16 years postop, Charite and fusion!

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Last night, I had the pleasure of spending the evening in Dr. Zeegers' home, meeting some very interesting people. They were taping a program for Belgian TV about Dr. Zeegers and some of his patients. I wish I had the opportunity to take more pictures… it was great with huge smiles and hugs all round.

Hans (photo below) was only 29 when he came to see Dr. Zeegers. His condition was much like mine; several years of disability, unable to enjoy anything because of the constant pain and everything that goes along with it. Dr. Zeegers performed a single level Charite’, plus a single level fusion that was not stable enough for ADR. Hans had a slower recovery than I did, taking six months to get better. That is one of the MAJOR differences between fusion and ADR. With the hybrid procedures, you must recover from the fusion too. In any case, since his recovery, he has never looked back. He is an athlete and has returned to his sports… now 16 years later, his back is still wonderful. (If we ever get a chance to play some tennis, I promise to teach him a lesson!)

Hans’ enthusiasm for Dr. Zeegers and helping other spine patients is very impressive. He has a notebook that he shares with anyone who inquires. It’s filled with patient testimonials and information about the procedure. It was so great to spend some time with him. He’s only the second person I’ve met in person with ADR implanted for more than a decade. His perfect condition, lack of facet problems, etc., was very encouraging.

I’m sending him an email inviting him to the forum. I hope he’ll come and post on the surgical outcomes forum and tell his story in his own words.

All the best,

Mark

Hans (16 years post-op), Mark (8 years post-op):


TV interview: