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Old 05-07-2011, 01:15 AM
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Davo Davo is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2011
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Sorry for the delayed response to my original post... I'm 6 week post-op and I'm loving life! I'm riding my motor cycle and looking to play golf very soon! My surgery was so awesome, I'm not sure I can even put it into words. Dr. Bertagnoli and his staff were the epitome or professionalism. The German nurses were very caring. It was a true bargain for the $48K I spent to get my life back.

Here's a quick re-cap of my trip... I arrived at the Munich airport with my dad and the driver (Mr.Hoch) was right there to meet us as expected. He drove us down the Autobahn at 100+mph to Bogen. He was very friendly and spoke English very well. He took us to our B&B outside of town. The next day he picked us up and took us to the hospital. Laxative day! Not fun. No food. The laxatives were quite gentle though. Gotta clear out the intestines so they can have easy access to the spine. Tim Vicknair was there to meet us and guide me through the check-in process. Very professional. Early the next morning, I changed into my compression socks and hospital gown. Off to surgery. 2 hours later, I was back in my room. I was a bit woosey and slept most of the day. I didn't like the catheter part. So the next day when the nurse came in, she asked if I wanted to get up and use the bathroom, I was very willing. She took out my catheter and I walked to use the facilities. I was still a bit discombobulated, but I was able to walk up and down the hall. A miracle! I was walking with no limp and no more pain in my right leg! I think I stayed in the hospital for 2 more days. They make you take laxatives several times a day to make sure your bowels are moving again after the traumatic surgery. The gas pains were probably the worst with the compression back brace that you wear after surgery. The food wasn't very good and I lost a lot of weight. I was discharged shortly thereafter and we went to stay in Straubing for a couple of days before a final meeting with the surgeon. Everything was top-notch, so we headed to Munich for some sight seeing, beer and brats. The flight back to the US was WAY better than the flight to Germany. I was in a lot less pain.

So, here I am back in the US 6 weeks later. No pain, weakness, numbness or complications. It was the best medical experience of my life! I'm going to be riding my Harley up to Sturgis this summer. Something I couldn't have done before my surgery. I thank Dr. Bertagnoli for that. He's also a Harley rider!

Please let me know if I can answer any questions for you. I wish I got a commission for sending people to ProSpine. I've already told so many people about my successful adventure. I'm just glad I can help others see the alternative light to US options.

Cheers!

-David
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