Reviews | American Endocrine

I am a 34-year-old female who was being monitored for approximately 2 years over at Montefiore. My doctor recommended thyroid surgery during our initial visit, as the thyroid was benign after the biopsy results, but the size of my nodule on the right side was of concern.

I refused to do the surgery as I was overly concerned about my appearance, especially at my young age. I did not want to have a scar on my neck, especially since I did not have cancer or any other severe medical condition. My doctor and I agreed to follow up every 6 months to monitor the growth of the mass. At each appointment, she insisted on surgery, but I kept refusing.

We eventually spoke about other alternatives, and that’s when she mentioned there was a new technique evolving, called robotic thyroid surgery or robotic thyroidectomy. After our fourth visit, she referred me to Dr. Randall Owen of Mount Sinai for a second opinion, as I was still refusing thyroid surgery.

Upon meeting Dr. Owen, he advised me that the nodule had continued to grow and referred me to Dr. Hyunsuk Suh for his experience in robotic surgery. Dr. Suh is my HERO! He saved me from having self-esteem issues and gave me HOPE.

During our initial visit, he explained that my nodule was almost at the maximum growth size to safely operate. I went in for my third opinion and left with a scheduled surgery date. Dr. Suh is an amazing individual. He took his time to explain every detail, step by step, along with the pros and cons of surgery and addressed every possible question anyone could think of.

On the day of my surgery, everything went as planned. I was left with 4 extremely tiny incisions—2 around the areola of each breast and 1 under each armpit. The incisions are unrecognizable because Dr. Suh made them so small and hid them within natural folds.

I experienced no throat pain beyond the norm of post-surgery discomfort. I slept like a baby the night of my surgery and was fully functional to go out later that same week. I had no limitations or soreness in my arms and had full range of motion.

I had my surgery on a Wednesday and was able to celebrate my best friend’s birthday that Saturday. Nobody noticed anything different, aside from the lower volume of my voice, which Dr. Suh informed me was normal. My voice returned to its full strength within a week, and I was ready to return to work shortly after.

Dr. Suh and his staff did an impeccable job in my treatment phase and guided me every step of the way. I am truly happy with my results today and feel blessed to have been introduced to Dr. Suh!

Last year, a couple of months after my birthday, I was diagnosed with papillary cancer on the left side of my thyroid. Finding the right surgeon was very important to my family and me. My parents and I didn't want me to have a visible scar in the center of my neck. They found a video on YouTube of a thyroid procedure that was done without scarring. We immediately went to see Dr. Inabnet to have this type of procedure done. However, I was not a candidate for this surgery because the cancer was too big. Dr. Inabnet performed a regular thyroidectomy. He was very patient with me and calmed my worries.

The surgery was done at Mount Sinai Hospital. I stayed there for one night and two days. The nurses and doctors were amazing and took very good care of me. I was very worried about my scar because, as a student, I was scared people would notice and ask questions. The cut on my neck was very small considering the size of the thyroid gland and is almost invisible now. I was very happy with the work that he did. He truly is a wonderful person and surgeon. The recovery process was very quick, and I only had to miss about a week of school.

Three months after surgery, I had to get radioactive iodine therapy to kill the remaining microscopic cancer cells. Nine months after surgery, I went for a checkup and a sonogram. There was a positive lymph node found on the upper left side of my neck. I was told I had to get another surgery done. This time, I was a candidate for the BABA procedure. I was very happy that I was a candidate for this because, if I wasn’t, then the scar on my neck would have been much longer and more visible (even though now it barely shows and can easily be covered with makeup).

When I spoke to Dr. Suh, he told me that I would be the very first patient in the United States to undergo this surgery (to take out a few positive lymph nodes through this procedure). I was a little hesitant, but he calmed my worries and answered all my questions very thoroughly. He had done this procedure in Korea, though not in the United States. My mother came into the OR with me (to kiss me before I went under anesthesia), and when she saw the robot, she was fascinated, as was I. Dr. Inabnet and Dr. Suh performed the surgery.

I was very thankful to Dr. Inabnet for being there every step of the way. The surgery took about four hours. I was in the hospital for two nights and three days. I had no bruising and very minimal pain, which was treated with painkillers. I had to wear a specific bra with pads all over my chest for about a week. The interns and residents checked up on me every day and made sure I was doing well. Dr. Suh came to check up on me. He had an hour-long conversation with my mother and me at the hospital. This really showed his care for me and his humbleness. He truly is a wonderful person and surgeon.

The surgery was a success; he removed the positive lymph nodes. I was scared that I would have to have the radioactive iodine treatment again. However, he told me that I didn’t need to, which was a big relief for me. I could not be any happier with Dr. Suh, Dr. Inabnet, and their team for taking the time and attention to detail in making my surgery a success. I am forever grateful to Dr. Suh, Dr. Inabnet, and Mount Sinai Hospital for bringing this new procedure from Korea and making it a success. Let me know if you’d like me to continue with the rest of the reviews or reformat anything further!

If you are going to read one review about Dr. Suh, I hope you read this one. Before speaking to Dr. Suh, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer near my home in southeast Florida. I found out about Dr. Suh's scarless surgery technique and read all about his extensive experience. Within five minutes of completing the online forms, I received a phone call to schedule a consultation. After the consultation, I was convinced that Dr. Suh was the best surgeon to perform the surgery I needed. Little did I know that when having my pre-op appointment, he found a much more extensive progression than my previous doctors suspected. Upon arriving at the hospital, my first exam was with an ultrasound technician who spent an hour carefully examining my thyroid and lymph nodes. This was followed up with a CT scan because Dr. Suh wanted to be sure that nothing was previously missed. Dr. Suh recognized that the imaging I had prior to speaking with him was not enough to understand the extent of the cancer. The extra imaging found a large mass in my chest that was previously missed completely by my hometown imaging center! Dr. Suh had the experience to know how and what to look for. I am convinced that this careful approach saved my life. Dr. Suh (and I) spent seven hours in surgery, where he carefully and completely removed all the cancer in my thyroid, lymph nodes, and chest. While I understand that there can be no 100% guarantee that nothing was missed, I feel confident that no other surgeon would have taken the care and time or had the expertise and patience that Dr. Suh has. I am so very happy that I chose NOT to stay local near my home and to travel to Tampa to become Dr. Suh's patient.

I am extremely grateful to Dr. Suh and his whole team, as well as the staff at the hospital. Dr. Shah (the anesthesiologist), Rob (the nurse anesthetist), Meredith (the nurse practitioner), Eileen (the nurse), and all of the nurses and nursing assistants who cared for me were all so wonderful. Dr. Suh is such a warm, kind, calm, and compassionate doctor. During the surgery, he sent word of his progress to my mother (who traveled with me) every hour. He called me before and after the surgery to check on me and gave me his cell number to directly contact him. (What other doctor does this?) He even called me a few days later after I flew home. If you are diagnosed with something like I had, Dr. Suh is your doctor. He and his staff let me know every option I had at every stage, kept me informed of every finding and step in the process. There were shuttles to take us to/from the airport, hotel, and hospital, and there was a delivery service for medications. It was all very well planned and easy. Although Tampa is in my home state, I would have traveled from anywhere. I feel that Dr. Suh is the best in the world at what he does. If you read his testimonials, you will see that people from all over the world travel to see him. I have lived in many places and have seen different doctors. I have never met anyone that is even remotely as caring and compassionate as Dr. Suh.

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