My 3 mo X ray - Discs tilted all over the place

[treefrog]

Steve, I am so sorry you are having to make this decision. I have to agree with Dale, I would be inclined to trust Dr. B.'s instinct's and it seems like he is indicating revision surgery is the safest bet.

Wait and see is always an option, but I see too many people, who regrettably wait too long. I am of the opinion that if you can do something now to head off disaster, you should do it. Your health is of utmost importance.

All that said, I'm sure you put a lot of money into going to Germany and having the first surgery. If there is any way that you can afford (well none of us can really "afford" this), to do it, I would do it as quickly as I could manage.

I can only give you a gentle cyber hug, and wish you the best luck with whatever decision you make.

[Katie]

Good lord, I am so sorry to hear this. This really makes a person pull deep down for even more inner strength. Thankfully it sounds like you still have a bucketful of that strength left, and can get this resolved.

Did you have a bone density test done beforehand? Either way, I hope they will be more than gentle with their charges. That would only be fair.

So many thoughts are running through my head right now, and I am praying for you. I hope I didn't offend with my comments...maybe I'm just very on edge because of my own worries on surgery.

Hugs and prayers, and please keep us posted.

[Jim M2]

Did he mention vertebroplasty as an option to stabilize the collapsed vertebra? He's done this before for the lumbar when the x-rays looked similar to yours. Maybe they don't do it for cervical for whatever reason.

[steve55]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes. Yea, nothing to say but "what a bummer". Im not really too worried about going through with another surgery, especially since Cervicals are pretty easy to do and access compared to if it were a lumbar ordeal. Im more worried about having a fusion done. Ive heard about fusions not being so reliable and having long recovery times, and causing adjacent disc failures, and many people with fusions not getting better etc. And of course, the cost factor is HUGE too.


I have no idea why this happened , but I dont blame Dr B. Im just t hat 1 in 50 patient who has subsidence occur, but man, it sure happened pretty fast huh? As far as I know, Ive got super strong bones, Ive played high school football and C league ice hockey and throughout it all, Ive never broken a bone. I also drink 2 gallons of milk per week. I know my bones are strong, but,.....then how did this happen? Whats weird is that Dr Fenk Meyer says that the top disc is subsiding into the bone but it looks more to me as if it is dropping to one side, like as if the one keel isnt holding it in well enough. The old prodisc had 2 keels on top to keep it in place. Ahhh well, Im just speculating.

Well, Mark will be able to tell me more as he said he was meeting with Dr B personally to review the X rays. I cant wait to see what Mark says, especially since so few patients have had this happen. I did have bone density testing done prior to surgery so if bone density was an issue, wouldnt they have caught that?

Now, Im also wondering about the top disc also, I mean, it also seems to be sinking to the right, is it not?

Ill probably just go ahead and do what Dr B. suggests, but I plan to get a 2nd opinion from Dr peloza also. Maybe from Dr Ziglar too but Ziglar wants $300 to $500 for a visit and even then, the TX back Institute wasnt sure if he would even see me. I sure hope Dr B comes in with a big times discounted quote.

Well, at this point just waiting to hear from Mark so I can ask more questions.

[Katie]

Steve, when I was totally confused, another member here talked me into contacting Dr. Bitan in NYC. He is very well respected, one of the top in the country, and convinced me after a three hour consult to try hybrids, ADRs plus fusions in my neck and lumbar. (Two levels in my neck, three in my lumbar)

He explained that the fusion will take care of the very damaged section of my spinal cord that has a lot of edema, and then the ADR next to it will give protection to the adjoining discs, along with the movement needed.

I was exactly like you...very afraid of fusion, but decided to trust this man. My cervical levels are critical, so I have to trust someone, fast. No one has sent me bad reports about this doctor, and I got a wonderful feeling after meeting him in person. He mentioned doing a number of revisions, so he may well look at your MRIs when you explain things. He only charged me for the visit, not to look at the images. AND he called me back immediately, when he saw that I had a big problem. I'm waiting for an answer from my insurance this week regarding surgery.

He will at least give you an honest opinion, and is much closer than Germany at this point. But I know he is going away at the first of the month, so you should do this soon, if you are interested.

Just a thought, and wishing you the best. PM for more details if you like.

[steve55]

Yea, I have heard of him. I just might do that. Im likely to trust Dr B as he has so much experience with these things but again, doesnt hurt to see what other docs say. If at all possible, Id like to stay as I am if its not causing pain. I sure would like to hear the other docs opinion of what usually happens when letting these things stay as is.

Thanks Katie.

[Cindylou]

I'm sorry Steve. Major bummer indeed. But I also would trust Dr. B's advice and get it fixed now. Excellent that you took such notice on the x-rays. I will pray for you in the coming days as you face decision time.

God bless,

Cindylou