ADRSupport Community - Prepping for c5/c6 decompression

I have three M6-C's implanted by Dr. Clavel in May of 2016. Had x-rays done a few months ago. They haven't moved and look great. When I made my decision, the ESP was not on the market. I chose the M6 because of Dr. Clavel first and secondly because it is made out of titanium. My metal sensitivity blood test came back problematic for the Mobi-C. I also chose the M6 because it restricts movement more like our natural discs and that was a shortfall of the Mobi-C. I know patients who have had the Mobi-C implanted who did great and some not great and had to have them removed. In the end, there is always a gamble when we have neck surgery by any surgeon. Even the ones with the best track record have patients who have failed surgeries. I have learned after seven spine surgeries and having many friends now who are survivors of spine surgeries, that there are no guarantees, that you have to weigh the odds in your favor by first, picking a great surgeon you trust; secondly, the best device for you; and lastly, that the spine is far more complicated than we understand so, predicting someone's outcome is not possible. Age really comes into play regarding recovery. People in their 30's seem to have a higher success rate than those of us who had surgery in our 50's. I don't know where you would find these statistics. This is just what I have found with the people I have met along the way. Don't do it until the pain disrupts your life in a terrible way or you know you are at high risk of paralysis.

I still believe that Dr. Clavel has the highest probability of success based on the research I did at the time. Barcelona is also a lovely place to visit and recover if you have to endure a surgery. I felt so much better post op than I did when I arrived.

I agree with Cheryl. Once you get a fusion, there is no turning back. I know people who have gone that route and also had terrible outcomes only to have to go back under several more times. The body doesn't fuse all the time and sometimes the hardware creates new problems. One thing I think that has been proven is that fusion creates a higher risk of further degeneration of the adjacent discs.

I'm sure sorry you are where many of us have already been. It's very hard to live with cervical spine pain and it's also a hard decision to figure out. It took me about a year. Best of luck to you and I wish you the best outcome possible.

(Back off the board. I don't come here frequently anymore.)