Mary Wesley HarveyAfter having an unsuccessful laminectomy at another hospital in December 2007, I was referred to Dr. Carlos Bagley at Duke.

From the first office visit, I knew I was at the right place. He immediately put me at ease and never once did I feel rushed when asking questions or voicing concerns. It was as if I was his only patient.

Before having surgery, Dr. Bagley exhausted all options trying to avoid fusion. He recommended physical therapy and when that didn't work, I tried spinal steroid injections. Neither relieved the constant pain. Therefore, the only other option at that point was fusion.

The morning of surgery in June of 2008, I was a nervous wreck. The entire staff in pre-op was fantastic and somehow managed to calm me down. Even after having CT scans, x-rays, mylogram, and MRI, my back still proved to have a few surprises for Dr. Bagley. I had a L2-L5 laminectomy, bilateral foraminotomies, and T10 to pelvis fixation and fusion. He still claims "it's the worse back he has ever seen." I am so thankful he was my surgeon.

While recuperating at Duke after the procedure, it felt like he was constantly at my bedside -- morning, noon and night. I swear the man never slept. His concern for me was overwhelming -- that is still the way I feel over two years later.

His team -- including Chandra Peoples, Delisa Smith, the nursing and support staff in Durham and Raleigh -- are perfectionists, caring, and very efficient.