2 1/2 years post op - Charite ADR L5/S1

[Poncho]

Hi Blair,

Sorry that I have not responded sooner. I am glad to hear that you are getting relief from the rhizo - yet - the other facet is giving you trouble. Atleast it is somewhat of a "break" of the constant kind of pain you were dealing with.

DANG!!! - You were sitting through 6 HOUR exams?!?!? Holy crap!!! Let me guess they are all essay? I don't think I could do that.....OMG! No wonder you were hurting after the rhizo!!!

As for going to Europe - I have been there twice for treatment.

Once at the Alpha Klinik in Munich, Germany for an endoscopic discectomy.

Then, to Vienna,Austria for a 2 level ADR.

I would say that with the endo - I spent about 1 1/2 weeks before flying home.

Then, after ADR....I would say I was there for about 3 - 3 1/2 weeks after surgery before flying home. Flew first class this second time because I was able to recline, stretch & etc.


Anyways, I hope that you are getting enough pain relief so that you are able to focus more on other things than your back - ya know...... that school thing??? Wish I was in California right now to get away from the weather up here. Mostly rainy, a warmer than usualy this time of year - but I am sure it is soon to change.......

Take care,

Sending pain free vibes,
Poncho

[Blairsara]

Poncho,

Not a problem, this time of the yr gets pretty hectic and crazy, so it's all good. Ya I am so happy about my left facet joint, and now just applying how I handled my left pain to what's been going on since mid September. I wouldnt say it's somewhat of a break from the constant pain because I'm still in constant pain, it's just switched to the other side of my body. But in a sense you are right that it is a break from the left pain.

Yup 6 hour finals, I get double time because of my back so the exams were actually set for 3 hours but I used the whole time. It was both multiple choice and essay, and in both I ended up having to take pain killers during the middle which was during the essay part so I think I might have gotten a little creative? I don't really remember some of the stuff I wrote so lets just hope it sounded like english! haha. It's hard not to laugh at these kind of things!!! I mean it is pretty funny in a sense (or I just have a sick kind of humor)

I still have the weird muscle leg pain going down to my knee on my right leg but I've been told that it should go away soon. I actually went in for a CT scan yesterday and let me just tell you my films did not show good things for my right facet joints. I don't really read those kind of films very well and dont know what to look for but it was blatantly clear that something very wrong and something that shouldnt be happening is going on with my joint. So I'm going in next week to see Dr. Regan and then figure out a plan to get me through this semester, since classes start on Monday.

I hope you are doing well!

Blair