One day during a basketball game, when Stephen went to block a shot, his opponent’s head slammed into his throat. Severely injured, Stephen was rushed to the emergency room and learned that he had cracked cartilage, swelling and bruising of the larynx.
Even after the swelling subsided, Stephen could barely talk. “I thought it was a temporary thing,” he said, “but it wasn’t…” In fact, two years after the accident, Stephen’s voice was still raspy. “I had trouble talking to groups or talking on the phone for too long,” he said.
Doctors told Stephen he had a paralyzed right vocal cord, which resulted in a hoarse, raspy voice.
A specialist performed three surgeries over two years to try to repair the situation. There were improvements, but Stephen was still left with significant limitations. “After the last surgery, my doctor said she’d done everything she could for me,” he said.
But Stephen didn’t give up. He called Best Doctors, a free benefit his employer offers that provides expert second opinions from nationally renowned, peer-nominated physicians.
Best Doctors collected all of Stephen’s relevant medical records and sent them to an expert for review. A short time later, Best Doctors sent Stephen an expert report. The specialist reviewing his case suspected that Stephen’s larynx area could be dislocated, contributing to the lack of contact between the vocal cords. The Best Doctors expert recommended a particular surgery that a select number of doctors in the country perform. One of those doctors turned out to be located just a few hours from Stephen’s home.
Stephen saw the new specialist three weeks after receiving his Best Doctors report and was very impressed. For one, the new doctor used a different technique to insert a scope through Stephen’s nose to clearly view the vocal cords. The video the doctor made clearly showed that Stephen’s vocal cords were still not fully contacting and a subsequent CT scan confirmed the larynx was indeed dislocated.
“The bottom line is that I got a more complete examination than I’d ever had, all due to the recommendations of Best Doctors,” Stephen said.
Stephen now has a path forward for treatment, and confidence in the new doctor he is seeing. Stephen is very pleased with his Best Doctors experience. “I have a lot more confidence going forward that I have the right doctors and the right treatment plan.”
