[Brandon]

Hello.

First things first. I must say thanks to Richard for starting this forum and another big thanks for all of those here who make this site what it is. I just signed up today and am blown away by the wealth of information and experience here. It feels good to know that I'm not alone.

I'm a 33 year old male and I've been suffering with back pain for roughly 15 years now. I was a multi-sport athlete in HS and competed in football at the collegiate level. My back caused me problems back then, but I was a "tough-guy" and continued to play through the pain for years. I never wanted to sit out. Boy do I ever regret that.

Finally got to the point where I couldn't walk, sit, or pretty much anything physical and I came to the realization that I had to accept what was going on and find some way to fix it. My leg had excruciating pain and I could feel tingling all the way down into my toes. After consulting with 2 NS and 2 OS, I had my first surgery when I was 22. A discectomy on L5/S1. It helped the pain in my leg/butt area and the tingling in my leg ceased to exist, but since then I've been a mess. I've been dealing with the pain that's centralized in my lower spine now for years and have tried everything under the sun to alleviate it. Physical therapy (for ever), acupuncture, meds, chiropractor, spinal decompression, pain management, nerve blocks, etc, etc. I am now to the point where I realize that something else must be done. Again.

My appointment earlier this week was with the chief neurologist at one of the top hospitals in the country. I have accelerated DDD in L4/L5 & L5-S1 among a host of other problems in the lumbar area. (Multilevel degenerative facet disease, mutiple bulges,etc) He said I was a perfect candidate for a 2 level ADR, however my insurance will not cover it. (Anthem BC/BS in CA) Next best option is the fusion of course. And that lead me here.

I'm here to learn more about the ADR vs. Fusion debate and find out which one works best for me. The neurologist was a strong proponent of ADR and thought that would be the best route to take. After talking to my family, I think I'm gonna go forward with the appeals process. I am inspired by many of you who have won your appeals and I plan on doing the same. I ordered the Insurance Warrior book and CD last night to get me on the right path. I am also planning on ordering the "Getting back on your feet" DVD. I saw the trailer and could completely identify with all of the patients in that clip. There was one gentleman who said that it changed who he was. I feel like that's happened to me. I used to be Mr. Active...playing hoops, baseball, softball, golf...you name it. Now that's just an after thought. I think I lost my happy-go-lucky sense too as it's hard to feel that way when chronic pain is always at the forefront of your mind. I yearn for the day where I can do anything physical...and do it pain free.

Again...just wanted to say thanks to you all out there. You give me hope.

Brandon