[richmc]

Thanks to Maria, Dale and Katie,

for their replies to my first post.

It's very gratifying and interesting to hear other peoples stories and opinions on your own personal situation.

You all mirror my thinking regards the amount of ADR/TDR replacements done is important, this is why I was erring towards Germany, but then Harrison from the ADR Community forum suggested Dr MSY in Brisbane Aus, who has over 1000 TDRs' to his name and also helps to develop new hardware...but I have not been able to get an idea of how much he charges, whereas with the German clinics you are given an idea up front.

The interesting thing about the whole back problem area, apart from the nitty gritty as to what is physically wrong, is the psychological bit.
The bit that has you thinking 'I must do something now! Not tomorrow, but now!'...and which could have you rushing headlong into a potentially terrible mistake.

But at the same time how long do you wait....and could this be too long in the case of disk space narrowing and fitting a ADR/TDR.

There are so many variables to take into account regards spinal surgery and the possible outcomes and this varies for everyone...so when reading all the reviews and opinions of certain surgeons, the good the bad and the ugly, you never really know if it was the surgeons fault or the patients, or a combination of the two.

So when it comes to choosing a surgeon, taking it for granted that they choose you in return, how much faith can you put in the reviews you read?

The issue of L5/S1 ADR is one that has been playing on my mind and I had come to the conclusion that a fusion would be the better option, if, L4/L5 had a non-compressible ADR (Maverick M6) inserted, as there is not much mobility to be lost there, 2-3% I believe.

However, even if all goes well, no subsidence etc, having a prosthetic inserted could cause problems that were not there to begin with, because the geometry of the back has been changed after x amount of years working in a certain way....I had an orthotic made for my right foot once to stop it pronating, it stopped the pronation, but caused too many problems with my right leg to make it worthwhile....my body was used to the pronating right foot.

These are the issues that I have been wrestling with, but have come to the conclusion that Hybrid surgery would be the better option, because without it, to be honnest, I don't have much of an option.
But who???

And I believe that this puts me in the same boat as so many other people using this site....which is why it is so good... and to echo Katies' surmise, a potential life saver.

With best wishes,

regards,

richard.