Good breakdown Gene! I would agree. If you trust your American based surgeon who is part of AIMIS, go for it.
As for the rest, the book is NOT Nate's, which is one of the problems I have with it. (It was placed in my hands "Here is a copy of HIS book." It is a nearly 200 page commercial for XLIF, of which, Nate wrote about 20 pages.
Neither myself nor anyone else I talked to (and it's not just one or two people) were told by Claire there was a delay in contacting Dr. Pimenta. I was personally told that he would not look at the films as he would not be there in March, which is when I wanted the surgery. This, after being told how lucky I was that Dr. Pimenta was going to be there JUST when I wanted to have surgery. Then it was US doc after US doc that I was sent info on. I explained that due to the complexity of my own PERSONAL case, I was not really comfortable with a US doc who had not done that many levels before. Damn good thing too, considering (I WILL update with that info on my thread soon, I promise - suffice to say, I doubt anyone other than Dr. Clavel *could* have handled my case, for reasons I will again post about soon. Info my husband did not relay to me until recently. Suffice to say, I nearly ended up in a wheelchair.)
I was not saying that Nate had anything to do with AIMIS, other than having his surgery there, which I believe to be public knowledge. (As to his experiences there, which he told me about on the phone, in confidence, I have no business repeating that without his permission). He is a paid consultant for NuVasive, which, as I mentioned before, I have no problem with.
As for Ritter-Lang, don't get me started on them. They promote all sorts of
, including that they can get you to Dr. Clavel, even though he has publicly broken with them. They still continue to say he does surgery for them, which he does not.
IMO, the M6 is the best device on the market so far, period. Again, my opinion. Which is why all the major Euro docs use it. I flat out asked Dr. Clavel if he got compensation from them for using the disc and he said no. He had NO financial ties to ANY of the disc makers. Which to me, speaks volumes.
If, as Claire says, Dr. Pimenta is not responding to communications from AIMIS, then why is his information still on their website? I JUST checked, right this second, and they still list him as a surgeon. "Trouble, oh we got trouble, Right here in River City! With a capital "T" That rhymes with "P" " Which stands for Poppycock! If he is out of the equation and non responsive to their communications, he needs to be off their website, period.
None of the patients I spoke to were told there was ANY delay in contacting Dr. Pimenta. We were simply given a list of surgeons who were going to be there at the time we wanted to have to surgery, even though we SPECIFICALLY asked for Dr. Pimenta. I was not told until later at all their surgeons were scheduled through September and that none of them were Dr. Pimenta. This was after a month of communication with Claire (who, again, I ADORED!)
I don't care whose fault it is, but if Dr. Pimenta is no longer affiliated with AIMIS, they need to take him off their website, PERIOD. And months of not responding to communication to me would signal the need to remove him, otherwise they are flat out LYING to the public.
I was very clear that I wanted Dr. Pimenta only. After a month of communication she told me they had scheduled all of their doctors for the following year. At NO time did she tell me there was a delay in getting to him. She only passed on info about American doctors. I just went back and re-read our communications.
That is the very definition of a "bait and switch". If that is not what they intended to do, then they need to clean that up, and very publicly, right away. Because I am not the only potential patient who was left feeling like they dangled the carrot of Dr. Pimenta only to switch it out with an American surgeon, all the while selling a vacation package as the main selling point.
Personally speaking, I didn't go for a vacation. I went to be fixed.
As I said, personally, I liked Claire very much. You are free to share everything I just said with her if it will help AIMIS to do the right thing PUBLICLY.
Claire did also say I was free to get the M6. But it would cost an extra 6k per level. Also, it would have been put in by an American doctor with NO experience with an M6.
Dr. Coe told me he would be happy to drive down the road to Spinal Kinetics, have them teach him how to put one in a cadaver, and then do all five of mine (fusion at L5-S1). You are going to learn how to put one device in a cadaver, then put FIVE in me, on your first try?!?!?!
In the words of a certain clown: "Homey don't play dat!"