Just quoted cost of 2 level Cervical ADR
 

Just saw Dr Ziglar with TX back institute for my discogram follow up. Need 2 levels ADR as I had suspected. He did confirm that Aetna wont cover the first disc if I am doing a 2 disc procedure. So, I can forget about insurance. I then told him that I have found that I can get this done in Germany for about $37K and that I assumed it was much more than that to get it done here. His response was "Steve, we can do it for less than that here, I think much less". So, he will have his staff get back with me on that quote.

I just dont get it. Everything I have read, even looking at Stenum's website, the 2 level ADR is in the mid 30's. Not sure whats going on here. Will let everyone know what the final quote turns out to be. Ive been rethinking everything. If the prices are pretty similar, Im not 100% sure whether Ill get it done here or over there. Dr Zig is probably in the top 5 ADR surgeons in the US, and is surely well qualified. And it would be nice to not have to travel and deal with getting around over there , and I can have a doctor locally to follow up with later on. On the other hand, Dr Bertnetoli has more experience with multi level ADR and whether that will matter or not I dont know. The cervical ADR is alot more straight forward than the Lumbar. Maybe when you reach a certain level of expertise, having more ADR's under your belt may not matter. Oh well, we'll see. Mark advised me of what he thought a 2 level ADR with Dr B would be, about $37K. But now, I think I really need to find out for sure. Maybe Ill try calling Dr B's office direct. ANyone know how I can get a quote from them? I have a feeling the quotes will be similar, so I guess I have some decision making to do.

Lastly, his only comment about fibrin was that it was "Unproven" and he didnt reccomend it. That was it.

Steve,

Please keep us posted!

I'll need work done to my neck within this yr.

Thanks .... :)

WOW Todd. I didn't know that you had cervical issues as well. Are you looking at going to the same place for cervical surgery? What discs are you looking at currently?

Terry Newton

Terry,

Not real sure which disc is the problem @ this point. Right arm, and hand in pain. (swelling of right hand)

Stenum took x-rays of my neck back in 07 and said surgery was not a must at that time.

I need to update my MRI's, X-rays ..... o - so much fun!

Hoping to get surgery in the USA ... see what happens.

Todd

Let me start out with this is obviously just my opinion....
If it were me, I would stick with Dr. Zigler and being local. He is very experienced in my opinion, I have only heard one bad thing about him (and it wasn't regarding anything relating to his surgical skill) and I think as far as surgeries done vs. amount of good outcomes percentage, I'm sure he is the same percentage of success as the others. Not to mention, just the few hours of flying to Florida and back just about killed me, I can't imagine having to do an overseas flight. I am definitely not looking forward to the flight home after surgery, first class or not. Too bad they don't offer many buisness class flights within the US; although my brother in law flew this on a 20 hour flight (he said your seat folds flat out, own personal tv and your own little area (or big in comparison to first class and especially coach seating). He said it was still miserable (and he doesn't have any pain issues). Also think it is crazy expensive to fly that way.
Anyway, you should know by now from Pm's that I'm pretty opinionated and passionate about backs! Best of Luck in making the right decision for you, Kathy
BTW- If you can give me a call, gotta tell you about more from Diane, when they thought I was having surgery there. Too much to type.

Ha ha ha
 

Oh Yes, Diane, our most favoritist person in the whole wide world,....NOT!! :D

LOL. Yea, I started to tell Dr Ziglar about her approach. I told him that she was making me feel like I was on the path of denial. He said she is just making sure Im a good candidate etc, and to better prepare a patient for surgery. I explained that preparing a patient for surgery I can understand, but that she made me feel I was heading for denial and this I did not like very much. He brushed it off but at least he knows that this patient was a bit puturbed by her approach and mannerisms.

Ill call ya sometime so you can tell me more about it.

And about my zig vs Dr B quandry, I got this little voice in my head saying that if anything doesnt turn out as good as expected, Ill be kickin myself in the butt for not going to Dr B, who has to have many more hundreds of multi level surgeries than zig. BUt when someone like Dr Zig gets to the high expert level that he is at, can one REALLY say that Dr B is better? I dont know the answer to that. I wish I did. Everyone says Br B is t he best in the world. BUt must I have t o have the best in the world for a straightforward 2 level cervicasl procedure? This is the quandry and I still havent decided, so far leaning towards Dr B just to be SAFE! Plus I can go see the Fatherland. LOL, well, I am of german ancestry, so would be kind of cool to see my german homies. (LOL)

For the flight I recommend taking a little Ativan, as it will make you sleep through the flight over to Germany. Make sure that your loved one administers the medication, as you can do strange things under the influence of them. I went over and back in a near amnesiac state of being and, do not remember any of it. This made the trip much more bearable though, and less anxiety producing. You also make sure you go over as a handicapper, where they put you in a wheelchair, get yo on the plane first, take you off first, go through security and customs first, etc. Makes it much easier.

Germany was beautiful as a country. The city was very clean and neat and the sites were incredible. I definitely want to go back and see more of the country.

As far as the decision, I always encourage my clients to write a list of pros and cons for each decision then weigh them out.

An example:

Pros
Closer to Home
Possibly covered by insurance

Cons
Not as Experienced
A long trip over there

You get the idea.

Whatever you decide to do, you will find support here, in a non-judgmental manner.

Hang in there.

Terry Newton

C Spine Too
 

Hi Todd

I an sorry to hear you have neck issues, What level or levels?

My neck has DDD at C3-C4 and holding on for now no arm pain just some discomfort.

Is your avatar going to be a Lobstaa.:D

Post soon

Gil:)

Hey Steve,

Good luck in deciding what direction to choose. I know it's tough and there are 101 questions that pop in one's mind before surgery. You're asking all the right questions and covering all your bases.

My experience with Dr. Bertagnoli and Dr. Fenk-Mayer was incredible. Having surgery was the best vacation (yes, I had an incredible time sight seeing before and after my operation) I've ever had and I've traveled to plenty of places.

I am indebted to Drs. Bertagnoli and Fenk-Mayer--they gave me my life back and I am forever grateful.

(Just an FYI: my new pain is in NO way related to the hands of Dr. Bertagnoli. I have something going on in my spine that I will share with the community at a later date when I have confirmation of the exact details.)

Update
 

Hi everone. I forgot to update this post. Last Friday I made my decison to go with Dr B. and sent all my films/records to Mark for submission. AT $27K, the Price is way better, and I dont risk having the US facilities padding my bill beyond initial quotes(Ive heard in Germany, they pretty much stick to the initial quote even if extra care is needed afterwards). And all the posts about experiences with Dr B seem to 95% successful. Dr Zig may have been just as good to go with, but like I said, I dont want to be looking back later in life second guessing or regretting my decision. I decided to go with what most people seem to believe is the best in the world.

Im just praying I can get it fast. Honestly, my neck is getting worse as time goes on. Each day is hell, even with the pain meds, its still hard to sleep due to the discomfort. I cant stand the constant crackling/grinding sensations either, I know the pain is occuring as a result of that.

Steve,

Sounds like your ready for surgery..... Please keep us posted!

Take lots of pictures of your travels .... :)

My surgery has been a gift from God, but at the same time I try not to abuse it.

Your in my prayers....

Todd
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Gil,

Not sure how to upload my avitar on yet .... :(, but yes it'll be a picture from Maine.

Todd

Steve, it does sound as though you are ready for surgery. And you've made the best decision you can, with the information available. If only we had a crystal ball, to show us the outcomes with different decisions.

Keep us updated on the progression of events. I'll be hoping for the best outcome possible for you.