Hello everyone, I found out today my insurance company will cover the surgery. My insurance company is Primary Physician Care out of Charlotte, NC and is in the Crescent Network. I am happy about it but it is bittersweet as I am nervous about the surgery,naturally.

My neurosurgeon will be Dr. Jon
Silver of Mountain Neurological here in Asheville, North Carolina. This will be his first Charite surgery due to the insurance companies not covering it. He has been highly recommended to me and I have full confidence in him. I would prefer an experienced surgeon, but we're in new territory.

I am 41 and was, very active, scuba diver, tennis, etc. I just don't know what to expect. How long of a recovery, realistically? 2 months. I just wonder what I will feel like after recovery. Will I play tennis again? Scuba dive? I do appreciate this website; it is this website that made my decision to do it.

Kim, welcome! And thanks for sharing this information. Recoveries are as varied as the patients and their unique conditions. Most do pretty well, but still need at least a few months to get their bearings and find their stamina.

You can check the new (beta) post-op forum, and also see some other patient stories here, including mine.

Congrats!

Thanks so much for your reply Harrison! I will review the recovery stories. Kim

Great news Kim! Keep us updated on your progress. A link to "My ADR Story" is in my signature--hopefully it will shed some light on recovery.

Justin

Hi Kim,
at this point in time you really need to be looking in the FAQs for pre-and post-surgical help and hints and tips.

Recoveries are varied but if you take six months as a good minimum to be really back and doing things properly then that's a good benchmark to have.
Best,
Alastair http://adrsupport.org/groupee_common...icon_smile.gif

Kim,
Many people have had great success with the charite. I will soon find out if I will too. From the looks of it, I'm confident I will. I wish you the best.

Hi Kim.

Congrats on your big decision and your insurance following in suit. I am 4 weeks pos-op and you can read about my experience in the post-op forum. I am trying to keep a good update as things progress.

I too am 41 and very active and hope to have a recovery that allows my to get back to my active live again, skiing, mt biking and life as a PE teacher of course in reason. I never what to go through this again I�m sure you understand what I mean.

Welcome Kim,

It's good to see that you are benefitting from this forum. I underwent Charite ADR for my L5/SI on 7/18/05. I am thrilled with my results so far and believe that things will only get better. If you read many members stories, you will find that a majority of us were and are very active individuals. At 8 weeks post-op I am now speed walking 3 miles 2-3 times per week and ride my indoor spin bike for 20-30 minutes 3 times per week. At 3 weeks post-op I began water therapy and it felt amazing.

One the best things that you can do prior to your ADR is to be as healthy as possible - this includes your mental and emotional state. If you becomes nervous, anxious, or frustrated practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, or music therapy. Learning how to concsiously relax will aide in your preparation for surgery.

Thanks to all of you who replied and/or sent emails to me wishing me luck and offering advice.
I received an email tonight from Mark *******, founder of Global Patient Network and a Charite recipient. He is concerned that I will be the 'first' Charite surgery for my surgeon. I plan to call Mark this weekend to discuss this with him. He commented that most problems arise from 'learning' curves. Has anyone out there been the first patient for a Doctor? I believe Laura was in a study group and was. As my surgeon and I discussed via phone today, we are in new territory and he will have a Charite rep and another surgeon with him during the procedure. I suppose it comes down to a leap of faith, but I am taking Mark's email seriously and appreciate his comments. I would much prefer to travel for an experienced Doctor but expense and insurance would not cover out of network care. Best to all!

Kim,

I was concerned about you being any surgeon's "first" when I read your posts.

I admit that's based on my own personal concerns, after having been accepted as a 3-level ADR patient, but then not getting any answers to my questions about the surgeons' experience, patients' prognoses, complications, etc. I was SO confused about my choices because I could see so few.

I'm sure you'll be happy that you found yourself "here" and talked with Mark. Your local surgeon may be a fine choice in the end (and I admire your doc for being honest!), but with Mark's help and the vast info available in this forum you'll know you've made your ultimate decision based on all the choices available.

I feel as though finding this site kept me from making a potentially risky decision (at best), not realizing that there were other options. I hope you'll be as happy to have found yourself here, no matter what you choose.

Very best wishes, from one newbie to another http://adrsupport.org/groupee_common...icon_smile.gif ,
Jenn