Cheshire Spine

JANUARY 2023
A year today I had surgery ACDF level 3 for Cervical Myelopathy. Following Mr Raths final appointment after my surgery at the Nuffield, Chester last week. I wanted to tell others how important it is to get checked if you have any of the following symptoms. I will take you back to July 2022. I suddenly started with spinning vertigo, I couldn’t walk more than 5 steps and was on a walking stick, I lost the use in my hands and was dropping things, I needed support with washing and dressing and had to have a chair in the shower, my eyes were affected and neurologically I was using the wrong words known again. My life had fell apart in minutes. After a few weeks of having medication off my GP for vertigo I felt I was getting worse. I didn’t hesitate to contact Mr Rath and received an appointment within a few days. MRI was booked immediately and they could see that 2 discs C4, C5 had collapsed onto my spinal cord. I needed surgery as soon as. Mr Rath arranged my operation for January 6th and here I am a year later writing this. I have to go at my pace and am slower but I now have the use back in both my hands bar 2 fingers go slightly numb known again, I am walking just over a mile a day, I can now drive, I can see to myself showering/dressing, I am starting to do little chores around the house. My quality of life has improved and I still have another year of recovery. I will say this again I can’t thank Mr Rath enough he is a brilliant surgeon, made me feel at ease the whole time and is a very caring person. I would also like to thank his secretary Linda for all her support throughout and his team of people on the day of my operation.

I would highly recommend Mr Rath, he operated on me for L4/5 lumbar decompression 10 weeks ago . All my symptoms of pins/needles, burning sensation, pain in both legs for 14 months has now completely resolved.I am walking 4 miles every couple of days now with no problems at all. I cannot emphasise enough how grateful I am to him for the magic he has performed, and how he was able to erase some of my fears pre op by explaining everything clearly and in terms that I could understand.

Mr Rath was outstanding from the very first appointment to saying goodbye until my next review. He gave very clear instructions and didn’t use jargon, which automatically puts you at ease, as your not left wondering what am I having done. All the team were outstanding, I felt at ease and was not nervous. My operation took longer than expected mainly due to my height and some facilities not appropriate but Mr Rath rang my wife personally to give her updates. His care and empath is second to none. I can only say how grateful I am to you after many years of excruciating pain you gave me my life back, to be able to enjoy playing with my grandson and family time means the world to all my family. I have no suggestions on how to improve the care as it was excellent. Thank you Mr Rath and your team.

Being in pain through the winter 2023/2024 and unable to Walk due to disc problems I telephoned Spire hospital Wrexham to put me in touch with a consultant, I am very pleased to say I saw Mr Rath. After having a MRI, Mr Rath explained the best procedure for my condition would be surgery and said he would get me walking again which I was very pleased to hear. In a matter of two weeks I was operated on and the care and attention I received from Mr Rath and his team and the staff of Spire Wrexham were first class. After first seeing Mr Rath I was shuffling along on a walking frame five weeks after my surgery I was walking without any aids, as Mr Rath said before my surgery he would get me walking again and he did. Thank you all,

Mr Rath is without doubt a renowned “Top Surgeon” in the field of Spinal Surgery. During Covid lockdown he kept in touch with me via phone calls, he listened to my concerns, he makes no promises except he will do what he possibly can to take away the pain l had experienced for 3 years. Mr Rath explained the surgery l needed in detail before l signed the consent form l put all my trust in him, l knew l was dealing with a professional and talented man. On the morning of surgery 09/08/23 he reassured me all would be well and l truly believed l would be pain free. After 5 hours of surgery l was standing upright l was amazed after 2 nights in hospital l was on my way home. l am happy to say l am enjoying life and each day l gain confidence, my mobility is good and l no longer take the pain killers l took every day. Most of all l enjoy life l can never thank or praise Mr Rath and his team adequately. My 3 month appointment went well Mr Rath explained in detail showing me the recent X-ray l was delighted to see him and my spine is healing well. I now have an appointment in 9 months time.

I am very happy with my treatment from Mr Rath & his team in dealing with my surgery for lumbar decompression. I gained instant release from pain I have been suffering for months. I look forward to getting back on the golf course in the near future. Thanks to all concerned at The Spire Cheshire Hospital.

3 years on , my name is Steven Brayley . Back in 2019 I was diagnosed with my spinal cord trapped in three places, my vertebra collapsed in my neck ( excuse my lack of medical terminology) . My Energy levels at zero , my body functions totally ad normal . My initial diagnosis being conducted by Dr Dinish Damodaran ( a great neurologist ) he referred me to Mr Rath who absolutely took care of me , put me at ease and truly cares for his patients . I always remember, having my operation on the Friday , he came to see me personally on his Sunday off when he should be with his family . Today 6/07/23 I met Dr Damodaran who checked me over , he was amazed with my progress from when he diagnosed me , all functions normal . Thank you to these true gentleman who genuinely cared and got me back to a normal life . Thank you Steve

Mr Rath was absolutely brilliant, he explained everything that he found from the MRI scan, explained about how surgery would help and that he would be doing the operation, he kept myself and my wife at ease at all times. On the day of the surgery he spent time talking and explaining again what was going to happen, after the operation he phoned my wife to put her at ease, whilst in hospital he kept in regular contact with me.

Mr Rath is extremely professional. The surgery is quite intense and Mr Rath was very informative and with me every step of the way. The surgery completely resolved the issues I was having.

Doctor Rath explained the operation and associated risks fully and in great detail. He answered all questions and left me feeling confident in the chances of success of the operation. He followed up post operation to explain how it had gone and answer any questions I had. There was further contact prior to discharge and overall I was very satisfied with my contact with Dr Rath.

My son is autistic and needed a spinal op, Dr Rath was amazing with him explaining the procedure and showing him diagrams and going over it many times until my son understood . His bed side manner was astounding too, he was very down to earth not like most consultants. He made time for us and checked on him all through surgery , really easy to talk to, had great sense of humour and put us at ease.Mr Rath did the surgery through key hole and is one of very few consultants able to perform this surgery through key hole. I would definately and highly recommend Dr Rath as a surgeon and also someone who cares very much about his patients. My son was at total ease and is at last so pleased to be out of pain. He is so grateful to Dr Rath for his patience and care he showed him. The level of care we had was astounding . Many thanks

Mr Rath was kind enough to assist my chronic back pain with a bilateral medial nerve block. You made a huge difference for a few weeks, but I look forward to talking to you again to repeat the procedure as it was so relieving and gave me my life back for some time. You are warm and friendly and my husband was very grateful that you came to fill him in that everything was okay. You are genuinely a wonderful, compassionate surgeon and I am very grateful to you for your kindness & professionalism.

Earlier this year I started to experience lower back pain which gradually got worse with the pain and numbness moving down my legs to my feet, especially when walking. I decided to go private to get a diagnosis as it was affecting my life. Mr Rath was recommended to my wife as she works at Gwynedd hospital, Bangor. After receiving the diagnosis of herniated disc following MRI Mr Rath explained my options including the consequences of leaving the condition, which made my mind up to have keyhole surgery. I would highly recommend Mr Rath, easy to speak to, professional, efficient and always felt I was in good hands. I had the surgery on the 12th of October and have had little to no pain which feels amazing. I feel so grateful that there are amazing people like him which help make our lives easier to live.

My experience with mr rath was an eye opener, he explained to me everything i was experiencing with my shoulder pain, and also my neck pain, he explained to why i was experiencing the in my hand and gave the best advice i could get, and i acted upon it which has helped me so much, Mr rath has also gave me the best advice going forward with my treatment in the future, he has also wrote a letter to my shoulder surgeon for my next operation on my rotator cuff, i cannot thank Mr rath enough for what he has done for me, he has a wealth of knowledge for any future patients. I can assure you that you will get the best outcome from seeing Mr rath.

I had been struggling with severe back and leg pain for quite some time (L4/L5 bulged discs) but thanks to Mr Rath, I am now pain-free and able to walk properly again. I cannot express my gratitude enough for the exceptional care and treatment I received. I highly recommend Mr Rath to anyone considering surgery.