pain free, at last

[decker]

Dear Friends,

I wanted to share my story with the folks on this board on the chance that it might help somebody. I have been totally pain free for quite a few months now. I now ride a bicycle intensively three days a week and do core strengthening exercises on the alternate days. I also stretch every day. I have no physical limitations anymore. As I type these words, I realize what a miracle this is.

There may be a few folks on this board who remember me. I started posting about a year and a half ago. I will spare you the long tortuous story, but the gist of it is that I lost three years of my life from back pain, diagnosed DDD at L5/S1. The X-ray�s and MRI�s show almost bone-on-bone. After a great deal of soul searching, exchanging messages on this board, and discussing the situation with many famous doctors (including the famous Santa Monica and Encinitas docs), I had made up my mind to get ADR from Dr. Bertagnoli in Germany. I had a September 20, 2004 surgical date. I had purchased Luftansa tickets to Munich. I was at peace with my decision and plan.

Everything changed when I went in for a pre-operative bone density scan (at the request of Dr. F-M). It turned that I have osteoporosis! I was totally devastated. Dr. F-M told me that the surgery was still an option with bone cement, and encouraged keeping the date. However, I also consulted other U.S. orthopedic surgeons who do not perform ADR, who thought going through the surgery was a bad idea with the osteo. The head of orthopedics at UCSD gave it to me straight. He said that, for back pain, fusion surgery or ADR can make 70% if the patients can be made 70% better, provided the patients are carefully selected, and you can end up a lot worse. Further, you only get one shot at it because the surgery causes you blood vessels to scar over, and going in again is a very bad idea.

Having made the decision not to have surgery, I focused on alternative strategies to getting well. Here is what worked:
1. I prayed � a lot
2. I was patient. Not necessarily of my own will, but because I had no choice. Healing takes a long time. Pro athletes sometimes take a whole season to recover from bone/ligament injuries. I mentally geared up for healing to take a whole year
3. I found an excellent personal trainer and began a core strengthening program. The program I used was one developed by Paul Chek http://www.chekinstitute.com/. Practitioners this form of strength training can be found thorough Southern California. My trainer took many many months building my strength. Right now I can �sumo dead lift� with a barbell loaded with 115 lbs 12 times for 3 sets. I also do �bent-over rows�. I never imagined being able to do these things.
4. I found a good massage therapist who worked the ligament structure in my back and ham strings. He also taught me how to stretch properly, and half our sessions are spent stretching. As with the strength training, advancing flexibility is done extremely slowly.
5. I had weekly sessions with a chiropractor for about 2 months, then cut back to twice a month, and now I go once a month.

I realize now what a blessing it was to have my surgery aborted based upon the discovery of osteoporosis (which is reversing with fosamax, calcium and vitamin D). It is now a little over a year since my aborted surgical date, and I am completely pain free and fully engaged in physical activities. I am grateful for all my blessings and hope this post helps somebody else.

Best,

Decker

[luvmysibe]

Decker,
Congratulations on your healing! I am happy to be regaining lost aspects of my life as well. Hopefully, you will be pain free from here on out.

[Alastair]

Hi Dave,
well thank you for coming back and telling us your story which I'm sure is of great interest to everybody. ADR is very much a last resort and as you put in your posting revision surgery is a very bad idea. I hope you continue to make really good progress and do keep looking in on us from time to time even though you're 100% better and keep us advised of any further progress
Best wishes,
Alastair

[Harrison]

Dave, you post is so heartfelt and so helpful! Thanks for sharing this, as many will benefit by learning of your experience!

Congrats and good health.

Dave,

Congradulations on taking control and finding your own path to a pain free life again. You are proof that re-training the body is a viable option and surgery should be a last resort. Hopfuly your sucesses will continue and you will never have to think of ADR or back pain again.

Take care,

Pat

Hi Decker,
Yours is an amazing story. Have you had x-rays or an MRI to see if there are physical changes in your disc? How did stretching and core strengthening make your nearly bone on bone disc stop causing pain? I admire you for your patience and persistence. Hooray for you!

[mmglobal]

Dave... great news!!! This is the best kind of result possible... relief without surgery.

Thanks for posting... Here's to your continued success!!!

Mark

[go*big*red]

Thank you for sharing. Was this the first time you tried such a program? Have you ever tried the MedX machine? I'm thinking about giving it another shot while waiting on approval for ADR along with some other things.

Same basic premise - core strenghening. Good for you, Decker. Here's to a pain free life full of all the fun things you thought you wouldn't be able to do.

[mmglobal]

MrBee's problem started on a Med-Ex machine. It does a great job at isolating muscles, but it can be very extreme. Used improperly, it is downright dangerous.

I started rehab after my ADR surgery with Med-Ex. After a few weeks, I became very worried at the extreme loads placed just starting and stopping the workout.

I'm not saying don't use it... I'm just saying to be very cautious.

Mark

[go*big*red]

Thank you, Mark. I will definately be cautious and will talk to my surgeon tomorrow about it. They can be zealous, huh?