Bokes
I am not a doctor, but the midline and anterior part of your disc still look fairly good, I would consider a partial micro discectomy. My husband had one and a coworker and they are both doing great!
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Cheryl I believe a micro discectomy is done when one has nerve compression from a herniation or bulge. I dont have that, instead I have annular tears which cause discogenic pain & frequent back spasms.
I did find a youtube clip about 'Transforaminal Discectomy' that is used for disc tears, but my doc said he thinks it's way too dangerous using lasers around nerves. I'm fed up with how poorly natural discs heal, if I'm going to take any risks, it will be for an ADR. |
True
That is how I feel about radio frequency ablation. The risk of permanent nerve damage and scar tissue
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Quality of Life
bokes; Your already going in the right direction looking at Euro doctors. Regardless of pain levels do you want to live the rest of your life with the quality of life you have now or take and chance (any surgery involves some risk) with a Euro who has done probably a few thousand ADR implants not only vastly improving your quality of life and actually getting your LIFE BACK , research it and GO FOR IT!
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disc
bokes ;
"The other option i'm considering is a Transforaminal Discectomy" , you mean a microdiscetomy? Thanks . |
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Above I should have called it 'Transforaminal Endoscopy'. Im not an expert but I think T.E. is like a swiss-army tool for surgeons. It's a hollow needle with a bunch of gizmos at the tip, like a camera (so the surgeon can watch on TV), a light, a laser, a vacuum, and a rinse feature. I believe when the surgeon uses the laser on this tool to remove herniated disc material, it's called 'Transforaminal Discectomy'. That's my understanding, feel free anyone to correct me on this. I think a microdiscectomy is the old-school method of treating herniations, using more traditional tools. My reason for mentioning this above, I saw one surgeon on youtube using the laser to cauterize the nerves on an annular tear, which is similar to the IDET I had done 20 years ago, which was partially successful. But I'm no longer considering this tho, as my doc said it's too risky for too little benefit, & I trust his judgment. |
Adr?
bokes ; I agree with annapurna's comment 100%
"There have been posters here who sought surgery due to a quality of life question when their pain wasn't serious. They didn't all regret it. Personally, I'd suggest investigating surgery now, while your pain is manageable, and learning what you need to know to balance how you see risks and how you'd make your decision". I have seen spectacular results here with Lumbar ADR done in Europe. Actually I think the answer is quite simple start consulting / research (euro) and DO IT. Unfortunately I don't believe I would be confident with any US doctors to do a 2-level ADR no matter what ANYBODY says. Good luck with the research / consults....................... |
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I'm quite certain I will have it done in Europe in a year or 2. |
Discs
bokes
"My reason for mentioning this above, I saw one surgeon on youtube using the laser to cauterize the nerves on an annular tear, which is similar to the IDET I had done 20 years ago, which was partially successful. But I'm no longer considering this tho, as my doc said it's too risky for too little benefit, & I trust his judgment". Has anyone mentioned a procedure to you called "radio frequency ablation" , it's for pain reduction. It uses radio waves (you could probably say heat) to I guess you would say to "burn" specific nerves causing pain. Efficacy / duration of pain relief / side effects I don't know. I haven't heard it used much on this forum. What discs have you considered , have you researched the LP-ESP? |
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Given the technology we're at now, Im only interested in the ESP & perhaps the Axiomed Freedom, but who knows when they'll be available again. |
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