[Maria]

Hi Rich,
Welcome~ sorry about the circumstances that bring you here although it's good to be able to reach out to others w/similar probs/situations and ask questions.

Re Stenum, do your research and search/check archives on persons who went there for surgery and what their experiences were.

Some had great successes but the extreme failures and the reasons why would keep me from including Stenum in my choices of facilities/surgeons to have disc replacement (or further spine surgery) done.

I've had 2 discectomies and have had long standing lumbar problems with recommendations for quite a number of surgeries since 1998 ranging from 3 level global fusion to 2 level disc replacement to ADR plus fusion (hybrid surgery).

Currently I'm in a holding pattern which may or may not be good. One could say I'm at the extreme end of waiting and researching my options!

My advice to you is to most definately take your time and research your options as you must live with the outcome and you will want to feel you've made the very best decision possible re your choice of surgeon/facility.