9 years post op and counting
 

Hey All, it's been a while since i last posted, i spoke to Mark a few days ago, so i thought i'd post my success story here.....
I am in the medical study and one of the first to get a prodisc 2 level back in 2002, by Dr. Rick Delamarter. I was scared to death to go under the knife, but I had an extremely slow recovery as you can read my past posts. I remember vividly watching Mark and another member at 6mos post op play tennis and wondered if i would ever be able to do the same. I can tell you now YES YES and YES!! it's been a wild ride, i pretty much don't have any limits, other than i keep my lifting weight under 40 lbs.
i drive a car with 4 on the floor, ride motorcycles on and off road, go boating, skiing anda whole lot more, i sit at a desk for hours at a time and get up with no sciatic pain what so ever, yea!! it's been an incredible 9 years, although the 1st two were a little rough, with nerve pain from the surgery, and my healing process of aches and pains. Now i can say it's all worth it and i'd do it again in a heartbeat. for those of you considering this surgery, check out your doctors, you can do it here and online! ask the doc for patient referrals both good and bad! :D

Let's here it for no more pain no matter how you spell it.

Congrats - and keep it up. Dale

Gary... great news. It's always wonderful to hear that you continue to do well.

I thought of you today. I went to the American Cemetery in the Netherlands where over 8,000 American soldiers are buried. I thought of your experience when they recently recovered the wreckage of your uncle's plane. This is an amazing monument that brings home the cost of war.

Please monitor the dog beach gathering thread... perhaps you can get off of work and come join us.

Keep up the painfree back and thanks for checking in.

Mark

PS, for those who don't know Gary, he had many years of horrible low back pain that included one of the worst experiences I've heard. (Those who have benefitted from successful discogram should hear his disco experience before they knew what they were doing!) Gary is pictured on my story page here, and I too remember how great Maureen and I were doing... Gary said that he could not even think of doing something so physical. Life After Surgery

yea!
 

Gary,
your life is so much more active than mine and I'm sure better because of no probs or restrictions or very little compared to where you used to be.. that's AWESOME!

I am happy however that I didn't have more surgery even tho I'm still on low dose opioid pain med and still have limitations and some flare ups. Basically from where I was at a certain point in my life I'm much happier with where I am and have been since about 2005/2006.

Not having horribly excrutiating chronic pain that supersedes the pain meds in itself is really wonderful even with some limitations and flareups!

I'm happy to hear that anyone is doing as well as you and am glad you've come back to update the forum and let us know how great you're still doing after these 9 years (and how difficult the first 2 might have been). Wishing you a lifetime of continued great spinal and other health! Maria