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Originally Posted by Cynlite
stoked64, I'm very sorry you are suffering and depressed. Please don't give up hope. Pain and post surgery trauma can cause post traumatic stress and sometimes severe depression. I've been through this as others have on this forum so, we do understand! It's a very tough road to travel. The first step is to get emotionally healthy and if you need drugs to do that then see a specialist. Emotional pain for me leads to physical pain so, I've had to learn to keep myself calm over the years. You can do this too.
While I'm sure Dr. Coric is a fine surgeon, I could not find him on the lists of top ADR doctors in this country. I have analyzed many of the post surgery stories on this board and unfortunately, the people who I believe have had the most trouble with ADR surgery are the ones that went to surgeons in the U.S. who don't have the experience that the top ADR surgeons have here. There truly are only a handful in this country right now that have an excellent track record from what I could find.
It is also not uncommon for patients to see 3 different surgeons or more and get different answers. I think this has to do with the surgeon's experience so, keep looking. I gave up and into the pain for about five years and really wish I had not. My neck degenerated a lot during this time.
I have a complicated medical history so, I retained Dr. Zeegers in the Netherlands this year to look over it and give me his opinion. Hopefully, I will have his opinion next week. He has helped many others on this board so, that would be my recommendation to you. He knows more about ADR surgeries and outcomes than any surgeon in the U.S. in my opinion. He is also the only surgeon I know that will look over a person's entire medical history as it relates to their condition. There is also Dr. Clavel and Dr. Bierstedt who both have significant experience and good track records so, they would be good to reach out to also. I don't have any top ADR surgeons in the state where I live so, I have been working with the surgeons in Europe. If you want to stay in the U.S. then I would take Gene's suggestion and consider contacting Dr. Blumenthal at the Texas Back Institute. Just because you reach out for opinions from surgeons in Europe, does not mean you have to travel there. You could take that information and use it to find a surgeon here. I wouldn't give up until I had a bunch of surgeons that all agreed that there was no hope surgically.
Hang in there and good luck.
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Dr zeegers did wonders for my back. He is the pioneer in adr and he leaves no stone unturned.
I would suggest to see him as he is one of the last true spine savers