{"id":12097,"date":"2025-01-24T23:48:03","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T23:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazines.uthscsa.edu\/mission\/?p=12097"},"modified":"2025-01-30T16:03:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T16:03:16","slug":"when-the-healer-becomes-the-patient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazines.uthscsa.edu\/mission\/when-the-healer-becomes-the-patient\/","title":{"rendered":"When the healer becomes the patient"},"content":{"rendered":"

A retired orthopaedic surgeon puts his trust in a former colleague to address his chronic back pain<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
John Toohey, MD, retired orthopaedic surgeon and former assistant dean at UT Health San Antonio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

John Toohey, MD, spent decades repairing spines and restoring hope.<\/p>\n

As a retired orthopaedic surgeon and former assistant dean in the Department of Graduate Medical Education at UT Health San Antonio, Toohey guided countless patients through the maze of chronic back pain, treating them with precision and compassion.<\/p>\n

But at age 74 \u2014 when spinal stenosis left him with his own excruciating pain and few options \u2014 the healer became the inaugural patient at the newly opened\u00a0UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty and Research Hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know how it feels when you hit your funny bone?\u201d Toohey asked. \u201cThe pain was so bad. I couldn\u2019t do anything. I\u2019m an avid golfer, but I couldn\u2019t play anymore. I couldn\u2019t walk. I couldn\u2019t hike. I used to bike all the time, but I couldn\u2019t even do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

For years, Toohey fought to keep his symptoms under control. Anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy and a regimen of epidural steroid injections provided temporary relief.\u00a0But by last summer, even the injections couldn\u2019t keep him on the golf course.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had tried everything,\u201d he said. \u201cFor someone who was relatively fit, I had become a slug.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making the call for help\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

The surgeon who had spent his life mending others knew it was his turn to seek help. He placed his trust in the people and institution he believed in most.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made an appointment at\u00a0The Spine Center<\/a>,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI showed up at the office with my MRI and said, \u2018I need surgery. Let\u2019s get on with it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"spine
Christopher Chaput, MD, director of The Spine Center at UT Health San Antonio\u2019s Medical Arts and Research Center, performed the inaugural surgery \u2014 on a former colleague \u2014 at the university\u2019s newly opened Multispecialty and Research Hospital, where Chaput also serves as chair of the Department of Orthopaedics.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That office is led by Christopher Chaput, MD<\/a>, who worked alongside Toohey years earlier and now serves as chair of the Department of Orthopaedics at UT Health San Antonio\u2019s new hospital. Chaput is also the director of The Spine Center located at the\u00a0UT Health Medical Arts and Research Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really surprised when I showed up to my clinic a few months ago and my first patient of the day was my former spine partner here at UT Health San Antonio,\u201d Chaput said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t warn me that he was coming back to see me about his back.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Toohey, the decision to turn to Chaput was more than just familiarity. It was about confidence. He knew the rigorous standards required to be a truly skilled spine surgeon, and Chaput had earned that distinction.<\/p>\n

\u201cA good spine surgeon doesn\u2019t jump to surgery. They exhaust conservative treatments first and recognize that surgery isn\u2019t always the answer,\u201d Toohey said. \u201cYou have to assess the patient as a whole and determine what\u2019s really best for them. There are plenty of cases where surgery isn\u2019t the right option.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, when Chaput proposed the same surgical approach Toohey had championed for years, Toohey immediately knew he had found the right surgeon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, \u2018That\u2019s good news. Now I don\u2019t have to walk him through the surgery in the [operating room],\u2019\u201d\u00a0he said, laughing. \u201cI\u2019ve been at this long enough to know exactly what needed to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

A milestone for UT Health San Antonio<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Toohey\u2019s procedure, a two-level lumbar decompression and fusion, is routine in spine care. But for\u00a0Robert Quinn, MD<\/a>,\u00a0chair of the Department of Orthopaedics at UT Health San Antonio\u00a0and a hospital board member who hired both surgeons, the surgery marked a significant milestone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first case performed at [the new hospital] \u2014 a surgery by Dr. Chaput on Dr. Toohey \u2014 really speaks to the strength of our team and the caliber of care we provide,\u201d Quinn said. \u201cHaving John place his trust in Chris shows just how much confidence we have in our physicians, and it\u2019s a testament to the level of expertise that exists here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Facing the unknown<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Like any patient, Toohey was apprehensive before surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know all too well what can go wrong. Believe me, I\u2019ve had things happen that are out of your control,\u201d he said, his wife Myrna by his side. \u201cBut you have to have faith in people and trust that the institution has good doctors. I was apprehensive, but I wasn\u2019t losing sleep over it. The only thing keeping me up at night was the pain in my back.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Chaput, Toohey\u2019s confidence was both an honor and a challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wake up every day thinking about how we can improve care,\u201d Chaput said. \u201cWith the new hospital, we have the opportunity to continue setting a new standard for South Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chaput knows firsthand how the new hospital\u2019s mission extends beyond technological advancements. At its core, he said, are the people \u2014 their skill, dedication, compassion and teamwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a surgeon, there\u2019s only so much I can do with my own two hands,\u201d Chaput said. \u201cWhat many patients don\u2019t realize is how crucial the team behind those hands really is. I\u2019ve come to know the nursing and anesthesia teams well, and their expertise gives me the confidence to honor the trust my patients place in me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff Flowers, MBA, FACHE, chief executive officer of the hospital, agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hospital\u2019s mission is rooted in hope and healing, but it\u2019s our core values \u2014 service, integrity and teamwork \u2014 that set us apart,\u201d he said. \u201cBy fostering a culture of collaboration across every discipline, it ensures every decision is made in the best interest of our patients and their families. It\u2019s not just what we do, it\u2019s who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

A full-circle moment\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

The day of the surgery, Dec. 10, was full of personal meaning. In addition to being the first patient at the new hospital, Toohey was returning to an institution that had been central to his professional journey for decades.<\/p>\n

\"spine
John Toohey, MD (left), a retired UT Health San Antonio orthopaedic surgeon, looks forward to rejoining his son (right) on the golf course in several months once he recovers from his successful spinal stenosis surgery at UT Health San Antonio\u2019s Multispecialty and Research Hospital. Toohey was the inaugural surgery patient at the hospital, which opened Dec. 10, 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, as Toohey slowly regains his strength and returns to his daily life, he also reflects on the trajectory of his career. He said his work as a surgeon and later as an assistant dean in the Department of Graduate Medical Education at UT Health San Antonio defined him. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Toohey decided it was time to retire.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t an easy decision for someone who admits to being a workaholic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved my job. I couldn\u2019t get enough of it,\u201d he said. But the demands of a long career eventually caught up with him. To make his retirement final, Toohey made a bold move: On July 1, 2024, he let his medical license expire. \u201cI forced myself to quit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

From treating others to receiving treatment himself, the experience deepened Toohey\u2019s appreciation for the patients he\u2019s spent a lifetime serving \u2014 and for the skilled hands of those who now stand in his place. It also strengthened his pride in UT Health San Antonio.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the minute I walked through the front door of the new hospital right before surgery, I was impressed,\u201d he said. \u201cEspecially in this era of electronic everything, I was moved by the genuine human interest in me as a patient by everybody I encountered.\u201d<\/p>\n

After his successful spinal stenosis surgery, Toohey now expects to spend four to six months gradually recovering. He\u2019s motivated by what it will allow him to reclaim: his independence and his beloved game of golf.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy body isn\u2019t what it used to be. Of course, it never is at my age,\u201d he said with a smile. \u201cGolf is my passion, my addiction. I\u2019m looking forward to playing again.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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