Jankowski, Pawel P, MD

I learned for the first time that "Degenerative Disc Disease" had partnered with arthritis to wreak havoc from my neck to my tailbone & in my hips, about 6 - 8 months before the disease actually struck me down & disabled me. An Orthopedic Surgeon I was seeing, took an x-ray & in the lower part of my thoracic spine, half a disc was missing between two vertebrae & a bone spur was forming. The disc below that, in the lumbar region of my spine, was completely gone. I asked the surgeon to x-ray my neck & 5 out of 7 discs were in various states of decay & at least two of them were gone. Fast forward 6 to 8 months. The vertebrae missing discs had collapsed, crushing my nerves, causing an unbelievable amount of pain from my lower back all the way down to the bottom of my feet. Within 4 days I had lost 90% of the use of my right leg. I needed a walker & I would step forward with the walker & my left foot & my right leg would just drag along behind. It was in this condition when I had my first appointment with Dr Pawel P. Jankowski. Dr Jankowski looked over the results of my MRI's & x-rays & in less than 15 minutes he knew exactly what was wrong with me. He told me to check into the Emergency Ward at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach immediately & to hand them his business card when I got there. It was Friday, 7/24/2020, & that evening I was in and out of an MRI machine for almost three hours! The next day, Saturday, 7/25/2020, Dr Jankowski performed "Emergency, Invasive, Thoracic/Lumbar Spine Surgery" on my spine & on Sunday, 7/26/2020, he performed "Minimally Invasive Cervical Spine Surgery" on my neck. The use of my right leg was completely restored. The constant pain I had in my neck was gone & now, I can walk normally again without pain. Dr. Pawel P. Jankowski is an extraordinarily skillful surgeon & I am extremely lucky to have had him to do my surgery! My whole life was on hold & in one fell swoop, Dr Jankowski handed it back to me! I owe him a great debt of gratitude.