[KFrey]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading posts for a while & I wanted to say hello. I was diagnosed with DDD about 9� years ago at which time I was told I was showing the "normal" DDD progress of a 65 year old. Only problem...I was 30 at the time! Up until Summer of 2003, I learned to deal with it through PT and NSAID's.

In November, 2001 I had a fusion using donor bone at C5/C6 due to an �extra large, left-side herniation of the disc between 5th & 6th vertebrae pressing on the neural foramen nerve and showing encroachment on the spinal cord." I finally had a fusion after spending 4 weeks sleeping in a recliner, not being able to use my left arm and walking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I woke up in recovery room PAIN FREE! Slept like a baby for the 2 days I was in the hospital � at least as much sleep as you can actually get in a hospital. Never looked back...no regrets...would do it again in a heartbeat. The only thing I notice to this day is that I get bad muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders when I'm stressed.

Fast forward to June, 2003. I was working outside, bent over to put something on the ground, something popped in my back and I couldn�t stand up. My then 11-year-old son and one of his friends had to help me walk 6' to a chair where I stayed until my husband got home 2 hours later. Over the next 9 months, I went through 3 MRI�s, several rounds of PT, epidural steriod injections, facet joint injections, massage therapy, and non-traditional therapy, all to no avail. Finally in March of 2004, my Neurologist referred me to pain management as he refused to do a fusion due to the fact that I was �only� 38 at the time. He felt it would limit my mobility too much and that I would most likely end up in more pain in the long run. He was a participant in the FDA trials for Cervical ADR and he felt I was an ideal candidate for Lumbar ADR once approved by the FDA.

In October of 2004, when the FDA approved Lumbar ADR, I immediately set the process rolling. In viewing the pictures from my discogram, both discs at L4-L5 & L5-S1 are pretty much gone, but my pain generator is L5-S1. L3-L4 looks good in height, but there is a slight bulge and small tear of the nucleus. So here I am, 4 days away from surgery. I am fortunate in that my insurance company has already approved the procedure and I got my approval letter within 1 week after they received the paperwork from my Neuro�s office.

I am going through a whole range of emotions right now as I am sure those of you that have had the surgery went through. I am ready for it to be done and over with so I can be on the road to recovery. In addition to working in my garden again, walking for more than � hour, going on trips, etc, I can honestly say I am looking forward to a time when I can clean my house without being miserable for the next 2 days.

Thanks for listening!

Karen