Newborns and Kidney Surgery

My son had to have surgery at age 1 by a urologist from Children's named Max Maizels. The surgery was successful and uneventful. I can't say much about Dr. Max except that he did the job well, and then didn't charge me for a follow-up visit. I was a little irked by his condescending attitude toward one of my questions, but then again, I see that with a lot of doctors when talking to "moms." I haven't had any experience with Dr. Cheng, but I'm sure he's on the same floor/department with Dr. Max. I would tend to believe that all the doctors at Children's are highly qualified. But, you could always do research on him and switch to another urologist if you don't like his style.

My daughter just had kidney surgery, not for the same problem but similar and I went to Childrens also. My urologist was John Houston whom I HIGHLY recommend, he is the best!!! Kids are very resiliant and with having a little one, it is better to do it now, since he is not trying to move about he will heal faster. My daughter is fine, 3 weeks after surgery, truthfully a week after surgery, she was back to her old self. Children's is amazing, the nurses are wonderful and I could not complain about a single thing. If you have to get it done, Children's is the place to go. Absolutley great!! Your son will be ok and it is better to get it done with now! I know as a parent, it is truly un nerving and very scary, anytime you talk surgery with your child, it is normal to get scared, I know I was scared to death, but the people at Childrens' really helped and once we came home, I called Dr. Houston with any questions nad he called me daily for a week just to check in on Taylor. I know no matter what anyone says, he is your baby and you will worry, just as I did, but at least now at Children's you are in the best hands!!
I hope this has helped
M.

Hi M. -

I'm sorry that I don't have any experience with your son's condition, but my son has an appointment this Wednesday with Dr. Cheng for a different urological condition. It's the first time we will be meeting him. If you'd like, I can let you know our opinion of the doctor after we've met him.

Sorry I can't really be of any more help. Good luck.

K.

Our daughter has kidney reflux and will be having surgery to try and correct the issue before any major surgery. Dr. Kaplan is the physician to whom we were referred and is the head of the pediatric urology group at Children's. He is wonderful. Actually any of the doctors there witihin the group would be great. Dr. Cheng met with us initially at our last visit because we wanted to make sure our son did not have kidney reflux as well since there is a higher incidence in sibs. Luckily he did not. Dr. Cheng was wonderful. We were there right before naptime so my daughter was tired and being a little cranky. He is very patient, good bedside manner and did the intial intake and then met with us while we met with Dr. Kaplan. It is a good sign that the head of the department is entrusting his patients with Dr. Cheng. All in all, nothing but psotive feedback on my end. E-mail if you have any more questions. It's scary when your baby is first born to hear these things but apparently kidney problems are extremely common.

I don't have experience with a blocked kidney, but just wanted to tell you that I have met with the pediatric urology staff at Children's. My doctor recommended them highly and Dr. Cheng was in his top three. My son is being circumsized on Sept. 14th by Dr. Maizels. So far I've found the office and staff to be great. I will let you know how the surgery (I realize it's very minor!) goes. I hear they are top notch.

My daughter had a minor surgery at Children's last March. It was on her mouth so not the same surgeons, but Children's was amazing. She was quite frightened (at 3 1/2) and they were great with her. I would say that you may feel that they are sometimes better with the kids than with you, if that makes sense. But, that is what you want. They will take care of your son.
Take care,
K.

My daughter was diagnosed with Kidney Reflux. Fortunately she grew out of her condition and didn't require surgury. We too were referred to Dr. Cheng. He is a great Doc. My daughter was very comfortable around him. He not only talked to me, but her as well. He explained everything and even drew diagrams for me. I think you will really like him.

Best of Luck to you and your son!

E.