New to site looking for information on ADR
 

Hello my name is Penny, I am 50 years old with a husband and daughter. Prior to my back issues starting in 2004 I was an avid hiker, potter and full time bookkeeper. Now 7 years later I move very little to avoid taking pain meds. After almost 2 years of being largely confined to bed and home I am ready to get back as close to normal as possible. I have been thru all treatments available and am seriously considering surgery for a 2 level disk replacement. I have talked to a Dr. here in the US about Charite but not sure that is the right choice and am also talking with people at Stenum in Germany. Does anyone have advice on where I should consider going for surgery and also what questions I should ask to make sure that when I do talk to Drs I am getting good honest information not just a sales pitch.

Thank you very much

Penny,

Sorry you are here, I hope we can help. I’ll respond to the Stenum issue by directing you to these topics:

http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/f51...m-et-al-11016/

http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/f49...utation-10308/

I’ve been moderating this site for seven years and have seen & personally experienced many ugly things with Stenum. I am still waiting for 60 Minutes to cover this story; I think it's only a matter of time.

Penny, I'm in a similar boat (age, area of problems). Sorry to find you floating with me! Sounds like you are having more problems with daily life than I do, so sorry about that too. Feel free to read through my blog listed below for my personal experience with choosing a surgeon. I have prices, things they said, links, etc. that might apply to you since we're both crummy lumbar people. It has taken me about 6 months to reach a decision, after my initial insurance denial that propelled me into really investigating other options. I have been actively pursing conservative treatments for about a year and a half, and am now scheduled for surgery in the fall with a surgeon I feel very good about. It's a long process if you want to feel educated and confident on this particular subject in this country. I am actually glad I didn't get approval for my local surgeon to perform the original Charite procedure due to his lack of experience. With his great reputation for other surgeries, I would have never questioned his abilities to perform ADR without the research I've done. I spent hours every day reading through this website and doing further internet research. I've only recently cut back on the time I spend (probably much to the liking of all the people I chronically replied to!)
Good luck with your process!

You found a great site for ADR and just check out the surgery section. I have not had disc replacement or surgery yet for that matter but saw you were checking over seas. You might check out Stockholm Spine Center.

The FDA here has only two disc approved which one of them your considering (Charite) and the other a Prodisc. There are several more currently being tested (Kineflex, Flexicore, etc) in the states and even some cutting edge technology that will actually repair the disc. Some of latest disc are actually approved for use in Europe but the FDA has not approved them.

The best thing to do, IMHO, is to research, research, and research. Learn all the acronyms and all the treatment options before making your decision. Would also get several opinions.