Testimonials

In early summer, I was diagnosed with cancer. Needless to say, it was a devastating announcement coming from my primary care doctor and then my newly-introduced oncologist.
I think anyone receiving this initial news is very apprehensive when it comes to new doctors, new treatment regimens, new medical procedures, and the list goes on. Not knowing what to expect from these new medical organizations, I was very nervous, apprehensive, and scared. I have never had to go through anything like this by myself or with anyone else.
I was referred to VIE for 3 medical procedures. I didn’t know what to expect, who would be directly performing the procedures, and what the VIE personnel would do to encourage me on this newfound journey. To my joy and amazement, VIE’s staff was incredibly kind and welcoming, and overall, kept me comfortable and assured.
From the staff members at the registration desk to the physician who performed my procedures, everybody executed their duties with precise care and kind hearts.
With all of that thoughtful kindness, I was relieved of my fears and concerns. I left the VIE office with new friends that care for me and my overall health and well being.

As a 25-year-old former athlete who loves to stay active, I was worried I would have chronic pain for the rest of my life. I found VIE and Dr. Michael Cumming after spending 6 months with 5 different physicians, undergoing ultrasounds, physical therapy sessions, and CT scans to try and find the source of my pelvic and testicular pain. I felt cast aside by other doctors. They all seemed to accept that some pain you cannot make go away, but when I showed up at VIE, Dr. Cumming was able to articulate what was causing my pain and that he had seen and helped others with the same issue. The same varicocele that 2 urologists and a surgeon told me was not causing my pain, was actually the culprit. Dr. Cumming’s confidence and experience with others who had this pain filled me with hope. I was excited to have this operation and get back to normal life. However, we ran into issues with my insurance provider who rejected the operation and misfiled paperwork, throwing my case into flux. This is where I got to experience a whole new level of personal care and support. Dr. Cumming and his front office staff, Julie in particular, worked with me to submit appeals and communicate with my insurance provider in order to get the operation approved. They worked after hours to compile medical studies supporting the case, and they stuck with it for 4 months, exhausting all appeals and keeping me updated throughout the process. When it became clear that my insurance was working against me rather than for me, and would not approve the operation, I told Dr. Cumming I still wanted to proceed. It was so apparent how much they cared about helping me with my pain, and were going to do whatever they could. Eventually, I was able to have the operation, and 10 days later, I was back to lifting weights 6 days a week and playing basketball 3 days a week. Dr. Cumming is not just a master of his craft, he also has the personal touch. I had basically given up, and now I have no pain and have been able to resume a life that I thought I had lost. VIE has restored my faith in the medical field.

For about four years, my life revolved around where a bathroom was or would be. In 2019, I saw a urologist and found out my prostate was about 100 to 130 (should be about 25 to 40 for my age of 65). I took pills for about a year and saw some improvement, but still could not ever really empty my bladder.
I continued to live with it, but in late 2020, a relative was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I went in to see his doctor, and he said I needed a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), a procedure that removes the part of the prostate gland that surrounds the urethra and causes obstruction to the urethra.

I started looking into alternative procedures, and canceled the TURP. In early 2021, I called several doctors in Florida while on vacation because sleeping became such a challenge. Sometimes, I would wake up to use the bathroom 5 to 6 times and get as little as 20 minutes of sleep.

After returning from vacation, things kept getting worse, and ultimately a catheter was inserted to drain urine from my bladder. Needless to say, I needed to do SOMETHING because I could not keep letting this control my life.

After hearing about PAE, prostate artery embolism, I started calling around, but couldn’t find any physicians in MN. I talked with a urologist that was on call, and he said he knew of someone right down the block, Dr. Michael Cumming at VIE.

Dr. Cumming is outstanding. He is a caring and considerate doctor who looks his patient’s in the eye to make sure they understand what he’s going to do. In May, I went through with the procedure and within 4 hours, I was able to use the bathroom and had the catheter removed.

Since then, every week has gotten better, and last night I slept 10 hours! That has become my new normal. I may wake up once a night, but most times, am able to sleep all the way through.

Because of Dr. Cumming and VIE, I have gotten my life back and was saved from a lot of pain. I also appreciate how Dr. Cumming’s staff models after him and are very caring and compassionate. Thank you to everyone who was a part of this journey. God bless your business and life, Dr. Cumming.

I was definitely frustrated. For about 10 months, I had an ulcer on my ankle that would not heal and no one could figure out what it was. I saw my primary-care physician, a dermatologist, and even an orthopedic surgeon.
Finally, I was referred to Dr. Michael Cumming at VIE, and he knew exactly what it was right when I showed him! Sure enough, I Googled a Venous ulcer when I got home, and he was spot on. Dr. Cumming told me they had a procedure to fix my ulcer, and it worked! From start to finish, my experience with Dr. Cumming & VIE was fabulous. They are wonderful, kind, and caring people, and I’m very grateful for their expertise.