I met Dr. Bitan in 2006 after I had already had a failed cervical spine surgery with another surgeon. I was in a wheelchair when my husband researched and found Dr. Bitan. Dr. Bitan did my lower lumbar L4 and L5, which was a success. Move forward, I was in a car accident 2012. My head took an awful whiplash that left me without the use of my right shoulder and arm, and pain that was unbearable. My husband made an appointment with Dr. Bitan and his associates. Dr. Bitan did two separate surgeries in order to complete my cervical C3-C7 fusion. I am feeling a lot better, and I now have the use of my right shoulder and arm again. Dr. Bitan and his group go out of their way to make sure you will be a whole person again.

In November 2008, I underwent disc replacement surgery with Dr. Bitan. I awoke with minor sciatica pain but nothing like the nerve pain I’d suffered before. A few months of physical therapy followed. I had some sciatica flares, but the pain always disappeared. Just part of the healing process. Seven months after my surgery, I returned to my exercise routine. I felt like my old self. Like the me I had been before the first herniation at 21. My life was suddenly mine again. Because of Dr. Bitan, I went on the Sound of Music bus tour in Salzburg, road-tripped around Yosemite and Death Valley, rode in Venice’s Grand Canal, and backpacked from Hong Kong to Seoul. He didn’t just rebuild my spine; he gave me opportunities I’d given up on. A chance to do everything I couldn’t in my twenties. Everything I dreamed of doing before my spine problems. Everything that had once been impossible.

I am a building maintenance worker who had suffered with low back pain and herniations for 30 years. When I first met Dr. Bitan in 2012 the pain had spread up through my thoracic spine. I had been receiving injections and therapy but my condition continued to worsen. Two other surgeons said my spine was damaged from L5 to C6 (“a mess”). I was at the end of my rope in excruciating pain when I came to Dr. Bitan. From the first visit I knew I had gotten very lucky. Dr Bitan made me feel very comfortable and at ease. We discussed my options and my history. He explained all the details and risks. I made a decision with Dr. Bitan that a two-level fusion was my best option. From that moment I was treated with the upmost care and kindness from all his staff at Manhattan Orthopedics. I cannot tell you what a pleasure it has been to be involved with such kind and compassionate people. I consider Dr. Bitan and his staff not only my doctor and caregivers, but I consider them friends. Spinal fusion surgery was not a pleasant experience, but Dr. Bitan and his staff made it as pleasant as it could ever be.

It is now two years since my disc replacement surgery and I am grateful and excited about the results. I have gone from a 19-year-old who could do nothing but lay around the house in pain while taking pain killers to a 30-year-old who can do anything I want. This past summer, I was doing activities I thought I would never do again, including splitting wood with a wedge and sledgehammer. Now, when my children want to play, I no longer say “I can’t play, I’m hurting too much.” Instead, I get down on the floor and am instantly turned into a human horse. I am not a person who will recommend anything to anyone unless I have tried it myself. I have had a mechanical disc in my back for two years now, and I know what it can do. If you are considering surgery to get rid of your pain, call Dr. Bitan and find out your options.

I am two years post-op and could not be happier with the results. Since the disc replacement surgery I am back to my normal routine and day-to-day life working as a nurse in Massachusetts. This surgery has truly given me my life back. My doctor in Massachusetts could not figure out the cause of my pain, but Dr. Bitan could tell from the MRI that I had a collapsed spine. After surgery I have to say the pain was not bad at all. I had no back pain, only some abdominal pain where the incision was. I hardly even took any pain medication. Now, I have to say I have never been happier in my life, I have my life back. Dr. Bitan is truly a special person and amazing doctor.