[Cindylou]

Oh, brother, what a let down Steve. I am so sorry for this unfortunate turn of events. You could probably second guess yourself to death. Is it feasible for you to make an appt. with Dr. Guyer, so you can have a frank, honest discussion about what/why everything went belly up? If that is possible, I would recommend pursuing it, if nothing else, for peace of mind. And I wouldn't go in there demanding anything, (not that you would) but rather non-defensively asking if he could help you understand his reasoning, and where he is coming from. And maybe even express how you would, indeed, welcome his advice as you move forward with this. (you never know how this may help you down the road) I am assuming the reason you don't want to go back to Germany and have Dr. Bertagnoli do the revision is because of $$ and lack of coverage, correct? I know this is probably way "Pollyanna," however, have you considered asking Dr. B if he would do your revision as a compassionate case, since he did the original surgery and it was within this calendar year? Heck, only 6 months ago, right? Not likely, but what's to lose? He can only say no. Steve, do you have an history of litigation that they may be recoiling from? And lastly, I would like to say that although many doctors likely don't peruse spine forums, I know of a few medical secretaries and support staff who do, and who could conceivably forward glaring information to the doc. I don't want to make you paranoid, because I still believe that anything you said or wrote seemed very benign, in my humble opinion. That's it. Not much help, I know, Steve, but I just wanted to convey to you my empathy and that things do happen for a reason (easier said than done) and that you will get this behind you. Hang in there.