[Tom B.]

Hello! I'm back here after ten years.

After "selective endoscopic discectomy" by Dr. Yeung in Phoenix on March 14, 2006, I have tolerated minor to moderate lumbar pain and occasional sciatica depending on the time of day, my activity level, etc. To relieve the pain, I've learned to lie down frequently or stretch my back by dangling my legs between two chairs.

My pain is aggravated by my job as a pilot which requires much sitting and bouncing around in turbulence as well as lifting heavy bags. Compared to many people with back pain, I know that my complaints sound minor, but for a person to work as a pilot, the FAA requires very good health.

On February 9, 2016 I stood up from a chair and experienced numbness and tingling in my entire left leg and pelvis area along with moderate lumbar pain. The numbness is continuous, but has improved a bit over the last couple weeks.

Last week, I returned to the Texas Back Institute where, ten years ago, I discussed with Drs. Guyer and Zigler the possibility of ADR. My X-ray shows that my L5/S1 disc is mostly gone, as I already knew. I had an MRI and have an appointment scheduled this week with a surgeon there.

Any information and advice from anyone in a similar situation would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Generally, is the ADR recovery experience affected by the degree of disability prior to surgery? In other words, by taking a proactive approach and not waiting until I'm not able to function due to debilitating pain, can I expect the recovery experience to be better? Or do ADR patients experience difficult recoveries unpredictably or randomly?