Dr. Smucker made the right decision to do this surgery and he did a great job.  I consider myself to be 100% recovered; I am pain free and without restrictions.  I am back to doing everything that want to do.  The staff at UIHC is the best, they definitely know what they are doing and I had no surprises in surgery or in recovery.  They made me feel at home and answered all my questions.  I was up and about within a few days and I was not in too much pain.  I did physical therapy in the hospital and I had a lifting limit for a while.  I was able to drive in 60 days and I was back to work in a few months.  The UIHC staff has answered my follow-up questions since being released from the hospital too - I never hesitate to call them and they are always there for me.  I really can’t say enough about this staff, and I mean that - the whole staff provided the highest quality of care to me.  I have since referred my family members to Dr. Smucker. 

My final advice to you is to remember that this is your life and you have to be responsible for getting the highest quality of medical care available to you.  You have to ask questions and get answers so you can have peace of mind with your decisions.  Then trust your doctor to do their job well and don’t worry about things you can’t control - and get out there and live life your way.