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Originally Posted by RBreinich on September 29, 2004
SURGERY DATE: Sept 02, 2004
AGE AT SURGERY DATE: 47
SURGEON: Drs. Zechel and Ritter-Lang
SURGERY LOCATION/CLINIC: Stenum, Germany
DEVICE(s), LEVEL(s):
ADR L5/S1 - Charite III
ADR L4/L5 - Charite III
Fusion L3/4 - 360 degree anterior/posterior fusion. Anterior cage filled w/ artificial bone chips. Posterior metal plate and screws anchor it.
COST = 28,500 Euros
AMOUNT BILLED: 28,500 Euros
INSURANCE ALLOWED: -0-
OUT OF POCKET: 28,500 Euros + Travel
TRAVEL: Approx $4,000.00 (U.S.) Hotel, Air, Meals, Transportation, Incidentals
Extra travel expenses for me and wife because we arrived 1 week prior to surgery--there a total of 3 weeks instead of 2 (sightseeing)
ONSET OF LUMBAR PROBLEMS, DATE OF INJURY, CAUSE, ETC...: over 10 years
PRIOR SPINE SURGERIES AND PROCEDURES: ESI, RF Nerve Ablation
PRE-OP MEDICATIONS: Celebrex, Flexeril
PRE-OP DIAGNOSTICS: XRays, MRIs, myelogram
PRE-OP NEUROPATHIES :
Lower Lumbar: Constant lower back pain. Last two years ranging from 6-9 on pain scale of 0-10. Sometimes stabbing pains.
Legs/Feet: Left leg- shooting pain down thigh and then down into foot. Burning, numbness and tingling. Drop foot after a few minutes of walking.
PRE-OP CONDITION:
Work Status: Worked until 3 days before travelling for surgery.
Pain Levels: Ranged from 6-9. Pain described in section above.
Mobility limitations: Walking 15 minutes on a good day before I was forced to sit due to pain. That decreased to 5 minutes or less on a bad day. Almost every waking moment focused on trying to move in ways that caused the least amount of pain. Gradually, gave up activities one by one until the only thing left was going to work and watching tv...rarely went out. Battled with the feeling of hopelessness on a daily basis. It affected everything I did in life...or should I say used to do. Sitting was ok. Sleeping was difficult. We tried buying a spa, special chairs, cars that had seats with lumbar, heat, etc, and several types of mattresses...if I put all of the costs together along with the prescriptions and dr. visits...I could have paid for this surgery years ago!
I knew I would be in a wheelchair within a few months if I didn't do something soon. The amount of time I could walk was decreasing rapidly.
TIME POST-OP AT ORIGINAL POST HERE: 4 weeks
DESCRIBE YOUR SURGICAL EXPERIENCE:
The surgeon was very thorough in his explaination and his rationale when giving us his recommendation to do the 2 ADR/ 1 fusion option rather than the 3 ADRs. His explaination, along with knowing that this recommendation to use a procedure that would be more complicated for him to do, take a longer time for him to do, and be less profitable for him immediately gave us peace of mind that he was not only thorough, but had his patient's best interest for a successful outcome above all else.
We never felt rushed, were always encouraged to ask any questions or raise any concerns we had at any time.
We found the staff to be caring and compassionate. The building itself was a little intimidating at first...it looked outdated compared to the gleaming monstrous medical buildings here in the states. But the care we received was outstanding, and the hospital was very clean, an amazing low incidence of infection, and they had all of the equipment and staff they needed in order to provide quality care.
RATE FUNCTIONALITY / SATISFACTION AT INTERVALS BELOW:
FUNCTIONALITY:
1. Very poor: much worse... disabled after surgery.
2. Poor: worse after surgery.
3. Neutral: No improvement, or improvements offset by new problems.
4. Fair, some improvement, limitations are still serious.
5. Good, substantial improvement, some limitations.
6. Excellent: no limitations.
SATISFACTION:
1. Very sorry I had the surgery.
2. Somewhat sorry I had the surgery.
3. Too soon to tell, or I'm ambivalent about the surgery.
4. I'm somewhat glad I did my surgery.
5. I'm very glad I did my surgery.
[Four Weeks Post-Op]
Functioning at: 4 Satisfaction: 5
I'm still sore & have pain in places, have some trouble sitting comfortably & don't have much stamina, which limits me. Some days walk 15 minutes until I'm tired, and other days 45 minutes or more. But very satisfied that the old pain is gone & what I have now is due to the normal post-op stuff. Medications unchanged.
[6 WEEKS POST-OP]
FUNCTIONALITY: 4 1/2 SATISFACTION: 5 There has definitely been a lot of improvement since I posted at the 4 week point. But, I'm still hesitant to say I don't have serious limitations, since I don't feel I'm ready to return to work yet (therefore I waffled and gave it a 4.5 rating). My incisions have healed very well and I don't mind trousers and jeans now. The back pain caused by my three degenerated discs (all bone-on-bone)is gone. I have feeling in my leg and foot again. I still do have some muscular pain in my back, and I expected that (they stretched me almost an inch and a half). Once in a while, there is pain (muscular) in my lower buttock/upper thigh area of my left leg (I'm assuming this is the distraction pain that everyone describes here). Sometimes my foot burns for a little while. That pain gets pretty bad sometimes, and surprisingly it happens most often when I'm asleep...sort of like muscle cramps.
There are still some serious limitations...my stamina is not there yet, but it is slowly increasing. I am active more hours during the day. I'm able to do more standing and walking than I did two weeks ago. Sitting is comfortable but only for a short time. That's slowly improving as well. By the end of the day, I'm sore and sometimes stiff...and worn out. But it is SO MUCH BETTER than where I was. I'm thrilled with the progress I've made, and I think that my limitations probably are the norm at this point of the recovery, rather than the exception.
My meds haven't changed much, but I never used many meds even before the surgery. Aleve 1x a day, Celebrex 1x a day, Flexeril 1x a day.
I'll update you again in a few weeks! I expect to give my progress a solid "5" by then.
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