New ADR Candidate

[jfg2009]

Just stumbled upon this site the other day. I was wondering if anyone knows the work of the Los Angeles Spine Institute, Dr. Hyun Bae and Dr. Rick Delamarter. They have performed many replacements.

I am a candidate for a new study comparing the Prodisc with Freedom Disc and I was wondering what your thoughts might be about it. I injured my back in 2003 and have had chronic pain since then.

I am 44, have degenerative disc disease, herniated L5-S1 (classic case) SI joints, constant muscle spasms and pain. I am constantly fatigued, have difficulty sleeping, etc. If I spend extended time sitting or standing, I have significant pain.

I have tried all non-invasive procedures, including chiropractic, accupuncture, massage, disc radiofrequency, botox shots to muscles, etc. I have tried everything but surgery (out of fear) and hope that a replacement might relieve the chronic pain without the complications of fusion.

My biggest concern is that the surgery won't improve my condition or cause other problems and pain. With the list of risks, I get a bit anxious and wonder if I should just continue to live in constant pain and exhaustion.

Thanks.

Steve

[jchebert1979]

You have come to the right place for information. I have no experience with lumbar issues but have many cervical and thoracic. If I were in your position (provided you are a true candidate for ADR) I would proceed with the surgery. The main argument with ADR is nobody knows what the long term outlook is. Well, to that argument I say if need be it can be taken out later. A fusion cannot be undone.

Of course you will need to do much much more research to determine if the decision is right for you, but you are on the right track.

[billyboy710]

Steve,

Welcome to the site. I just recently had a Prodics L implanted in my L5-S1 and I did some serious research before making the decision to go through with it. This site helped me a lot as there is a lot of wisdom and experience that the members can pass on. Your back symptoms sound a lot like mine were. I remember talking to someone who had a ADR in the same level over a year ago and he said two things to me that I thought was very good advice: 1) make sure that you determine as much as possible that your pain is caused by that particular disc and not anywhere else "Be a perfect candidate" and 2) make sure you find an excellent surgeon who has lots of experience in ADR. I've certainly heard Dr. Delamarter's name often and have read about him so I think you're fine there. My neurosurgeon also reiterated that if there are any other possible pain generators besides the disc, ADR isn't for me. Once he determined that I was a good candidate, no "perfect candidate" in his words, we then decided to move forward. I can tell you that it was the best decision I've ever made regarding my back. I'm blessed to write that at 8 wks post-op i'm totally pain free and back to doing things I haven't done in 3 yrs (working out and even jogging). Everyone heals and recovers differently and you will certainly read about other members who are not doing so well. Research and talk with your doctor to make sure you're a perfect candidate before proceeding. I can tell you that if it is right for you, the results could be great!!! The guy who gave me the great advice is a Special Forces Airborne Ranger who at a year and a half is totally pain free and doing great. ADR works for the "right" person. Just do your due diligence to make sure that it's for you.

[jfg2009]

I appreciate the quick responses. I am seeing Dr. Bae tomorrow to discuss the ADR study. If you think there are any specific questions I MUST raise with him, please let me know. There is so much information on this site, that all of it seems important to me.

Thanks so much!

Steve

[jfg2009]

Thanks so much for your response. What kind of research did you do? What do you think are the most important questions to ask? I am seeing the surgeon tomorrow. Also, how long did it take for you to recover from the surgery itself? What was the surgery like for you? Most of my pain and exhaustion comes from the constant muscle spasms in the low back and butt. I also get sciatica going down my leg at times, but not all of the time. I appreciate your input. Thanks.

[tooyoungforthis]

Hey Steve welcome to the site!

I just wanted to welcome you and let you know that I am 6 days post op from the same trial running in Texas. It was between the Freedom Lumbar disc and the Prodisc. I received the Prodisc at L5-S1. Day 3 post op I walked a mile. I have been doing really well so far. There has been a few bad days, but good days too. This site is wonderful for information, encouragement, ideas, advise and lots of knowledge. Take the time to dive in here! Have you had a discogram to confirm your pain generator?

Just a note on the trial- there are a handful of people that have been included in that type of trial and that have received both types of discs. Look around!

Again.. Welcome!

Beth

[jfg2009]

We have similar injury and treatments. I did have a discogram last year before I entered the OB-1 study, which is cellular regeneration therapy. Apparently I received the placebo since my back has gotten worse, not better. What would you say have been the pros and cons of your surgery? What questions would you ask today that you didn't before? I am seeing Dr. Bae tomorrow. He is a very respected surgeon, so I'm not worried about that. I am concerned about the recovery process and going through the surgery itself.

Thanks so much for your input!

[Amapola]

Steve,

You've heard from a few people who have had successes, but it's probably important that you hear from someone who is unsuccessful. You can read my story in the Outcome Forum, but in a nutshell, I was an absolutely "perfect candidate" for ADR. I had a Prodisc installed at L5-S1 four months ago and I am not doing well. My pain is the same, if not a bit worse than it was pre-op. The source of my pain is still a mystery and I am now subject to a battery of tests and procedures to find the source.

If I were to do it all over again, I would not have rushed into the surgery. I would have done every single diagnostic test to determine that L5-S1 was my only source of pain, even when it appeared very obvious that was my only problem. I would have facet and SI joint injections, I would have discograms on adjacent discs and I would have a metal allergy test before jumping into surgery.

Perhaps mine is just a flukey case and for some reason, my body is rejecting the artificial disc. But please be aware that revision surgery at L5-S1 is very, very dangerous. If I had researched all the risks prior to my surgery, I really might have opted for fusion instead. I am now possibly faced with revision which either entails that I fuse over the disc, in which micro movement is still possible and full pain relief is very unlikely. Or they can attempt to remove the disc. I was told at L5-S1 it is very, very risky to do so, as the blood vessels may have wrapped around the disc and if they were to cut one, I could bleed to death.

I don't mean to scare you off and certainly many people have had great success with this surgery, but it is really important to take your time and do ALL the research. I wish you the best of luck!

[tooyoungforthis]

Steve,

The hard part about the surgery is that everyone's body is so different, and reacts differently. I am pretty young to have gone through it all, but I think so far it has been to my advantage. I can only tell you my experience. I had to do something. HAD TO. I was at the point where something had to change. It was effecting my life so much, and it had happened over time so I really didn't realize all of it until I sat down and wrote a list of how my pain had taken over my life. I am only 6 days out so I can say so far I am happy that I did it. I had really bad spasms that were like lightning strikes in my butt cheeks that shot down both my legs like knives. Since surgery all my "regular" or old pain is gone 100%. I am left with surgical pain, healing pains and some new spasms up my back on occasion. As of now, I would do it all over again if I had to.

The thing of it is that I did a lot of research and had formed a lot of questions. In fact my doctor laughed at some saying he had never been asked my kind of questions before. But I am somewhat of an information whore. I needed to be fully aware. There were no questions unanswered for me. I had extra appointments after diving into this site just for more questions. I went into surgery knowing that it could get worse, it could get better, or on average I would have 50% pain loss. It was worth it for me, for I was at wits end.

What did your discogram show? Have you had any ESI? Did they help? I am sorry that the regeneration has not worked for you.

What is best for you.. only you can say. Research, take your time and make sure you know for sure.

[billyboy710]

Steve,

My surgery was about 2 hrs in length. My NS said that my L5-S1 vertebrae were very close together and there wasn't much disc left. He almost had to fuse because he wasn't sure he could separate the vertebrae enough to get the artificial one in. Thank God he did. Once I woke up from surgery, my back pain was gone and has been gone ever since. The stomach incision hurts and you feel every move you make for the first 3-4 days. Even though it was uncomfortable and I didn't really feel like doing it, I walked the hospital halls as much as possible as recommended by my Doc. I had pain from my incision for about six days and then I really wasn't bothered by it much anymore. I took pain meds for those first six days and then quit taking them. I took one muscle relaxer at night before bed to help me sleep and to calm. I stayed two nights in the hospital. I couldn't eat solid foods or be discharged until I passed gas. That didn't happen until 3 a.m. the second night. I was never so happy to fart in my life.

All in all, my recovery was pretty easy. I wasn't allowed to bend, twist or lift anything for the first four weeks and that was tough because my back felt better than it had in years. I did lots and lots of walking during my recovery at home. I got cleared to go back to work at 6 weeks with no restrictions and have been working out and doing a bit of jogging. I would ask your Doc what he thinks about the results of your discogram. Did it show any signs of multiple pain generators or was it just your one disc?? Ask your doctor if he thinks there could be any other cause of your sciatica other than the disc herniation. Does the MRI show much disc space between vertebrae?? How badly is your disc degenerated?? Mine was basically black on the MRI and flat as a pancake.

From my experience and research, sometimes if you have decent disc height and it is not degenerated too much, maybe a micro-discectomy could solve your sciatic/back problems and you might not need ADR. I had a micro-discectomy and it took away my sciatic pain but unfortunately the orthopedic that I was going to at the time failed to mention that my disc was pretty much gone and that procedure was a waste of time for me. My NS had to break that news to me. These are some of the questions that I would ask your Doc so you can make an informed decision. One question to ask yourself: I'm 44 yrs old. Can I live with the pain and exhaustion and still have a decent quality of life or is my quality of life suffereing so much that doing nothing is not an option?? For me, the answer was simple. I'm 40 yrs old and I'm too young to be hampered by pain. If there is an answer to my problem and my surgeon feels there is a great chance to solve it, the benefits outweigh the risks.

Hope this helped a bit. Keep us posted.