I just spoke to a client of mine. He's a couple days shy of 2 weeks post-op from his revision surgery.
He had 2-level Charite' done 1.5 years ago with good result... good relief from both back and leg pain. Implantation looks OK... off midline, but very much within tolerances and we see much worse without the tilt.. 1 year post-op, numbness in legs and feet starts along with nagging low back pain. The vertebral body between the prostheses has taken a substantial tilt.
For the last 6 months it had gotten progressively worse. It was to the point where he was questioning his ability to continue working. He could not take the typical meds because of his job (pilot).
Everyone feared the Dynesys solution as Carmen's situation with 2-level Dynesys behind 2-level tilted Charite' was thought to be in trouble. When it became clear that at 2 years post-op, Carmen's configuration was stable AND successful, everyone started taking another serious look at this revision possibility. (Carmen's story is incredible and I hope she'll come post here.. it's too much for me to explain now.)
In any case, speaking to this gentleman at one day post-op was very encouraging. "As soon as I woke up, I could tell that the numbness in my legs was gone." Now, at 12 days post-op:
- "back pain and leg pain are gone."
- "feeling pretty darn good!"
- "I took a flight today" (That means back to work! maybe light duty, but hey, this isn't even 2 weeks out.)
- "I hope to take a hike in the woods with my dog tomorrow."
It's still early and we don't know the long-term result, but this looks very hopeful. I know that others are considering similar revisions for different reasons. It's nice to feel that there are options.
I hope the patient comes and posts on his own. I'll post more as I learn it.
Mark