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Leaving for Europe tomorrow...
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| iSpine Discuss Leaving for Europe tomorrow... in the Main forums forums; Hi Jess, It is perfectly normal to be nervous. Having surgery is a huge event in your life.....and going ... |
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05-22-2009, 11:08 PM
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Best wishes!
Hi Jess,
It is perfectly normal to be nervous. Having surgery is a huge event in your life.....and going to another country for it adds to the excitement. You will be in good hands and good company. You have done your research and know that this is the best choice for your circumstances. Before you know it, you will be posting to let us all know how well everything went and how much your pain is reduced. We will be looking forward to hearing from you! Hugs, Melody
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Melody 12/29/08- 3 level ADR Prodisc C in Seattle 12/21/07-Revision surgery, fusion L4/5 L5-S1 1975-scoliosis surgery,Harrington Rods, fused T2 to L4 Felt great in 20's and 30's....late 30's started having chronic neck and lower back pain. By 40 pain worsened enough to begin seeking surgical solutions. ADR surgery much easier recovery than fusion! This site has been a great source of information for me! I would be happy to help anyone who has questions. 
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05-23-2009, 03:06 AM
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Godspeed Jess. I will be thinking of you all the way, and watching for your messages, giving us the good news of your recovery.
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DDD Herniated discs C4/5 & 5/6, L3/4, L4/5, L5/S1 Severe compression of spinal cord in two levels All conventional therapy exhausted, including spinal injections, PT, massage, etc. In appeal with Gov't Insurance for Out-of-country coverage for ADR hybrid surgery of above discs. Recently discovered that I am severely allergic to all common metals used in surgical hardware except for Titanium.
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05-24-2009, 01:09 AM
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We're here...
...and all I can say is WOW! My husband, the seasoned world traveler of 25+ years, just laughs and says, "You have this shell-shocked look in your face". But the fact of the matter is, I've never been outside of the United States (unless you count the time I crossed over into Nogalas, Mexico for about an hour, just to say I did). It's astonoshing be driving around and have no clue what the signs mean. Or that when the speedomoter on the taxi says 180, its not MILES per hour. Oh, and you can FORGET nutrition contents on packaging in the grocery store!!! Even if it was there, unless you're fluent in German, you'd have no clue what the heck it meant!
Tomorrow is Sunday, (well, actually, today is Sunday as it's going on 3 am and ~ BIG SURPRISE ~ I can't sleep) and I really have no desire to leave the safety of this room. Even when I finally managed to get my computer connected to the internet...guess what? My yahoo home page was WHAT?!?!?! IN GERMAN!!! And there was no way around it that I could find! I know that this will probably be very comical one day, and probably is hysterical to those of you that have already been through this, but HOLY CRAP! I planned, I prepared, I made lists, I packed, I asked questions and I read other peoples questions...I only forgot 2 small things, and WHOA! I TOTALLY wasn't prepared for the culture shock! I think it wouldn't be a big deal if I'd ever been out of my home country before, but for a "virgin trip" this is a whammie...having to realize that not only am I traveling to a strange place for a strange surgery by a strange team of doctors that I've never met before, but guess what...I'M GOING TO BE A FOREIGNER! Don't get me wrong, the people are WONDERFUL, it's just a strange sensation...I'm on the flip side of the coin and I don't think that I'll ever be able to look at foreigners in our country again without genuine compassion and admiration for them and how difficult it must be. Anyway...I suppose I should try to get some sleep... I'll keep you posted. Hopefully I won't spend the day tomorrow (well, later today) hiding in the closet sucking my thumb  Hubby and I had a wonderful dinner with Mark M. and he introduced us to another of Dr. B's patients who's 2 weeks post op and doing phenominal. I also met Katherine (she's next door and doing great) and Cathy (treefrog) is just down a couple of flights of stairs. I must admit, I felt quite euphoric after dinner, but the panic monster began setting back in within a couple of hours and now Hubby is sweetly snoring  and I'm...well...I'm not snuggled up to him where I should be.  So, maybe I should just get that way...I do love that man! Good night all... Jess
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36 year old mom of 7 in SC. MRI 4/2008 shows bulging disc with annular tear @ 4/L5 and and complete herniation at L5/S1. 9/11/08 Laminectomy , successful to a point...relieved nerve pain, but after 4 months was still having severe disc pain. Treatments tried: epidural shots, oral pain killers, NSAID's, TENS massage, chiropractic care, deep tissue massage. Oh, and plenty of our homemade wine!  May 26 2009, 2 level ADR, L4-S1, Dr. Bertagnoli, Straubing, Germany
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05-24-2009, 01:18 AM
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Your trip
I am thinking of you and wishing you the very best!!!!!
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Chemically sensitive disc/Annular tears, DDD, mild bulging, facet arthritus Dancing accident in 96. tried PT, acupuncture, pilates, pain mgmt. nothing worked. Epidurals, facet blocks, caudal blocks, discogram. Opiates for ten years, oral prednisone, toradol inj. & more. Two level spinal fusion with BMS, cages, hardware. due to bone density problems from chemotherapy, they had to go in front and back. Surgery Nov. 6, 2010. So far no regrets.
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05-24-2009, 05:32 PM
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Jess,
Your post made me smile. I remember feeling everything you're feeling now. It's easy for me to say fear not but that 'shell shock' expression is real. You planned and planned for the unknown. You had all your ducks in a row but forgot to include your brain  Yes, when you get home you'll look back and smile too but that's a little ways off right now. Try to take your thumb out of your mouth and relax. Think about all of us who are smiling at the memory. Think about that man you love so much who is there to support the woman he loves. With him you can do anything. Go ahead and cuddle for you won't be able to for awhile. BTW, I agree with you about immigrants. I now look at them differently too. My thoughts are with you, Dale
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3 level Prodisc adr S1-L3, Oct 12, 2005 Dr. B in Bogen, Germany Severe nerve damage in left leg, still working on it
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