From OR Scrubs to OR Patient

When 51-year-old anesthesiologist Joseph Barrows, M.D. joined pioneering spine surgeon Dr. Robert S. Bray, Jr. in founding the DISC Surgery Center at Newport Beach, he never imagined he would go from caring for people in the OR to being a patient on the table himself, yet that’s exactly what happened in late 2020.

The healthy father of two had led an active, adventurous life filled with travel. An avid surfer, he had kept himself in shape, but years of absorbing the sheer power of often 20-foot waves had finally taken a toll on his body. Dr. Barrows began having back issues in September, the pain ultimately radiating down his leg and cluing him into its seriousness.

“My symptoms went on for a couple months before it got so bad I could barely stand,” he recalls. “I worked up until the day before my surgery in November, so I really had to struggle through the pain.”

Yet, working alongside one of the nation’s foremost experts in minimally invasive spine surgery has its perks, as Dr. Barrows knew exactly who to turn to when he was facing his own spine injury.

Dr. Bray promptly ordered an MRI, reviewed the imaging and identified extensive degeneration for which Barrows would require an artificial disc replacement. As the pain continued to increase in the days leading up to that procedure, Dr. Bray followed his gut and ordered a second MRI, which revealed that Dr. Barrows also had a herniation at the L4-5 disc.

“I thank God he’s a brilliant physician and ordered that MRI just before surgery, otherwise the herniation would have never been picked up and my pain would not have been relieved post op,” Barrows says. “My first procedure was an L5-S1 artificial disc replacement that was performed using access through my abdominal wall. Then, they actually flipped me over face down, did an L4-5 microdiscectomy and pulled out a huge herniated disc fragment.”

With the two-part surgery a success, Dr. Barrows took a couple weeks off two recover and had been feeling progressively better. Four weeks later, unfortunately, he re-herniated at the L4-5 level.

“It was a Saturday morning, and my close friend and surf buddy Justin, a nurse at DISC, happened to be at my house helping me move something when – out of nowhere – I had a new pain down my leg,” he remembers. “Within 20-30 minutes, I was at 15 on a pain scale of 1-10 and couldn’t even walk, so he literally had to pick me up, carry me to the car and drive me into DISC’s surgery center.”

Dr. Bray was there to meet them within 10 minutes and was able to get Dr. Barrows in for an emergency MRI, which verified the re-herniation. The second discectomy took Dr. Bray just about an hour, after which Dr. Barrows’ relief was nearly immediate.

“He moved mountains for sure. I had my surgery, recovered a couple hours and was actually home by 6 p.m. all fixed. What a team to rush in on a Saturday to take care of me! I was humbled,” says Dr. Barrows.

Fast forward to today and Dr. Barrows is feeling much better. Having recently finished his physical therapy, he’s already gotten back in the water, paddling to get stronger for the day he’ll be cleared to stand up and surf again.

Reflecting on what it was like to go from being one of the doctors in the OR to being the patient on the table, he acknowledges he’s fortunate.

“It was a unique experience to be the person always taking care of spine patients and then one day, out of nowhere, become one of those patients. I was both humbled and impressed with the level of care and attention I was given as a patient,” he says.

But, even though his team went above and beyond to look after him, Dr. Barrows maintains that he sees this same type of care every day with other spine patients in their care.

“It was the norm for everyone, I guess. I am a person with feelings and family and concerns, etc., and I was treated as such instead of just a number. I think that makes all the difference when you’re in so much pain and potentially fearing the process of surgery.”

When asked what advice he would offer anyone about to undergo a similar experience, Dr. Barrows shares two recommendations:

1. Find a surgeon you trust. Realizing that, unlike him, most patients don’t happen to work alongside one of the nation’s leading spine surgeons, Dr. Barrows recommends seeking referrals from friends, reading other patient reviews and/or finding doctors willing to share references.
2. Get your core strong pre-op. If at all possible, finding a way to strengthen your core prior to surgery will put you ahead of the curve when it’s time to start physical therapy. Core is everything when it comes to protecting your spine. A strong core will absorb the energy (torque, bending, twisting) instead of transferring it to your spine where you might suffer a herniation or possibly worse.