[ian]

Both Dr. Clavel and Dr. Bierstedt recommended ADR at L4/L5. I spoke with Dr. Clavel and liked him immediately. I haven't spoken with Dr Bierstedt yet, but his references online speak for themselves.

It seems I can't go wrong with either choice. I've been a risk taker my entire life, which is why my back is messed up in the first place. But I've never been so scared of anything as I am about back surgery. And selecting a doctor is turning out to be a brain-twisting decision.

Part of why this is such a difficult decision is that there are numerous things going on in my low back, DDD being one of them. And I'm unsure if the disc is the primary problem, or if the facet joints and stenosis are equally as responsible for my pain. But both doctors believe that replacing the disc will help. Not necessarily eliminate my pain completely, but it should make a big difference.

So at this point it's just a matter of pulling the trigger and scheduling the surgery. Damnit, this is a harder decision that I realized!