C3-4, C5-6, C6-7, T1-2 ProDisc-C Nova ADR blog

Cheryl · #1 (**permalink**) 05-14-2009, 03:34 PM

Best of luck!!

mmglobal · #2 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 09:56 PM

I'm sorry I have not been able to post more. There are a lot of important discussions I want to weigh in on. I'm here in Straubing... midnight Sunday night. It seems like today started at 5am Wednesday morning in California, when I left for Germany. I arrived here on Thursday and hit the ground running. Every day since then involved little sleep, up VERY late, long stressful days (including standing w/lead apron for hours observing surgeries), and a fall that I was worried would fire everything up. If the bad news is that I'm too busy... the good news is that I'm tolerating it well. I'm still taking pain meds because I'm afraid to taper off while the demands on me are so ridiculously high. I expect to return home on little meds compared to when I arrive. We'll see how the rest of the week goes. Hopefully, I'll be able to get involved in more discussions soon.

All the best,

Mark

mmglobal · #3 (**permalink**) 05-24-2009, 12:08 AM

Wow... It's 2am Sunday morning. I go home Monday after almost 2 weeks here. Tuesday will be 7 weeks post-op. The tough part of the trip is over. 2 of 3 clients are gone... the 3-level lumbar client is out of the hospital and doing quite well. It's been an amazingly busy time and I cannot believe that I was able to sustain the pace that I did. I had been afraid to cut the pain meds in the middle of such a demanding trip. Today, I cut them in 1/2. (This was possible because here you can get 5mg oxy... something I wish they would bring to the US... this is such a great dosing option. It would make it so much easier to finish your taper off of oxy with this option.) We'll see how I do on the lower dose and I still have to worry about the flights home.

I KNOW I'm better because I won't wait for the elevator. I'd rather sling my backpack over one shoulder and run down 5 flights of stairs. I'm getting glimpses of feeling better than I have in years. I'm beginning to realize that over the past few years when I thought I felt good... I did not. It's a strange sensation to really feel good... almost giddy. As Sam Perroni said... "the absense of pain is a sensation".

I still don't know how good I'll get. I'm only getting glimpses of feeling really well and am still taking substantial meds. However, I expect to leave the meds behind very soon. If you all will help me and come hit me with a stick if I work long days again... and if I get to PT, work on my core strength and take Baumbach's advice for frequent mud baths... I expect to do VERY well.

All the best,

Mark

jchebert1979 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-24-2009, 12:22 AM

What great news. I wish you all the best. Did you get a C7-T1 disc? I did not think that they had those discs yet.

mmglobal · #5 (**permalink**) 05-24-2009, 01:12 AM

The issue with C7-T1 is not the disc... it's the difficulty in the approach. Bertagnoli has done many of these. We skipped my C7-T1 because the disc was not too severely compromised, but T1-T2 was and Bertagnoli replaced it.

Yesterday I was talking to a very experienced US cervical ADR surgeon and he was surprised that T1-T2 was even possible via the anterior approach.

The ability to do C7-T1 and T1-T2 depends upon your anatomy. (Long neck folks are possible, short neck folks are not.) It also depends upon the surgeon's experience.

jentop · #6 (**permalink**) 05-24-2009, 03:27 PM

Mark,
I'm glad your trip is winding down and everything has gone well for you. I am still amazed at your resilience at just 7 weeks. I fully understand the sentiment you expressed about thinking that some days you were doing okay, and now realizing the vast difference. I am so grateful to you that now there are more days than not that I feel like someone I recall (ME!) from years ago. The absence of pain for me comes like silence on the wind. Truly a wonderful stillness in my body. I still have my back "issues" to resolve, but my neck is a happy camper thanks to you and Dr. B! Life is good! Be good to yourself.
Jennifer

JeffreyD · #7 (**permalink**) 05-24-2009, 05:10 PM

Hi Mark,
I'm thrilled that you are healing well, and able to move forward so quickly after surgery.
Blessings to you, and sincere hopes for ever-increasing improvement.
-Jeff

dshobbies · #8 (**permalink**) 05-24-2009, 05:40 PM

MUD BATHS?

I'm relieved that this trip didn't set you back. I was worried but then again, you seem far more resilient than I. Welcome home tomorrow. I'll bet your own bed sounds so good right about now

Dale

sahuaro · #9 (**permalink**) 05-24-2009, 11:02 PM

Great news, Mark!

The knowing I was truly better came with the realization that I no longer was constantly thinking that I was tired of living in this body.

Please say more about the mud baths!!! There are wonderful world-class spas here in Tucson, so perhaps it's time for some R & R in the Wild West???