[dorian]

Hello All,

I am a 44 year old male been suffering from DDD for about 13 years now. Used to be an very active sports person, playing racket sports daily, gym, swimming, runner, golf, hockey and the list goes on.

13 years ago I started to get tightened back after sports and would need to walk and stretch the next day. Saw many doctors in Canada at the time all telling me my discs were failing and to do stuff like physio, Chiropractic and so forth.

I have spent years strengthening the core, trying to keep off it and eventually gave up most sports except controlled movements like some weightlighting(nothing involving back or legs to much so stuff like deadlifts etc are not even considered), swimming and walking.

It has got worse every year and this year I really have had about about enough. Things I can't do anymore.

1. Can't sit, I never sit anymore unless I have too, have good days and bad days but usually can't sit more then 20 minutes to 2 hours, doing so causes my lower back to get super tight and I get a lumbar lateral shift where my body is shifted to the side, to remove it I have to walk and swim to straighten back out, it can be painful a lot while other times just a little painful, one thing for certain is daily I have some pain all the time. Sitting on the toilet is the worse, I actually got to sit on an angle

2. I can't do anything that involves to much twisting, bending down, putting on shows and socks are brutal, have to get on the floor to do it, often that motion of bringing my feet towards me can blow my back instantly, that is why all sports are out now, same problems as above
3. I sleep on the floor now for the last two years, I have to sleep on side or my back, stomach is not an option. I can't sleep on a mattress anymore, even the hard ones are still not hard enough to not wake up with the pain and the lateral lumbar shift
4. I feel like I am going to snap in two almost all day, going to the movies, dinner, gettign on airplanes all that stuff so difficult

It is very frustrating for me as I am very sports minded, in pretty good shape considering my disabilities and am depressed about it a lot.

I have seen many specialists and they all say I am lucky and unlucky. Unlucky to have such crappy discs at my age but also lucky the discs presently are not pressing into my nerves etc. I have issues with L4-5 L5-S1 and L3-4 everything else is in good shape. Doctors I have talked to are mostly fusion doctors and have all told me to keep on doing what I am doing, stretching, walking, swimming being careful and in 10 years when my discs are completely terrible or if I wake up one day screaming in pain then I will be a fusion candidate, but they all tell me it is coming.

I am the poster boy for trying to take care of my back but every year it gets worse and I am tired of living like this. I decided to check out Artifical Disc Replacment as most of the fusion doctors mention it as an option but tell me not such a great idea, well I decided to do my own research and though it is somewhat scary it seems like a possible solution for me.

I been in touch with Dr Clavel in Spain, he thinks I am a great candidate for three level ADR and I am seriously considering it. I plan to get the melissa test in August to check for metal allegeries and if all checks out I am seriously considering going under the knife and getting these replacements.

I hope this forum can offer me advice and help connect me with those that might have experience in ADR and how it worked out for them. I am kind of at the point of how can the surgery be worse then I am now, perhaps it would be worse, perhaps it will be the best decision I ever made.

Thanks all for those that read my story, I could talk about it for hours but this is the shorten version

My whole life revolves around my back I have to walk 60 minutes once or twice a day and swim, every single day, that keeps me somewhat straight and less pain, brings me to about 50% of my back. Even if I miss just one day, like a day where I want to be lazy and not exercise my back quickly falls apart which pain, tightness and shifts..