Overall, I am very pleased with my experience at Spine Associates. The day I found out I needed surgery, I was very upset and the Spine Associates staff was extremely caring and supportive. I had spinal fusion eight years ago for my scoliosis by another surgeon, but the unfused portion progressed. Dr. Francis extended my fusion to my lumbar spine to stop any further scoliosis progression. On the day I received my MRI and CT scan results, I had a long wait before I was able to see the doctor (this was the only time I had a long wait). I also had not had surgery yet and I was not in pain. I had 2 pages of typed questions to ask Dr. Francis about my upcoming surgery. When it was my turn to see him, he went over my results and took as much time as I needed to answer all of my questions. I felt much more at ease about my surgery after all of my questions had been answered. On the day of surgery, I got to speak with him before I went back and he checked on me in the hospital on a Sunday afternoon, before I was discharged. The hospital staff had great things to say about Dr. Francis and the results they’ve seen in his patients. After my post-op appointment, the nurse called to check on me to see how I was doing. I am now 3 weeks post-op and doing great! I am very thankful that Dr. Francis takes the time to see patients in Beaumont so that I don’t have to drive to Houston for every appointment. I read a lot about the robotic spine surgery and the new technology is nothing short of impressive. I even watched YouTube videos that describe the advantages of this new technology. The whole time I was preparing for surgery, I mistakenly assumed that I would be getting the robotic technology. After my pre-op appointment, I began wondering why I hadn’t gotten the scans required to program me into the robotic system. I called to ask about this and it was explained that the hospital my insurance covered did not have the robotic technology at that site. I was upset at first, but it didn’t affect my decision to have the surgery. With or without the robotic assistance, I feel that Dr. Francis really is a leader in the field of spine surgery and I am very happy with my results.
Trisha Barnes – 7th grade teacher and marathon runner
