Page 3 - Patient Testimonials - A. Lee Dellon, MD, PhD

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Foot Drop/Peroneal Palsey

Naïve, reluctant, and stubborn I refused to accept this as my fate. When I was fourteen years old pain was a part of my every day life. Multiple doctors suggested that giving up the thing I loved the most was the only solution to my pain. I was told that if I did not quit figure skating, my feet would be ruined to the point where one day walking would be a challenge. With my mom by my side I visited more doctors, tried absurd home remedies, and researched online, but nothing seemed to help. “Over use” and rest were not acceptable answers. Headstrong and persistent I continued to skate.

Skating led me to Fairfax, Virginia where I trained in the summer and on school vacations with a coach that lived there. There is where I met another skater, Anna Madorsky, in the summer of 2010 who had struggled with injuries a few years prior. By her suggestion I made an appointment with a doctor in Baltimore. Although skeptical, I was hoping for a new perspective, hopefully one that offered answers. After six hours in Dr. Dellon’s office, sitting through tests, poking and prying exactly where it hurt, he came to a verdict, something no other doctor I had seen was able to do. Less than a week after the initial appointment, I headed back to Baltimore to have surgery on my foot.

Dr. Dellon was an atypical doctor to say the least. Of the six hours I spent in his office, I was not just waiting to see him or confused as to what he had to say. In this short period of time he got to know me as an individual, not just my injury. He continued to email, call, and check up on me after I had traveled back home to Cary. The following year I returned to Baltimore for a second surgery. He stayed in touch just as he had the first time making sure I was doing well, and answering any questions that came about.

Still, I did not fully realize how outstanding of a man Dr. Dellon was, or what a true friend I had gained until over a year after my most recent surgery. He contacted me not to check on my foot or see if I was better, but to see how life was going. Dr. Dellon impacted my life more than just helping me regain my physicality and ability to skate. His goal is not to just fix the problem, but rather to help and encourage the person that is stuck. Because of him I know now that in what ever I decide do I want to help people. I want my schooling and work to provide me with the opportunity to enhance other’s lives as Dr. Dellon did to mine. I want to be able to give other people hope and have them find a friend in me as he did and continues to do. - ML

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L. H. Testimonial

I am a 65 year old retired Captain, career naval officer (SEE PHOTOS of THE A-6 INTRUDER, in which I had more than 4000 flight hours and 1000 carrier landings) and am writing this testimonial to share my experience as a “long- suffering chronic pain sufferer” which thankfully ended after two surgeries by Dr. A. Lee Dellon.

My journey began just prior to my retirement from the US Navy in 2004 when I was informed during my retirement physical that I had an inguinal hernia which required immediate repair. The laparoscopic surgery took place at an outstanding Midwest university hospital by the hospital’s most qualified surgeon.

My recovery from surgery was surprisingly slow — much longer than I expected.  I remember signing a disclaimer prior to surgery that mentioned "that roughly 10% of all hernia repairs result in long-term complications” — but I didn’t give it much thought.
Fast forward about 5 years.  Although seemingly recovered from the surgery, I still had occasional short duration “pulses of pain”  in my right groin that were unexplained (and very troubling since these pain pulses would occur randomly).  Due to the amount of time that had passed, I did not consider the possibility that my discomfort was in any way related to the prior hernia surgery. This pattern continued until one day about 3 years ago when, in a big box hardware store, I inexplicably found myself lying on the floor from the worst pain I had every felt which literally brought me to my knees. Little did I know that this was the beginning of almost two years of debilitating right-side groin pain. This condition began to wear on my mental health.

My primary care doctor referred me to a local surgeon who immediately had me undergo a CT scan of that area which revealed “a minefield” of metal clips that were used in the hernia repair.  It was the judgment of this local surgeon that I was experiencing nerve pain in some fashion from this prior hernia surgery.  His view was that the most likely culprit was either nerve entrapment or nerve(s) in direct contact with these metal clips, or both.

It was mutually agreed to start treating this with a series of steroid shots.  These shots did provide some short term relief but did nothing to solve the root problem. At this point I was getting desperate and began “trolling” for a possible surgical solution.  After several years of enduring this pain, I had pretty much shut down.  No golf, no real family life.  Just myself in my own little world of pain with no clear way forward.  I had reconciled my mind to the fact that resuming all the things I loved might be out of reach.

This is when I literally stumbled upon the “Dellon Institute" website and Dr. A. Lee Dellon.  I read chapter 4 in his book about groin pain syndrome and couldn’t believe it — everything about this condition fit me to a “T”.  Almost on a whim, I emailed him describing myself, my situation and at the end of the email, a plea for help. I was shocked that within minutes, he responded.  I mentioned in my email that I was a retired Navy fighter pilot and to my amazement, he said his father-in-law was a retired navy pilot also so the connection was made — pure and simple.  (Note:  I thought it might also be fate because we shared the same first name.)  I   immediately coordinated an office visit (about a 4 hour drive for us).  After an examination it was his medical opinion that I was indeed suffering from nerve entrapment and so surgery was scheduled for about 4 weeks later.

This surgery though, didn’t end my journey.  After 6-8 weeks, I still was uncomfortable and so Dr. Dellon had me come up for another consultation. He  determined that there was still a lingering neuroma, or “hot-spot," that he deemed “fixable" with a second surgery.  So, four months to the day after the first surgery, he operated again.  This time was very different though.  Instead of another nerve resection, this surgery was “other worldly”. After putting me to sleep, he made an incision in the area of said “hot-spot," brought me out of the anesthesia, and then began a series of pokes/prods until I confirmed the exact location of the pain.  He then put me back to sleep and removed a metal staple (from the previous hernia repair) and a small piece of mesh (same hernia repair) where a nerve was clearly entrapped.

The recovery from this second surgery was slow — there is no getting around that.  As the patient, I would characterize this procedure as very invasive.  But based upon Dr. Dellon’s recommendation, I began walking in the swimming pool about 4 weeks later.  This hardly seemed like the answer, but I hung in there — even on days when I still felt lousy.  However, after about a month or so of that, I finally said to myself “the hell with it, I’m going to try and swim a lap or two.” Now here is where this gets interesting.  After a couple months of this walking/swimming routine, I woke up one morning and for the first time in years, I didn’t feel anything resembling pain.  Couldn’t believe it — couldn’t really process it.

Fast forward again to present day.  I resumed playing golf last June (SEE PHOTO) and have continued swimming as my primary source of aerobic exercise.  I’m hooked.  I now swim 4-5 times/week for 30-45 minutes at a time.  Feels great.
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