Somewhat confused. My son has been dealing w ES for a few years. Had tonsillectomy n continued w persistent throat pain n vascular sx. Was dx w ES after MRA n referred to Dr. Santarelli (Phoenix) who did not inspire a lot of confidence or willingness to do surgery. My son got into see Dr. M. Lawton (Phoenix) who ordered an angiogram which confirmed his sx. Now Dr. Lawton is referring him back to Dr. Santarelli, Lawton’s office stating he’s an ENT n it’s more appropriate. Seriously? My understanding is Dr. Lawton is one of the listed recommended physicians to do this surgery. Anyone have any insight???
The doctors list has been compiled over several years, so it could be that Dr Lawton did a successful surgery or 2 a few years ago & maybe doesn’t do the surgeries any more, we have had a few doctors this has happened with. I did a quick search of his name in the past discussions, & came up with some info on this one:
WARNING - GRAPHIC VISUAL INFORMATION: IJV Compression - Another Point of View - General - Living with Eagle
(It’s post no. 13 that @Isaiah_40_31 gives info & a link to another discussion about him)
So maybe he’s not doing the surgery any more- if you don’t feel confident with Dr Santarelli, then it’s worth getting another opinion, Dr Milligan in Pheonix is very experienced, although I’m UK so don’t know if that’s possible with your health care insurance…
Dr. Lawton is incredibly inconsistent with whom he is willing to help w/ ES. We’ve had 2 members that I know of who had ES surgery done by him, but all the others who’ve gone to him who had vascular ES, he turned away & even denied the diagnosis in some. I would take his name off our list except he’s a good surgeon, just really picky.
As Jules noted, Dr. Milligan in Phoenix has a great reputation & has done 300+ ES surgeries so is very experienced. He would be a good resource for you. He does work in a medical group so don’t let the front office people try to make an appt for your son w/ another doctor in the practice. Demand an appt w/ Dr. Milligan.
So…. my son is scheduled for surgery, (R) side only on July 6. w Drs. Lawton n Santarelli. I’ll fly to Phoenix to b his advocate n help him postoperatively for a few days. Hoping n praying for no complications n improvement in his sx.
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WOW! Your son is special! Dr. Lawton has seen a number of our members w/ IJV compression & has turned them away. I’m so glad he’s going to see your son. He has a good surgical reputation. I’ll put your son’s surgery date on my calendar so I can pray for him.
I don’t recall if your son has bilateral vascular ES, but if so, I hope Dr. Lawton plans to decompress his dominant IJV first. He may need to have both sides done eventually to get the best results.
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Yes we’ were surprised n pleased that’ll have both surgeons but makes me wonder if it’s more of a teaching opportunity 
Correct he has bilateral but only doing worse side first.
V. Jodi Hingtgen
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Really pleased for your son, and will pray that his symptoms improve…very glad that you’re able to be around for him afterwards 
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Hi Jodi! How is your son doing now? I am scheduled for decompression surgery with Dr. Lawton and Dr. Santarelli Aug 31st.
Were you happy with both doctors and do you feel they did a good job? And how was the care you received at St Joseph’s? Any advice for me?
Thank you! 
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| BlacknBlueSaint
August 18 |
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Hi Jodi! How is your son doing now? I am scheduled for decompression surgery with Dr. Lawton and Dr. Santarelli Aug 31st.
Were you happy with both doctors and do you feel they did a good job? And how was the care you received at St Joseph’s? Any advice for me?
Thank you!
Visit Topic or reply to this email to respond.
He’s doing very well! The other side still causes pain in his throat so may have it done in the future.
Dr. Santarelli was kind and pleasant but I got this vibe that he didn’t think my son would get any relief. Never saw Dr. Lawton, just his resident who was awesome, both pre op and post op!
All and all my son has gotten relief, he definitely feels as tho he has more energy and no pain on the surgical side, the cerebral hypertension from the IJV occlusion has definitely been improved.
My best to you and your surgery/surgeons. In 2-3 months, if you remember, please email me and tell me your status and experience. Hoping for the best for you! 
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August 18 |
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Hi Jodi! How is your son doing now? I am scheduled for decompression surgery with Dr. Lawton and Dr. Santarelli Aug 31st.
Were you happy with both doctors and do you feel they did a good job? And how was the care you received at St Joseph’s? Any advice for me?
Thank you!
Visit Topic or reply to this email to respond.
He’s doing very well! The other side still causes pain in his throat so may have it done in the future.
Dr. Santarelli was kind and pleasant but I got this vibe that he didn’t think my son would get any relief. Never saw Dr. Lawton, just his resident who was awesome, both pre op and post op!
All and all my son has gotten relief, he definitely feels as tho he has more energy and no pain on the surgical side, the cerebral hypertension from the IJV occlusion has definitely been improved.
My best to you and your surgery/surgeons. In 2-3 months, if you remember, please email me and tell me your status and experience. Hoping for the best for you!
P.S. Care at St. Joseph’s was good, not much different from what I’ve experienced in in-patient surgeries at other facilities.
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I’m so glad your son has gotten some relief and more energy! That’s great to hear!
Wow, I hope I actually get to see Dr. Lawton at some point! It would be hard to go into surgery without that.
I’ll check back in at some point with updates as things move along for me!
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@BlacknBlueSaint - You can let Dr. Lawton know you’d like to see him just before your surgery when you see him for your pre-op. If he isn’t present for the pre-op, please let whomever you see know you need to see Dr. Lawton prior to surgery. You can politely press for this.
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Thank you! I will definitely do this!
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