[trkdoc714]

I appreciate the loyalty shown by all of Mark's friends. He obviously has earned it. I also appreciate your defences of his points of view.

I did not want to alienate my new online brothers and sisters. I was and still am quite concerned about the increases in Stenum bashing when it is not due. In my work I deal with fact. Verifiable fact. Most if not all of the stories bandied about regarding Stenum and namely Dr. Ritter-Lang may have a morsel of fact but they also have truckloads of urban legend built in. I found this especially true in this thread. Ask yourselves these questions:

Why would this person (first and last post) bring this up now?

What would motivate her to even find this forum to post this information?

How did she get her hands on someone else's XRay/ MRI films?

How do we know these XRay/ MRIs aren't just "stock films" from a Charite class action web site?

Why did the unfortunate death as the result of drugs (Addiction? Overdose?) get twisted into placing the blame on Dr. Ritter-Lang?

Why wasn't the several class action suits against DuPuy (Charite) given the blame as that disc has had multiple failures including several identical as this case?

As my daughter-in-law works for DuPuy, she had given me technical literature on the Charite when I first became aware of ADR. The top and bottom plates are designed to be used in either top or bottom position. The technical explanation for this is the either vertabral surface may be more accommodating to one particular plate. Why is a non-medical professional, non-engineer claiming that this was a factor in the core slipping out? If it was a factor, criticism should be directed on DuPuy not Stenum or Dr. Ritter-Lang.

CindyLou and Dale, I have prayed for you both to finally find the end of your pains. I hope this was the last surgery for CL and I hope Dale finds her "fix" soon as well. I hope I don't offend either of you.

The fact remains however that the leaders of this forum must stop this unethical bashing of Stenum and of Dr. Ritter-Lang in particular. I've held my tongue (typing fingers) a long time but with my wife in tears on the phone with me a few thousand miles away just out of surgery, I was compelled to let it out finally. Mark probably does have his good points. However, once he hurt my wife, I refuse stand by and let it go any longer. The irresponsibility and lack of ethics is inexcusable.

I hope you all still will communicate with me and not think poorly of me. I want to help others on this forum in the same way I've been helped. It feels great to be alive again and I have a lot of you to thank for helping me get here!

Bob