[SandyW]

My thoughts when I read your thread. I'm NOT a doctor, nurse, or anyone in the medical profession, these are my thoughts.

1) Can you afford to pay for surgery yourself? I feel that the best and most experienced is Dr. Bertagnoli, Germany, also Zeegers in Munich. If your insurance won't pay, it's cheaper in most cases to go abroad. You could have Mark send your film to Dr. B for a 2nd opinion, the cost is minimal compared to peace of mind.

2) If you wait until you have no choice, there may be something much better - Fibrin for example or there may be better ADR's. Do you want to be in a clinical study, it's free, but the doctors are learning? When the better choice is FDA approved, will insurance cover it?

3) If you wait until there's no choice, will your chances of being pain free be higher?

4) Are you willing to tolerate more pain and the inconveniences it presents?

5) There are several good doctors here. ADR and fusion seems to work on the two levels that you need. Most ?? insurance will pay for 1 level fusion and 1 level ADR.

Like everyone is saying, so many decisions. I didn't have as many choices. When my MRI showed bulging disc's the only thing available was fusion. No one was doing 4 level ADR's in 2004. I waited until the last MRI showed disc's were impinging on spinal cord and had to choose between fusion here and ADR in Germany. I could have waited a little longer possibly, but I had to weigh bone density. At my age that could have meant a poor result with fusion or being turned down for ADR. So with the help of other cervies, I chose Dr. Bertagnoli, better and cheaper, oh and the only one at the time doing 4 C's I think. So my decision was much easier.

Pain is hard to compare, but the one thing that is difficult is the constant pain.

What I have experienced (and believe this is what most people feel) 2-5 pain is quite manageable - take some ibuphrofen and in hours or a day the pain is gone, no problem. 6-10 pain - toothache, broken bone, surgery, childbirth, nasty - take opiates for a short time, pain doesn't last long.

Most people with back/neck pain are in constant pain, high to low, even with opiates. That is what others don't understand, constant pain is debilitating and depressing. Surgery doesn't always mean pain free. I don't envy anyone trying to make these decisions today. May God and fellow spiney's and research and more research help you with your decision.

Best wishes, Sandy Wade