Thanks for your thoughtful reply.
I tend be brief on the boards and that may come across as flip but I’ve done my homework, gleaning information from many sources. I’ve thought about all the considerations you’ve mentioned above. Over and over. My problem isn’t lack of deliberation, my problem is that the sources all conflict each other. For instance:
Surgeon #1, who saw only my records and films, said don’t do anything because your spine looks fine.
Surgeon #2 the first time I saw her, recommended a fusion. The next time, six months later, recommended ADR. This was based on the same studies and symptoms.
Surgeon #3 Said I wasn’t even a contender for ADR because I had facet hypertrophy He said fusion.
Went back to surgeon #2 who said that the hypertrophy was nothing, that she’s done it successfully on people whose facet joints are far worse. But she added that a fusion would also be a reasonable decision.
Surgeon #4, who is known to be anti-ADR and will cite a long list of reasons for being so, of course recommended fusion. His reasoning wasn’t unfounded. He cited the ADR as being relatively new, that there were no clear studies over a long period of time. He said that since it’s only one level, L5/S1, the lack of flexibility shouldn’t be much of an issue. He said, since I was relatively young, the ADR would be a big risk over the long haul and that if I did need a revision, the surgery is risky.
However, Surgeon #2 said that revision surgery isn’t a big deal at L5/S1 because the vein (I’m blocking on the name), has already split at that level.
The contradictions go on and on….
Three of these surgeons are the heads of their departments at top universities. The fourth is a Kaiser doc, who probably had the least agenda of any of them. I doubt a fifth surgical opinion would do me any good, there’s a point at which you just have to jump in a DO IT.
So, who, exactly, is Mark and what, exactly, does he do?? I’m new here.
Thanks again, I really appreciated your intelligent response.
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