Patient Testimonials

Dr. Simonet did my hip replacement five weeks ago and it couldn’t have gone any better. He has a great bedside manner, he answered all of my questions thoroughly prior to surgery, and everything went as I expected. His entire staff is great! They were very professional, especially his assistant Jane. Another thing to note is when you go back for a follow-up appointment, you are called in on-time and are not expected to wait. All in all, I would totally recommend Dr. Simonet!

I have been seeing Dr. Bakker for over 5 years. He is always very patient, kind, and explains everything in Layman’s terms. I have sent both of my parents to him and they were both very impressed by his bedside manner and his knowledge. I highly recommend Dr. Bakker.

This review will be somewhat different from others as my history with Dr. Cammack goes back nearly 15 years and 4 surgeries, with a 5th planned. I met Dr. Cammack after a suicide attempt in February of 2005, which resulted in significant injuries; including a pelvis broken in 3 places, 3 vertebra in my back fractured, and both heels were completely smashed, along with quite a bit of internal bleeding. Due to my injuries, Dr. Cammack was assigned to me to oversee my case. I liked him straight away, he reminds me of Doogie Howser – a mix of extreme intelligence and genuine ‘aw shucks’ personality. He went through my injuries and talked about the surgeries I would need to be fixed and what to expect.

TCO is a large practice with doctors, specializing in all kinds of surgeries. Dr. Cammack did not pass me over to another member of the practice. He felt that I really needed to see dedicated specialists who focused exclusively on the pelvis and lower back and that he would do the research and would know more the next day. The next morning he informed me he had narrowed it down to two different teams and would have the answer the next day. Thursday morning he walked in, made sure I was okay and had everything I needed, then told me that he had spoken to the other surgeons and I would be going to HCMC early Friday morning to have the surgeries. He did the research himself (no assistants) and spoke to the surgeons so that they could clear their schedules to see me right away.

The surgeries went well except for the fact that I found out I am immune to morphine. On Monday I was back to North Memorial and back under Cammack’s care. Every day that I was in the hospital he would come and see me, regardless of which ward I was in. Including the psychiatric ward after finding out I am type 2 bipolar. If he was out of the hospital then one of his colleagues would see me. He performed both ankle surgeries at the same time (I figured it was best to get it all over with at once). He was always positive about my recovery and honest about what I could expect.

In the decade and a half that I have known him, he has gone from supremely talented doctor, to a learned friend who helped to take care of me at the worst moments of my life. If you give him a compliment, he gets genuinely uneasy but in a down-to-earth manner. He is humble, genuine, and nothing is forced about him. What you see is what you get. I am extraordinarily grateful to him for his years of taking care of my battered feet. I can honestly say that I can walk because of him.

Dr. Moeller is very knowledgeable and takes the time to truly listen to her patients. I am very grateful for her thorough examination of my injury and ongoing care to assist me in reaching maximum potential with a post right wrist fracture. She explains things in detail and provides realistic options for treatment with comprehensive follow up to measure progress.
I definitely feel that she has my best interests in perspective. Thank you for your ongoing expertise and care.

I have just recovered from my second knee replacement by Dr. Szalapski. I had such good results 8 years ago with my first surgery, that I elected to have the other knee done when doing all my usual activities became almost impossible without much discomfort. After 7 weeks, I am so good that I can’t believe it. I am going up and down stairs like a grown-up for the first time in over 2 years. I can do everything I use to do, but better. Having only one day in the hospital this time was okay. I had help at home for a few days but I was driving myself to PT one week later. I elected to not take any pain meds after the surgery so I didn’t have to recover from that either. Dr. Szalapski knows exactly what to do and my knee did not have staples or stitches this time, so that was also good. The scar has healed beautifully. Thank you to the fine team that cared for me, including Traci and Jessica.

It had gotten to the point that the bunion and two hammer toes on my right foot made it very painful to walk, especially in closed shoes. Based on my family history of bad feet, I knew I had to do something because if they were left unchecked, it would only get worse. I decided to see Dr. McGarvey based on the number of bunioneictomies he had performed (more than 8,000) and patient testimonials. Dr. McGarvey is a very direct, no nonsense physician, with clear expectations of his patients’ post-operative recovery activities. I have faithfully followed his guidance and seven weeks after surgery, healing is progressing as expected.

Dr. Szalapski replaced both of my hips. The first hip was 4 years ago and the other was in November 2019. Both times I could not have been more satisfied. My friends were amazed at how fast I was recuperating. I never used a walker and I only used a cane for one day. I recommend Dr. Szalapski whenever I can.

Thank you, Doctor!

I had my knee replacement surgery on October 7, 2019. My entire experience – starting with my consultation with Dr. Szalapski, through the preliminary “class”, surgery, and follow-up – has been very positive. I am very glad that I had the surgery when I did.

Dr. Szalapski’s team of nurses and other doctors are excellent, and they all work very well together. The pre-op and post-op staff at Fairview Hospital Southdale in Edina were amazing. They were helpful, friendly and professional. Thanks to the good care of everyone, I have recovered well and had no issues whatsoever.

Dr. Meisterling and his assistant Kayla, have been an extended part of my family for the past 10 years. I have degenerative joint disease which has led me to have both knees, one shoulder, two thumbs and, most recently, a hip replaced. Dr. Meisterling and Kayla have walked through them all with me. My recent hip replacement was particularly challenging. Different components of the hardware failed, resulting in two revisions within 3 months of having the initial hip replacement. Dr. Meisterling and Kayla were available, supportive and most importantly, my advocates as we had to schedule each of these procedures. I felt so cared for during the whole ordeal. I am so grateful for this team.

I had refused to seriously consider taking any action for my knee. Dr. Kruse was the first doctor that I felt cared about my care and my future. He gave me hope for the first time in years that I can have my life back!