Cynlinte,
Thank you for the reference to members with similarities. I will read their threads and reach out to them if any questions.
Sorry I missed your question regarding Stem Cell injections. I got so excited about your reply with the link to Clavel’s FQA’s referencing patients with concave vertebrae that I totally missed it! From what I understand Stem Cells have been successful for regenerating Facet Joints. But my Facet Joints are perfect right now - I don’t have back pain… Just painful and tingly glutes, hammies, and calfs! I haven’t seen any positive outcomes for Stem Cells regenerating discs. In fact, I read the following blog where the member describes in great detail his Stem Cell injections. His experience was very painful and unsuccessful:
http://healingmyback.blogspot.com/
Wow, 7 spine surgeries! I’m impressed that you sound upbeat, and I’m very thankful that you’re sharing your knowledge with me. I also share your skepticism regarding “minimally invasive” procedures. My sciatic nerve was in complete shock following microdiscectomy and now I’m all but certain to need another surgery. My L5/S1 vertebrae are ~2 millimeters apart from each other at the edges. At what point do they begin to auto fuse?
I believe that once you cross an invisible line it becomes better to act sooner rather than later. This is for multiple reasons. First, life is very short and every day is too precious to spend it chewing away at the nerves. Second, my condition is deteriorating – two months ago I had no pain in my right leg, then a month ago the pain was very mild, now it’s constant and hard to ignore.
On the other hand, if you can wait then there will be a better solution available in the future. I’m a mechanical engineer (graduated Cum Laude from Cornell) and have been granted 13 US patents – with 6 more pending approval. In the last month I have thought of at least 2 significant improvement ideas to the M6 disc. There is no doubt future devices will be better. I wish there was more money to drive innovation in this field. If only a certain rich famous golfer with back problems got behind one of these companies to develop the ultimate disc. Heck, many engineering students would work on it for free if given the challenge.
Why can’t you get an ADR for L3/L4?
After I get the latest X-Rays I will contact Dr. Clavel. And also get an appointment with either Dr. Blumenthal or Dr. Zigler. Maybe I can pull off a 1 day trip between New York and Texas to get their opinion. My main concern remains how concave the bottom of my L5 vertebra is… 6 millimeter drop top to bottom! I’m attaching a new picture where hopefully shows clearer how the disc is thin on the sides and tall in the center. Straight on the sides but S-shaped in the center. It may be that even the ActivL can’t properly attach to such an irregular surface.
Thank you for reading.
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"Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak." -Thomas Carlyle
"We fall, but we get up because the ground is no place for a champion." -Dustin Poirier