Welcome Grover! I am sorry you need to be here, but I think you will find this forum a great resource. I know I did.
As for your questions, American doctors can fuse no more than one level unless it is a worker's comp case. Only European docs can do multi-level, both because of skill and because it is still not FDA approved. The reason your doc did not mention ADR is that he cannot do it. I would be wary of fusing three levels anywhere, especially your lumbar spine. The chances adjacent levels will go down the road and need to be fused as well is just too high for my taste.
Personally, I wouldn't even THINK about letting anyone other than Drs. Clavel, Dare, or Pimenta do a three level. There are some great stories coming out of Germany, but far, far, far too many horror stories, so there is no way I would go there.
Sadly, it is not a procedure covered by insurance. The upside of going to Europe is that instead of the 150k you would pay for a procedure here, you are looking at slightly over 40k for a three level, which is WAY more manageable.
My stateside doc straight up TOLD me to go to Europe!
__________________
Multiple traumas to spine starting age 13.
1st American to have 6 ADR's in one surgery. C3-4 - C/7, & L5-S1 - L3-4.
Surgery w/ Dr. Clavel, 3/18/13, M6.
Before surgery: severe spinal stenosis C5/C6 (cord "flattened" per stateside doc), + for Hoffman's & Babinsky's.
At time of surgery: 5 yrs MAX before ending up in wheelchair.
Clavel found L5-S1 partially fused. Had to cut it apart to put in M6.
Please excuse brevity - SEVERE carpel tunnel.
Last edited by Lillyth; 01-31-2013 at 07:36 PM.
Reason: Forgot something
|