I have had a lot of pain in my life for the last 20 years. From female problems to migraines to digestive problems; from joint and back pain to knee and leg pain to becoming a diabetic.

Since the year 2006 my pain became very severe and chronic. I have been on so many different medicines and had so many tests performed. My back has always been one of the worst problems for me.

The pain in my back was so bad I had to go to a pain institute to manage my pain with narcotics. When I think back to how many pills I was taking in a day, it was scary! I was on morphine, muscle relaxers, and others, including Percocet in the end.

My life was getting to where it was hard to function in a normal way. The pain was so bad, I was not able to sit, stand, walk, or sleep long at the time, even with narcotics! My last hope was when I went to see Dr. Gottfried.

He evaluated me and took x-rays and looked at my MRI. What shocked me was that he finally confirmed that there was something wrong with my back. I had already had a knee replacement and back surgery by other doctors. My back pain only got worse after the first surgery. I thought I was not going to live my life without chronic pain.

Dr. Gottfried changed my life for the better. He told me what he could do and he was very confident he could fix my back.

I was so depressed before the surgery, but after Dr. Gottfried did the surgery on my back, it was amazing. After the initial recovery pain, I have never been this pain-free with my back. My life has changed so much for the good!

Now I can do things with my husband, who has stuck by me the whole time. I know I have a ways to go but Dr. Gottfried has given my life back to me. I am so grateful to him and his staff and to Duke Surgery.

I would and already have recommended him to anyone I know that has problems with their back. He will be totally honest with you and tell you what he can do. In my experience with Dr. Gottfried he did that for me. He actually fixed my problem with my back. I will always be so grateful to him -- he is my miracle doctor!