About Your Visit
We want to answer as many of your questions at your visit. Please prepare for this by bringing:
- Health Insurance Card/Information
- If needed, a friend or family member to take notes/help with questions
- A list of all medications you are taking
- A list of your questions /concerns
- A copy of your XRAYS / CT/ MRI scans (not the reports - please get the actual films)
- Copies of records from doctors related to your visit with us
- Completed FORMS below
Patient Forms
Please take the time to download, print and complete the following forms prior to your appointment with us. We appreciate your compliance.
- New Patient Intake From - for cervical pain
- New Patient Intake Form - for lumbar or thoracic pain
- Message About Arbitration
- Arbitration Agreement
Forms Require Free Adobe Reader Software - download here if needed
Insurance & Billing Questions
We accept patients from all insurance providers although we may not be contracted providers for your specific insurance. However, we will work with you in order to provide the best medical and financial experience. Please independently verify with our billing company MetaSolutions, Inc. 310-693-4322 what your estimated cost will be prior to surgery.
Pre Operative Information
Download Pre-Operative Instructions
Please be sure to bring along a list of your medications to the internist the day you are scheduled for pre-op clearance. You will want to ask your internist what needs to be discontinued and what medications you can continue taking.
Please be sure that any of the following blood thinning medications are discontinued at least 10 days prior to your surgery:
Aspirin or any Aspirin containing medications such as: anti-inflammatories, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, St. Johns Wart, MSM, Glucosamine, SAM-E, Ginger and garlic tablets OR non steroidal anagelsics such as: Advil, Aleve, Ibuprofen, Mobic, Nuprin, Naprosyn, Chinese Herbs or plant extracts (especially: Ginko-Biloba, Mahuang, Kava Kava Root, or Ginseng).
Most pain medication will not need to be discontinued.
Most of you will have been asked to bring ALL your spine study FILMS with you to the hospital for your surgery. Dr. Siddique and Perri will not be able to perform your surgery unless you bring these FILMS with you. These studies may include X-rays, MRI, CT and/or myelograms. If you do not have these FILMS, please, contact our office and be sure that our staff has them. If our office does not have them we may assist in tracking them down prior to your surgery.
You will need to contact our office staff to schedule a post-operative appointment. This appointment is usually within 1-2 weeks after the date of your surgery. In addition, please you will have another appointment 1 month and 3 months after surgery.
Please do not eat or drink after midnight the night before your procedure. If you need to take your pain medication in the morning you may do so ONLY with a SMALL SIP of water.
You will be seen by Dr Siddique or Perri as well as your Internist during your hospital stay and prior to being discharged from the hospital. You will have time to call on a friend or family member to collect you.
You may want to find out from our office, prior to your surgery, the names and numbers of the physician(s) assisting with your procedure in order to find out if they are indeed a networked provider with your insurance. We accept patients from all insurance providers although we may not be contracted providers for your specific insurance. However, we will work with you in order to provide the best medical and financial experience. Please independently verify with our billing company MetaSolutions, Inc. 310-693-4322 what your estimated cost will be prior to surgery.
If there is something the in-house nurses cannot answer or you feel more comfortable speaking with someone on our staff then we can be called or paged immediately.
We are available for you at anytime with any questions (please keep messages as short as possible). In case of an emergency, you can call either physician at (310) 551-2600 and ask for Dr. Perri or Dr. Siddique to be paged directly. The physicians are available 24/7 for your questions. We are committed to promptly answering your questions.
Please feel free to call our office anytime with any further questions or concerns. We are more than happy to help in anyway we can.
Post Operative Information
Download Post Operative Instructions
While in hospital:
- The day after your surgery you will be assisted by a physical therapist to regain mobility. After your physical therapy session you should be mobile several more times during the day as tolerated.
- Showering is permitted (a waterproof dressing will be applied).
- You will be released from the hospital when you achieve a relative level of independence (i.e. you achieve a moderate level of mobility status, you can eat without nausea, and can manage your pain with oral medication).
- Your bladder should be functioning as it was prior to surgery, but your bowels may not work until you get home.
- You will not be kept in hospital if you have not had a bowel movement, but you will be started on a bowel program immediately after surgery. Therefore, you can expect activity either in hospital, or soon after you get home !
- A family member or friend will be able to transport you home, with regular transportation (2 seater convertibles, are discouraged).
At home (first 4 weeks)
- Somebody responsible should assist you for the first several days at home.
- You may NOT take any blood thinning medications. No aspirin, anti-inflammatories (eg. ibuprofen, advil, aleve), heparin, or warfarin/coumadin, without written consent from your pre-operative internist, or Dr Siddique or Perri.
- No bending, twisting, or lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk (<10lbs).
- Avoid activities that cause strain or stress on your incision.
- Climbing stairs is permitted (and encouraged), but should be done slowly and carefully.
- Showering is permitted (do not allow the jet to spray directly onto your incision).
- You do NOT need to cover your incision, pat the incision dry once you are done in the shower.
- Do not soak your incision in a bath tub for 2 weeks.
- A bandage or dressing MAY be placed over the incision site, to protect your clothes but a dressing is not necessary, or essential.
- Your steri-strips will start to curl up after one week, we will remove them one week after your surgery.
- Driving is not permitted until cleared by the doctor. You should not drive, especially if you are taking medications (i.e. narcotics) that impairs or effects your judgment.
- If you have been given a lumbar brace, you must wear it at all times when out of bed, other than when you are sleeping or showering.
- If you are given a cervical collar, please wear at all times (including sleeping) except when showering.
- Suture removal will not be necessary as you will have a cosmetic skin closure with absorbable suture material. If this is not the case, the doctor will remove the sutures one week after surgery.
- If you develop a temp greater than 101 F, or your incision becomes red, swollen, or starts to drain, please contact us immediately.
Call our office @ (310) 423-9780 to schedule an office visit with Dr. Siddique or Perri one to two weeks after your surgery .
Call immediately if you have:
- Increased pain or worsening of symptoms
- Bulging, redness, or pus drainage from incision site
- Persistent nausea/vomiting
- Fever greater than 101 degree Fahrenheit
Office visit (4 weeks)
- Your incision site will be examined and new care instructions will be offered.
- You will have returned to relatively normal activity level except impact exercises (i.e. running, weight lifting).
- Physical therapy will be recommended at this time.
- At this point you have probably resumed driving.
- Restricted level of sex may be resumed unless otherwise instructed by the doctor.
- While a certain amount of pain is common in the recovery process, ice application (place ice around the incision and not directly on it), TENS unit and certain positions my help reduce your pain symptoms.
- Physical therapy, lifestyle changes, drinking enough water, sleeping on a good mattress (firm, but not hard), not smoking, and maintaining the ideal body weight, through regular exercise are all important considerations for post operative spinal surgery recovery.
General Information
- Commitment and determination to a full recovery is dependent on the patient’s willingness to work hard with the information shared by the medical team.
- Fusions require three months to six months to become stable (NEVER smoke or take any anti-inflammatories until approved by the doctor as this will decrease fusion rates potentially leading to redo surgery).
- You may be required to use a bone growth stimulator during the first 8 weeks.
- The bone tissue rebuilding process requires muscle stressors and gravity to help the fusion become stronger. Therefore, please do not stay in bed (this type of reduced activity is not indicated).
- Almost all patients are de-conditioned before their spine surgery thus a strong commitment to rehabilitation is vital for a successful outcome.
- If you are overweight, your results may be adversely affected, and may contribute to further spinal surgery. Therefore identify your ideal body weight, and strive to achieve it, (You don’t want to go through the surgery, and recovery process again!)
- This is your opportunity to get back in shape.
- Walk a mile a day.
- Swimming, Pilates, core conditioning, and other non-impact exercises are an ideal form of exercise.
How to contact the doctors (we are available 24/7):
Phone (urgent questions): (310) 551-2600 and ask for either Dr. Siddique or Dr. Perri be paged.
For Appointments: Karina (310) 423-9780
Surgery or Billing questions: Erika Cartagena (310) 423-9623
All other questions: Michelle Esparza (310) 423-9277