Testimonial for Dr Saurabh Kapoor

My 81-year-old mother with significant mobility issues, saw Mr Kapoor to discuss the compression of her spinal chord in her neck.

I was amazed that after a careful consultation and assessment of mum, Mr Kapoor offered her a surgery there and then, which he said was essential to prevent future paralysis.

His manner was so kind and he explained everything for and against the surgery so clearly that neither my mother or I needed time to think about it. Mum said yes straight away feeling reassured and confident that she was in safe hands.

During the few weeks prior to surgery I had a number of questions and some concerns regarding mum’s health and so emailed Mr Kapoor. He replied instantly on all of these occasions, offering reassurance, explanations and on one occasion, he organised an urgent scan to rule out any significant deterioration in her condition.

I have never received such dedication and diligence before from any consultant.His secretary also kept in touch regarding dates for the operation.

Two preop appointments were with members of the spinal team and they both went really well, providing more reassurance and confidence in the impending procedure.Mum remained calm, confident and very positive – as did the whole family!

The operation went amazingly well! Mr Kapoor telephoned me to let me know how things had gone in surgery- again a gesture I never expected but appreciated so very much!

Her time on the Spinal Ward was excellent, with dedicated staff supporting her to mobilise as well as taking care of her every need. They also organised a two week stay at a rehabilitation unit enabling her to get strong enough to come home.

Mum is recovering well and is at home.

A nurse practitioner from the Spinal Ward rang a few days ago to see how she was and Mr Kapoor emailed to ask after her.

My mother and I are extremely grateful to Mr Kapoor and his team for looking after mum so beautifully from start to now.

The care he provided was above and beyond the call of duty I’m sure, for which Mr Kapoor will always have our gratitude.

Thank you.

Asima Qureshi
(Daughter of Mrs Badar Rija)

Video Testimonial for Dr Saurabh Kapoor

Testimonial from Mrs A Barkes

For over 10 years I have suffered on and off with lower back pain and for the past 18 months my pain has been so severe that it has affected my ability to work. I was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease following an MRI scan done at Kings Mill Hospital in 2018 but I decided at that point to follow conservative treatment with my Chiropractor as I was too scared to have spinal surgery. My spine became so unstable that in April 2019 I finally had to admit that surgery was the only option. I knew whatever the outcome of the surgery I couldn’t feel any worse than I did at that time. Following a referral to the QMC in May 2019 I had several tests carried out and returned for the results of these in November where I was referred for surgery ASAP. A few days later I received a telephone call asking if I could be admitted for a spinal fusion to be undertaken by Mr Kapoor on Christmas Eve, 24 th December, to which I readily agreed.

Prior to my surgery my symptoms were

• Severe sciatica down both legs to my toes;
• Backache;
• Numbness and pins and needles in my right leg if I walked too far;
• After too much walking I could no longer lift my right leg off the floor;
• Trips and falls due to numbness in right leg;
• Numbness affecting my bowel function – this resulted in constipation as I never got the feeling I needed the toilet and on one occasion I had an incident of bowel incontinence following a long walk which I knew nothing about until I got home;
• Lack of concentration and irritability due to being in constant pain;
• Severe depression due to my pain level and being unable to have any quality of life this resulted in me no longer wanting to be here anymore at one point.

I met Mr Kapoor a few days prior to my surgery. I could not have asked to meet anyone better. He was professional and approachable, very informative about the surgery I was to undertake and above all he gave me every faith that I was in the best hands. Mr Kapoor explained that I would be having a TLIF with navigation procedure and that this had faster recovery rates following surgery which I was happy about. After meeting with Mr Kapoor I was no longer afraid of the surgery as everything had been fully explained in such a way that I could easily understand it and I was confident that he would do his very best for me. I was actually at that point then looking forward to it in order to get my life back. Yes I knew about all the risks but my quality of life was so poor I didn’t feel I could be much worse off. On the day of my surgery Mr Kapoor and his team were brilliant. Mr Kapoor spoke to me in the anaesthetic room prior to surgery which was very reassuring and even telephoned my partner as he had promised to do to inform him that my surgery had gone well. This was very much appreciated. Whilst in the recovery ward Mr Kapoor came to visit me to check I was okay. I felt absolutely great from the moment I came round. After feeling so poorly with so many symptoms for so many years I knew instantly that my surgery was a success. I continued to recover well in the hours that followed on the high dependency ward. I received excellent care and was able to get out of bed on Christmas Day approximately 24 hours after surgery and go for a walk completely unaided. That night I was transferred to a general ward and continued to improve. The following day, Boxing Day, I had my drains

removed, dressings changed and went for another walk; this time incorporating the staircase which I managed easily. Following an x-ray I was allowed home…this was just over 48 hours after surgery.

Once home I continued to recover extremely well. I started my physiotherapy exercises given to me by the hospital and maintained a healthy diet. Initially, due to the anaesthetic I presume, I spent a lot of time sleeping. This didn’t concern me as I know that sleep allows your body to heal and I accepted that my body had gone through a ssive trauma. Within a week or two I had completely stopped all painkillers but continued to wear the support stockings issued to me by the hospital on the day of admission. I would say without any doubt, putting these stockings on and taking them off in order to wash was by far the worst activity I encountered in my recovery as living alone it was not always possible for somebody else to do this. Within a very short space of time my bowels actually started working normally again for the first time in years. I now have my bowels opened every day and so clearly the problems I encountered with my bowels prior to surgery were all due to compression of my spinal cord.

I am currently 5+ weeks post op. I am extremely mobile having built up my activities steadily and resting when I felt I’d done enough. I currently walk for at least one mile every day and sometimes walk up to three miles on a good day without any problem whatsoever. Yes my back is still slightly sore from the three incisions but that is all the discomfort I have. From day one of the operation I have had none of the symptoms listed above. I can honestly say that I have never felt better and at times I’ve been doing things and completely forgetting I’ve had any surgery at all. My friends and family are all amazed at how well I’ve recovered. Within two weeks of surgery I was walking around and if people weren’t aware I’d had spinal surgery they never would have known. One of my friends has been a nurse all of her life and prior to her recent retirement she was a Ward Manager. I got her to regularly change my dressings and when these were no longer needed she still continued to monitor my wounds. Even she could not believe how quickly my wounds healed and how well and active I was following spinal surgery. I am due back at the QMC on 24 th February 2020 for follow up and I am sure everything will be okay. This whole procedure and the knowledge and skill of Mr Kapoor has completely transformed my life…I will be eternally grateful for the expert care I received. In a million years I never expected to feel this good. Thank you so much.