Washington DC area I went to a colorectal surgeon named Paul Savoca. He practices at the Fairfax Colon & Rectal Surgeons in Fairfax, VA. http://www.fascrs.org/ He is certified by them. Savoca, Paul E MD (ABCRS Certified) Fairfax Colon & Rectal Surgeons 8316 Arlington Blvd, Suite 401 Fairfax, VA 22031-5216 (703) 280-2841 (703) 280-4773 (Fax) Terrific doctor. Just had cyst lanced and drained today. Knows his stuff.
Do you still feel good about the procedure performed by Dr. Savoca? I'm wanting to check out good surgeons in the D.C. area. Did you heal well and all that? Thanks, Jenny
Jenny, yes I think he was very knowledgeable about Pilonidal disease. Prior to surgery, I was very nervous about the procedure and the aftercare. I would come to this website and get even more nervous. However, when I went to Fairfax hospital with my parents, i soon was calmed. The anesthisiologist was funny and great. The procedure went well (i was under iv sedation and local anestethics). I woke up feeling great. So far its been three weeks and I am probably half way done the healing process. it consists of bathing 2-3 (he told me i should be doing 3) times aday and packing the wound with gauze. It helps to have somebody to help you. But yes, so far I am satisfied and would reccomend him to you. My father is a neurologist who practices in VA and he was referred to this group by several of his doctor friends. Good luck
DC surgeon Hello- I strongly reccommend Dr. Joshua A. Katz (C/R Surgeon). He works out of GWU Hospital.
Dr. Katz is brilliant. Coming from me, that is a huge compliment because I HATE doctors and have a reputation for being a moster patient. I have been a type I diabetic for 15 years and have delt with my fair share of crappy doctors. HOWEVER I found Dr. Katz to be a refreshing change from the norm. He is thorough, straighforward and accomodating. He explained everything to me in deatail: all my options, the potential complications with the suregery, etc. I found him to be extremely reassuring both pre and post-op. My surgery went well, my would is healing nicely (the nurses that pack my wound have commented on what a good job my surgeon did!) As far as extensive experience is concerned, all I can say is that I was extremely confident in the body of knowledge he possessed on the subject and that he had all of the answers to my questions. According to his staff, the excision surgery was a pretty common thing they performed.
Hi, This is a great success story. I was told about a week ago that I have pilonidal sinus. I am trying to find a good specialist in the Balrimore area. GWU Hsopital might be a bit far for me but I am willing to do the drive. Can you tell me how I can contact Dr. Karz and see if he knows somebody closer to Baltimore. Thank you in advance for your help. Good luck and easy recovery. IS
IVO77, Have you had any luck finding a Baltimore doctor? I'm also in the area and interested in a consult. Thanks!
I am still looking for a surgeon in the D.C. area. I went to one in Fairfax here, but he was recommending the use of flap surgery and I wanted to get a 2nd opinion. It sounds like Dr. Katz may be worth it?
700MB. About 11 days ago I had my surgery at the University of Maryland Hospital downtown Baltimore. It was an excision of pilonidal sinus. I had a spinal anesthesia which worked out pretty good, I was asleep during the surgery, the only bad thing about this spinal is that you cannot move your legs for about 4 hours which actually was a good thing because they keep you in the hospital and monitor you. THE DRESSING IS THE KEY TO FAST RECOVERY. I was told to use regular dry gauze to pack the wound but it kept sticking to the wound walls and causing bleeding upon removal of the dressing. I had so much bleeding one night I had to go to the emergency room. I recommend that you invest in expensive Alginate dressing. There are some good references on this web page. I found Aquacel dressing at the local Woodhaven Pharmacy on Joppa Rd. but it is very expensive ($89 for a pack of 10). This stuff is suppose to absorb wound exudate and to release some kind of gel to moisten the wound so it will not stick. I just put it last night so I don’t know yet if it going to work but I will let you know. Good luck. Ivo P.S. The Aquacel dressing was amazing. It really works. Well worth the money. I will never use the regular dressing again. Is has been more than 6 months after the surgery. I feel great.
Bascom procedure in Washington, DC area How can I find doctors that perform the Bascom procedure in the greater DC area? Any input is appreciated!
Conservative Excision in Washington, DC I had an unroofing procedure 4 weeks ago, and I am completely healed! Essentially, unroofing is the Bascom procedure, but instead of just lancing the abcess, the top is taken off of it. My surgeon was Dr. Bruce Orkin (202)741-3230. He operates from the George Washington University Medical Center.
Doctor in the DC area I went to Dr. Bruce Orkin at the George Washington University. He performs a Pilonidal Unroofing. It has been 3 weeks and 6 days since my surgery and my wound has completely closed up. The experience wasn't too bad. Highly Recommended.
I had my surgery with Dr. Orkin on August 7, so I can't say whether he completely fixed me or not, but I have to say he is a great guy! I didn't like the first doc I went to, so I went to see Dr. Orkin for a second opinion. He was very friendly and made me feel completely comfortable, unlike the first guy I went to. Again, I can't say if I'm totally healed yet, but if you want a nice doctor who certainly knows what he's talking about and has a lot of experience (there were 3 others in to see him that day with pilonidals), go to him!
Dr. Brown Here is a copy of a post that I just put up. After seeing over six doctors over the course of four years, Dr. Brown was by far and away the best. I want to second the recommendation for Dr. Brown. I have had two pilonidal surgeries. The first was performed about four years ago. It was a closed procedure done by one of the top surgeons in the area. My pilonidal disappeared for about a year and a half. When it returned, I was living in another city and spent a considerable amount of time meeting with various doctors. All of them wanted to do an open-healing procedure, which I refused. None of them seemed very knowledgeable about this condition. Luckily, I was in DC and decided to go meet with Dr. Brown. For the first time (including my first surgeon), I met a doctor who not only knew a lot about pilonidals but was interested in newer procedures (i.e. Bascom procedure). He was great! I am now about six months post-op with no issues. I was walking/working within two days of my surgery and have had no complications whatsoever. While my previous experience taught me that you can never be sure what will happen with pilonidals, I already know that if it recurrs, I will go back to Dr. Brown. Pilonidals are too annoying not to have it done by a professional who cares. If I lived on the West coast, I would fly/drive to have it done by Dr. Bascom. On the East coast, Dr. Cary Brown is by far the best way to go.
surgeon in D.C. I had a pilinidal unroofing procedure on Friday by Dr. Bruce Orkin in D.C.. He was fabulous! I have had no pain thus far even with packing changes. He says that I should be fully healed in 3 weeks. I highly recommend him
Metropolitan DC Area Just had my 3rd pilonidal abscess lanced and man what a difference. The first two were excruciatingly painful, the novacaine/lidocaine had NO effect, and couldn't move for two days afterwards. This doctor is amazing - felt NOTHING, and was up and walking around instantly. I am scheduling surgery with him for September and will share my results from that. Dr Donald Colvin of the Fairfax Colon and Rectal Surgery Center - offices in Fairfax, VA and Reston, VA
I had an open wound excision performed about 6 months ago by a general surgeon and the wound has stilled not healed. I want to look into the cleft lift/Bascom procedure and currently have an appointment set up with Daniel Otchy, who was on the list of surgeons known to have performed this surgery successfully. On the Virginia Surgeons thread, however, one person had recommended him and another had reported a negative experience with him. It seems that Dr. Cary Brown was the person to go to for this procedure in the D.C. area, but someone on the Maryland Surgeons thread said he was retired. Has anyone that hasn't posted yet had an experience with Otchy? If not, can someone suggest the best doctor for this procedure?
Just as an FYI, Dr. Cary Brown has regrettably retired. High marks have been given to ZacharyMartin 5601 Loch Raven Blvd Ste 103 Baltimore MD 21239 (410) 433-4300 He looks like your best bet in this area now. Hope this helps!
