Also new here

[skybytch]

Hi everyone,

My name is Lisa. I've been a skydiver since 1990. Was diagnosed with DDD amidst intense sciatica in mid-2000 (at age 35) and had a fusion done on L4/L5/S1 in January of 2001. No hardware and no harvesting of bone material; my surgeon used donor bone between L5 and S1; L4 is sitting on top of L5.

One year to the day after surgery I was back in the air; did 200+ jumps that year including being part of a world record jump. I'm still jumping today and I've also taken up hiking and backpacking; managed a 100+ mile trip on the PCT this past summer.

I've been dealing with C-spine issues for the past five years but so far it hasn't been bad enough to warrant more than a few months on Neurontin and a series of PT sessions.

Another jumper that I know will be having Activ-L artificial disc replacement surgery in his lower back tomorrow. His doc told him he should be able to jump again in 3 months or so. I'm looking forward to digging into the threads here to find out more about it for when my neck finally does give out on me.

Anyway, I'm glad I found this forum. Judging by my mother's 3 spinal fusions, I'm not positive that I won't be needing further surgery in the future. It's great to see that there are other options with less horrible recovery times now.