When my 17 yr old son was diagnosed with Pilonidal disease I spent hours researching surgeons. I chose a highly reputable surgeon yet did not realize the importance of searching outside of my very large network of doctors in the Silicon Valley. We had faith in our first surgeon but wish that we would have known about Dr. Sternberg from the beginning. The first surgery left a 3.5 x 1.5 inch open cavity down my son’s butt crack that had to be packed by me 3 times daily for at least 2 weeks that turned to twice daily for 6 months. The cavity got smaller but never closed and continued to drain. Our first surgeon seemed to be out of town whenever I had concerns, home health care was never set up prior to our surgery and his on call doctor made my son feel like he had been raped with pain by poking around in the severely sensitive opening. Our experience seemed like a neverending nightmare.

After 6 months postsurgery, I went to another surgeon for a second opinion about his recovery that I was questioning. She immediately said that he needed a second surgery and had heard of amazing things about Dr. Sternberg and his Cleft Lift Surgery at Professional meetings. She called Dr. Sternberg and the office got us in the next day. My son and I were very nervous about going through another horrible surgery that followed months of severe pain and care. Dr. Sternberg reassured us that this was a much easier recovery and provides 100% recovery. We even tried to put it off, but the pain and leaking became unbearable for my son who was a Senior in High School and wanted to make the most of his last basketball season. The office worked closely with our calendar on scheduling the surgery. Dr. Sternberg and staff answered every question I had with patience and even answered my emails. They also took exceptional care of us when we went in for follow up visits. They made us feel like family.

Dr Sternberg and his staff really changed our lives and gave us hope and now has given us freedom from pilonidal disease. He really does exemplify in every possible measure all that is good in the health care profession and is just a wonderful person. If you are considering whether it is worth flying or driving far to see Dr. Sternberg, please stop procrastinating. He will save you time, money and much grief over the long haul. Especially for parents, thinking about their kid’s recovery. This disease is horrible on a kid’s self-esteem! I really hope that more primary care doctors can find out more about this clinic and procedure so that they will properly refer their patients. This disease is very common but poorly misunderstood in the medical community and is not treated correctly. Dr. Sternberg is incredibly experienced and is the only person you should see. I am forever grateful for the wonderful care we received.

– Heather N.