One year Hell ADR in Germany (L4/5).Revision to fusion.

[Job13]

RIP Freedom of Speech

[Job13]

RIP Freedom of Speech

[dshobbies]

Wow Job13 and welcome to the forum.

I'm very relieved that you're finally experienceing some relief from your unrelenting and severe pain. It hurt just reading your story. I'm equally surprised at Dr. B and his staff, who did a great job for me. I don't even know how to comment.

I can only wish you better days, which seems to be the direction in which you're going. Also, while Neurontin may have it's side effects, it does a great job with nerve pain. I took it, 2700 mg daily, (Lyrica) for two years and others... for life.

You have my best wishes for a continued recovery for your ordeal. Please continue to keep us posted.

Dale

[B13s]

Welcome Job13, good to hear that you are getting better!
It would be also interesting to know which hospital/doctor did the last operation (the one that helped) ?

[Maria]

I do hope this post finds you doing better even if minimally so. If you're not doing better than that's ok to talk about too. I have so many ins and outs with low back pain and now cervial pain that I feel I'm on a roller coaster sometimes and the bed is of course my safe haven (uggh).

Anyway, know that I'm wishing you both the best in health and all around. Want to say Happy Holidays tho I remember when my spine was really bad post op and I found it difficult to feel this way. Not sure where you're at Job13 in terms of how you're doing so again, wishing you my best at this time~

[ans]

I'm glad that finally there seems to be a light at the end of this long tunnel. I hope your progress proceeds; you've been through hell.

Btw, who was your surgeon if I may ask? He/she sounds good.

Happy New Year ~ ans

[Jim M2]

Job13,

Thank you for the excellent information about your ADR and revision. There is very little experience in this area. I'm not aware of anyone else posting their revision experience on the forums except for you and Blairsara.

I've never heard the root cause of post-ADR facet pain attributed to hyperextension and hyperlordosis in the way you describe it. It makes good sense and it seems to fit my situation. In fact I experience most all of the painful symptoms you mentioned in Post #2. I questioned three US ADR surgeons about how alarmingly tall my L5S1 Charite seemed compared to the other levels. They didn't think there was anything remarkable about it. One even described it as a restored natural disk space just as you were told.

One big difference was how I was treated by Dr. Zeegers who performed the L5S1 ADR surgery in 2003. He was very concerned about my post-op pain levels. I wrote to him in the months following surgery. He always responded. Then I saw Dr. Z at a GPN patient seminar and bar-b-que at Mark's 13 months after surgery. He asked me to have a new CT/Myelo and send him updated x-rays. Later he emailed to ask some specific questions about my symptoms. After reviewing the diagnostics he emailed me a report of his findings and next steps I should consider. As with the US ADR surgeons he never mentioned hyperextension and associated phenonema as a possible root cause of facet pain. All of these doctors were looking for problems at L45, or stenosis, or they were expecting the facets to eventually calm down.

Now I'm 4 years+ post-adr with some improvement over the first couple of years. I have pain much like you described (but at a lower level) or gnawing discomfort all the time. I don't do much anymore. At this time I have no enthusiasm for investigating further. I see nothing out there that's worth the risk of invasion.

I get a kick out of your avatar--a screaming cat with automatic weapon blazing and a mushroom cloud in the background. If you're expressing frustration, it works.

I hope your recovery continues to go well. Please let us know the doctors and hospitals you're dealing with for your facet diagnosis and revision.

Jim

1981 L5S1 diskectomy
2003 L5S1 Charite