Dr. Sheldon Lazar, MD

Wonderful ,listens and talks to you about your concerns very helpful would recommend him to anyone who needs a great Doctor Thank you and your staff for your help made my visit pleasurable and informing .

I have never in my lifetime, been talked down to in such a disrespectful manner than by Dr Sheldon Lazar. He treated me sheer and complete disrespect. His questions he asked were not medically related, at all. he was a judgemental sob. He made it clear to me that he felt I was less than human in his eyes.

IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT NECK SURGERY, PLEASE READ ALL OF MY ENTRY.I had C5-C6 and C6-C7 ACDF with Dr. Lazar. He came highly recommended by 2 Doctors that I know, one of whom had back surgery with Dr. Lazar. The other was a Neurologist who had that look in his eyes as if to say, "If you're going to have surgery, you're going to want this guy to be the one performing it." I couldn't agree more. My pre-surgery pain is gone. I had a pinched nerve for sure and two herniated discs. I could feel radiation through the Ulnar Nerve down my right arm all the way through to my pinky and ring fingers, mainly pulsating above my right elbow. If you are suffering from these symptoms, I feel your pain. Except mine is gone now No more tension/migraine headaches, no more nerve radiation, no more neck pain AT ALL! My surgery was only 19 days ago! I noticed immediately from waking up from surgery that my symptoms were better. Any discomforts from surgery were gone between 5 and 7 days. I… hardly had to use any pain medication. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: EVERYONES BODY IS DIFFERENT! I CREDIT SUCH A GREAT RECOVERY TO THE FOLLOWING: I am 38 (young enough to heal faster); Im in pretty good shape; this was my first operation; I HEEDED THE DOCTORS INSTRUCTIONS! (Extremely important); I was very careful especially the first few days after surgery; and last but not least, I mentally prepared myself through meditation and PRAYER weeks before. That may not be your thing but it is mine. I maintained a great attitude before, during, and after. Did I mention I HEEDED THE DOCTORS INSTRUCTIONS? Make sure you do. Not to mention, he has been a Surgeon for 46 years. Count them46 years. That also helped with my attitude because I had extreme confidence in him and his operation staff. 46 years, amazing. He is 71. But had I not known and done my research, I would have thought late 40-ish to early 50-ish.I am not a personal friend of Dr. Lazar. This write up may seem so, but I am not. I did find a disconcerting opinion of Dr. Lazar online, but I could probably clarify. LISTEN PEOPLE, if you interested in a highly professional Doctor/Neurosurgeon, one who is very straight forward and to the point, one who is going to give sound advice (46 years worth!) then this is the Doctor you want to have! If you are looking for the opposite, one who you want to be close and carry on conversations with, and be good friends with, this is not the person. He and Doctors dont have time to be buddy-buddy with anyone and make you feel like you are King or Queen like society has influenced on so many. NEVER ONCE did I ever feel like my condition or safety or wellbeing was in jeopardy. I also have the rationalization that Doctors have extremely higher ethics and morals to live by. And he does them well. I also realize he has his own personal life and many patients to deal with. Yes, I agree it would be nice to hang out with him, pick his mind, shoot some pool, drink a beer, help him out with his next surgerybut its not going to happen. These people have trained and been educated beyond most of us. So even though he NEVER treated me unfairly or unkind or as if I was a lower human being than him, He and those humans who have put in this time and effort to help others deserve the utmost respect. So, if you are a whiner, a person who never has had to work for anything, a person who has received trophies and awards for coming in last place, this might not be what you are looking for. It is what you NEED, but Im sure if you waited 10 minutes at the office or didnt have a bedside nurse 24/7 then youll be writing something negative here about the Doctor. Trust me, 46 years of experiencededicated and nothing short of professional. That includes his office staff and his handpicked operating staff. He is not a rookie.My Surgery was held at Skokie Hospital. I have to say my experience there was great too. I only had one minor complaint with a nurse; but overall great experience. Remember; dont judge the Doctor by the Hospital. One minor complaint and it was with a nurse. On the other hand, I also had another nurse that was outstanding and very professional. They might be the most underrated people on the planet.And if youre worried about the scar, quit being so vain. I could care less, but Dr. Lazar has a specific sew-up man. How cool is that! I forgot his name but he was nice. The scar, even 19 days after, is barely noticeable and will probably diminish in time. But, who cares? I did take very good care of the wound. It never got infected, and I was very careful with showers. I HEEDED THE DOCTORS INSTRUCTIONS!Bottom line: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I hope this helped. I wish you the best on your quest for painless days. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

I saw Dr. Lazar when I was in the hospital, and I later called him in hopes to get clarification on the diagnosis and recommendations he gave me. I have a potentially dangerous lesion on my brain, and he recommended medication to mask the symptoms but no other action to address the danger of hemorrhaging. This puzzled me, so I simply wished to know why. On the phone, he point-blank would not discuss the specifics about the anatomy of my lesion, and his reasoning was vague at best. He repeatedly told me the textbook definition of my condition (something I obviously already knew), made comments about how I'm "not the doctor," and basically said, "If you really want surgery, you should go to someone else." I didn't want surgeryI just wanted to understand why he didn't think it was necessary! Then he started making snide remarks about my age, including telling me that because I am young I must think that I'm invincible, which could not be farther from the truth (and seemed completely… irrelevant). Overall, he was condescending, rude, and unhelpful. I will definitely not be going to him for further consultation about my condition. How sad is it for a doctor to scare a potential patient away from his practice before she can even make an appointment?