Dr. Chee Woo: Absence with Malice

I know it has been awhile since my last entry. I continue to be in a lot of pain with no relief as yet. I have been spending the previous weeks obtaining approval from my insurance company to have a procedure done that would hopefully provide some relief. We had to jump through a number of hurdles not to mention the additional cost that Keystone insurance would not cover. We finally got the procedure approved and on February 14, I went into Abington Hospital's pain management facility on Blair Mill rd. in Horsham. I was approved for an Occipital Nerve Stimulator trial. I went into the facility on Monday afternoon and the surgery began soon after. The trial procedure involves the placement of a battery pack on your shoulder which they tape down. The battery pack has 2 wire leads which run up the back of the neck and then are inserted under the scalp with large needles. The wires are placed over the occipital nerves. The other end of this battery pack has a long wire which attaches to a control box. This control box sends a shock or pulsing sensation through the wire and across the occipital nerve in an attempt to confuse the occipital nerve so it won't continue to send pain signals to the brain. The device can be turned up or down by the user depending on the pain there in.
When the procedure was complete and I was awake, a representative from Medtronics explained to my wife and I how the device works and what to expect. I was told not to shower or get anything wet. This was supposed to be a 5 day trial and if it worked they would permanently implant the entire device inside of me which is a more involved operation and is done in the hospital. I went home Monday evening and was in severe pain from the surgery which, they expected I would be. By Tuesday morning most of the stabbing pain was gone from the needles they used. About 11:00 am I felt a sharp pain coming from the right side of my head. It was the equivalent of getting a shock from an outlet. I quickly disconnected the wire from the control box to stop the pain. I had my wife take a look at the back of my head and she said the right wire was completely out and the left one was loose as well as most of the tape. I ended up back at the pain management facility Tuesday afternoon where Dr. Jaffe removed the device completely. I asked Dr. Jaffe why anyone would perform this procedure knowing it had to stay in place for more than 4 days and tape it up in the manner that Dr. Woo did? He answered me by saying that if he had done this and expected it to stay that way for 4 days , that he would have put me in a neck collar. He said there was no expectation this would stay in place. I proceeded to contact Keystone Insurance and file a complaint against the facility and Dr. Woo. I went to see Dr. Woo on Friday, February 18 to discuss what happened. He already knew I was dissatisfied because he had been contacted by Keystone Insurance. I asked him how anyone could possibly think that taping that battery pack to my shoulder and the wires to the back of my head would stay in place for more than 4 days without moving. I told him what Dr.Jaffe had discussed with my wife and I on Tuesday and he got even angrier. I told him that as soon as my shoulder moved the battery pack also moved and started pulling on the wires. As my neck started to move it pulled on the tape. I also told him that I had gone on-line and researched occipital nerve simulators and it listed information on the procedure such as strain relief on the wire and sutures on the wires to the scalp. Dr. Woo did none of these. These wires were run directly from the battery pack right into my scalp. He couldn't possibly believe they would stay there. And to add insult to injury he told me if I wanted to try the procedure again I should go back to Jefferson Hospital. His suggestion is not only callous and thoughtless, it is also very much in step with the treatment I received from Jefferson Hospital in 2006 and it is why I am so sick today. And Dr. Woo was more than familiar with what happened to me at Jefferson Hospital and to suggest I would set foot in that hospital again is the equivalent of sticking a knife in my back. Thanks for nothing.