Laser Spine Surgery

My apology Rick, between the mind and the fingers I goofed. My apology.

Hello Guy,

Hope you are doing well. Look forward to an update.

Yes, I too have been wondering how Donald's visit with Dr. Tolli went. I know we all look forward to his update.

RichT

Hello MJ,

It is SOOOOoooo GREAT having you be a part of this "family".

Regarding the posting problem - I too have had frustrations with posting. It seems like it is always when I have a rather long post that it isn't accepted. I will try to send an E-mail to the admin so that hopefully they can make the proper changes to avoid this frustration.

Sure would be great if you and Carrianne can get together at Bonati.

My thoughts and prayers and and will be with you today and the days ahead. I truly hope your surgery and recovery goes well.

RichT

Hello Carrianne,

About now you are in the hands of a great surgeon and God. I trust your surgery will go well today.

Rest well, and we will look forward to your update.

RichT

Hello Carol,

WELLLLll, just tried to send you a post and it didn't go. GRRrrrrr Will try again.

Thanks for your kind words. However one person doesn't make a thread "go", it takes everyone to share and help each other. Yes, we have a feeling of family.

About navigating this site - Next time after you have written a post, just "back up" to the "Back Pain Forum" and "save" it as one of your "Favorites". In that way the next time you only need to go to your favorites and click on it. Hope that makes sense.

AHHHHhhhh Carol you made me chuckle with the "young fifties". Oh yes, it is good to try and keep our mind active and young, and same for our bodies as best we can.

Take care.

RichT

Side note - Let me know if you have any more "problems" regarding this website.

Hello Joe,

Yep, that only seems right considering all the Spiney's you have indirectly sent their way from your sharing of your fantastic success.

It is GREAT to read each time how well you are doing. YOU, Joe, deserve a lot of the credit by following their program instructions. My hat off to you.

You are right, won't be long and the new school year will begin. I hope your children have a great year.

Joe, do I recall correctly that your second surgery is on the 30th of this month, or is it later?

Have a GREAT Day!

RichT

Hi Rich!
It is obviously going to take me time to find my way to this Forum and where to click and when to click.
Rich I got all of your emails and thanks for responding. I hope to hear from Carol too.

I'm new to the group....really new. How nice to find so many of you still reporting on your experiences. I read all of the pages on the old forum even when I knew the "topic was closed." Hope I continue to learn more from all of you.
Donette M. B.

Hi, Donnette!

Welcome to "Spine Tinglers Part 2!!" So, share with us your story . . . what brings you to the thread? Cervical? Lumbar? You're among friends who are concerned about you!
C

C.
Who brought me to the thread was Rich T.
The reason: Chronic progressive low back pain. Bilateral lower extremity radiculopaty. Several bulging discs,
L3-4 level diffuse disc bulge.
L4-5 level bilateral facet disease, buckling of the ligamentum flavum, moderate to sever spinal canal stenosis with impingements of L4 nerve and L5 nerve and a L5-S1 disc herniation. That was the MRI result in January ordered by primary physician

After 5 months of 2 lumbar Injections and 3 Transforaminal injections with little if no relief, went to local orthopedic spine specialist. X-ray found Spondylolisthesis. Jan's. MRI report specifically stated: "No spondylolisthesis is seen."

Advised no minimal surgery. Large incision, discectomy, fusion, bonegraft and of course the required blood donation for such extensive surger.
Shock was my response and a walk out the office door in a daze.
D.

Hi All,
After reading all of the posts on the Old Forum, I concluded there were a number of posters who were told to have Spinal Fusion. None of us want hardware in us. Airport TSA procedures are tough enough.

With so many individuals talking with LSI or Bonnati, my question is "Have you uncertainties about the procedure they offer in place of Fusion for Spondy?
Any doubts it will work? Has anyone had it done?
D.

Good Morning Donette,

Welcome to our thread.

Thank you for sharing. It helps each of us better understand one another and the pain involved.

Several have and are having surgery at both LSI and Bonati. Joe was the first person to have surgery at Bonati from our group. Best that each tell you their own experiences and thoughts.

I hope all goes well for you today.

RichT

Had a hard time finding this site. Didn't know what to do when I saw the other site said topic closed. Am so glad to read of the continuing success of the Laser Surgery. I have an appoinmnet set up for mid Sept at Bonati but need to travel from NY. Still exploring options here, have an appoinment today with a Pain Management Doctor and tomorrow to get 2nd opinion from Neurosurgeon. I am leaning towards Florida especially after reading the results some of you have been having. Thanks
Barb

Hi Rich,
Thanks for responding to my call.

I agree that it is good if people speak of their own experiences in this area of difficult choices.

I envy people like Joebob who "had pain,"saw doctors, did research, made decision and took the plunge into cutting edge surgery, and came out in A one condition."

On Carol's #1post that attracted my eye, she said,"All of us have a high pain threshold, I'm sure....I keep thinking that the pain I'm familiar with is better than unknown back surgery pain" And there is where I sit at the moment.
I too am hoping I might still be a candidate for a less invasive surgery.
Have a Friday appointment with my Pain Management Doctor at the Cleveland Pain Center. This is a followup visit to all of the steroid injections I have had that gave no real pain relief.

D.M.B.

Marie:

Thanks for sharing your story . . . Almost "line and verse" it sounds like my story . . . except that I am feeling some benefit from the cortizone injections. The first two didn't help. The third was placed in a different spot and it seemed to block some of the pain, but my nerves and muscles are on overtime at night, hardly letting me sleep. Maybe your doctor would be open to new injection locations?

Had I received the same reaction, as the first two shots, my pain mgt. doctor indicated that we could try radioculpathy and test and singe some nerves hopefully with more permanent effects. Infact, I "chickened out" of the radioculpathy, opting to give the 4th shot another try. So far so good.

Have you any conversations indicating this alternative? It's a little more aggressive than the injections, and like everything else, no guarantees for everyone . . . just a thought.
C

Hello all
Rich I had 2 surgerys in july at bonati and the 3rd was cancelled.
DR decided I would not need it.I have asked if anyone had ever
had or looked into laser surgery on other sites and never had a response.
It wasnt untill carol, rich, and I started talking about this that I really
started researching. Laser may not be for everyone and I recommend
learning all that you can about you condition so you can decide for
yourself what is best for you. At least then you feel like you have some
control over your spine.Hope you all are doing well.

Joe

Hello Everyone,

Carrianne and MJ - We are all thinking of you and hope you are doing well. You are in my prayers.

Barb - WELCOME to this thread and the wonderful people here.

Wonderful that you have made an appointment with the Bonati Institute. AND even better that you are still exploring other options. I'm with you. Never close any doors. Very wise.

I hope all goes well with your PM doc tomorrow AND your discussions with your 'second" opinion doc. Both wise things to do. I (we) will be most interested in how things go. We learn from each other.

Marie/Donnette - With a bit of a puzzling smile on my face - Which name would you like us to call you?

Regarding Carol's first post on her thread - Her wisdom in the statement of her first post keeps on coming back to me.

I wish you the very best with your appointment with your PM doc on Friday. For me at least what separated the "men from the boys" was that my PM doc THOROUGHLY reviewed my MRIs and X-rays, and then used a fluoroscope to help guide him directly to the source of my pain. I had had 2 previous cortisone injections that helped for a few days, but with his expert hands getting the cortisone EXACTLY where it needed to be I'm 4 months and counting. I truly hope that all goes well on Friday. Please do give us an update when appropriate.

Carol - "but my nerves and muscles are on overtime at night, hardly letting me sleep." - Carol, are your nerves and muscles giving you a "bad time" during the day too, or just at night? If mainly just at night, it may be that your back cannot tolerate a standard mattress. I know there is no way I could sleep on a "regular" mattress. The only way I can sleep at night is on an air mattress. Basically, no "pressure points".

Carol, would you be so kind as to share with everyone here your wonderful statement regarding "indecision"? I hope you will.

Joe - AHHHhhhh, thanks for reminding me that your 3rd surgery was cancelled. Sorry, my ole mind forgot your earlier mention of that. To me it all speaks very well of your successful surgery through the hands of Dr. Moffet. His concelling the 3rd surgery also says to me that the docs at Bonati aren't simply after how much money they can make. They truly have the patient's best interests to heart.

So very glad of your continuing successful recovery.

Oh yes, how is the job hunting going? Any "successful" opportunities?

Take care everyone.

RichT

Hi Rich T and former Carols's Thread Gang!
Dragonfly44 is now BlueDragonfly. I'd tried to sign up a few times and just got kicked off - Dragonflys are not allowed - but Blue ones are.
My saga with the Chiu & Kamson Gang continues. I finally went through all the Billing and Payments and put together a spreadsheet for my Lawyer. While she's not happy with them either - that Lien Chiu slipped in seems to be holding its ground and I'll lose most of the small Car Accident settlement to them. Oh well, once signed off on - I'm going to the Insurance Commisioner. They Billed 2 and 3 times for the same thing, got paid, and did not give credit to the bill. I'm looking at their Billing and Payment posting vs what my Insurance got Billed and sent as Payments - $10K difference with Chiu/$3K difference with Kamson - thinking where does that money go? If they scam and skim most patients in this fashion a sum here and there could really add up.
Had a few Neck episodes that kept me off the computer too.
Oh, former Threader-ers will love this one - Digital Surgeon actually emailed an answer to a question I asked way in the beginning of the old Thread - very short answer and not exactly correct.
Well, off to catch up on this Thread.

Carol, That is exactly what I said to Rich. When I read your firsr post on the old forum, it looked exactly like mine. I told him that you had to be the first person with whom I would want to compare symptoms.

As I said I have had 5 injections. Two Epidurals and 3 Foraminals spaced over 5 months. I as at the Pain Center of a well known hospital in northeast, Ohio. I went there on the advice of a friend who had successful treatment there and of course I was told they had top doctors from all over the world. Once I was put in the system, I was not too happy. People there were nice. But everything appeared to be rushed, like an assembly line The doctors from all over the world were there for training on how to do epidurals etc., I learned. For every procedure I had, there was a different doctor doing it. The Doctor who was to be in charge of my case talked to me one time. And he showed up in the procedure room 3 out of 4 times to direct the person who was doing the injection. When I asked if he was present during one procedure because I didn't hear his voice in the room, the technician doing the Fluroscopy said "He is here." Lies, lies, lies. Yes he was on the floor but not in the room during my procedure. I have an office visit with him on Friday. I'm going to nail him to the wall with my complaints and questions.

I'm sorry to hear, Carol that you have problems sleeping at night. I sleep like a log. No pain lying down. And of course there are the medications that could put a buffalo to sleep.

I also purchased a new Sleep number bed. That's air with a memory foam topping. In earlier ads, they used to say it would take pain away, and I do know a man who said after he had spinal surgery he had pain. He bought a Sleep Number and never had pain again. I can't say that, but then nothing in my spine has been fixed.

There is more that I have to share, but I have to leave for an appintment.
I hope all continues well with you.


Rich, My name is Donette Marie. When I became a member they kept rejecting what I wanted to put into the block. I guess I was willing to say anything just so I could join this group to share fun, happiness and miseries. Marie, a common name seemed to go through easily.
Blessings on your day
Donette

Saw my PM doctor yesterday and he has confused me even further. After looking at my MRI and xrays he doesn't think the source of my pain is the herniated discs at L4/L5 and L5/S1 or from the degenerative disc disease or any of the other issues with my back and he thinks it is the sacroliac joint so he did some acupuncture. I am more confused than ever. Obviously no one wants surgery but it seems every doctor I see has something else to say and I am STILL in pain. I have had 2 epidurals that basically did nothing and I was worse after each one. Back and spine doc wants to do one more epidural and wants to give drugs. PM wants to try acupuncture for joint and 1st neuro says surgery only option. So I feel like I am back at square 1 with no one really telling me why I am in pain down my left butttock and calf and why everything, PT, Epidurals, chiro, etc do nothing to help.
Glad I could vent.

Barb