Naresh Desai, Mumbai

Naresh Desai, Mumbai

On October 23rd this year, it will be one year since you performed my back surgery. During the 10 years prior to that there had been about 3-4 episodes triggered by a bending forward action that resulted in extreme pain but I seemed to recover after 2-3 days of rest. It was after the final episode that occurred about 2 years prior to the surgery that seemed to cause lingering pain even after 2 weeks of rest. Over the next two years, the pain only kept on increasing until it reached a stage where a distinct limp crept into my walk. I have quite hectic lifestyle with long hours of sitting on planes as well as sitting for long hours at my desk in office.

Prior to the last episode I would go to the gym about 5 times a week and had also run 3 half marathons. However the pain had kind of crippled me and I actually had to give up on both the gym as well as my running.

I was finally referred to you by Dr. Mohit Bhatt who is a personal friend of some one I know very well. It was Dr. Bhatt who suggested that I explore the possibility of undergoing minimal invasive lumbar dissectomy. I truly think that this advise was really a blessing. Soon after I met with you, I decided on undergoing the surgery in the hope of resolving this problem. I had not even dreamt prior to this that I would be on my feet on the same evening of the day the surgery was performed and more importantly walking without a limp. Today all my activities have returned to normal and I continue to do the stretching exercises recommended by you. I am able to take my dog out on long walks on the beach and am hopeful of running in the next Mumbai marathon in January next year.

At this point in time there are some rare instances when I feel my back is stiff and I feel a little pain as well as a tingling sensation in my left moot. I am writing to you to thank you for improving my life and brining it back to almost normal.

Trust all is well with you and though late, please accept my wishes for a very Happy New Year.

As discussed with you earlier, I participated in the Half Marathon ( 21Kms ) last Sunday at the Mumbai Marathon and completed the entire run without any issues. In fact it is a matter of great happiness to me that I could better my previous personal best timing and clocked the 21kms in 2 hours and 31 minutes.

I personally owe you and big “ Thank You “ for advising me on the course of treatment for my spine and then for the successful surgery. A couple of years ago I had almost resigned to the fact that I may never been able to run again. Those were the times when I could not even walk straight. I am aware that there are not many people who dare to run long distance after a spine surgery and it is only because of your advice and more importantly encouragement that I could run again and then go on to complete this feat.

The last 5 months of training leading to a situation where I was running about 10-12 kms three times a week and then completing the half marathon has been a great boost to my confidence. I shall remain indebted to you for the rest of my life.