Robert Marinconz's Story

I was diagnosed with a condition known as acromegaly. It is a condition where the pituitary gland creates excessive amounts of hormones throughout the body.  In my case, the condition led to development of a tumor on my pituitary gland. The prognosis was quite positive. Unfortunately, the disease is quite difficult to pinpoint, and also attacks the joints in a methodical way. In my case it attacked my hip joints the hardest, and as a result I also needed a double-hip replacement. 

First, I had a pituitary tumor extraction performed by Dr. Juan C. Fernandez-Miranda. I believe he may be the best surgeon in the country.  My daughter is a second year medical student, and she researched Dr. Fernandez-Miranda, and also arrived at the same conclusion, and that is why I chose him to perform my brain surgery. In addition to being a world renowned surgeon, he also spends quality time in the office visits.  He takes the time to explain, and is genuinely interested in your questions. I am very impressed with him, and I was truly blessed to have him as my surgeon.

I was surrounded by amazing doctors, nurses, and interns...I had no doubt I was in the best care possible.

 The surgery was a great success. Dr. Fernandez-Miranda was able to remove all of the tumor, even though it was extremely close to the carotid artery. The recovery from the brain surgery was a bit painful initially, but subsided within a couple days.  I try not to use pain medications, but the first couple days it was necessary. I was discharged 3 days after the surgery. During the recovery in the hospital I was surrounded by amazing doctors, nurses, and interns. Everyone was focused on monitoring my progress and I had no doubt I was in the best care possible. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Fernandez-Miranda's nurse practitioner, Erin Wipff. Erin was awesome thorughout the entire process and I greatly appreciate her.

I had my double-hip replacement surgery at Stanford as well with Dr. James Huddleston, who did a fantastic job. I needed a few months of rehabilitation for my hips but I am now 90% recovered with the final 10% related to getting more flexibility back in my joints. I want to acknowledge Dr. Huddleston and his staff for the outstanding job they did as well, they were also top notch in every aspect of the process.

In general, I am still in awe of the way Stanford Medicine conducts their business.  From the surgeons, to the nurses, to the greeting staff, every single person I engaged with was extremely helpful and courteous. I am blessed to have Stanford Hospital for all my medical care!

Written by: Robert Marinconz

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