nomorepain L5-S1 2-level ProDisc July 2002

[mmglobal]

Originally Posted by Original post Sept. 18, 2003 (as feelinfine)

SURGERY DATE:07/09/02

SURGEONr. Rick Delamarter

SURGERY LOCATION/CLINIC:StJohn's Hospital,
Santa Monica, California, Under FDA Trials

DEVICE(s)Prodisc, LEVEL(s):L4-L5&L5-S1

COST =
AMOUNT BILLED:$185,000
INSURANCE ALLOWED:$65,000
OUT OF POCKET:$7,500 so far
TRAVEL:close to hospital
EXPLANATIONS? Hospital& most surgeons wrote off
amts that ins didn't pay


ONSET OF LUMBAR PROBLEMS, DATE OF INJURY, CAUSE, ETC...:grew 12inches in summer of 1972,numerous
ATC/Motorcycle-off road spills.improper lifting proceedures,you name it,i did it wrong..DDD@L4-L5&L5-S1

PRIOR SPINE SURGERIES AND PROCEDURES (IDET, ESI, etc...)
Spinal traction 6 weeks 1979
Failed Mylegram 1979(see next statement)
Laminectomy@L4-L5,after Mylegram blew apart L4-L5 disc in 1979,layed flat for 72hrs-still suffered "theHeadache of all headaches"
Epidural injections of Cortisone 1989: 16 in all
Epidural injections of Caimo-Papaine 1991: 12 in all
Epidural injections of Cortisone in my RtHip 1992:
6 total

PRE-OP MEDICATIONS:VicodinES-7,500mgs daily,
50mgs-Vioxx,3,750mgs-Robaxin750/day& 2,000mgs- Neurontin

PRI-OP DIAGNOSTICS (discogram, nerve root blocks, etc...):
complete collapse@L4-L5:disc was pancaked
into nerve canal.19mm Herniation into nerve canal&7mm buldge on the left side at L5-S1,due to collapse@L4-L5

PRE-OP NEUROPATHIES (what, where, & degree of pain, numbness, tingling, sexual/bladder/bowel symptoms, etc.):
constant chronic disc,butt,leg&sciatic pain.Had lower leg,knee,ankle&foot swelling&numbness on both outer thighs,back of knees&feet,sometimes butt cheeks.had a burning sensation in lower legs(felt like my blood was on fire)no axial reflexes
both L&R

PRE-OP CONDITION (Please include %leg pain/% back pain, pain levels, ability to work and function, disability status, etc.... be direct, but be as verbose as you need to):
on a scale of 1to10,my pain was 8+
i was able to work aprox 10-12 hours a day,mostly desk work,with heavy pain meds daily,but thats all i did,the rest of the time was spent in bed, due to leg swelling&burning,numbness. i walked with the help of crutches or canes

TIME POST-OP AT ORIGINAL POST HERE:
originally Oct,2002
this section 9/2003

(In the following sections, rate your surgical success and comments as described in the first post of this thread.

DESCRIBE YOUR SURGICAL EXPERIENCE:
easier than my Laminectomy in 1979,hospital staff,Docs treated me like a king,Pain meds were sufficient.PT staff was great-don't know about the food as i was on a liquid diet the whole time!
overall it was a good experience and i worried like hell for nothing :---)

RATE SUCCESS / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / DESCRIBE CONDITION 1 MONTH POST-OP (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):
6.. no leg pain,butt pain or disc pain since 7/02
i'm off all meds and have been since 2/03.
1 month post-op i was walking a lot,and stretching on my own,without the daily nagging back pain!! i was having problems with my incision area,pulled my groin muscle-ouch!!
and spine extremely sore where implants were installed

RATE SUCCESS / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / DESCRIBE CONDITION 3 MONTHS POST-OP (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):
6,same as above only i started PT
still no pain in back,legs or butt :---)
but groin was sore in incision area and numb
also spine extremely sore where implants installed

RATE SUCCESS / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / DESCRIBE CONDITION 6 MONTHS POST-OP (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):
6-started tapering off the vicodinES,now that was tough!! Was walking over 4miles a day
had some intermediate nerve pain,felt like lil stabs of pain in my legs and feet, also incision area numb,and spine sore from implants

RATE SUCCESS / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES / DESCRIBE CONDITION 1 YEAR POST-OP (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):
7..still a lil soreness around implantation area,
no pain other than severe muscle spasms in lower back muscles atrophied due to length of time i had backproblem. All in All, i still feel this surgery is a huge success!! I'm active without pain meds&anti-inflamitories,and walk on my own without the help of crutches&canes :----)

RATE SUCCESS / MEDICATIONS / NEUROPATHIES /
DESCRIBE CONDITION 2 YEARS POST-OP (discuss surgery induced symptoms [leg pain?]):
100% SUCCESSFULL in my and my Docs World!!
ZERO back,leg,butt pain and swelling due to my
lumbar implants-Prodisc @ L4-L5 &L5-S1.
No meds due to pain from implants or muscles or what-evers!!Been an incredible time post-op,to see what i can do now that i couldn't before,which is quite a bit.....YAWHOOOOOO {:---)
[Brake Dance] [Brake Dance] [Thumb]
now for everyone considering ADR SURGERY:
This spine surgery was in no way an easy proceedure for me, and it may not be right
for you. There are a lot of risks involved,
and sometimes those risks become tradeoffs.
If your looking for a guarantee,well keep
lookin' 'cause there aren't many in life. If
your looking for 100%,or to become pain free, then surgery isn't for you. However if your looking for a better quality of life, if your back pain disrupts your total being,family life ,
that was it for me. When i signed my life away for the trials, i had to look long and hard at each "risk" and askmyself to view my life without them,thus reviewing the risks.................Good Luck in whatever decision you make, i'm here to spread the word about my new BACK and ADRs................. [Party] [Party]
gary "theProdiscPosterBoy"

Gary... looking for the great update!

[nomorepain]

never in a millon years would i have thought or if any one had told me that it was possible to get rid of the incredibly high level of pain that i had with back surgery well i would have thought you were nuts! after all i was running from it with a failed laminectomy in 1979 did me in for almost 30 yrs of heavy meds and braces and PAIN, back pain is the worst! it effects your whole body, mind and spirit, it digs down deep into your soul. But no more, it's gone, all of it, nerve pain, sciatic pain, back,leg and butt pain, numbness,stiffness, i can't tell you when it's going to rain, or get cold, i only have a few limitations... all i can say is wow! no more meds,no more pain! yippeeeee
p.s. i now drive a 35 yr old VolvoSportsWagon(just turned 500,000miles) with 4 on the floor and a real clutch, shifting is something i could not do before my PRODISC surgery

[ellecincos1]

Fantastic!!!

I love to hear about real life happy endings....


CONGRATS

regards.
Myriam