Wholy Brand new to this.......and Scared

[oes ali]

Hi guys......... i've not been on the forum for a while. Thought i would update you a bit. I had another set of epidural injections 4 weeks ago now. I see some days as it helping but lately not that much. My L3-L4 disc area 'stings' and pains down my legs again with my toes freezing most all the time.

I also am gathering all my info up (physical info from Dr's) and am driving next week to a dog show (yeah i know BUT i am not going to be the one showing now! my partner in crime is going to show them for me) in Denton Texas, and the following Tuesday I have an appointment with Dr. Ziegler in Plano. Thank you for whoever it was that recommended him for me.

I also bought a new sleep number bed and today is my first night on it. I'll let you know how THAT goes! lol. So far Peepers kitty is very happy with it..... lol.

[oes ali]

OH I forgot, i have 2 books that i have ordered.

I heard a woman on tv talking about her experiences.
Lynne Greenberg The Body Broken
and
Dr. Nathaniel L. Tindel, M.D., I've Got Your Back - The truth about spine surgery


I've only read a little of both but they appear to be very good. Different styles of books. Dr. Tindel is a board certified ortho surgeon.

i'll let you know what i think of them after i've finished.

on another note. The day after i see the Dr. in Plano, i leave to go visit my husband in Korea for 2 weeks......... I've something to be excited about!
Ali

[jessmith07]

Hey Ali...since your husband works for the Fed, they will cover ADR, but may only cover one level...and you'll probably have to fight with them to get them to cover that. The insurance companies that insure federal employees go by the guidelines that, if it's FDA approved, then it's not "investigational". However, the FDA has only approved a single-level disc replacement.

Here's my two-cents worth on getting around this...go to Germany. Dr. Bertagnoli's team provided me with everything I needed to give to my insurance company for a 2-level ADR, but without actually CALLING it a 2-level ADR. Plus the fact that it's about half the cost over there vs. here, so the insurance company doesn't "inspect" the foreign claims too closely...they even told me that (because they're still saving money, and they know it). I had to fight with them for a few weeks, but I won.

Plus, in my opinion, and I think a lot of people here will second this, Dr. B in one of the top spine surgeons in the world. I have a great neurosurgeon here in the States, but I'm scared to death of this surgery, and I know that my surgeon only has a few ADR procedures under his belt. That's not good enough for me...if I'm going to do this, I want the VERY BEST, because experience and track records speak volumes. So I'm leaving for Germany in 3 weeks.

If your insurance company gives you any crap, send me a private message...I'll try to help you.

Jess

[Kathy]

You are going to love Dr. Zigler! He is extremely down to earth, takes the time to listen and explain things to you, in a way that is easy to understand. I really liked him and was going to have my surgery with him. He is one of the best surgeons in the US and world. He has done hundreds of ADR's, has been an investigator in clinical trials and has a great track record. It was funny, when I was turning in all the research and trial information for my Pro-Disc surgery, he had written some of it (as in published in a medical journal research, which is a big thing for a dr). It turned out that I didn't have surgery with him; because my insurance denied it and I was excluded from the clinical trial for spinal litigation. I went to Florida and was in a different clinical trial and I follow up with Dr. Blumenthal at TBI. That entire office is great. Go to their website and read the history, it is very interesting. They have been on the cutting edge of spines for decades. They were in the clnical trial that proved MRI's were more effective imaging for spines (which now is crazy to think that that was ever a question). He is brilliant and a great doctor. You can google his name and find tons of great information on him.