Patients from all over the world travel to Dr. Razdan for his expertise. One part of the United States where Dr. Razdan sees countless patients is from the great state of Wisconsin. Known as America’s “Dairyland”, Wisconsin is well know for it’s Cheese, Bratwurst, strong German and Scandinavian heritage, the infamous Green Bay Packers, it’s beautiful lakes and forests and cold winters!
But did you know Prostate cancer is a significant health concern in the state of Wisconsin? In fact, based on Facts and Figures from the Wisconsin Cancer Collaborative, in 2023, Wisconsin’s age-adjusted prostate cancer incidence rate was 31.1 per 100,000 individuals, significantly greater than the United States average of 24.7, based on the State Cancer Profiles.
Here is an incredible patient testimonial from Wisconsin, a must read if you are considering prostate cancer treatment!
“Before we chose Dr. Sanjay Razdan as my husband’s prostate cancer surgeon, I literally read ALL of the reviews I could find related to him. I had wondered, “If he is such a good surgeon, as his website purports, why doesn’t he have perfect reviews?”
Then I quickly realized the differences in the ratings people had given him:For his surgical abilities. 5 stars, 5 stars, 5 stars, 5 stars, 5 stars… “This man saved my life.”,“God-gifted”, “Compassionate and capable”, “He took my case when other surgeons had turned me away”, “Early return of function”, and what did people give lesser stars for? “I had to wait too long”, “Crabby staff”, “Only in it for the money”, “He turned me away because I didn’t have prostate cancer”
We knew that we wanted “the best of the best” when it came to the surgery my 58-year-old husband was facing. We didn’t care a hoot about whether we’d have to wait long in the dr’s office or if someone might be having an off day. We had prayed about who we should choose and God had led us to this man. So we contacted his office and, indeed, Dr Razdan did Paul’s robotic radical prostatectomy in October of 2016.
As for the reviews, each of the 5 Stars was true for us:
“This man saved my life.” Dr Razdan truly did save the life of my husband. Because he is a prostate cancer specialist, he knew that Paul’s tests results showed a faster growing cancer and he made special arrangements to fit us into his already booked schedule. While we were driving from Wisconsin to Miami, FL for our scheduled day of surgery, Hurricane Matthew shut everything down. Instead of turning us away, Dr. Razdan brought in an entire surgical team to do Paul’s surgery on a Sunday. (Our surgical nurse had told us he’d questioned why they would do surgery on a Sunday. He said Dr Razdan responded something like, “This man has cancer. He cannot afford to wait for another surgical slot. We are saving his life.”
“God-gifted”: This is something else our nurse, Alex, told us that day. He said that he had worked with other surgeons during prostatectomies and where the others tended to take up to 4-5 hours, Dr. Razdan typically does his in much, much less time (Paul’s only took 50 minutes). He also told us that Dr Razdan truly has a gift when it comes to what he can “see” during the prostate cancer surgery. In our case, Paul’s post operative pathology results showed the cancer cells had, indeed, started to make their way out of the gland into the prostate bed, into the nerve bundle, into the bladder neck, but Dr. Razdan knew exactly how much of a margin to surgically remove and the surgery was successful.
“Compassionate and capable”: We were so grateful to meet Dr. Razdan. He knew exactly what to do and when to do it. When I was stressing about some of the “what if’s”, he sent me this in an email response: “Please trust me and leave the rest in the hands of God.” (I’m so glad we were able to do both. 🙂) He showed us great care and consideration!
“He took my case when other surgeons had turned me away.”: Since Paul’s radical robotic prostatectomy in 2016, eight of our family and friends with prostate cancer have also gone to Miami/Doral to have Dr. Razdan do theirs. Some of those included:
– My 83 year old uncle who had been going through treatments for years in WI/MN and had requested surgery, only to be told he was too old. He’s now 88, still cancer free, and still thriving.
– A friend who had been dealing with urinary issues because of his prostate for so long; and other less invasive treatments that were offered him in WI had failed him over and over. Within days of his surgery and catheter removal, he said he felt like a new man and has since had more energy and wellness than he’d had in years.
– Paul’s brother who has Parkinson’s disease. Because Dr. Razdan was able to safely do his surgery in a short period of time, the possible complications of going too long under anesthesia and without his meds was avoided.
– A missionary who had been turned away from other surgeons for both financial and medical complications. (They had no US health insurance, but Dr. Razdan was willing to work with them and give them a quote. A GoFundMe was set up and God provided the funds they needed! The scarring from a childhood appendectomy posed risks, but Dr. Razdan called in another specialist to work alongside him and the surgery went without complication.)
“Early return of function”: This was true in Paul’s case, as well. No ED and no incontinence. (Which was truly an answer to our prayers. In Duluth, MN, our surgeon had said there was only a 50/50 chance for return of function.) Dr. Razdan uses great precision when he performs the surgery. He uses the robot to gingerly pull the nerve bundles to the sides to avoid damaging them, he spares as much of the urethra as possible, and he pioneered the use of human amniotic membrane to help with better healing and avoiding scar tissue build up. Truly amazing.
As for the negative reviews:
“I had to wait too long”: I will tell you that, yes, we did have to wait in his office for quite some time before we were seen for Paul’s initial consultation. As we sat there, however, we also realized that this wasn’t your typical office with cookie cutter 15 minute slots for appointments. Each individual patient was given the necessary time in order for them to deal with the situation at hand.
In our case, that initial consult took quite some time. Dr. Razdan was very compassionate and answered our questions with such expertise that we knew we were in the best care. When we went back for the catheter removal, the time in the exam room was probably only 5 minutes and that’s all that was necessary. I doubt he can plan, on any given day, who might need more comfort and tender care in the office, or emergency care in the hospital, but I’m glad he was willing to do both (even if it meant we had to wait longer.)
“Crabby staff”: We went there knowing it was a possibility we might encounter a crabby staff member, or a crabby surgeon 😬, but none of that had mattered to us. (We weren’t looking for a best friend, we were looking for the BEST surgeon.) As it turned out, we found all of the staff to be courteous and capable. Georgia, the office manager, did an exceptional job of making us feel at home, answering my scheduling questions, and working with our insurance. And we found Dr Razdan to be truly compassionate and personable toward us (graciously answering my questions that I assume he hears from many a wife. 🙂) We also liked his sense of humor. 😁 He’s not infallible, though.
One time I called the office to ask about his research on the human amniotic membrane, because I thought our insurance might cover it with more info. Georgia gave him the phone between patients so I could ask him directly. After a few minutes he told me, bluntly, “I don’t have time for this. You found me online, you can do the same for my research!” (He was right. I did find it. And, no, the insurance didn’t cover it, but it was still worth it.) I’m glad that Dr. Razdan was willing to just tell me, outright, about his time. I wasn’t offended.
”He turned me away because I didn’t have prostate cancer”: Here’s what I know. We chose Dr. Razdan because of his surgical abilities, particularly when it comes to prostate cancer. I actually asked him about why he would turn others away and this is a synopsis of what he said.
“I have only so many slots a week/month to do my surgeries. Though I also do other urological surgeries, I have to give preference to those suffering from prostate cancer, because they are facing life or death. If I can fit someone else in, I certainly will. But if I have to choose, I would send someone with a less serious issue to another urologist in order to continue to serve all of my patients in a timely manner.”
So it makes sense that he would ‘turn someone away’, because his patients are not just a number to him. He cares about their lives. I was grateful to learn that. I can see how it would feel frustrating to someone who went to him for something else, because they, too, wanted “the best”, but it seems he truly IS giving his best by sending them away.
“Only in it for the money”: We had been warned, by both our union and our health insurance company, that there are certain docs in FL that are dishonest and have taken people for a ride financially. That had me worried. Yet, when we saw the folks in the waiting room of Dr Razdan’s office, young and old, rich and poor, it was obvious that he does not do what he does “only for the money”. (My husband said that when he first met the doc, he had a peace come over him that said, “You can trust this man.”) From our experience, and the experience of our friends and family that have gone to Dr. Razdan, none were turned away from his life saving treatment, whether they paid out of pocket, through Medicare, or through private insurance. What a blessing.
I suppose I should wrap this up. This ended up being a long ‘review of reviews’. If you’ve read it to the end, congratulations. 😁 As I’ve told so many who have contacted us since Paul’s surgery, Dr. Razdan truly is “the best of the best”, with “God gifted “ abilities. If you’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and you’re in the midst of deciding what surgeon to choose, Dr. Sanjay Razdan is definitely who we would suggest.