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-   -   Hello....another ProDisc c (https://www.adrsupport.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11158)

christinlal 06-11-2011 02:05 PM

Hello....another ProDisc c
 
story. I had the adr surgery on 09/30/2009 after 8 spinal edpidurals, 2 different attempts at pt, one call McKenzie (specifically for herniated discs), chiro - one swung my neck around and made my pain worse for a while there.

I could not stop the pain so I opted for the adr at C6/7 this was the worse level, and I begged not to be fused at C5. I am now hoping to have the proDisc revised, or replaced as it may have migrated.

I am in Florida and in misery. I have bcbs, any thoughts? And, thank you.

Harrison 06-11-2011 09:47 PM

Hi Christin, sorry for your pains. Please tell us (much) more about the diagnostics you had pre and post-operatively, including the report from the radiologist describing the placement of the artificial disc. When you can, please take the time to add a signature too.

I have many more questions for you about how your spine got to that point of requiring surgery, but I don't want to detract from your motivation to share more information. I am just trying to better understand your condition, which also helps other members here too.

:look:

Harrison 06-11-2011 09:55 PM

Wow, thx for fixing your signature! You've been through a lot. I hope we can help.

christinlal 06-13-2011 02:45 PM

Hi Harrison,
 
:angel:You have as well. As have we all.
I have a chance to see zeegers, and am in tears this has been my wish for a long time.

christinlal 06-26-2011 05:40 PM

Now
 
I know what is causing all this relentless pain since 09/30/09, my c6/7 prodisc is too far forward and the c5/6 is narrow and also will need an adr. I do not have the insurance prepayment okay to go overseas (big shock), and am going to beg and plead a US surgeon to fix this, I cannot imagine a 2 level fusion and a bone graph, that was the last US surgeon's suggestion.

I am currently in Tampa and I am running out of time....any suggestions, thoughts, or information is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Christine

Harrison 06-26-2011 08:09 PM

Woh, wait a minute: your disc replacement has subsided? How did you learn about this? Who did the surgery? Why did it subside? Can you tell us more information from your post-op visits and radiologist reports?

winecaptain 06-27-2011 10:33 AM

How was the diagnosis confirmed that your Prodisc-C had migrated forward? The only way that I know would be an A/P and Lateral Xray confirmation that was compared with the same X-rays when the disc was placed. What you would see at that point would be the CoCr plate of the disc sticking out in front of the spine. It is possible (and unfortunately a potential weakness of the keeled design) as the product is held in place by bony ingrowth to the superior and inferior aspect of the plate. The advantage of this is no screws, however the disadvantage appears to be that the device can "slide" in the keel space if one was jarred enough prior to it completely healing into place.

Rgardless, if you have x-ray confirmation, then I would agree that you may be looking at a revision. I recently had my Prodisc-C done at UCH Carrolwood with Dr. Billys (Florida Orthopaedic). I had several physician reviews of my MRI and all confirmed my C6-C7 herniation. However, I had three local Tampa Bay based opinions and 2 of three said ACF over ADR. I did some research with some local spine reps and was lead to Dr. Billys. He suggested ADR over ACF, based largely on my age and activity level. He has been nothing but professional and great to deal with. I am 3 weeks post-op today and am now in physical therapy 3x per week. I want to do everything that I can to avoid future issues and realize that this may seem like more of an agressive path this early, however as a medical device rep (non-spinal related) and former surgical rep, I tend to side with agressive therapy choices.

Since you make a comment about the Tampa area, I would suggest a visit to Dr. Billys (unless he is the one who did your original case and you want to look elsewhere). A local spine sales rep suggested to me that there is also a high volume ADR operator in Orlando, although I do not know the name off hand, maybe someone on this board can help. After a few visits with Dr. Billys, I felt comfortable with his knowlege and experience as an enroller in several ADR studies (even offering to assist with getting me into the Discover study, or a new disc on disc study). He has also spoken on ADRs and ADR/ACF combonation procedures (which may also be an option based on your symptoms, assuming you want BCBS to financially support the procedure) at regional spine meetings.

Regardless, I wish you all the best of luck with alleviating your pain and finding a suitable solution for you... Feel free to PM me if you wish.

christinlal 07-26-2011 12:55 PM

Dr. Zigler
 
I was able to get to Dallas, TX and meet with Dr. Zigler, thank God. He viewed all my mri's, xray's, ct scan, as well as ordered more tests to see what was going on.

I had a facet block and a discogram, my C5 and C4 are both bad and have to be replaced. I am thanking God I did not go through a revision on the Pro Disc at C6 as Dr. Zigler let me know it is not too far forward and the alignment is ok. I cannot believe how close I came to making a mistake.

Now, I am waiting for Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield to approve whatever Dr. Zigler orders and hope I will be able to have my surgery with him and get my life back.

jss 07-27-2011 08:56 AM

Christina,

Everything I've read about Dr Zigler suggests that if he says that the ProDisc-C is correctly placed, then it is correctly placed. As one of the lead investigators in the Systhes ProDisc-C IDE, he possibly has more experience with and knowledge of the ProDisc than any other surgeon in the US.

Did the discogram suggest that C4/5 and C5/6 were also generating pain? Or had they just started showing DDD? Were the facet blocks done because Dr Zigler believes that they are pain generators? Or were they diagnostic?

I suppose that Dr Zigler is going to your insurance company with a surgical prescription of multilevel ADR? If so, is he planning to use two more ProDisc's? NeoDisc?

Good luck, Jeff

JKDE302 07-27-2011 10:40 AM

Please post your xray pics...


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