Looking for advice please!

TK421 · #1 (**permalink**) 12-02-2013, 05:17 PM

Hi everyone. Thanks for taking the time to read my post here. I found this site while researching ADR surgeons, and trying to weigh the good and the bad. (and the ugly)

Briefly, in 1999 i was broadsided and rolled my car. I damaged L3-S1, with L3 bulging, and L4/L5 and L5/S1 both rupturing, degenerating and desiccating.

Due to the vagaries of the US legal system, i was not awarded any damages, and so could not afford the recommended fusion surgery. I did have an IDET on L4/5 and L5/S1 which helped reduce the pain for a while, but in no way solved the problem or gave any lasting relief.

I have lived with the pain and life restrictions that these sort of injuries often inflict, and that bone on bone grind i'm sure many of you are so familiar with. Some of you are no doubt worse off.

Well, its been 15 years, I've just turned 40, I don't want to deal with the pain any more. I can now afford surgery, but for a long time I've been hoping for something better than fusion, and ADR has been that hope for me.

Being a US citizen, my options in the US seem to be fusion surgery, or a single level ADR using old techniques and old artificial discs, or hoping for a clinical trial shot.

So after a week of internet research, I found all this information about Drs Bertagnoli, Ritter-Lang, Lauryssen and Zeegers.

Initially i went through really emotional excitement, especially when reading all the testimonials, Dr Bertagnoli has many MDs he has operated on and has seemingly worked miracles on, then i found articles talking about how he only likes to use the Prodisc L because he has a financial interest in it, and there are now better ADs, but also that he teaches other surgeons how to operate and has done thousands of procedures.

Then i found Ritter-Lang and thought maybe he is the guy, the M6 sounds like an amazing AD...he has many testimonials too, and they offer their contact information to chat about their experience, amazing! But then i found the "Stenum Nightmares" website and read a few disconcerting stories, although even on that site people had many positive things to say. His billing office sounds dodgy though, and the incredibly short operating times make me nervous.

Zeegers website is minimal and less impressive, and there is less information, but his patients seem to love him, and the same with Lauryssen.
Lauryssen has an office in LA, which would be convenient for me, although i would have to travel to Dubai, i believe, to actually have the procedure.

I guess what i'm getting is that any of these docs could be amazing, but we're talking about spine operations, and that a small mistake could mean worse pain, paralysis, or maybe even death. And that everyone's experience is going to be different.

I am so horrified for the people who had the hope that i have, of being fixed and who ended up the same, or worse off than before.

I want to be fixed so badly, but i don't want to rush in and regret. I want to learn from other people's experiences, good and bad. I want you guys to drop your knowledge on me so i can try to figure out what i'm going to do and who i want to do it..

Thanks you so much for any information you can share with me.

Maria · #2 (**permalink**) 12-04-2013, 01:05 AM

What I would recommend is talking with Mark (mmglobal) here to get the most amount of beneficial information.

Wishing you the best with whatever you'll do~ I have long lived with spine related problems though I have to say that even though chronic pain is a part of my life it's just not as bad as it was when I was contemplating a 3rd surgery ... then again I'm nearly 60 and probably just used to the limitations

Go forward and live your life! Good luck! Maria

mmglobal · #3 (**permalink**) 12-04-2013, 08:33 PM

I know all the doctors you mentioned very well and have observed all but Lauryssen in the OR. While I haven't observed Lauryssen, I have spent some time with him... I like and trust him.

I find it amusing that the "Bertagnoli used ProDisc because of his relationship with Synthes" line seems to have traction. Ritter-Lang is a trainer for M6 and Stenum is a training site. That is pretty much the same relationship. I have seen Bertagnoli use other discs and I'm confident that he'd jump ship and go to another device when a better one comes along. He has removed way more m6's than ProDiscs in spite of the fact that there are many times more ProDiscs in use.

The only one of the the doctors you mentioned that makes a lot of mistakes is Ritter-Lang. All spine surgeons will have many, many successes (no matter how bad they are) and many failures (no matter how good they are). But Ritter-Lang is the only surgeon I've seen with a steady stream of unbelievable mistakes through the years. Experience does not = good. A careless surgeon causes unnecessary failures and it doesn't matter how many he/she has done. Skipping steps causes mistakes!

Send a me a PM with contact info and I'll tell you what I know.

Mark

TK421 · #4 (**permalink**) 12-05-2013, 03:08 AM

Will do, thanks Maria and Mark.

Karger · #5 (**permalink**) 02-04-2014, 04:05 PM

Would you also be able to tell this on thread. I am in the same boat. I am in communication with DR Zeegers he seems to be really good and does it the right way. I just don't want to have this done and end up like a cripple, well more crippled then I already am.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmglobal

I know all the doctors you mentioned very well and have observed all but Lauryssen in the OR. While I haven't observed Lauryssen, I have spent some time with him... I like and trust him.

I find it amusing that the "Bertagnoli used ProDisc because of his relationship with Synthes" line seems to have traction. Ritter-Lang is a trainer for M6 and Stenum is a training site. That is pretty much the same relationship. I have seen Bertagnoli use other discs and I'm confident that he'd jump ship and go to another device when a better one comes along. He has removed way more m6's than ProDiscs in spite of the fact that there are many times more ProDiscs in use.

The only one of the the doctors you mentioned that makes a lot of mistakes is Ritter-Lang. All spine surgeons will have many, many successes (no matter how bad they are) and many failures (no matter how good they are). But Ritter-Lang is the only surgeon I've seen with a steady stream of unbelievable mistakes through the years. Experience does not = good. A careless surgeon causes unnecessary failures and it doesn't matter how many he/she has done. Skipping steps causes mistakes!

Send a me a PM with contact info and I'll tell you what I know.

Mark

Maria · #6 (**permalink**) 02-05-2014, 01:14 AM

There are none. If you are looking for that keep looking or do what I did which is don't have more surgery. If you look to be a good candidate for the surgery, have the $, have the faith, the time and such then go for it. I didn't have the $ basically so I couldn't do it abroad even if I wanted to which I did. WC wasn't going to pay for abroad for me and further if I had my 3rd surgery (first 2 here in US under WC) then they would abandoned all care with regard to that surgery and anything thereafter.

I hope you don't face any of that Bull Crap. Good luck. I hope whatever decision you make it works out well for you and that no matter what it is hopefully you'll come back here and post to let people know results!

take care and wishing you the best~ Maria