Colorado Surgeons

[BalletDancer]

Colorado Springs

I recommend Dr. Dixon. Especially if you don't want to change packing twice a week. He places a drain (which is plastic) about an inch into the wound and it drains instead of having to repack over and over and over again. It is held in place by one stitch. He did an awesome job and being a dancer in a company i feel i will heal faster than ever and get back on my toes in no time.

Dr. Dixon is located in Colorado Springs, CO at the air force academy hospital. You must be military.


Crystal S*

You have been ZAPPED by the BALLERINA!!

 

[stella]

Denver, CO

My surgeon was Dr. Santosh Nandi. He's Board Certified C/R.

When I first went to see Dr. Nandi I was armed with a very sore butt and a long list of questions. He made me feel very comfortable with the situation, and was patient and I never felt rushed.

He lanced my cyst, then after it healed enough, I went back and said I wanted it removed. He did a closed procedure in mid-January.

Knock on wood, but I've had no problems since. If, God forbid, the beast returns, I'll go back to him right away.

 

[pilonidalsurvivor]

Denver, CO

I would highly recommend Dr. Susan Sgambati. She was very supportive, and her office staff was awesome. She has been recognized in Denver's 5280 magazine as one of Denver's top doctors.

 

[Anonymous]

Surgeons in Denver/Boulder area?

Never heard of this disease until Friday. I have had slight flare ups over the years lasting a day, with not much more than some discomfort. This time around it has totally incapacitated me. Doctor lanced it on Friday. ER finally gave me pain meds on Sunday after it worsened. Any recommendations for Surgeons out here in Boulder/Denver, CO???

 

[AnxiousMom]

Denver, CO - Lisa Schatz

Lisa Schatz in Denver, CO - Rose Medical : http://www.rosemed.com/



Highly recommend her - heard many praises about her skills, and personally found her personable and appreciated her honest, helpful approach. The hospital as well as terrific (staff, etc.) and it was voted one of the best: http://www.rosemed.com/CustomPage.asp?guidCustomContentID={150FE2D2-874B-4FEB-81E3-5A781F949B78}

My daughter just had her surgery a couple of days ago, but I feel confident that her surgeon has taken good care of her!

Marj

 

[mattb]

I too live in Denver and am interested in finding a good surgeon. What procedure did her doctor do?

 

[Ann Haas]

I am looking for a surgeon in Denver area so have been reading your threaded discussions with great interest. Did you consult with any other Denver surgeons before choosing Dr. Schatz, such as Susan Sagambati?

 

[AnxiousMom]

I am looking for a surgeon in Denver area so have been reading your threaded discussions with great interest. Did you consult with any other Denver surgeons before choosing Dr. Schatz, such as Susan Sagambati?

I originally tried to see Dr. Sagambati, but her office told me they couldn't do patients as young as my daughter - I'm rather confused by that because my daughter is 15 years old, and it doesn't seem that's "too young". Anyway, they referred me to Dr. Schatz. We went for a consultation and we liked her and felt confident she'd do a good job. During the surgery, another doctor said "Dr. Schatz is the best!". It has been 5 1/2 months since my daughters surgery. Although I do think Dr. Schatz got all of the cyst and tunnels, my daughters' surgical wound has not healed completely - the bottom portion keeps opening back up. Dr. Schatz has not seemed to know why, what to do, and not interested in any wound care type of treatments. That is her down-side.

I took my daughter to Presbyterian St. Lukes wound care center end of Dec. because we were frustrated with the after surgery care from Dr. Schatz. We were assigned to Dr. Schnur, a plastic surgeon. Although he has given my daughter Silvasorb gel and a prescription for Panafil (which we just started today), I am not impressed with him - he was not very sympathic nor supportive.

I am doing the wound care for my daughter myself now (we had homecare nurses for a couple of months, but when the wound seemed on it's way to healing, we stopped. They were much more helpful and supportive than the doctors, and helped "train" me on the packing). I will seek out a surgeon in my immediate area of Louisville for any further advice on this. The round trip to Denver and the office visits would take us close to 3 hrs from start to finish, and then have very little results is just too frustrating and pointless to continue.

Good luck to both of you on your surgeries. I am hoping the Panafil will heal my daughters wound and she will be over this long ordeal, and pray she does not have any reoccurence in the future. It seems it does take a lot of searching for the "right" surgeon - and I still do think Dr. Shatz did her job with the surgery, but I guess more time will tell on that - but a lot of use of this site for help with the aftercare is important.

 

[AnxiousMom]

Panafil

The Panafil has seemed to have done the trick! The wound is closed up now. Have been using the panafil for about 2 weeks. Have my fingers crossed that this will be permanent this time!!

 

[fablevayne]

Dr. Lisa Schatz Is Awesome

I had a relatively small pilonidal with a rather nasty sinus that managed to track from my tailbone all the way to the mucous membranes of the intestines.
Dr. Schatz performed an open excision with some closure to speed the healing process. I am here to tell you that she is an artist and a genuinely good person. The incision was perfectly clean. Straight edges. Clean sides and bottom. I've seen a lot of pictures, and my surgical wound looks better than most. Neat and tidy. She didn't cut too much or too little. It's absolutely beautiful. It is healing nicely, and I am beyond happy to have found someone like her to help me. I'll be 100% very soon.
I found her to be direct, concerned, compassionate, and generous. After the surgery, she insisted that I return to her office so that she could personally change the packing and dressing. I believe she did this due to my unusual circumstances. I had no insurance or employment at the time. She knew I could not afford home care but wanted to make sure "it heals as quickly as possible." That meant a lot to me because I was worried sick about trying to take care of it on my own. I'll also say that she and her office staff were very easy about the financial angle. They told me that as long as the bill doesn't go to collection, there is no problem. Pay as much as you can when you can. Her bill was the smallest one I had.
She always discussed my options and answered my questions directly.
In German, "Schatz" means "golden" or "sweetie." Sort of an endearment term for someone precious. I believe it fits her perfectly.
I hope that I don't ever need her again, but I feel comforted knowing that she is there for me if I do.
I'd also add that she uses the Rose Outpatient Center or Rose Hospital. Both are excellent. Good reputation. Very good care. 68% cash discount.
I'm a happy guy right now.

 

[AnxiousMom]

Colon Rectal Surgeon in Denver recommendation

Recommend this surgeon for those in Colorado - Graham Sellers. He is experienced in PCs and has a nice manner about him (I mention that because I've been to several that came across rather cold, blunt, almost uncaring). He does not do the cleft lift as of yet, although he's heard of it, and hopefully will eventually.

I took my daughter to Dr. Bascom in Oregon to have the cleft lift in July '08, and Bascom recommended that she have a follow-up with a local doctor a couple of weeks afterwards as a general precaution for any signs of infection, etc. My daughter's incision looked fantastic and she had no problems, but I took her for the appt. with Dr. Sellers anyway, partly to educate him in cleft lift's. He was impressed with how well the healing was going, and asked me to have Bascom send him his literature on the procedure. I called his office and asked them to do so - so hopefully, Dr. Sellers will learn it and start performing the cleft lift!

Dr. Graham Sellers
2005 Franklin St.
#520
Denver, CO 80205
303-839-5669

 

[AnxiousMom]

Dr. Schatz performed an open excision with some closure to speed the healing process. I am here to tell you that she is an artist and a genuinely good person. The incision was perfectly clean. Straight edges. Clean sides and bottom. I've seen a lot of pictures, and my surgical wound looks better than most. Neat and tidy. She didn't cut too much or too little. It's absolutely beautiful. It is healing nicely, and I am beyond happy to have found someone like her to help me. I'll be 100% very soon.

I am so glad you had a wonderful experience with Dr. Schatz, and that you're healing well!

I recommend another Denver surgeon as well - Dr. Graham Sellers. Although my daughter, who had a PC that Dr. Schatz removed by closed excision in July 06, has not had any surgery performed by Dr. Sellers, I took her to him a couple of times for opinion and then for follow-up after a cleft lift procedure. I found him to be experienced with PC's and he had a caring manner about him. He also is now interested in the cleft lift procedure and Dr. Bascom (who performed my daughter's surgery. She had to have this procedure because she developed a non-healing wound along the incision after the closed excision surgery, and it would not heal even after 2 years!) is sending him all their information. Hopefully he will perform the cleft lift in the future!

 

[hbeltran]

Cleft Lift Closure?

Is there any surgeon in colorado that does the Cleft Lift Closure? Also, I noticed that there is no surgeon on "the list" that is in colorado... this has me discouraged... I think my last surgeon messed up my first surgery and am concerned going to any surgeon not on the list.

Any advice?

 

[denverhawk]

Dr. Schatz in Denver,

She is at Rose and Sky Ridge hospitals.

She performed a closed excision on me. She said my case was not super severe, nor mild. I had about a 4 inch incision. She did a great job.

She is the sweetest, nicest Dr. you will ever meet.

 

[mjwalrus07]

I highly recommend Dr. Isabelle Audet.

http://www.healthgrades.com/physician/dr-isabelle-audet-y5wjs

I was told by another surgeon that I needed to do an open procedure (with packing) and recovery would be 3-4 weeks. That did not sound good to me, so I looked for someone else. I found Dr. Audet's information on the list posted here.

I went in thinking I needed a cleft lift, and she recommended a less invasive procedure (sorry I don't know the name). She bases her pilonidal surgeries on Bascom's principles.

She is kind, knowledgeable, respectful, and talented. After the first visit I felt totally confident that she would do her best to help me feel better and get rid of the beast! After the surgery I am healing nicely. If ever I need a general surgeon again, I will not hesitate to call her and/or recommend her to friends and family.

 

[COGirl]

I highly recommend Dr. Isabelle Audet, just as the poster above mentioned. I saw her this morning and was impressed by her knowledge, manner, understanding nature, and her office staff. If you live anywhere in Colorado, it's worth the drive to see her! She is VERY experienced in Bascom procedures and has performed many. She was extremely friendly, easy going, and made me feel very comfortable. I thought I would need a cleft lift, but she recommended a much less serious pit picking procedure instead. She fully explained everything and patiently answered every single one of my questions. I'll definitely be scheduling the procedure with her! Robin, her receptionist, is tops, too!

3434 47th Ave, Suite 101
Boulder, CO 80301
303.709.3050

On the other hand, I would NOT recommend seeing Dr. John Sun at Parker Adventist Hospital. I just walked out of an appointment with him after dealing with extremely rude, condescending and uncaring office staff. I was also informed that I "had to" consent to a rectal exam and scope (for a pilonidal?!?! Are you kidding me???) and that the doctor would not treat me without my capitulating to these unnecessary, invasive, uncomfortable procedures. I didn't even stay long enough to see the doctor, partly because it seemed clear that this "policy" is at his direction, but also because I couldn't imagine dealing with such terrible office staff throughout treatment for this condition. I think Dr. Sun performs unnecessary procedures on patients. Yes, plenty of people who see a colorectal surgeon do need rectal exams, but no other physician I've seen for this, including Dr. Audet, even recommended such a procedure, much less insisted upon it for treatment. I felt uncomfortable the moment I walked in the door, and as I said, his nurse who takes histories and such has a nasty, condescending manner about her. Not an ounce of compassion or understanding that walking into an office, getting half naked and having someone poke and prod is uncomfortable and can be anxiety inducing. I'd stay FAR away from this practice if you have a choice about where to get treated in Colorado!

 

[ps_in_co]

I would also wholeheartedly second the recommendation for Dr. Audet. She has performed the Bascom cleft lift dozens if not hunderds of times and personally observed Dr. Bascom perform the procedure. She is kind and caring and a great surgeon. She was able to explain exactly what my situation looked like and how she would perform the procedure. I had no hesitation going into surgery and was actually excited on the prospects of being cured.

I had the cleft lift performed 2 weeks ago after 13 years of dealing with the disease. The surgery went flawlessly and I am almost completely back to 100 percent after such a short period of time. I had extensive disease (the incision extends pretty much the whole length of my cleft) and I am shocked by how little pain I have had and how great I am already feeling.

I recommend anyone in Colorado that has the disease to visit Dr. Audet. There is no reason to live with this disease when you have such a great option for a cure and a great surgeon nearby that can help.

The one thing to keep in mind is that her availability is limited, so you may have to wait a bit to see her initially and then schedule the surgery. I had to wait 3 months to get the surgery scheduled (it was over the November/December holiday season, so probably the worst case scenario for scheduling), but that was not a big deal to me.

 

[JustDucky]

Ok, here's the update with the outcome from my procedure. I went to Dr. John Sun (yes the one from a couple of posts ago) at Parker hospital for a consolation in December, and had a completely different experience. He and his staff were very helpful in getting me in for an appointment quickly. On my way in, I ran into two other of his patients, both of whom were absolutely satisfied with their results.

After his staff did some basic background, he did the exam. Yes, during the intake he does a rectal exam - because he's darn thorough. Nope, it's not fun, but is entirely appropriate given the insidious nature of this beast. Then we went into a conference room, and he took time to explain exactly what he would do (modified Bascom's), what the recovery would be like, and why he prefers that procedure over other options (he's well aware of them all). He answered all of my questions and was absolutely great. When I had additional questions, his staff was helpful, friendly and easy to work with.

So I ended up having him remove my cyst at the end of the year. Wow - was that the best choice I could have made. There was very minimal surgical pain because he uses local pain medication, and I was off the oral pain meds in a couple of days. I had to remove some packing the next day, keep it clean, and baby it (I watched a ton of movies laying on my side thanks to a Costco memory foam cot) for a week or so, then gradually started to sit for longer periods of time. Within a month I was flying on business trips again - with only a memory foam cushion for some extra protection (and probably didn't need that - I just wanted to be extra careful). Within 6 weeks I definitely didn't need a cushion, and within a couple of months the sinus had completely closed and healed. With hair removal and some care, I have a darn good chance of never having another episode.

Dr. Sun was amazing - when I needed a colonoscopy, I went back to him again. That's the highest recommendation I can give. But don't just take my word for it - every nurse, anesthesiologist, tech, and other staff member at the hospital raved about him. If you're in Colorado, and dealing with this, do yourself a favor and at least go talk to him so you have all your options.

I really am JustDucky now

 

[Ann Haas]

I highly recommend Dr. Isabelle Audet, just as the poster above mentioned. I saw her this morning and was impressed by her knowledge, manner, understanding nature, and her office staff. If you live anywhere in Colorado, it's worth the drive to see her! She is VERY experienced in Bascom procedures and has performed many. She was extremely friendly, easy going, and made me feel very comfortable. I thought I would need a cleft lift, but she recommended a much less serious pit picking procedure instead. She fully explained everything and patiently answered every single one of my questions. I'll definitely be scheduling the procedure with her! Robin, her receptionist, is tops, too!

3434 47th Ave, Suite 101
Boulder, CO 80301
303.709.3050

On the other hand, I would NOT recommend seeing Dr. John Sun at Parker Adventist Hospital. I just walked out of an appointment with him after dealing with extremely rude, condescending and uncaring office staff. I was also informed that I "had to" consent to a rectal exam and scope (for a pilonidal?!?! Are you kidding me???) and that the doctor would not treat me without my capitulating to these unnecessary, invasive, uncomfortable procedures. I didn't even stay long enough to see the doctor, partly because it seemed clear that this "policy" is at his direction, but also because I couldn't imagine dealing with such terrible office staff throughout treatment for this condition. I think Dr. Sun performs unnecessary procedures on patients. Yes, plenty of people who see a colorectal surgeon do need rectal exams, but no other physician I've seen for this, including Dr. Audet, even recommended such a procedure, much less insisted upon it for treatment. I felt uncomfortable the moment I walked in the door, and as I said, his nurse who takes histories and such has a nasty, condescending manner about her. Not an ounce of compassion or understanding that walking into an office, getting half naked and having someone poke and prod is uncomfortable and can be anxiety inducing. I'd stay FAR away from this practice if you have a choice about where to get treated in Colorado!

COGirl, I recently read your post about Dr Sun in Parker and had a similar experience with his office staff. First , Receptionist claimed she would submit insurance but would not follow up with their approval and payment. Although, I would be fully responsible for all charges not covered by ins. She would not work with appointment times even though I travel 2 hrs to office. A 7:30am surgery would result in 3:30am travel for 5:30 check in. Secondly, Dr Sun did not go into great detail about procedure just said side incision and irrigate. I went to him because of website post of Bascom but he frowned when I mentioned it so I wonder if he uses this site to get patients.
I am very nervous because scheduled for surgery and I don't even know post surgery treatment. We didn't even talk about packing or no packing, stitches removal, follow up appt. The member JustDucky had far better consultation than my appt. I have had chronic pilonidal for 20 years that spontaneous drains but last episode was far more serious than past - more systemic , fever etc. I have lived with it cuz open surgery so extensive and complicated.
Finally, My question is how is post surgery with Dr Audet. Are you still pleased with her technique? I'm considering canceling Dr Sun appt and wait out availability with Dr Audet . I don't even think Dr Sun removes the cyst or excise pits. I'm not even sure what he does except irrigation and off midline excision. Nervous and having 2nd thoughts so please respond. Ann

 

[COGirl]

COGirl, I recently read your post about Dr Sun in Parker and had a similar experience with his office staff. First , Receptionist claimed she would submit insurance but would not follow up with their approval and payment. Although, I would be fully responsible for all charges not covered by ins. She would not work with appointment times even though I travel 2 hrs to office. A 7:30am surgery would result in 3:30am travel for 5:30 check in. Secondly, Dr Sun did not go into great detail about procedure just said side incision and irrigate. I went to him because of website post of Bascom but he frowned when I mentioned it so I wonder if he uses this site to get patients.
I am very nervous because scheduled for surgery and I don't even know post surgery treatment. We didn't even talk about packing or no packing, stitches removal, follow up appt. The member JustDucky had far better consultation than my appt. I have had chronic pilonidal for 20 years that spontaneous drains but last episode was far more serious than past - more systemic , fever etc. I have lived with it cuz open surgery so extensive and complicated.
Finally, My question is how is post surgery with Dr Audet. Are you still pleased with her technique? I'm considering canceling Dr Sun appt and wait out availability with Dr Audet . I don't even think Dr Sun removes the cyst or excise pits. I'm not even sure what he does except irrigation and off midline excision. Nervous and having 2nd thoughts so please respond. Ann

Hi Ann! So sorry the logistics and office staff at Dr. Sun's office are creating extra anxiety for you! This is one of those conditions that doesn't need any extras like that! With Dr. Audet's blessing, I've actually postponed my pit picking with her until later this year. While she is in my insurance network, the facilities she performs procedures at aren't and I've needed some time to set aside some extra money. Thankfully my pilonidal is fairly minor and is cooperating with that plan. There is another poster on this site who had a pit picking done with Dr. Audet about 7 months ago. His thread is here: http://www.pilonidal.org/xfforums/index.php?threads/pilonidal-pit-picking-log-11-17-13.10250/. Although I haven't had my procedure with her yet, she very clearly explained the pit picking and the after care for my case (a small incision to clean the pits -- I have two small ones high in the cleft -- closed with about 3 stitches and a small off midline incision left open for drainage that will heal on its own. We went over daily cleaning and everything, and that was just a consultation and not a pre-operative appointment!). I would highly recommend trying to get an appointment with her. Robin, her receptionist is very friendly and accommodating. Perhaps if you call and explain your situation, she can fit you in a bit sooner? I was told that the reason Dr. Audet doesn't have extensive office hours is because she is often treating "emergency" cases (my understanding on that is that she is sort of on call treating cases that can't wait for a consultation because of recent infections, etc. and your case may qualify if you're already scheduled for surgery?). I urge you not to undergo any kind of surgery where you're not comfortable with the procedure or aftercare, though! I worked for orthopaedic surgeons years ago and if I learned anything, it's that communication between surgeon and patient is SO important!! I wish you the best of luck!!