Hi Henry - if you haven't already, I'd set up a time to speak with Dr. Bierstedt about the diagnosis and treatment plan. During your call, you can ask him how come he recommends 3 levels, as well as how your prior laminectomies will affect your outcome. I'd also discuss with him the facet arthritis you mentioned. My consult with Dr. B went well -- he answered all of my questions and made me feel that I'd be in good hands if I went with him.
The other thing you may want to do if you haven't already is get a discogram. Discograms are controversial and are said to have a relatively high incidence of false positives... On the other hand, 3 levels is a lot and you want as much confidence as you can get that all 3 levels are pain generators before moving forward.
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Nov 2010: herniated L4/5 led to back pain, sciatica and foot drop
Dec 2010: back pain resolved, sciatic pain and foot drop worsened
Jan 2011: micro-discectomy resolved sciatic pain and foot drop; back pain returned
July 2012: discogram reveals L4/5 and L3/4 have grade 3 annular tears and produced concordant pain
Nov 12, 2013: 2-level ADR (L3/4 and 4/5) by Dr. Bierstedt
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