New Procedure Proposed - thoughts please ASAP

[N2Fun]

Dear all,
I have been told by multiple spine surgeons that I am a great ADR candidate at L5-S1. One of the surgeons stated that he had a new procedure that he would try first as I have just enough disc left that if I could control my pain I could be active again for many years (and be able to sit again). He said this was advisable as it is a small outpatient procedure and would give me one more option before having anything artificial in my back.

Essentially this is a new and better form of IDET that is likely more successful and a much easier recovery. I'll try to explain more later, but please read on.

The best case scenario is that I am pain free (or close) for many many years and as active as ever. The worst case is that I am still able to have ADR in 4-6 months and burn no surgical bridges.

Thus, my questions are 1) does anyone now how quickly one can have ADR after an IDET procedure or any nerve heating procedure, and 2) does an unsuccessful IDET reduce the chances of ADR being successful?

Again, the procedure is NOT IDET, but something new and better, still it is a good basis for asking the questions I have above.

Final thought, assuming one is able to control the pain of a degenerated and herniated disc, does living and being active on that disc put the other levels at more risk than having the bad disc removed?

I sincerely appreciate all thoughts and advice as I have to make some decisions VERY SOON.

Best to everyone,

[Terry]

I ruptured many discs over a 20 + year period of time. Short of one surgery in 95 to remove some bone spurs I lived normally and very active prior to my accident that occurred in 2004 that caused the ADR surgery in 2006. Many people never need surgical intervention just because they've ruptured a disc. Your pain level will tell you when enough is enough.

Terry Newton

[Cirobi]

I don't know much, if anything, about the procedure you mention, but I'd say that deciding to go with it would likely depend on how frustrated you are with the current situation. My docs mentioned some heat wire procedure (perhaps it's the same that you're mentioning here) but that it was too experimental yet and would be very costly as my insurance would not cover it. I know that I'm frustrated enough with my own pain and attempts to manage that pain, that going with ADR surgery was a fairly easy decision.

Hopefully someone has some feedback on recovery and the time frame questions you have on this newer procedure. I'll definitely be interested to read about what others may already know about this new thing.

~Sara

[ans]

You should know the name and short/longer-term results from here or the literature IMO. Is it nucleoplasty? I'd wonder about the possibility of scar tissue and what this means clinically. I know you're young/in your prime, and want things fixed but please be careful. At your age, I too was athletic and missing 14 days from a knee surgery made me crazy.

Good luck,

ans

[ERvet]

[Essentially this is a new and better form of IDET that is likely more successful and a much easier recovery.quote]

Is it possible this procedure is called biacuplasty? I just heard about this today, after and ESI while awaiting some sort of insurance reply regarding disc arthroplasty. I've just come from a web site that talks about it.....transdiscal.com I need to know more, as this web site is obviously rah rah promoting it, but my pain doc talked about it today as a potentially longer term solution to the pain. Reading some of the patient exclusions, not sure I totally qualify,need to clarify this with him. Still wavering on the disc arthroplasty......am in THAT much pain? to put myself through a surgery of that magnitude? I don't know. Had a bad/long shift in my ER last week, and was in a large amount of pain when i got home. But after 19 hours of intense veterinary ER stuff, not that surprising. But summer ain't here yet, there is likely to be more of the same. So, here I sit and waver, getting facial flushing from the dang ESI (happens every time; face gets red as a beet! happened a week ago when I had my shoulder injected. Another story, another time. Sorry to ramble, I saw this post, and though I might have the name of the procedure. Not even sure I do. Also not sure I did the "quote" thing correctly!! TaTa. CiaoReply[/quote]