PINEHURST, N.C. There is often a delicate balance for patients navigating the health care system - the push and pull between providers, referrals, insurance approvals and everything in between as they seek care and aim to recover and thrive following an injury or illness.
For Jamin Brooks, an Afghanistan veteran who was medically discharged following years of service to our country, that balance often came with many challenges throughout the last decade-plus.
A Long Road to Recovery After Military Service
“Unfortunately, I sort of got used to a system where I was a number. My normal ended up looking like years upon years of trying to get things corrected, and every time I would get to a point where things were looking up, I’d have a doctor change or something else that would send me back to square one,” Brooks said.
After years of dealing with debilitating back pain and making multiple trips to emergency rooms, Brooks found himself at a crossroads after a visit to a hospital this spring, where an MRI revealed a lump on the left side of his spine. His primary care provider recommended a visit with a neurosurgeon.
Finding Compassionate Care at FirstHealth Neurosurgery
“I got the option to go to FirstHealth or somewhere farther from my home, and driving to Pinehurst ended up changing my life,” Brooks said. “Once I got my referral to FirstHealth Neurosurgery, I did some research and saw that Dr. James Walker had nothing but positive reviews. I felt good about my choice before I ever showed up, and once I was there, it was incredible. They talked to me like a human. There was a process to go through before surgery was on the table, but they made me feel like I wasn’t a number.”
Working with Walker and his care team during the spring and early summer, Brooks explored non-surgical options before surgery became the clear path forward. “Right before surgery, problems came up again,” Brooks recalled with a chuckle. Brooks had failed his pre-surgical ECG, leading to a referral to FirstHealth Cardiology. At first, he thought this meant his surgery would be delayed.
“FirstHealth advocated for me and got me into the cardiologist the week before my surgery. I go and fail my ECG again, so they recommended a stress test before surgery. Everyone jumped through hoops and got that test scheduled the day before my surgery,” Brooks said. “Then, of course, I get a phone call on a Friday afternoon saying that the insurance claim for my stress test had been denied and I’d have to delay the surgery.”
Coordinated Care That Put the Patient First
Once again, Brooks was treated as a person and not a number. After Brooks secured insurance approval for the stress test, the Cardiology care team worked over the weekend to ensure that his stress test could happen on Monday, one day before his scheduled surgery with Dr. Walker.
“The way FirstHealth has advocated for me has completely changed my perception of what medical care could and should be,” he said.
Dr. Walker and the surgical team helped correct a collapsed disc that had been compressing a nerve in Brooks’ spine. He emerged from surgery with partial restoration of sensation in his legs and feet – feeling he hadn’t experienced in years. While some numbness and discomfort remained, the relief from constant pain and the hope for long-term recovery marked a dramatic shift in his life. Follow-up care at FirstHealth continued to exceed expectations.
A physician assistant conducted additional testing that revealed a potential issue in Brooks’ neck, paving the way for future treatment.
“I can’t stress enough how much this has changed my life. I felt like I was heading down a path of ending up in a wheelchair, and I had given up hope that I would get fixed,” Brooks said. “But this experience has given me hope, and now I have a fighting chance to make it to a decent age and be able to keep living life. That’s a big thing.”
Neurosurgery Care at FirstHealth in Pinehurst
The neurosurgery team at FirstHealth Neurosurgery & Spine in Pinehurst specializes in the neurological treatment of diseases and disorders of the brain, spine, and peripheral nerves, including carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel syndromes.
