[runner]

10-30-2008, 12:18 PM
rhatzy
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Hi,

Just finished reading all your posts. I had L4-5 and L3-4 done with the maverick discs back in January 08. My recovery was pure hell with all the ups and downs of a roller coaster. I was on percocet, the gaba (however you spell it), did the PT stuff and everything. I had the financial worries, as I am the sole provider, and depression like you wouldn't believe. I thought my life at 50 was over. However, I am ready now to go back to work. I am an airline captain for American Airlines and I am off all meds and was cleared by the FAA to return. I have just finished recurrent training and my first trip is November 4. I am so excited.

My family doc was great. He thought that I have made all the right decisions. He said that PT was going to make it seem worse because they were going to involve the muscles that i didn't use much and the ones that had atrophied and that to take the pain meds to cover the pain of the PT.

I have had the MRI's and the myelograms, both which were useless in determing any problems at the implant levels, so my suggestion is forget the myelogram, it wasn't fun. There is a guy in Dayton, Ohio that uses a very tiny endoscope to insert into your spinal canal thru a natural opening at the base of your spine. It's just at the top of the crack in your butt. With this, he can check out your whole lumbar region and if he finds any tears or bulges or scar tissue, he can fix them them, He found that I had some annular tears at L5-S1 and lased them. At my L4-5, where I had a discectomy done in 1996, He found major scar tissue. He removed as much as he could and freed up a nerve in the foramina and that's about it. After that procedure, most of what pain I had was gone. I only had a quarter inch incision and except for that I didn't know I had anything done. I am a little worried tho that that level might be needing some help in a few years.

I have talked with a nurse down in Georgia or somewhere that also does a lot of lifting. I think she had a two level done and she is back to work and doing the lifting with no problem. A guy in my group who is a body builder, weight lifter and trainer had a two level done. He is back to work and the last I heard from, he was squatting 315 pounds with no problem. that makes me wince. Don't think I'd be doing that. He said that he really never did the core excercises until after the surgery and now does them religiously.

I found that the gab and percocet made me feel even worse. I had been off the gab for awhile and then finally, the percocet. I was down to just 10 milligrams of Vicodn when I just quit. For about 4 to 5 hours a day for 4 days, I had stomach cramps and headaches but it just finally went away and I felt a lot better. I think it also contributed a lot to my depression.

Anyways, that is a short bio of my story. I hope you finally get your life back. I know how tough it is and was really tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel. As for insurance, that's another story. American is self funded and administered by United Health. Tried to explain to them that fusion, which they would pay for would have cost them about $100,000 and I know I would never had returned to work. Plus American would have to pay me disibility until I retired and now be paying two pilots to do the work of one. They don't get it. Now that I am back to work, maybe they will see it differently. If not, then I will have a nice deduction on my taxes.

Anyway, I hope that things will get better for you and that life will be good again.

Mark