Richard A. Rowe, MD

Dr. Rowe performed my 3-level ACDF surgery. On the positive side, he was very kind before surgery, and both he and his staff were professional and reassuring. The hospital staff were also friendly, and so far the surgery has helped reduce some of the numbness I was experiencing.

The surgery itself was much harder than I anticipated once the numbness medications wore off. I experienced an extremely severe nerve headache afterward that was unlike anything I have ever felt. During my first night in the hospital, I struggled for several hours with pain control. One nurse appeared unfamiliar with ACDF recovery and advised me to lie flat, which I later learned can worsen swelling. Fortunately, the night nurse recognized the problem, made sure I received breakthrough pain medication, and by morning I was doing much better and was ready to be discharged.

My biggest frustration was with the cervical collar. The brace I was sent home with broke. After surgery, I slipped on a dog bone at home and became concerned that I may have injured my neck. I went to the hospital to be evaluated, and thankfully the CT scan showed everything looked great and there was no damage to the surgical repair. While there, the hospital replaced my broken cervical collar, but that replacement broke within a week as well.

At my follow-up appointment, I was told to contact the hospital or a brace supplier. The hospital would not replace it unless I came through the ER, and the brace company informed me that the issue was known and that they were working on a redesign. Despite everyone being aware that the brace was broken, I ultimately had to purchase another one myself for approximately $60, only for it to break as well. Considering this was a device I was required to wear for three months after neck surgery, I felt there should have been more assistance in making sure I had a functioning brace before I left the office.

Communication after surgery was also difficult. It was often challenging to reach the office after hours. While calls were sometimes returned, the response was usually that a message would be passed along the next day. When I developed severe postoperative headaches that kept me awake for days, a nurse was able to help, but stronger medication required an in-person trip to the office. Living over an hour away made that very difficult during recovery. The Tylenol 3 that was called in took the edge off, but it provided limited relief from the pain.

As time went on, I became less likely to call because I often felt like my concerns were an interruption rather than something that needed attention. Most recently, I developed significant throat symptoms including complete voice loss, neck swelling, swollen lymph nodes, congestion, green mucus, and increased numbness in my arm. Because these symptoms were occurring so soon after neck surgery, I felt it was reasonable to contact the surgeon’s office for guidance. My husband called multiple times and did not receive a call back. When we finally spoke with the office, we felt our concerns were dismissed. While I understand surgeons cannot treat every illness or prescribe antibiotics without evaluating a patient, I would have appreciated more communication, empathy, and guidance regarding whether these symptoms could affect my recovery this was a scary recovery.

Overall, I believe Dr. Rowe is a skilled surgeon, and I am thankful that the surgery itself appears to have been successful. The reduction in numbness has been encouraging, and I have no complaints about his surgical skill. I am 3.5 months past surgery. However, my experience after surgery left me feeling that patient support, communication, and follow-up care could be significantly improved. Patients going through a major neck surgery are often scared, uncomfortable, and vulnerable. A little more compassion, responsiveness, and willingness to help navigate postoperative concerns would have made a very difficult experience much easier.