Patient travels hundreds of miles to celebrate spine surgery milestone at IU Health West

Written by Charlotte Stefanski, cstefanski@iuhealth.org, writer for IU Health's Metro Region

Dr. Motasem Al Maaieh, MD, had previously operated on Gary Arkin's spine when working in Florida. Because of expert care and a positive experience, the patient traveled hundreds of miles to IU Health West for his five-year check-up appointment.

Five years ago, Gary Arkin experienced a bizarre set of circumstances.

The Florida native had contracted a terrible flu, and on the nineth day of illness, he woke up and couldn’t take five steps due to the level of pain in his back.

He immediately scheduled an MRI. After weeks of physical therapy that July, he was feeling better, but it was short lived. By November, the pain was back and progressing. Arkin had another MRI, which showed even more rapid deterioration.

“We did a CAT scan, and it showed that basically I had cancer without having cancer. We don’t know for sure, but we theorized it was the flu that had eaten holes in three of my vertebrae,” Arkin explains. “My vertebrae literally had collapsed upon one another and gave me a lumbar scoliosis.”

He was eventually connected with Dr. Motasem Al Maaieh, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon, and had his first surgery in Florida.

When it came time for Arkin’s five-year check-up appointment, Al Maaieh had moved to Indiana to help build the Spine program at IU Health West. That was no problem for Arkin though—he and his wife traveled hundreds of miles for the milestone appointment this February.

“I'm up here in Indiana because he changed my life. It was important to me to celebrate the five-year mark with him,” Arkin says. “There's not a day that goes by that I don't have a conscious thought of gratitude for being able to just walk.”

A search for the right surgeon

Arkin was diagnosed with lumbar scoliosis, a degenerative process with advanced arthritis and wear and tear with discitis, which is an infection of the disc space in the lumbar spine.

Finding the right surgeon in Miami wasn’t easy. Arkin had seen multiple specialists, who all wanted to perform a minimally invasive procedure.

Arkin’s stepbrother leads orthopedics at a Veteran’s Association hospital in South Florida. When he saw the scans, he couldn’t believe it. He immediately recommended Arkin connect with Al Maaieh, who specializes in orthopedic oncological surgeries.

“When I met with Dr. Al Maaieh, I explained what other doctors had recommended. He goes, ‘Gary, I do these types of procedures, but not on you. This is not what you need,’” Arkin recalls.

A 10-hour surgery brings his mobility back

Arkin scheduled his surgery with Al Maaieh, and by this time, the COVID-19 pandemic had begun. Arkin’s family couldn’t enter the hospital with him. While they expected a six-hour surgery, it ended up being 10.

“I performed a lumbar decompression and fusion with instrumentation. This included the removal of the infected tissue and bone grafting,” Al Maaieh explains. “It was a lengthy procedure due to the extensive nature of the infection and severe arthritic changes.”

Despite the lengthier procedure, the results were immediate. Arkin could feel a difference the moment he woke up from surgery.

“Some people say, ‘What a horrible story. That's so unlucky.’ I look at it and think this is the greatest thing that ever happened. We all have our stuff to go through. We're all humans. We have medical issues. Mine ended up at 59 years old,” Arkin says. “I'm now five years post-surgery, and I have no back pain. How many 59-year-olds have no back pain?”

At the beginning of his recovery process, Arkin had to take it easy. He followed orders from Al Maaieh and his physical therapist.

Two weeks later, his sutures were already healed. At the beginning of the ordeal, he could barely walk five steps. Now, he was back to walking 10,000.

Meeting again, five years later

When it came time for Arkin’s five-year check-up, he had no problem traveling to IU Health West to see Al Maaieh.

“This man deserved to see what the back looked like after five years, with no back pain whatsoever,” Arkin says. “This is because of him.”

Al Maaieh appreciates his patient’s loyalty, and for him, it’s reassurance that he’s doing the right work.

And, within a few short years, IU Health West has opened a ninth operating room, allowing for more spine surgeries to take place. Additional imaging technology has also been installed near the Spine suite. More surgeons have been brought on, and IU Health West also launched one of IU Health's first hospital-based spine nurse navigator roles.

When Arkin visited IU Health West in February, his imaging scans showed that his bone structure was completely healed, the fusion was working and there was no weakening around the screws.

He knows there is a small chance he may need another procedure in the future due to adjacent segment disease, where there’s deterioration above or below the fusion. If that happens, he notes he’ll travel back to IU Health West.

Arkin has done his part though. While he wasn’t overweight five years ago, he’s about 50 pounds lighter now, which alleviates his spine. He focuses a lot on core strengthening and mobility exercises.

“Gary is a highly motivated person who is very healthy and wants to always be in good shape. This is always a major factor into a speedy recovery,” Al Maaieh says.”

“Dr. Al Maaieh 100% changed my life. There's nobody else who will ever touch my spine, I have too much faith in this man,” Arkin says. “If I need another surgery, I’ll come back to IU Health West.”

To learn more about IU Health West's Spine program, visit IU Health Spine Program - Avon | IU Health.