[Eddie G]

SURGERY DATE: 10/24/06

AGE AT SURGERY DATE: 38

SURGEON: Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein

SURGERY LOCATION/CLINIC: NYU

DEVICE(s), LEVEL(s): Prodisc L4-L5

COST =?
AMOUNT BILLED: ?
INSURANCE ALLOWED: ?
OUT OF POCKET: Private nurse at hospital, fancy massage chair, weekly 2 hour massage
TRAVEL: Minimal
EXPLANATIONS: Worker's Compensation


ONSET OF LUMBAR PROBLEMS, DATE OF INJURY, CAUSE, ETC...:
12/16/03 I had a nasty fall at work. Twisted when I fell on ice. I was totally airborne.

PRIOR SPINE SURGERIES AND PROCEDURES (IDET, ESI, etc...):
Discectomy in 2004. Epidurals and Facet injections. Trigger Point Injections, Medial Branch Blocks, Acupuncture


PRE-OP MEDICATIONS:
Oxycontin, Neurontin, Valium

PRE-OP DIAGNOSTICS (discogram, nerve root blocks, etc...):
Discogram 5/15/06 L4-L5 DDD & asymptomatic annular tear @ L5-S1
Discogram 10/27/08 positive @ L5-S1

PRE-OP NEUROPATHIES (what, where, & degree of pain, numbness, tingling, sexual/bladder/bowel symptoms, etc.):
7/10 pain in lower back
6/10 pain down right leg, sometimes left leg.
Occasional paralyzing pain

PRE-OP CONDITION (Please include %leg pain/% back pain, pain levels, type of pain, ability to work and function, disability status, etc.... be direct, but be as verbose as you need to):
70%back pain, constant, burning, stabbing, stiffness, dull pain, throbbing pain
30%leg pain, stabbing
Sometimes the pain would drop me to the floor.

TIME POST-OP AT ORIGINAL POST HERE:

DESCRIBE YOUR SURGICAL EXPERIENCE: Could not move in hospital bed for 3 days. Not even roll over. Worst experience ever. Stomach did not wake up for 3 days. All I wanted to do was hit the button for pain meds and sleep. The fusion patient next to me seemed to be up and around and recovered quicker than me. Dr. Goldstein was wonderful however. I wish the nursing staff was as good as Dr. Goldstein was.

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.

Don't forget the detail update section below!

DATE UPDATED: __11/6/06_ FUNCTIONALITY: _3_ SATISFACTION: _3_ [6 WEEKS POST-OP]

DATE UPDATED: _1/15/07___ FUNCTIONALITY: _3__ SATISFACTION: _3_ [3 MONTHS POST-OP]

DATE UPDATED: _5/3/07__ FUNCTIONALITY: _3_ SATISFACTION: _3_ [6 MONTHS POST-OP]

DATE UPDATED: _8/4/07__ FUNCTIONALITY: _3_ SATISFACTION: _3_ [1 YEAR POST-OP]

DATE UPDATED: __11/2/08__ FUNCTIONALITY: _2_ SATISFACTION: _3 [2 YEARS POST-OP]

DATE UPDATED: _________ FUNCTIONALITY: ___ SATISFACTION: ___ [3 YEARS POST-OP]

DATE UPDATED: _________ FUNCTIONALITY: ___ SATISFACTION: ___ [4 YEARS POST-OP]

DATE UPDATED: _________ FUNCTIONALITY: ___ SATISFACTION: ___ [5 YEARS POST-OP]

DATE UPDATED: _________ FUNCTIONALITY: ___ SATISFACTION: ___ [6 YEARS POST-OP]

DATE UPDATED: _________ FUNCTIONALITY: ___ SATISFACTION: ___ [7 YEARS POST-OP]

6 WEEKS POST-OP - DESCRIBE LIFESTYLE / PAIN / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / ECT... (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):Well I've started outpatient physical therapy this week. I have ALOT more flexibility and hopefully the pain will be subsiding more & more. One of the therapists stretched me out so much, he was practically giving me a chiropractic adjustment. I was wary at first but I felt so much better afterwards that I'm looking forward to the next session. I need more time and more exercise.

I will keep my positive attitude and I will get better.

I've been going to P.T. 3x a week and it has really made me more flexible & mobile. I still have 7/10 soreness in my back and still some pain down my right leg. Despite my slow recovery, I still feel optimistic I will heal from my injury. I feel I made the right decision by going with ADR over fusion. (I can be fused in the future if need be)

One personal goal is to be back to work at my desk job by late February



3 MONTHS POST-OP - DESCRIBE LIFESTYLE / PAIN / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / ETC... (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):
It's been 2 1/2 months since my Prodisc implant. I'm still sore. It's a constant soreness. I have some leg pain that comes & goes.
At physical threapy I do an assortment of back strengthing exercises. I had to cut back from 50lb. weights to 30lb. weights as it was too much for me. I started eliptical machine training but was only able to do 30 seconds at first. I add 30-40 seconds each week. I'm now up to 3 minutes. My treatment calls for 10 minutes. My goal is 30 minutes.The big guy there picks me up like a ragdoll. He presses on my spine while I push up causing mass popping. He stretches me in ways I havent stretched in years! All in all it's a good experience and it gets me out of the house.
I'm still out of work. I will not go back until I can drive painless for 30 minutes. My desk job will be there waiting for me so I'm in no rush. I'm progressing at my own rate. Not fast, not slow, my pace. My goal for returning to work is March as I'm sure I'll be driving & sitting for more than 30 min. by then.

6 MONTHS POST-OP - DESCRIBE LIFESTYLE / PAIN / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / ETC... (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):
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I was out of work yesterday due to my back pain. I spent most of the day in bed. It was thundering & lightning the night before so when the barometer moves, my back aches. I’m not doing very well but I’m glad that I can at least make it to work. I only missed two days in the month that I've been back. The hardest part about my job is driving there. I still drive with an exercise ball on my back which helps. I can still only sit for 20 minutes at a time which is exactly how long my commute to work is. If there is traffic, I usually pull over to stretch out my back.
I have my own heating pad and a couch to take my breaks at my office. My pain was 9/10 yesterday.
My last visit with the surgeon (Dr. Goldstein) was April 16. He said I may have permanent injury which I really wasn’t too happy about. He said to give it a year until I start getting bummed out. I don’t need to see him again until October. Hopefully I'll feel better by then. I finished (graduated) physical therapy on Tuesday which is good because the combination of getting up at 5:30 in the morning, working all day, then exercising at 5pm was just too much for me. Physical Therapy gave me a list of exercises for me to do at home.


1 YEAR POST-OP - DESCRIBE LIFESTYLE / PAIN / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / ETC... (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):
Well, unfortunately my hideous back pain is still there. My entire life seems to be revolved around my @&#%$ back. I had to turn down sex, DJ gigs, sex, a car trip to North Carolina, doing home improvements, sex, ect. (I do however mow the lawn with a self propelled mower, it's good exercise) My leg pain is still there because I forgot to bring my Neurontin to Sweety's house and after 2 days of not taking the nerve blocker, my leg pain came roaring back. I really thought it had subsided but I guess I'm part of that darn 10%. I had the paralyzing pain for a few days.
My work doctor is referring me to a pain specialist in hopes of testing the L5-S1. My previous discogram showed a tear in the annulus. I really hope they just do a velocity test but if I have to get another discogram, so be it. Anything is better than living in pain like this. I'm not doing ANYTHING until after my September nuptuals.
My bike riding days are temporarily over because someone came into my garage and stole my bike!
I was home and the perp is lucky I didn't catch him because I would have beat him with my cane like a WW1 vet!

2 YEARS POST-OP - DESCRIBE LIFESTYLE / PAIN / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / ETC... (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):
The Prodisc disc is implanted perfectly. It seems the L4-L5 may not be a pain generator.
Had a Medial Branch Block and trigger point injections over the summer. The procedures went well. I was sedated and did not feel a thing....until I woke up.
I started walking and the pain was just waiting for me. The pain followed me when I sat down. I regret to have to tell Dr. Oza his little plan for me was FOILED! I don't really know where to turn next. I don't want an implanted electric stim in my back but what else is there? I tried EVERYTHING! Very frustrating.
My pain is 8/10 and I am out of work. I am up most of the night. I never even sleep correctly anymore.
Had a discogram recently which was positive on the L5-S1 level. There is a window of hope now. Maybe there is something they can fix. My pain generator may be an annular tear.


3 YEARS POST-OP - DESCRIBE LIFESTYLE / PAIN / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / ETC... (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):

4 YEARS POST-OP - DESCRIBE LIFESTYLE / PAIN / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / ETC... (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):

5 YEARS POST-OP - DESCRIBE LIFESTYLE / PAIN / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / ETC... (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):

6 YEARS POST-OP - DESCRIBE LIFESTYLE / PAIN / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / ETC... (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):

7 YEARS POST-OP - DESCRIBE LIFESTYLE / PAIN / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / ETC... (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):