kineflex trial - waddya think?

[dylan]

I am in the kineflex / charite trial. Regan and laurassen.
I decided to get into the trial after I reinjured myself in
may. I thought I had the miracle cure when I started
yoga and accupuncture, when in reality I overdid it with
workload and ended up surfing the adrenaline wave and
crashing into the reef again. I order for me to not overdo it
I can't work more than 10-20 hours a week, and my social life
is very restricted / no girlfriend / no art / no music. This is my reality
and I don't know I am happy with that at age 32. If I have no other
choice than I will live with it, but a good part of thinks an adr could help
(I have reduced disk height at l5-s1 with dessication and tear - no spondy
- facets not too bad, l4-l5 mild diffuse bulge).
I have been reading the boards and the numbers that seem to keep coming up are about 75-85% somewhat better 5-10% worse, 15-25% no better and 40%(guyver) hit the home run and are pain free (my estimation from several studies)

the kineflex and the charite seem like fine discs

my concern is post surgery failure, etc - bad / pinched nerves, facet pain

mark, you have been around a lot of adr people,
is it helping them for the most part?
thanks
dylan

[mmglobal]

Dylan,

I'm sorry that you have this difficult decision to make.

I was fortunate enough to be able to observe a Kineflex procedure recently. While it was early in the surgeon's Kineflex series, he's a very experienced ADR surgeon (Bitan). I can't tell you how impressed I was with the surgery, placement, etc... His Charite' experience served him very well. Regan and Lauryssen are both good men and good surgeons and I think you'll be in good hands.

If the Kineflex study is in play for you, make your decision. There are a limited number of slots available. It's a good opportunity to get ADR and the financial deal with the trial is great. It's much easier to consider because it's randomized against the Charite. However, in addition to the Kineflex, you must be comfortable with the Charite and with the surgeon's Charite experience.

It sounds like you are still wrestling with the decision to pull the trigger as much as with the Kinflex choice.

1. Am I bad enough to consider doing the surgery?
2. Do I have any reasonable expectation that things will be improving without surgical intervention?
3. What am I putting at risk by waiting? Do I have options now that will be poorer options if I wait - like facets? (Obviously, this is balanced against the hope of better technology, but if the answers to 1 is that your life is too severely limited and 2 is positive also, you probably never get to this question.)

I'm developing a new theory about how huge a component depression is in the equation. It may be possible that many patients can achieve a substantially improved quality of life without surgical intervention. This may completely change the balance of the equation. Imagine if you didn't get out the big gun for the adrenaline wave and simply enjoyed easy shore break... maybe you'd be in much better shape now.

Tough choices and our opportunities come and go. Yes, I believe that the experiences are mostly positive. Yes, I believe that the points you listed probably make you an excellent candidate and people in that kind of shape enjoy a greater success rate than the people with long standing problems, severe issues at other levels, many problems with other elements of the spine, medication and depression issues.... However, we all know perfect candidates with poor outcomes and horrible candidates with excellent outcomes. Go in with your eyes open... do your homework... make informed decisions.

All the best,

Mark

[dylan]

I am still am kind of functional. I can sit at my own workstation for 6-10 hours a day. I can work medium duty for one week just as long as I have a week off after. If at any time I start hurting I have to stop and rest as soon as possible for an undetermined time. This means I can not make solid plans and I cannot have a regular job, it has to be freelance. I cannot enjoy a full life by any means, I could not imagine having a family or a girlfriend, and most of my friendships are superficial. this makes my life lonley and boring. A part of me says that I don't have much to lose if the adr fails, and a part of me does.

the answers to the questions were
1. yes, I am bad enough,
2. I have reasonable expectation that I will not get worse with therapy, but that can go either way
3. my facets are close together with imbrication and encroachment. I have been told that people have similar x-rays with no symptoms.

either way I am going to take it easy this time around and continue therapy and see if it does get better. I have been considering adr for four years,and the kineflex trial is a great oppritunity, but I cannot let that cloud my judgement of risk vs. reward.

I agree about the depression, and I focus too much on the fact that I am a spiny, instead of just accepting it and adapting. It just hard because I have spent a good part of my life developing a network in production and entertainment, and it is not something that I wan't to have to walk away from. I am just starting to get the good jobs
But because the hours are long, and the only choices are office or on set (siting or standing) I may have to.

That is the real struggle, and the reason I am considering the adr gamble