Dr. Pandher
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Patient Testimonials
When I first went to see Dr. Pandher at Fortis in March '11, I
had suffered from a bad right shoulder for a very long time.
It had started with a frozen shoulder that simply didn't heal
despite a lot of physical therapy, and when I fell on it the
pain was excruciating.
For years it was difficult for me to cut vegetables, lift
weight, or even comb my hair at times. I couldn't sleep on my
right shoulder, and even an accidental, unintentional rolling
over on it at night would lead to such pain that I was
addicted to pain and anti-inflammatory pills. I had been
afraid of surgery and fearful that it would impact my
lifestyle too much, that I wouldn't be able to type on the
computer (I'm a writer), that my shoulder would become worse,
that the recovery would be too long.
When I went to see Dr. Pander he didn't suggest surgery right
away but gave me isometric exercises to do and said to come
back only if these didn't work. He gave me a sheet of these
exercises with illustrations on them. I trusted him
immediately for this. Though I did those exercises
religiously, it didn't help. A hike in difficult terrain where
i had to pull myself up with my arms was the last straw, so I
practically crawled to Dr. Pandher for the the surgery.
It was a painless procedure. He didn't do anything that was
unnecessary to boost my cost and his income. The very next day
he had me moving my arm in small ways. A week later I was
typing. Though the full recovery did take about 3 months, six
months later I am doing so well that I will devote another
paragraph to it.
First, if you have surgery with Dr. Pandher, make sure you
obey his instructions. He won't send you to a physical
therapist but will give you exercises himself. Be sure to do
them regularly and gently. Don't slack off, or at least, not
too much. He doesn't overwhelm you with too many things to do
and monitors you from week to week (he is wonderful when it
comes to availability, and will pick up the phone each time,
or call back asap when he is busy). Believe me, I only saw Dr.
Pandher three times: the initial consultation, the day of
surgery, and the day after. I could have seen him more often
if I didn't live eight hours by car away. Also, I had had
experience with physical therapy for many years and
supplemented his instruction with my own knowledge.
How am I now? Simply great. The problem has been removed! A
few days ago I went to the gym and could do things I hadn't
been able to do for thirteen long years! I cut my own
vegetables, carry my own load, and brush my own hair -- though
I do let my wonderful husband brush it occasionally as he had
been doing off and on for all those years -- because it feels
so good.
I use to play a lot of professional football during my school
days. When I came to college, I started playing in the college
team. We use to practice 3 to 4 days a week in the evening.
One day while practicing, I stepped on the ball and found
myself measuring my length on the floor.
At that time I realized that there was an intense pain in my
left shoulder and the shape of my shoulder was eerie. It was a
shoulder dislocation and I had no idea what this was, as it
happened for the first time. They took me to a private
hospital in the college ambulance and I saw the doctor coming
out of the Operation Theatre with his hands doused in blood.
It scared the shit out of me and I thought that he was going
to do something similar to me as well. Then they took me in OT
and 2-3 men surrounded me and the doctor ordered them to give
some dosage of anaesthesia to me. I went unconscious after
that and woke up in a different room with my friends around.
While lying on my bed, I looked at my shoulder and thank God
it was back to its normal shape. There was still a little bit
of pain but not as much as it was when it got dislocated. The
Doctor gave me a sling and advised me to wear it for at least
1 month. I did the same and wore it for around 3 weeks. By
that time I felt that my shoulder was good and I can once
again join my football team for practicing. But the worst was
impending. Within 2-3 days of my practice, my shoulder got
dislocated once again and this time it was just because I was
running too fast leading my left arm into a posture I was
advised to refrain from. This kept on happening for around 7
to 8 times. Sometimes while closing a window behind me and
sometimes while lifting up a refrigerator.
Then finally, after 4 years I decided to get my shoulder
operated from an adept doctor. I took an appointment with Dr.
Pandher at Fortis hospital on 17th September. He studied my
case very thoroughly and analyzed the X-rays and documents.
Then he showed me a couple of photographs which gave me a
clear cut idea of what actually went wrong with my shoulder
and how we can repair it. Then he advised me to get MRI scan
so that he could have a more detailed view. He went through my
MRI and explained me the procedure of how we can go about this
surgery. I was satisfied with the procedure and wanted to get
my shoulder operated as soon as possible, as I was running out
of leaves. He fixed the date of surgery on coming Sunday i.e.
after 6 days. My proposed surgery time was 11 am. I came to
the hospital at 9 in the morning and got myself admit. Then as
per the schedule, they took me to a room where they took my
blood samples and did some preliminary tests just to make sure
if I was ready for the surgery. I was really very scared at
that time as this was my first operation ever. Then I saw Dr.
Pandher entering the room. He talked to me in a very casual
way and gave me the assurance that there is nothing to worry
and everything will go fine. He asked me some random questions
so that I can let go the stress out of me. After the tests
were done, they took me to the OT where the anaesthesia doc
was waiting for me. They gave me anaesthesia and Dr. Pandher
took the ground from there and I don’t remember what really
went in there as I was unconscious.
When I opened my eyes, I was in my room with my dad and
relatives cordoning me. Dr. Pandher came to my room and
assured that the surgery was successful and not to move the
shoulder for a couple of days. And he gave me some exercises
which I was supposed to do every day for 3 months. He didn’t
suggest to see any physiotherapist at all and told me to
follow these exercises religiously.
Today, its almost 5 months since I underwent the surgery and I
can move my left arm in almost all the directions except for 1
or 2 extreme positions which I’ll regain with the span of
time.
During these 5 months, Dr Pandher use to call me up on my
phone and send me emails with a lot of stuff like new
exercises, some useful suggestions and intermittently asking
about the condition of my shoulder and my health. It is very
rare to find doctors with such a commitment towards its
patients. However, I was fortunate enough to meet a person
like Dr. Pandhe. At present, I am doing fine. I go to gym
daily to do some cardio and light weight shoulder exercises
that would help to strengthen my shoulder muscles. I also play
games such as badminton, volleyball, basketball etc at my
workplace and I never felt uneasy because of my left shoulder.
All the credit goes to Dr. Pandher and his attachment with the
patients.