Mr B Roy Chaudhary 2020-09-03 Person 5 5 0

Mr Chaudhary carried out keyhole decompression of my left hand L5/S1 facet joint at the beginning of August, also removing a cyst which was stopping my S1 nerve from moving, and I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending him to anyone who requires the services of a Neurosurgeon who specialises in spines and keyhole day surgery. Although I was unable to meet him in person before the procedure, my husband and I had an initial video conference with Mr Chaudhary to go through all the options and potential risks for the procedure under consideration. He was very willing to answer any questions (no matter how seemingly insignificant) and gave the impression of having all the time in the world. We finished the consultation very confident that we had chosen the right Consultant. Given that the Manor Hospital had only just finished being fully contracted to the NHS, finding a date for surgery was a little tricky, but Mandy (Mr Chaudhary's PA) was fantastic in pulling everything together - always returning calls and emails in a timely fashion. Mr Chaudhary telephoned me a couple of days before surgery and was very patient in going through the procedure for the surgery itself in great detail (at my request!). I was very reassured by his answer to my query about how long I'd be in theatre - which was that it would be about an hour and a half but that it would be as long as it takes to ensure the best clinical outcome (I was actually in surgery for two hours in the end). All through the process I was made to feel that I was in the driving seat. Mr Chaudhary came to see me on the morning of surgery in my room to go through everything one last time and to double check that I didn't have any final questions. I should also add at this stage that Dr Barker (the Anaesthetist that Mr Chaudhary likes to work with) was also excellent in his care and in making sure that I was comfortable with the procedure both for surgery and for the drugs I needed to take post-op. Despite a long day in theatre, Mr Chaudhary came to see me before leaving to check how everything was and to confirm that he was very happy for me to be discharged that evening. One of the advantages of having keyhole surgery was that I was able to get up and about very quickly - climbing stairs with a Physio only an hour or so after coming out of theatre - meaning there was less likelihood of developing a blood clot or scar tissue. Mr Chaudhary confirmed that he had sent a tissue sample from the cyst to the lab for checking and that I would hear the results from him in due course (which I did). Although it has taken a few weeks for the residual pain in my leg and glute to fade (my nerve had been impinged for more than a year at this stage so it was to be expected that it would take some time for normality to resume), the horrible jagged 'tinfoil' pain which had been shooting down my leg was gone immediately upon waking up after surgery. The residual aches and pains have receded slowly over the weeks and now coming to the end of week 5 post-surgery I can imagine a day in the not too distant future when I might be completely pain-free.