As a recent back surgery patient, Glenn Conant is happy with the success of his procedure, but also was impressed with the entire care team at NMC both in the Orthopaedics practice and all across the organization from registration to billing.

For years, Glenn was experiencing extreme lower back pain that affected his ability to walk. His condition was deteriorating as he struggled to get scheduled for back surgery. After two years without success in getting the surgery scheduled, Glenn found himself at his primary care provider’s office feeling extremely frustrated. He said that one of the staff members at Champlain Island Healthcare recommended he try scheduling an appointment with Dr. Nathan Mauser at Northwestern Medical Center, saying that her father was recently a patient of Dr. Mauser’s and spoke highly of him. Glenn’s primary care provider, , agreed and recommended that he try scheduling spinal surgery with Dr. Mauser.

Glenn called Northwestern Medical Center (NMC) and was scheduled for an appointment within a couple of days. At his first consultation with Dr. Mauser, it was decided that Glenn would undergo a procedure called a Laminectomy within the next few months. Glenn said he was fully educated on all aspects of the procedure, including what could go wrong and the risks involved. “Dr. Mauser was always very careful not to try to convince me to have the operation, by mentioning all the potential risks involved, but my confidence in him convinced me to have the surgery, and I’ve had no regrets,” Glenn said.

On January 13, 2022, Dr. Mauser performed a successful Laminectomy on several disks in Glenn’s lower back. A Laminectomy is a major spine operation that removes a portion of the vertebra called the lamina, which is part of the spinal canal. This type of surgery eases the pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots.

Dr. Mauser also prepared Glenn for what to expect while recovering. Although his recovery has been a slow process, Glenn said he has already noticed significant improvements, his pain has been relieved, and he is regaining his ability to walk without issues.

“I recommend Dr. Mauser to anyone that I speak with regarding my experiences at NMC and am thankful that the employee at Champlain Island Healthcare, and Dr. McGettrick recommended him so highly to me,” Glenn said.

In addition to a positive surgical experience, Glenn said that NMC staff at all levels showed professionalism and engagement that he found impressive.

“What stands out to me about my experience at NMC, and what I mention to everyone that I speak with about medical care, is the positive attitudes, and the extreme professionalism of every employee that I have interacted with there – from the people who do the initial check-ins, to the people who perform different tasks, to the schedulers, to Dr. Mauser, to the finance people, and the people on the phone,” he said. “everyone that I have ever interacted with at NMC has been very professional, very engaging, very fun to work with”