AimeeM Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Anyone here have experiences with Shriners? We have one very local to us, and Nico's pediatrician asked me today for my permission to refer him out to Shriners. I know that years and years ago, when my baby sister broke her femur, Shriners was amazing to my parents and my sister - and absolutely essential to her rehabilitation (it was a terrible break; she was in a half body cast, from the stomach down, for what seemed like forever). I've heard good and bad about it on a national level, so I'm asking The Hive for personal experiences :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 A friend's daughter in California has osteogenesis imperfecta (sp?), AKA brittle bone disease. The dd was not diagnosed until she was, IDK, 12ish? She was treated several times at the Shriners hospital in Sacramento and was very pleased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 One of my babies was born with a club foot and was treated at Shriners. It was such a great experience. I was scared and nervous going in, but they were some of the kindest people I've met. We've since moved, but DS does his follow up care at an outreach clinic so we still get to see the same doctors and care coordinators. But at the outreach clinic, they have all the masons (is that their official title?) doing the check-ins, passing out snacks, and giving away toys at the end of the appt. Just a great atmosphere overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TianXiaXueXiao Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I have a shout out for Shriners but nothing current as far as experience goes. My husband has a very rare congenital condition that involves fused vertebrae, Sprengels shoulder, scoliosis, and a host of other physical problems. He had his surgeries at Shriners in San Francisco 30 plus years ago. They did an excellent job with his spinal surgeries and shoulder surgery. His life would be very different today if it weren't for Shriners. We donate to them when we can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Shriner's is awsome. I can't speak for other parts of the country, but our experiences in Portland have only been positive. The best part is that there is no fighting with insurance. In the past few years they have started to ask patients for insurance information and I believe they do now try to get payment from insurance companies, but if they don't they never charge you and you never hear anything about it. Without having to battle insurance companies, they are freed up to just focus on what medical care is needed. We first went when dd was 12 and not really standing like she once could. We saw an orthopedic surgeon who ordered x-rays (which they have used to monitor hip joints and scoliosis), orthotics, and a trip upstairs to see the PT. No authorizations necessary--we immediately did all of those things within a few hours. We had had trouble trying to get orthotics for dd locally--the guy couldn't get them made in such a way that didn't leave red marks all over dd's feet. He had told us "some kids just can't be braced." Well Shriner's knows what they are doing when it comes to orthotics. If they leave red marks, they make adjustments. They'll have us wait in the waiting room for half an hour and then check to see if more adjustments are needed. Much better than driving a few hours to home and then realizing there are problems. The PT helped us get a stander and made some recommendations for changes to dd's wheelchair. I love Shriner's. Wish all medical care could be provided with that model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 I'm glad to hear it. We're in Greenville, and I'm not sure if the local Shriner's hospital (it's a full hospital, not just an outreach, to the best of my knowledge) is the same as all other Shriners'? Are they all similar? Are they fabulous with diagnostics when outside specialists all agree that "something is wrong" physically, but can't put a finger on it? Nico's cardio, endo, and pedi are all pushing towards something skeletal, but he did already have a skeletal survey ordered and looked over by the endo, and they aren't "seeing" anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 One of our foster boys had a sister who had many surgeries at Shriners in Chicago and it was very helpful for her. We had another foster boy that had had surgery there before but we didnt' go there with him while he was with us as he was only with us a few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I have a friend who took two of her children to Shriner's hospitals. Nothing but wonderful things to say about the whole experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I'm PMing you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artichoke Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 We have a niece who was treated for severe burns at Shriner's hospital about twelve years ago. She pulled a pot of boiling spaghetti onto herself as a toddler. Everyone at Shriner's was wonderful, and the medical care was top notch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkTulip Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Huge fans of Shriners here. My 3rd DS was treated there 7 years ago for an orthopedic issue and they were amazing. Really wonderful and kind, as well as extremely competent and cutting-edge in how they approached things. Like someone said earlier, I loved how everything was in- house and we didn't get the run-around when something was needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trudence1 Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 My DS13 had a surgery with them about 12 years ago. They were AMAZING! I can't praise them enough. We didn't have a hospital nearby, so they flew us to the nearest one. Great treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I'm glad to hear it. We're in Greenville, and I'm not sure if the local Shriner's hospital (it's a full hospital, not just an outreach, to the best of my knowledge) is the same as all other Shriners'? Are they all similar? Are they fabulous with diagnostics when outside specialists all agree that "something is wrong" physically, but can't put a finger on it? Nico's cardio, endo, and pedi are all pushing towards something skeletal, but he did already have a skeletal survey ordered and looked over by the endo, and they aren't "seeing" anything. Bolding by me. I have no personal experience, but I saw today that they are partnering with the Mayo Clinic and will have access to their consultation service, which seems like a big plus: http://tbo.com/news/education/shriners-hospitals-based-in-tampa-join-mayo-clinic-network-20150526/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 DH credits them with saving his leg when he was a kid. He had a rare disease and almost lost his leg completely. Shriners stepped in and helped with the treatments and after years of being in a wheelchair, crutches, braces and PT, he was mostly healed. He has a limp still, but that's it. Very good experience in his eyes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeghansMom Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Meghan has been multiple times in her eleven years to the one you are referring to and they are incredible. Rest assured, they will take wonderful care of your child. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueTx Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Ds (10) has been going to Shriners since he was an infant. He had surgery for clubfoot there and is currently being monitored for his scoliosis and limb length discrepancy. We LOVE Shriners. They go above and beyond to take care of the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I come from a family of Shriners who have sponsored many kids. They do wonderful work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flopsymopsy Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 we took my son to Shriners about 13 years ago for a bone issue. The doctor seemed knowledgeable and the staff was kind. They offered to enroll my ds in a trial that involved injections into his bone. The deal breaker for us is we would not be told what he was being injected with. So we passed on the trial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I know a couple people that have worked at Shriners, they really loved the experience compared to other jobs they had. I only know one person personally who has had surgery there. She had surgery for scoliosis and her mother, a nurse, was very pleased with her surgery and care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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