Jarrod's surgical outcome in Barcelona!!

[dshobbies]

Jarrod,

What a fantastic recovery you're having. Good luck - keep it up but a word of warning. Please take it slow and don't rush it. I know you feel great but you still have a major surgery on your spine. Let it heal slowly.

And those little aches and pains from your nerves - will most likely subside over time, especially is you had them pre-surgery. Even if you're left with some residual numbness - it's better than pain.

Keep us posted and congrats, Dale

[mmglobal]

Jarrod... thanks so much for the updates. We look forward to your continued progress.

Isn't Barcelona great? I hope to meet Dr. Clavel some day... I'm sorry I didn't know about him when I was there earlier this year.

Did you get one of those bamboo whistles?

Mark

[Jarrod]

Mark,

Barcelona is amazing, so big and beautiful, you could stay a month and not see all it has to offer. By the way you were right c7/t1 was a hard one to get to, doc said once he got to it that the placement for the ADR went beautifully! Also emailed Dr. Clavel about some symptoms I was having 2 days ago, same type as pre surgery and he said that the nerves were irritated from the Forman being decompressed at c7/t1 and that usually takes 3 + months to calm down. He returned my email within 2 hours, I liked that alot. So thanks for the info.

Jarrod

[Jarrod]

Hello everyone,


Its been a while since i updated my post and recovery from my 3 level cervical ADR surgery in Barcelona, Spain with Dr. Clavel. I have had a roller coaster ride for recovery but things seem to be looking up.

To start Dr. Clavel is amazing and a very good surgeon with outstanding bedside manner. Also he has no problem responding to emails in a timely manner. As it stands now I have had spinal epidurals at levels c5/6, and c7/t1 with no improvement and also had an ulnar transposition surgery to move my ulnar nerve from behind the elbow. My hand dexterity is almost back to normal but yet my last three fingers still have numbness in varying degrees. This damn shoulder blade/ trap pain is still there but less intense as before. I noticed that it did not seem to matter what activities I did it would just come and go at will nothing really sets it off. I am back weight training but at a lesser degree than before. I do this because I dont hurt any more than just sitting around so why not be active.

My back ache pain has taken me to Dr. Robert Thompson (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Specialist) to see if maybe my pain is due to my bracial plexus being impinged. He thinks that I have TOS and would like to operate when I am ready. Just not sure if I can do another surgery yet. Also I am going to St. Petersburg Fl. in August to get an MRI neurography scan of the nerves that make up the plexus to see where the impingement is before I commit to surgery.

Overall I am doing ok but life is different and i try not to get discouraged and keep trudging along until I find my pain culprit. I also must mention that I had a myleo ct done and everything looked ok, a little foraminal narrowing at c5/6 and c6/7 but nothing for alarm. C7/t1 looks great. I still feel very blessed to come out of a major surgery and live a somewhat normal life, but will never give up trying to get pain free.

Sorry for the delay in posting, but I had to get through the negative part of recovery before I could give any real advice. The United States is so far behind in terms of real patient care and the insurance and political bs is really holding up progress in our Great country. I have the spinal kinetics m6c which is made in CAliforina but not fda approved. It is the most widely implanted disc in Europe as we speak. Anyway i wish everyone I great and quick recovery. God Bless.

Sincerly, Jarrod

[Maria]

Thanks Jarrod for the update and glad to hear that you're doing better. It is sad to read that one has to go out of the country for cutting edge technology to be obtained. I agree re the insurance/politics type of stuff that goes on in US and it's just disgusting really.

Back to you~ hope you continue to heal and do well. If more surgery is in your future I only hope if and when you undertake it relief and success will be yours.

take care~ Maria

[jsewell]

Jarrod,
I'm glad you got over the bad or hard part of recovery. I agree i would and don't ever stop until i have found all pain generators. I don't know much about TOS but will look it up to be more informed . Keep us posted on your progress.
judy

[mmglobal]

Jarrod, I have a client you should talk to. She has been through the mill diagnosing problems that may be cervical, TOS or others. She had some procedures aimed at TOS that were unsuccessful. Contact me off the forum and I'll put you in touch with her.

TOS is one of those specialties in which the doctors who embrace and treat the diagnosis may have a tendancy to overdiagnose what they are looking for. Be careful.

For most of us, pain free is not a possiblity... once we get a significant distance down the road of spine procedures and surgeries; putting us back together in a pain free state is for a lucky, small percentage of us. That does not mean to stop trying... just beware. You don't do surgery to go from a pain level of 2 or 3 to zero. A pain level of 2, 3 or 4 would be considered success AFTER surgery.

All the best,

Mark