[Gil Denis]

Hello All

I have been gone for a while but have been checking post daily.
Here is the coflex surgery outcome.


My surgery was to have decompression, Coflex – F implants and Staxx xd spacers at L4-L5 and L5-S1.


The actual surgery is bilateral hemi laminotomies, medial facetomies and foraminotomies with redo microdiscectomy on the left at L5-S1; decompression of the spinal cord and nerve roots at L4-L5 and L5-S1 followed by insertion of interlaminar Coflex implant with riveting into the sacrum L4; poster lateral bilateral fusion utilizing locally harvested morcellized bone??
As you can see not exactly what I had been explained on my first visit? No staxx Xd implants?


The first words my surgeon said on his visit the day after surgery was “Your Back is Awful” is this admission of failed back surgery? Or your back is so bad this procedure will not help. Insurance approved the surgery and paid in full, Is this a money driven surgery, and procedure approved for profit?


I am eight weeks out and feeling stiff, sore, seem to be going downhill? Cannot sit very long, Standing is pain full, Get crooked and P.T. is working on this with lots of confusion. My left leg behind the knee is feeling weak, also numb left heel that comes and goes with rest.
No longer on pain meds some acetaminophen with little help.


Trying to get back on my feet, three short walks every day, some core work, some stretching.


On the positive side I can do toe raises on the left side, drop foot on right side is better, early morning stiffness (arthritis) is much better. There is some improvement I was hoping for more at this time?


My X-Rays review:

Dr. Pettine did look at your x-rays and

the implants look in great placement. Why you are "going downhill" I don't
know. It does seem odd. We can try a short course of steroids to see if
that decreases the inflammation enough to provide you relief. If the
steroids give you relief, we can also have you come down for an epidural
steroid injection. Let me know what you would like to try. Hang in there.
I have done all of this prior to surgery and here we go again?
Over all I feel that things should improve over time and only time will tell.

Gil