Mr Bhupal Chitnavis 2020-01-30 Person 5 5 0

I originally had 4 level fusion of the lower lumbar spine 12 years ago and was relatively stable with it until summer 2019 when out of nowhere I had rapidly increasing back pain and numbness in the feet, having previously had very successful neck surgery with Mr Chitnavis in 2016 my wife and I decided he would be the best person for me to see regarding these symptoms. It was like meeting an old friend again, Mr Chitnavis being the friendly, approachable companionate consultant I remembered from 4 years ago. As per my last visit, he listened to everything I had to say and tell him about my current issues and then set upon a plan of investigation. After a few consultations, Initial scans and MRI's did not really reveal much other than wear and tear at L2/3 and L3/4 and some narrowing of the canal but without any evidence of significant compression. Mr Chitnavis could see I was disappointed with the results as I was in so much pain and he did not stop there as many could of saying there was little else he could do, he wanted more detail, so he sent me for a SPECT CT Scan and hey presto, we had answers! The scan revealed 2 of the screws from my previous surgery had become loose and that one of the discs had not fused. So he now knew what the cause of my pain was but rather than jumping to surgery we came up with a plan of medication, Physio and possibly injections. The problem I had was the pain was getting ever worse, I tried tablets and physio to no avail and the next time I saw Mr Chitnavis, I had already made up my mind I wanted the surgery, again, he won't rush into surgery (which is a very good thing, he wants to make sure it is a last resort or that he can see benefits from it before considering it), we then had conversations about risks, benefits, other treatments, possible outcomes but given the screws were loose we both came to the conclusion that they would need to be replaced, I was already set on surgery so Mr Chitnavis took my case to his MDT and they agreed surgery was the best option. The surgery itself, Mr Chitnavis took out the loose screws at L5/S1 and re-implanted wider stronger screws, he also shortened the supporting rods as they no longer needed to be the current length. He then fused the unfused disc. I was in hospital for 4 days and when I first left it was hard to walk or get comfortable due to post op pain but my back already felt different. Recovery then happened quite quickly after the first 3 weeks of discomfort and now 7 weeks post op I have no pain or symptoms from pre surgery and recovery continues to go well. It has already changed my quality of life from 6 months ago. Mr Chitnavis is very happy with the progress and outcome I have made but even now keeps a level head making sure I look after my back and take things easy and is aware there is still a way to go. We will be meeting again in 6 months where he will scan my back to make sure fusion is occurring and everything is healing well and as it should. In summary, I cannot recommend Mr Chitnavis highly enough, If I have to have any further procedures in the future I would want no one other than Mr Chitnavis looking after me and performing my surgery. I hope anyone reading this review finds it helpful in finding a Neurosurgeon, if you chose Mr Chitnavis, he will have your best interests at heart and will take great care of you.