Best wishes,
I have a hard time saying good luck to patients of Dr. Biestedt because I believe the doctor does things so meticulously that luck is not a factor.
Make sure you check out all the great breakfast buffets the hotels have.
Again best wishes.

You are in good hands. I keep you in my thoughts. If you have any questions while you are there that you think I could help with feel free to contact me.

Hang in there Dave. We're all pulling for you. Just remember you have good support and are in good hands.

Thanks, all, for the encouragement. Had a bit of trouble sleeping last night. Tried some better living thru chemistry (Jet lag meet Ambien), which helped. I'll plan on posting more after I get settled in at the hospital.

It all feels a bit surreal. Makes you really appreciate how brave others who have gone down this path have been. All the stories and shared experiences in this community really do help take some of the mystery out of it and prepare you better for forging ahead with surgery in a foreign country. Not to mention all the folks who were willing to speak with me over the past few months, many of whom are on this site. I plan on posting throughout this process so others can benefit as much from this great resource as I have.

Day 4 Post Op
 

Hi Dave
Welcome to Germany! Thinking of you as you come up to the starting gate.

Had a bit of a pain filled night, and surrendered to a few extra doses of Ibuprofen which sorted it out enough to get some good rest. They give you your 'normal' pain medication (taken at 3 meals), and then you can ask for extra Dave and I think its well worth doing that - mostly so you can get good sleep (heals the body more than anything). For me I havent had to take sleeping pills yet, as long as I can control the pain.

Its now 4 days post OP, and I had a chat to the nurse about how the night pain is worse now than the first days. Its tricky because in between you might actually feel great! She said that an increase in the shoulder pain post OP at about 3-4th day was very normal I found that the Ibuprofen alone (600mg) was quite all that was needed. My aim is to keep it simple if possible. She gave me something else in a little cup earlier and it only lasted a few hours - but the Ibuprofen got me through from 10.30pm till 4.30am. Its quite tricky because you may really feel great in between. As mentioned yesterday I have an issue with breathlessness. The doctor this morning is going to give me one of those breath trainers. I did do some googling on this, and it seems it can be a post op problem for some. If the training does not help he will send me somewhere to check this. Stuff like this makes you really get the point about how important the week in hospital is. So much trauma (not just from the site surgery) but from the trauma of 'surgery' itself with pipes and things going where they havent gone before! :sulkoff:

I note also that it is now Monday, and I am really hoping that we get some more of that lovely physio massage. I have only had one so far (Friday), and a great big hot wrap around the shoulders.

Dave if you can get your partner to see where the pressure points are in the shoulders (you will feel it when you are on it) this is a huge help in post surgery days. I can reach some of them myself at a pinch - and it does help more than anything to press on these for a while.

Dont forget if you like fresh air, they can open the window in a way from the top so it does not let the rain in. This is vital for me, especially with the breathing thing. I rather have the fresh air and put an extra jumper on. Much healthier too.

Yesterday a remarkable act of kindness was bestowed upon me by one of the senior nurses. She brought in for me a whole heap of fruit, plain yoghurt and little healthy Gluten Free nibbles. This has saved my sanity.. Faith in human nature is reaffirmed by these sorts of gestures. A gift she said! And I felt so much happier. The cheese and stale bread (with a gerkin at night) meals twice a day are bordering on insane. Thanks to the gracioiusness of staff helping me to source a bit of fruit, I have not had trouble with bowels.

I just don't feel quite right about the walk to the shops on my own. When I went outside the other day my airways felt too raw and vulnerable, and its too dodgy without someone to help if it gets too hard (especially with breathing issues). If you do go out, cover your mouth with a scarf I think.

Ok back to watching the 50th episode of Rich Man Poor Man again...

Hi Heidi - I hope you are feeling great! Thanks for your kind words of encouragement and advice. Apologies for not getting back sooner, but the past few days have been a blur. It looks like I will be on track to got to Medicos this Monday. Will you still be there, or is that the day you fly home?

Best,
Dave

I am sending positive vibes for surgery.

When you have time and are feeling better, I would really appreciate your thoughts on the disc restorative solution by Dr. Derby. I have inquired with his office and I am unsure if it is really worth my travel and time. I already had a stem cell injection that was unsuccessful and was warned by Dr. Eek (co-worker of Derby) to not have it done. I did it anyway.

Thanks, jevenson. I saw both Dr. Derby and Dr. Eek several times for consultations and treatments. I'd be happy to talk with you -- can you pm me your phone # and I'll try to get in touch with you later this week after I get back to the US?

Hi Dave my name is Henry and I received Dr Bierstedt's intervention plan today. I should not be shocked but it is a 3 level ADR L3-S1. I have not signed off yet, not even sure if I can borrow enough to cover costs. While I am hopelessly depressed about my condition, I was still overwhelmed when I saw that it was for 3 levels. I have mild or minimum facet arthropathy at L3/4 & L5/S1 and just plain 'facet arthropathy' at L4/5. I had a huge ruptured disk at L4/L5 in 2001 and it was repaired with laminectomy. I have read on this site that patients with prior laminectomies often don't fare as well and it scares the hell out of me.

Hi Henry - if you haven't already, I'd set up a time to speak with Dr. Bierstedt about the diagnosis and treatment plan. During your call, you can ask him how come he recommends 3 levels, as well as how your prior laminectomies will affect your outcome. I'd also discuss with him the facet arthritis you mentioned. My consult with Dr. B went well -- he answered all of my questions and made me feel that I'd be in good hands if I went with him.

The other thing you may want to do if you haven't already is get a discogram. Discograms are controversial and are said to have a relatively high incidence of false positives... On the other hand, 3 levels is a lot and you want as much confidence as you can get that all 3 levels are pain generators before moving forward.