Disc replacement if it is a choice. Although I am still experiencing pain, mine is diagnosed as facetogenic and with the right treatment, cureable. I lost my health insurance and now I have my wife's plan. School teacher insurance inflorida is horrible and they do not cover the facet blocks nor the oblation if the blocks work.

Anyway, get the disc if you can! You lose no range of motion with the disc.

I am certainly going to try. From what little i've seen on the matter, it's definitely the way I want to go. I know that there's some controversy about how long they hold up though, but what the hell, i'd rather risk that than the fusion, where you are just about guaranteed more surgeries in the future, removal of hardware, etc...

Thanks again steve

heather

Hey bob I am brian.... :p

yes I agree. The testing that du puy is doing to ensure the reliabiity of the charite lumbar and the bryan cervical discs goes far beyond that of most medical devices. If you look up the information about the disc you are getting, you will read about the testing that device gets before it is put in someone here in the .U.S.



Brian :p

Heather ~

you really need to do more research before jumpimg into fusionor adr. Here is a good start for adr.


adr support forum

http://www.Adrsupport.Org/private-cgi-bin/ ultimatebb.Cgi


adr is not always the best answer. If your surgeon didn't suggest it to you then ask why? I have had all fusions and I am very happy with my out come. Don't let anyone talk you into anything. Please research both fusion and adr on many sites. Look at both information sites and support gruop sites where people have had both. If you need more sites please let me know.

Imshirl

Shoot brian,
i know name. I don't know why I called you steve. Sorry! :roll:

heather

Hi, I just talked to someone today who had the artificial disk. His pain is worse and he said he would not do it again. I am scheduled for a fushion on june 20th. L5s1 is my problem. I may be making a mistake, but I want it fused and be done with this pain I hope. I would love to hear from people who have had the fushion. Melto9

Hi melto9 ~

I have hear the same thing you have about adr. I believe the big problem with adr is that the people getting them also have facet joint problems and this is why they still have pain or even more pain once the adr is in. In order to have good results with adr one has to have good facet joints.

Will your fusion be posterior or anterior and with or without hardware? Will you be using your own bone for the fusion or donor?

I am fused from l3-s1, both anterior and posterior with bak cages, rods and screws. I first had the anterior side done with bak cages and then 3 years later which was last year in may I had the posterior side done with rods and screws. Please let us know what you would like to know about the surgery or anything related to the surgery, pre-op and post-op.

Imshirl :d
spine and beyond

To imshirl, I am having the posterior fushion with cages and the new metamorphogenic (probably spelled wrong) bone graft. They will not have to take bone from my hip.Supposidly this fuses faster than my own bone and only one surgery site.Thanks for replying.

Uncertain about getting a disk fusion. Already have had 2 diskectomy/laminectomy of the l4/l5. Recvd numerous caudal steroid injections, therapy, etc. doc said either live with the pain or fuse the disk. Any suggestions? thanks

Someone, anyone, Please Help me.

My Surgeon/doctor is not going decompress or use any cages or spacers of any kind in a fusion of L5-S1 he says that the two vertebrae are solidly sitting together at the back and there is only a sliver of a disk left. he plans to leave it right where it is, and just place the rods and screws to prevent slippage from side to side. He needs to wait 6 weeks because I am at home with a Picc Line Pumping vancomiacin that I'm onto treat the second staph infection I managed to pick up in one of my five surgeries that I have had on the L5-S1 location
since January of 2009.

He needs decompress to take the pressure off the nerve/s and give me relief from this pain. I am in such horrible pain (so much that i was admitted for five days on suicide watch because, I just wanted the pain to end ) and now I'm having bladder and functionality problems and I have repeatedly asked for referrals, but i haven't gotten anywhere yet.

It is now June 20 2009, if there is any one out there who knows a good back doctor anywhere who can help to fix me, please write me.

I can probably get them the MRI reports, MRIs and any other information they
Need. Thanks for your help.