[jsewell]

Jeff I did have VATS surgery with DrRegan. Oh it is a story and I will try to shorten it. First my wonderful Pasadena surgeon sent me to DrRegan as he did not have the equipment or a thoracic surgeon willing to do the approach.
I met DrRegan, who spent no time with me. I scheduled the surgery based on his reputation.
During surgery my phrenic nerve was damaged. It is the one that controls the diaphragm muscle and thus breathing., So in recovery i got into serious trouble and ended up in ICU once stabilized. I never heard from Regan. Never saw him at the hospital. I stayed 2 weeks and he never showed up. I called and spoke with him one time and told him i had no idea who was who on my list of doctors, didn't know what he had done and what had happened. He to this day if you asked him would still say nothing happened. Yet on his OR report at a certain point after the first level was treated, it states, we had problems with the lung. He had sent an associate who came for a few days and then told me i could leave. I still couldn't breathe well enough to make it to the bathroom. I had been assigned a primary care doc and was also being treated by a pulmonologist who both said i was no wear near ready to go home.
So bottom line , i cannot recommend this surgeon, DrRegan. He ruined my lung capacity (I am an avid exerciser) and did not have the decency to admit his damage to my nerve or offer any help in getting it diagnosed. If he had, it could have been surgically fixed by a neurosurgeon that i found. When i found the neurosurgeon who does repair phrenic nerves , it was too late to attempt a repair. I am now short of breath with any exertion. I lost 50% of my lung capacity.

If you want to pm me to get more info , please do. also to get my phone number and talk.
judy

My surgery was in Dec 2009 on T7-8 and attempt on T11-12.