[Jim M2]

I saw Dr. Coufal today and I thought he was pretty amazing. I showed up with no imaging or reports. I wanted to know if he had ex-planted artifical discs to confirm what I'd read on the forum. He confirmed to having perform many explantations.

As part of the examination I could not hold up my foot rigidly when he pushed against it with his hand. It slowly gave way, especially the left foot. He said the nerve from that muscle mapped to L4-5. It is a strong muscle that should easily hold up to the pressure of his hand. I recalled the last couple of MRIs dating back several years mentioned a bulge with small herniation on the left side.

I told him about my Charite complications and my self-diagnosed DDD at L4-5. He ordered a CT Scan, MRI and x-rays. He said when the new imaging is available he would use it to come up with a strategy for ex-planting the Charite. He warned that there is the risk of dealing with the scar tissue and arteries which I already knew.

I'm very impressed with his attention to detail and his reputation. I'm glad I may have this option available. I would have preferred to go with stronger meds but that wasn't happening.