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Old 12-12-2018, 06:31 PM
Tom B. Tom B. is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 29
Default Two Years, Eight Months Since 3-Level ProDisc-L

Here’s an update -

It’s been two years and eight months since my 3-level ProDisc-L surgery by Dr. Bertagnoli. I’m still doing great. I still have the partial numbness that I had in the front of my left leg before the surgery, but continue to work full time as an airline pilot.

I did sprain my left ankle twice while recovering from the spine surgery. I stepped wrong (fell) off a chair, then later missed the last step of our staircase in the dark. My physical therapist tried to address the sprain, but I ended up having ankle surgery in 2017 - same leg as the spine symptoms - OMG! The surgeon said a bone had chipped off. So, I now have artificial ligaments in my left ankle - I’m nearly bionic now.

Back to the ADR recovery, I had my two-year follow-up earlier this year with Dr. Gill at UTSW and sent the X-rays to Germany as usual. Both doctors said everything looks good. My range of motion is normal. I don’t have any instability or pain other than after sitting for a couple of hours, which I think is really my butt hurting and is normal.

Some lingering achiness in my ankle bothers me more than my back does. The numbness down the front of my leg is sometimes annoying if I’m not wearing shorts. But none of this reflects on the success of the ADR surgery.

One thing I can say for sure about recovery from surgery, though - the physical and emotional turmoil of pain medication withdrawal makes me not ever want to need it again. I never abused it and stopped when I didn’t think I needed it, but the following few months were not nice - another topic for another thread.
__________________
2002 - leg symptoms after ice skating lessons
2005 - DDD diagnosis - mainly at L3 - S1 (L1/2 not good either)
X-rays, 2 MRIs, EMG, mylegram/CT scan, discogram/CT scan, 2nd discogram
3 ESIs, nerve root injection, PT, chiropractic, SED at L5/S1 - qualified success
February 9, 1016 - stood up from chair - left leg and pelvis numbness and tingling, moderate lumbar pain
X-rays, MRI, CT scan, discogram/CT scan, mylegram/CT scan
ESI
April 26, 2016 - L3 - S1 3-level ProDisc-L
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