Patient Testimonials
Success Story - Hemifacial Spasm
Name: Noel Polk
Age: 45
I had my MVD (microvascular decompression) procedure with Dr. Sekula this past Tuesday (2/7/2012), and I'm happy to report that, except for some residual, minor eye flutters, I consider myself 100% spasm free. It's Friday right now, and I'm in my hotel room waiting for the nurse to come and check on me.
I can't say enough about how amazing Dr. Sekula, his team, and the entire staff at UPMC Hamot were to me from pre-op to discharge. The bedside manner of each of the floor nurses was phenomenal and I never had any question because they answered them before I even had to ask. I also know, now, why Dr. Sekula is known as the best. I hope and pray for any of you that are contemplating, or about to go through, this procedure. If you have chosen Dr. Sekula, you are definitely in great hands. Take care!
Success Story - Trigeminal Neuralgia
Name: Allison
Age: 42
Nearly five years ago, I began to notice that something was wrong with my teeth, as well as aches and pains in my ears. After visiting an oral surgeon and a neurologic specialist, they believed that I had ruptured my eardrum. As the pain intensified, it had become more difficult to hold down my job of 20 years as a registered nurse.
I was finally diagnosed by my family practitioner with trigeminal neuralgia (TN). After I was diagnosed, my physician prescribed a prescription drug. I began taking 25 mg but had my dosage increased to the largest, 600 mg, because I was still experiencing symptoms. Three years ago, in an attempt to treat the TN, my physician suggested I undergo a targeted radiation procedure in Birmingham, Ala. During the procedure a helmet-like machine was placed on my head and I was fully awake during the radiation treatment.
One year later, after my symptoms did not subside, I had another radiation treatment procedure performed in Birmingham. There was still no improvement in my symptoms after this procedure, and I was told that I should not be exposed to any more radiation.
Finally, my sister, who had been in contact with a friend who had a friend who had TN surgery performed in Erie at UPMC Hamot, suggested I contact Dr. Raymond Sekula.
I believe God brought me to Dr. Sekula, and I felt at once when he called me for the first time that everything was going to be all right. Arranging my surgery with him fell into place beautifully and it was so affordable and easy.
I had the TN surgery on a Tuesday, and I was discharged that Thursday. The day I was discharged from the hospital, I felt so good that we went sight-seeing in the Erie area.
Dr. Sekula's surgery gave me my life back. The UPMC Hamot nurses were great and made me feel safe and comfortable. Other services at the hospital were remarkable, including the room-service program.
For my family and me, staying in the hotel nearby UPMC Hamot on the Erie bay front was like a vacation. And because I was Dr. Sekula's patient, we had special accommodations offered at a very reasonable discounted rate. We took a shuttle to get to and from the hospital to the hotel. My husband and my family were all unbelievably supportive of me through everything.
Now that I've had the surgery, I have my life back. I can roll the windows down, I can wash and pull my hair back, I can drive my Mustang, and I can go back to work as a nurse.
Success Story - Stroke
Name: Robert Perry
Age: 69
When 69-year-old stroke survivor Robert Perry experienced headache-like pain, he knew to come to UPMC Hamot.
“My wife searched on the Internet,” Perry recalls, “and we deemed UPMC Hamot the best option.”
After having a stent placed in his right carotid artery by another hospital seven years earlier, which occluded, Perry had good reason to seek out a place with a high success rate, state-of-the-art facilities, and an experienced team of health professionals. The UPMC Hamot Neuroscience Institute, which features the collective expertise of over 50 physicians, physician assistants, and therapists working together to achieve the sort of results that helped the Institute to be named a Top 50 Neurology and Neuroscience Hospital by U.S. News & World Report.
After an initial test in November 2010 for a right-sided stroke revealed a blocked right carotid artery, Perry went to see Cordell Preciado, MD, a UPMC Hamot neurointerventional radiology specialist. Dr. Preciado provided further insight along with a recommendation to have a stent placed in Perry’s left carotid artery. Perry had that surgery just two months later-and would have had it even earlier if he didn’t need time to recover from his mini-stroke.
“I was surprised at how fast they scheduled my surgery and that it only required one overnight stay in the intensive care unit,” Perry says. “Then there was the convenience of all this being available right here in Erie.”
Though today Perry is feeling well and taking care of his health, he says it’s comforting to know that if he needs help, he can count on the caring and experienced team of physicians at the UPMC Hamot Neuroscience Institute.
Success Story - Aneurysm
Name: Sara Ball
Age: 35
At just 35, Sara Ball learned that she had an aneurysm serious enough to require surgery. Though hardly welcomed news, she was glad she could count on Cordell Preciado, MD, a UPMC Hamot neurointerventional surgeon, and his experienced team at the UPMC Hamot Neuroscience Institute.
“I had no idea what I was dealing with,” Ball admits. “But Dr. Preciado explained everything from what to expect during the test and procedure to how the aneurysm occurred. He did it all in words we can understand-I couldn’t believe how much time he spent with us!”
Besides his thorough, patient-centered approach, Dr. Preciado also impressed the Balls with his impressive credentials and experience. Dr. Preciado, who is a senior member of the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery, completed fellowships at three top health facilities around the county and practices highly advanced neurointerventional radiology/endovascular neurosurgery.
When Dr. Preciado performed an angiogram, it revealed that Ball’s aneurysm would require a coil embolization of her paraophthalmic artery. This procedure, when performed would release a platinum coil inserted through a microcatheter into the aneurysm, obliterating blood flow into the aneurysm. Ball went in for surgery in December 2010, just one month after her initial diagnosis.
“The surgery was a complete success in that we were able to preserve her vision by preserving her ophthalmic artery,” says Dr. Preciado.
Though nervous, Ball says that the compassion and knowledge of the staff along with the comfortable accommodations won her over. “The staff, the food, the facilities-everything was 100% wonderful,” she says. Now, with regular follow-up exams with Dr. Preciado, Sara Ball reports she too can describe her health as being “100% wonderful” again.
