Paul B Nottingham, MD

Referred by Integrated Pain Management Med. Group with surgery confirmation letters provided to both pain management physician and this surgeon to prevent medical errors. Surgery was to only be 4 hours with only lumbar disks to be removed without any vertebrate surgery. Surgery became past 10 p.m. starting at 2 p.m. with no explanation by Dr. Nottingham. Recovered only 24 hours later in massive pain unable to move my entire left side of my body for 5 days in hospital. Nottingham had no concern about the massive surgical complications that caused my permanent disability with inability to obtain any of my medical records from surgeon or pain management at IPM. Surgeon dumped me after major complications prevented me from returning to work at 7 month follow up. When I got the surgical report from third party discovered the surgical report was FALSELY WRITTEN with surgery I had NOT CONSENTED AGAINST SURGERY CONFIRMATION LETTER. PERFORMED SURGERY ON WRONG SIDE OF BODY WRONG BODY PART. Gladly will provide any person my surgical report and show my body as scar is on wrong side and wrong part. He falsely stated in surgical report that «no complications had occurred» when over 100% longer than planned and massive complications had occurred. This surgeon is completely UNETHICAL and he will write a false surgical record report which you will never discover what «actually «occurred! Integrated Pain Management who wrote my surgical referral has destroyed my medical record before this surgery and wrote false medical record that I was not provided until just recently that OMITS all the surgical complications that I repeatedly reported to IPM for obtaining diagnosis to correct damage to my leg as surgery nerve damage caused worse problem than I had been originally were referred for only left posterior buttock pain WITHOUT LOWER BACK PAIN. Both Integrated Pain Management Medical Group and Dr. Nottingham have written on my medical record that I reported lower back pain falsely. I was required to notified the California Medical Board that any doctor has written I had «lower back pain» has written a false medical record and amendments are required on ALL MY MEDICAL RECORDS BEFORE ANY DOCTOR ALLOWED TO RELEASE OR SUBMIT FOR PAYMENTS to any other insurance by government or private insurance. DO NOT TRUST ANY DOCTOR AND WARNING ALL PATIENTS TO VOICE RECORD YOUR OFFICE VISITS AND SEND CERTIFIED LETTERS OF CONFIRMATION ALL MEDICAL INFO THAT YOU AND DOCTOR HAVE DISCUSSED AND AGREED AS DOCTORS WILL OMIT OR ALTER YOUR MEDICAL RECORD IF ERROR OCCURRED! Medical errors kill and maim patients every day with medical board in California a JOKE! This surgeon is UNETHICAL AND WILL PROVIDE ALL MY MEDICAL RECORDS PARTIALLY OBTAINED THAT WERE FALSELY WRITTEN BY BOTH Integrated Pain Management Medical Group since first consult and what was submitted to insurance and state and federal government that I have notified at Health & Human Services Office of Civil Rights unable to obtain my full amended medical records from all doctors after this surgeon disabled me from surgical mistake he «covered up» with false surgical report proving unconsented surgery was performed on my vertebrates that I was NOT INFORMED ABOUT until I got a copy of surgery report. Integrated Pain Management Medical Group «KNEW» a false surgical report was written and hid the false surgical report from me. DO NOT TRUST THESE PHYSICIANS AND VOICE RECORD YOUR OFFICE VISITS AND SEND CERTIFIED LETTERS OF CONFIRMATION WHAT WAS AGREED AND DISCUSSED AT EVERY OFFICE VISIT TO PROTECT YOURSELF WHEN A FALSE MEDICAL RECORD IS WRITTEN BY THESE MEDICAL GROUPS.

Do not let this Dr. touch you!
This man is insensitive to others. My friend has experienced unbelievable grief from this person. I am married to a MD and in no way would he treat patients the way my friend and husband have been treated… My friend asked for a written note from the
put him on disability and he refused stating that he was not making money on this patient… they were not paying «his bills».etc. he is heartless.
Thank goodness I have Kaiser…

I am sorry that the previous reviewer had such a hard time with her surgery. I had a lumber fusion 1 ½ years ago for a slipped vertebra that was causing me the same kind of symptoms as she had, but in my case it was the bone that was pressing on the nerve trunk. Though the surgery was a frightening process and the recovery extensive, my experience with Dr. Nottingham was in all ways excellent. Donna, Walnut Creek

Do not let Dr. Nottingham touch your back! I had surgery from Dr. Nottingham 2 years ago, specifically a lumbar discectomy for my L4-​L5. I am only 43 years old and pretty fit. This was my 2^nd lumbar discectomy on the same L4-​L5 disc. The first surgery was 2 years prior to the 2^nd one. In non-​medical speak, a lumbar discectomy is where they make a small incision in your lower back and clean out the ruptured disc material that has spilled out of the disc and presses on the nerve that goes down your leg. In both situations, there was no injury just simply a degenerative disc problem and when the pain started it got progressively worst and I couldn’t walk at all within a 3 week period. Both situations required immediate surgery once the MRI revealed that the disc material had ruptured and was pressing on the nerve that goes down the leg. After both surgeries were done, you get immediate relief because the disc material is no longer pressing on the nerve.
Let me first say that Dr. Nottingham was very sloppy not only in reviewing the MRI, but worst, the surgery itself. When I got the MRI and took it to his office, he held it up in low light and declared that it was a different disc that was causing the problem (I think the L5-​S1). He was wrong and later corrected himself.
The operation went poorly. Dr. Nottinham showed up extremely late to the surgery after the anaesthesiologist had started to put me under. My husband and I could tell the anaesthesiologist was getting nervous that Dr. Nottingham had not showed up yet. The anaesthesiologist told my husband that he could go. My husband was starved and went to the John Muir hospital cafeteria. He ran into Dr. Nottingham who was there having lunch. Can you believe it? My husband just glared at him in disbelief that Dr. Nottingham was having lunch while his wife had already been put under and was awaiting the doctor’s arrival in the operating room.
The surgery did not go well. Dr. Nottingham nicked the dura. In non-​medical speak, that means when he was removing the disc material he accidentally cut into the casing that protects the spinal cord. Spinal fluid leaked out. Fortunately, he caught his error before closing up my back. Still the danger is that the fluid can cause severe spinal headaches. As a result, I had to stay in the hospital for a whole week flat on my back and not allowed to lift my head above my body. This is done as a precaution if the spinal fluid leaks. I attribute «nicking the dura» to the overall sloppiness of Dr. Nottingham. Also, I woke up in the operating room which probably was a result of the anesthesia wearing off early than it was suppose to. As my husband says, he will not let Dr. Nottingham touch my back again. I’d rather be in agony before I let him do the surgery.
Why did I even pick Dr. Nottingham? Unfortunately, the awesome Dr. Hieu Ball who did my first surgery is no longer affiliated with John Muir Hospital and my HealthNet HMO would not allow me to see Dr. Ball. I must say that Dr. Ball rocks and in the future, I will switch to a PPO so he can do any back surgery. He is so brillant!
It has been over 2 years (Nov 19, 2006) since I had Dr. Nottingham do my surgery and I have not gotten the feeling back in my toes and the side of my leg between my ankle and knee. Very disappointing as when Dr. Hieu Ball did my first surgery, I got the feeling back in my toes and leg within a year. Again, I suspect this issue is a result of sloppiness on Dr. Nottingham’s part in the operating room.