2-level cervical ADR with Dr Clavel in 2 days
 

Well, after everything I am finally here in Barcelona for my 2-level
cervical ADR (m-6 used in c3/4 and c4/5). I spent a few days in London "on holiday" before flying here, which was wonderful. Elaine & a taxi driver picked me up at the airport yesterday & took me to my hotel, The Mirror. It is very white & modern with lots of mirrors (not sure how much I'll like this after surgery!). Elaine is new to Dr Clavel but seems very nice. She sent me an email a few hours after dropping me off with a few restaurant suggestions and an offer of her tour services.

This morning I was picked up at the hotel by a taxi driver that Yolanda had arranged & he took me to Hospital Quiron for my pre-op. Yolanda is very nice. She efficiently brought me to a nurse who took my blood pressure & then gave me an EKG, then to a doctor who took my history & listened to my chest (yes, doctor, not nurse), then to radiology for chest X-rays, then to phlebotomy to get my blood drawn, and then finally to meet with Dr Clavel.

Dr Clavel is very calm & kind. Another doctor sat in with us as well, but Clavel himself will be doing the entire surgery. He checked my reflexes & my right side was indicative of nerve damage. He said that should all improve after the surgery, many things immediately, others will take a little longer. My biggest pain after will be my throat because of the surgery incision itself, and I may have some issues swallowing for a day or two after. Soft collar for 7-10 days to prevent any issues if I fall or get hit hard. Those are the major concerns for the next 2-3 months (falling & getting hit). I can use my neck & muscles right away, no restrictions. Amazing. Walking is very good, and they encourage me to walk around Barcelona as much as I am able.

Surgery is 1.5-2 hours, then 1-2 hours to recover from anesthesia, then to my room where my husband & I will stay until Sat am (he will have a bed). The hospital is new & modern and Yolanda said the nurses can accommodate my food preferences (I don't eat beef or pork). I have a feeling it will be very different than my US hospital experiences.

The taxi will pick us up at 7:15 am on Thursday & my surgery is right away that morning.

So that's the scoop. My husband is flying in from his Paris business trip tonight & I am going to head out to Las Ramblas now to eat & drink while I still can!

Amy

You'll do just great, Amy! Dr. Clavel is a real professional. I like him a lot. It will be exciting to get rid of that demon (nerve pain) won't it? Enjoy the city, it is very nice. Good luck and let us know how you are doing when you can.

~Buckeyeback

Your in great hands Amy...Estrallea and the rest of the nurses are great...stay ahead of the pain while at the hospital.....enjoy Barcelona while you are there, it is a great city....I'm trying to find an excuse to go back for my 1 year xrays :):).....go luck and wishing you a fast recovery!!!

Good luck. I hope all goes well.

Amy,

You're going to do great tomorrow!

Good luck, Jeff

12 hours until surgery!
 

Thanks all. I am a little nervous, anxious and excited to get this over & be out of pain. I will try to post in the next few days with an update. For those of you who have been to BCN, any restaurant or sight-seeing tips? We'll be here for a week after surgery & hopefully I'll be feeling well enough to get out & about. :)

Most of Antoni Gaudi's work is in Barcelona and we visited the bulk of it. Easily our favorite was Parc Guell where we spent two days just strolling the grounds. After that we most enjoyed his magnum opus, the Familia Sangrada cathedral; which is still under construction over 100 years after the foundation was laid. After that ... probably just strolling the city, enjoying the architecture and ambiance.

Above all I enjoyed being able to open doors again, unaided and without pain.

Good luck, Jeff

Amy,

You will do great!! I loved dr. Clavel and his staff. I had never had any kind of surgery before & the only other time in an hospital was to have a baby. I must say, I think the experience, the incredible care and the team Clavel has spoiled me, not sure how I will feel about being in an American hospital should the need arise. Both my husband & I were totally impressed - with everything!

It has been 11 weeks today since my 2 level ADR with Dr. Clavel - my neck is great, although there is som residual nerve pain which comes & goes. I am hopeful that with time that too shall go away. If I "over do it", I get achy, muscles & possibly tendons below my neck, but stretching & rest stops the aches & pains fairly quickly.

Going to Dr. Clavel, getting the M6 discs is one of the best decisions I've ever made! Ranks right up there with marrying the most wonderful man!!! :clap::clap:

Good luck and keep us posted!!

Complete Success
 

Hi Amy,
It's McJagger's wife, I just wanted to let you know that we hope you had great success today. James had his surgery on May 17th and we haven't looked back. It is truly a miracle and we hope & pray that Dr.Clavel has once again given another their life back. James was great when he first got out of surgery, you can search out his posts. The staff were so wonderful. I can't say enough great things about Dr. Clavel, Yolanda, Estrella .....I cried when we left the hospital. We hope to return soon to see everyone.

It truly is amazing how Dr. Clavel can put your mind at ease, before you know it, you'll be out enjoying the sights in Barcelona. We fell in love with the city. We met some other wonderful Americans while in hospital - we were in 501 at the end of the hall - truly felt like celebrities in the end suite...beside us was Steve (who had 3 levels done) & Sheila (an angel) then Mark & his beautiful wife Tamzin (sorry, I think I've spelled incorrect)... We all went to dinner at Cerveceria Cantalana address is Carrer de Mallorca, 236, 08008. Thanks to Mark for finding this place on Yelp. James & I went there again on our own. Food is so delicious and the price is great. The other place we enjoyed was Rias de Galicia - absolutely incredible meal. We went with the set menu & tried several things that we would not have if we didn't go with the set menu. Very tasty! Just a couple blocks from this restaurant is a fountain show. Very beautiful but if my memory serves me correctly - it is only on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturday....also near by is an old bull fighting arena that they made into a shopping mall.

We stayed at the Hilton by the beach. I travel a lot with my job so points came in handy. It is a great place for walking and there is a shopping mall across with a great Italian place called La Tagliatella. Tons of food - one entree can easily feed 2 and very economical. Also in the mall, there is a place called El campo, we called it Walmarto. Awesome price on food and the wine section was unbelievable.....I got lost in there. :jacks:

Park Guell was incredible.

Praying for a pleasant quick recovery from surgery! Like everyone says, take it nice & slow. James did and he's back to work healthy & pain free. :wiggle:
Be well,
Shirley

30 hours post-op and doing well!
 

Hi all,

It's about 30 hours post-op now and I am doing well with my two new biotic M-6s. Dr Clavel was able to remove the ossification as well as the damaged discs, so the surgery was a complete success! I can feel some relief in my right hand & arm but my neck & right shoulder is still sore. Apparently part of the neck soreness is muscle strain from how you are positioned during the surgery, so hopefully that will be gone by tomorrow. I've been trying to stay ahead of the pain, but some of the pain meds make me nauseous, so I've also had anti-nausea meds.

I am also in Room 501! Beautiful views of the Mediterrian out one window, and from the "living room" you can see a castle! Very cool. We haven't ventured out of the room yet, so haven't met any other patients. I did meet Estrella when we checked in yesterday am, but haven't seen her since. The nurses are all very kind. We had a translator last night named Marco, who was also very kind. It's uncomfortable to swallow, so I haven't eaten much, and the food they've offered is just like US hospital food, so I haven't really been tempted either.

Thank you for the suggestions on things to do this upcoming week. Cerveceria Cantalana is also on my list of restaurants! Glad to hear first-hand that it's good.

I haven't sen Dr Clavel yet today, but one if his associates stopped by earlier - I forget her name - and she said he'd be by this afternoon. He is a very kind man that calms & comforts me with his demeanor & skill. I really feel like this was the right decision!