[Liz]

Hi Mary-
i'm so very sorry for what you are going through at such a young age. it's interesting that you have not had any accidents or falls and still have severe DDD at L4-5. I was diagnosed w/severe DDD at 3 levels at age 21 at L3-S1 w/tears in all 3. I was very athletic from a young age but only had my first MRI at 21 after I couldn't sit down from 3 days of learning to snowboard and falling on my tailbone... i should have stuck w/skiing (w/only face first falls)!! I was told it could be partly genetic but hard to tell since I did not have an MRI before. I have scoliosis and from what I've learned that may be in part due to diet. I was always very thin and athletic but still may have missed some nutrients... hindsight, who knows, but for another thread this is where some research money needs to be directed to... i'm super healthy now drinking all sorts of green concoctions. I also did horseback riding and gymnastics at a young age and was asked if i fell off the horse or onto my tailbone or SI at a young age. i ran and ran from kindergarten until maybe age 25 and skied and backpacked so who knows... pounding w/thoracic scoliosis was not a good combo for my lumbar spine. If you truly have genetic DDD of course you want to prevent a cascade effect.
that said, you are too young to see life passing you by and not be able to participate in activities that your friends are. i finally had a 2 level Prodisc ADR 3 months ago and i feel that i'm FINALLY turning a corner. it's been a brutal recovery for me personally and i'm far from sold if this was right for me, but also please know that so many people do very well from fusions and ADRs. they may not be here posting b/c they are out living their lives. i sat on a barstool tonight w/a friend for drinks and the pain was tolerable (although i'm not med free)... my friend even said how much better i seemed b/c i was not consumed by pain and i could enjoy a conversation. i'm planning to go hear a writer i like tomorrow night (prob an hour of sitting) so that will be the next test and maybe i'll pay the price afterwards but maybe i won't. i still have little sitting tolerance but i couldn't sit pre-op either so i feel that i'm one step ahead.
there are even people on this board that have returned to horseback riding post-op. it may be a year, but you could very well return to it and i think it's so important to have goals and say you WILL return to certain activities but know you will also have some limitations. maybe you wear a brace (and some hockey gear!) and you don't jump... with a strong core you may ride again but talk w/your surgeons about this. i may never run again which is hard for a runner to accept, but i WILL bike, hike, ski, travel, sit through a movie w/friends again. and you WILL survive college. you may need to get a seat cushion that has a tailbone cutout and lose modesty and take it to class for those horrendous wooden seats but you'll do it. i have one at home and at work. i survived grad school w/severe DDD but i also missed a lot of events b/c of my back. also, learn to ask to lay down at friends houses if you have not already... i love laying down and it lets you enjoy your friends more. i hate sitting!
if college starts next fall now is a good time to be evaluating surgery and what your options are to feel better before then.
i'm hoping by the time any adjacent degenerative effects occur either from my ADRs or from genetic reasons that stem cells or other regenerative technologies will be available.

take care and best of luck in your decision.

also, be sure to get a 2nd and even 3rd opinion if possible before you undergo a 2 level surgery of any kind.
liz
ps... by and large patients that have one level ADR at L4-5 do very well and the best according to clinical research, but of course there are exceptions as noted on this board.