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Old 06-03-2015, 04:16 PM
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Cynlite Cynlite is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 666
Red face Keep the suggestions coming!

Brandis, thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and condolences. I will keep in mind the manufacturer and appreciate you sharing your conversation with them. I don't have it in me right now to bring in another party as I'm having a hard time juggling what I have on my plate already. I won't forget your suggestion though! It is a good one

I think every difficult challenge I have dealt with in my life has been preparing me for this extremely difficult period. I have great strength and yet feel pretty overwhelmed right now. I am searching for a grief counselor that is up for the challenge. I'm hoping to get a call back today from one that I think will be able to help me decompress some of these feelings and help me get through this period. It's a sad time.

My case is extremely complex which is one of the reasons Dr. Zeegers is taking so long to help me figure out what to do and the reason I went outside the country for help. To put it simply, there is concern about the structure of one of my discs. If it is not "bone" and solid, then a fusion or an ADR could cause further damage if the disc broke apart. It's also possible I may still have a low grade infection in my neck from my prior surgeries. I'm trying to get the tests done to determine what I'm dealing with and it's hard since I don't have a competent surgeon in the U.S. to help me navigate through the problem and get my insurance to cover the tests. Only Dr. Zeegers has brought this issue to my attention! The doctors I have seen in the U.S. take 15 minutes to look at the films and then give me an answer of live with it or they will fuse but, promise no good results. It's just really pathetic. My pain specialist seems to think that if I exercise more (keep in mind that walking causes significant pain) then that will fix everything. I stretch, do light weights and walk a little everyday but, I'm pretty deconditioned because of my limitations. I would like nothing better than to do some kick butt cardio again! I feel like I'm the only sane person in a room full of idiots sometimes.

If I have to pay out of pocket for surgery, then I'll go to Europe where they have better tools and experience to deal with my situation. This is not to say all the surgeons in Europe are better than the U.S. There are definitely some good ones here, I just can't get access to them easily without the cooperation of my insurance company. Healthcare in this country it so unpredictable....they could run up a bill over $100 K quite easily so, moving forward without the insurance company on board is a crap shoot financially speaking.

Any one of us can find a line of surgeons in the U.S. willing to operate on us, but that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. I've read about 75% of the Post Surgery Forum and spoken to many people who have been down this road. I have a pretty good understanding of the risks I'm up against and don't want to make my life more miserable than it already is right now. Many say "Slow and steady wins the race!" It truly applies when planning spinal surgery and afterwards!
__________________
2006: epidural shots did nothing; 2 surgeons recommended 2 level fusion, I declined.
2007 - 2010 4 foraminotomy and cord decompression cervical surgeries and 2 endoscopic discectomy T7-T8 surgeries; total 6 with Dr. Jho (Pittsburgh,PA) My C6/C7 autofused around 2009.
2013 - 2015: epidurals 3 times (again did nothing) and 4 Radiofrequency ablation (or RFA) procedures.
2016 more RFAs, hit the 10 year mark of this insanity and pain, 3 level M6-C ADR with Dr. Clavel May 19, 2016
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