RICHMOND, Va. -- Aura Deane came to Dr. Rajesh Mehta in the fall suffering from severe back and neck pain caused by a pinched nerve.
"I couldn't function," Aura said. "I lived on my couch. I got up to go to the bathroom and grab something to eat and that was about all."
Diagnosed with a bulging disc and cyst causing the extreme pain and discomfort, Aura eventually opted for surgery.
Dr. Mehta, a neurosurgeon at Johnston-Willis Hospital, was able to operate in the fall and cure Aura's condition.
"When I woke up I thought Dr. Mehta had put some type of numbing medicine in my back, because I was completely pain free," Aura said.
However, Aura said she found the most comfort in having all her treatment and physicians conveniently located in one building. Johnston-Willis Hospital's new Brain and Spine Center is located off Midlothian Turnpike, just feet from the hospital's main campus.
The facility has neurologists, neurosurgeons, pain management physicians, and physical therapists all located in one building.
Dr. Mehta said the facility provides comprehensive medical care.
"It's a nice facility for the patient and the doctors," Mehta said.
One of the advantages of comprehensive medical care is helping treat patients in critical situations.
"It just shows you how quickly the collaboration can occur if there's something urgent or for patients not to have to go too many places," Mehta said. "Sometimes it's easier just to come to one building and know that you've seen the neurologist or pain management doctor and if they're recommending surgery, then you just go downstairs to the surgeons to get their opinion."
For Aura, it made treatment and follow-up therapy a seamless process in her healing.
"That makes a world of difference," Aura said.
Working For Your Health is a partnership with HCA Healthcare. Serving the greater Richmond area, Chippenham, Henrico Doctors’, Johnston-Willis, Parham Doctors’, and Retreat Doctors’ Hospital are part of HCA Virginia. Watch for Working For Your Health reports Tuesdays on CBS 6 News at 7 p.m.
Watch for Working For Your Health reports on CBS 6.
