DR. BLACK VS. DR. BARKER

[TMARIE]

Morning Everyone,

David & I went into Boston and met with Dr. Gopen on Friday.  What a hellish ride that was!!!  I don't think the city itself was so bad, as having David as co-pilot!!!!  He was awful!!!  I told him I should have made him sit in the backseat blindfolded and gave him a bag of chips or something to eat while I got him there.  He's a farm boy (clad in  his John Deere t-shirt), and doesn't take too well to the city....got lost on the way out, ended up going through Cambridge to find a way to 95 or anywhere leading back to NH.

Dr. Gopen works only with Black or Barker and I wanted to get some feedback as to these two neurosurgens.  I guess we will need to meet with whoever we choose and are planning on an Oct surgery so that all the mowing is done for the year.  He usually cuts wood for the next  year but we have enough thankfully. (we heat the house with a woodmaster which is plumbed into the house for hot water as well)  All I have to do is learn how to drive his tractor to get the wood out of the field and run the woodmaster.  That should be something! 

I think it is a middle fossa surgury that he has decided on?  The one where they drill the hole behind the ear, as he does not want to save any remainding hearing in that ear.  He says he is deaf as a haddock so that is what he chose.

Any info anyone has on these two doctors would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks so much,
D & T

[ppearl214]

Hi D&T,

Well, you are certainly comparing the Best of the Best for Boston Brain surgeons. 

Dr. Black is my dr, as is his protege, Dr. Elizabeth Claus.  You can do a Google to see his credentials and the brain tumor research he has done over the years.  I have met many of his brain surgery patients in his office and there is nothing but utmost respect for him.  Very well published and extremely experienced, not only in brain surgery, but also brain tumor research.

Dr. Barker... again, another Best of the Best around Boston.  Many here on this website will attest to Barker's AN performance and are walking testiments to his abilities.  FYI... Dr. Barker will be a presenter at the ANA Symposium in Philly next month and I'm looking forward to his talks.  On this site, Crazykat (Paul), KBonner, jcinma and many others can first-hand attest to the wonderful work he does.

I have to admit... a true toss up.... either way, you certainly have top notch to choose from..... great choices!

Phyl

[ppearl214]

Please consider attending this brunch on Aug 5 in Worcester, MA... you will get to meet first-hand many of the surgical patients I note above.... meeting all face to face really does help and make a difference... just a thought...

http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=3561.0

Phyl

[Sheryl]

Hi D&T - I can certainly relate to your hellish ride as we did it from Cape Cod to Dr. Black a few weeks ago!!  Having been born and lived in the Boston area for the first 26 years of my life (just hit the big 6- 0hhhh), I thought it would be a piece of cake.  I guess not having done the ride in the past 15 years or so did not help.

Anywhooo - I can actually say it was worth it when we met with Dr. Black.  By the way, you should get a hold of his book, "Living with a Brain Tumor" - in fact when Dr. Black walked into the examining room, I held it up and told him I had a good book for him to read.  He laughed and asked to autograph it!!  My husband is still undecided about his tumor - a meningioma regrowth and should have another surgery and then radiation but is looking at just doing radiation.  We also met with a wonderful radiation doctor there - Dr. Ramakrishna.  Ironically I, too, have a benign brain tumor which is on the 9th cranial nerve and have been waiting and watching for 5-1/2 years with hardly any growth - after 40 years of marriage, we do things together!! 

Please keep us informed and post again with any concerns. 
Sheryl

[eugd]

How much hearing loss do you have in the affected ear? Why would the doctors not want to try to save it if it’s minimal. If I went to the first 1-2 neurosurgeons and take their advice that to not preserve my hearing, I would be worse off today.  If the hearing loss is minimal I think you should try at least to save it, don’t just take the hearing just because the doctor is deaf in one ear??

[krbonner]

I believe (though I could definitely be wrong) that if you're not talking about saving any hearing, most surgeons will want to do a translab approach (though it could depend on the exact size and location of the tumor).  That's what I had done with Barker at MGH.

Phyl's right about the quality of the surgeons you're talking about.  I only have experience with Dr. Barker, so I can only talk to him.  He doesn't have much personality in the office, and his assistant can have some issues with follow-up (if you need her do something, have her do it while you wait on hold - otherwise she tends to forget!), but I'm so happy he did my surgery.  There's an artistry to removing these tumors and he did splendidly for me.  No facial nerve issues, no dry eye, no headaches, no vertigo, no nothin' beyond the first few weeks post-op.  And, of course, no one can guarantee a particular outcome for an individual patient with any doctor, but I'm happy I chose Dr. Barker.  (And I'm sure you'll find plenty of patients who say the same about Dr. Black.) 

Please do try to come to brunch in Worcester on Aug 5.  I went to my first AN brunch about 6 weeks before my surgery and it made a huge difference to my peace of mind.  It's important to see that this danged AN will not rule everything for the rest of your life!   

Katie

[DJ]

Hi D&T, this is my first time to Post on this sight, and what I have seen so far has been a Help. Last year I has Dr Barker and Dr Poe remove 4.5 cm  from my left ear at MASS General. I agree that Dr Barker is one of the best in thje Boston Area. The Hospital Staff at MB could not get any better. I had to spend 3 days in ICU and Four on the Neuro Floor before they would let me out. I have to agree, (his staff) if you need information or you have questions that need an ans. get it at the time you call, or you be calling back to remind her.

[jimmy r]

It may be late  for this post but i too had surgery by Dr Barker and everything went well. MGH nurses were wonderfull. I had translab the first time and retro the second. You kind of have to have faith in your surgeons opinion as every AN is different.