Hello Kaitiedid,
Thank you so much for your reply. I just can't imagine how you're managing 5 children and a household with so much pain. I truly feel for you.
My husband works from home and cares for our 2 & 4-year-olds. We've increased preschool to 3 days a week just so he can rest his back.
I will definitely look into Dr. Blumenthal. We are seeing Dr. Zigler @ TBI tomorrow for the second opinion. There is really so much to consider. In addition to the procedure (hybrid vs. double fusion), there's the doctor, the device, and, of course . . . INSURANCE. Ultimately, we want to make the most informed decision.
Regarding the option to go to France, I've not seen anything on this forum about anyone going anywhere besides Germany. It's been a week and there's been no reply from the doc (direct from our doc here) as to the feasibility of doing the surgery there which is a little disheartening.
To your questions, he has DDD on 3 discs and discogram confirmed 2 pain generators. There are no facet issues (confirmed through a different test, the name of which escapes me at the moment) which is why he has been recommended for hybrid. We were told that if facets were problematic ADR is not an option. We have not considered double ADR . . . have you?
My husband has had back problems since before I met him (1996). He was a very competitive tennis player for many years and then taught for many years. He recalls two incidents that may have led to the injury, one being an American serve, and the other a waterskiing accident. Since I've known him his back has gotten progressively worse, but also he's gotten better at managing it. For the first several years, he would do something (random triggers) that would make him unable to move for 1-2 weeks. As time has progressed the pain has become more constant and each day is a challenge. Some are good; some aren't so good. He's tried just about all routes of conservative care except acupuncture. The meds have steadily increased even though he tries really hard to take them as seldom as possible.
Did you do a DEXA? After reading about it on here I asked about it and doc's office said they would absolutely do one. Did your doc order it or did you have to ask?
Regarding your provider options, have you inquired as to the number of identical surgeries they have performed? I did, and must say that I'm a little uncomfortable with low number of hybrids ours has performed. He seems to be quite active in what's happening in the research but when it comes down to it I just don't know that I would want to be one of the first few patients a doctor has ever tried a procedure on. I believe he is very skilled and his lack of hybrids (and ProDisc placements) doesn't mean he won't do a good job.
We're still researching. If you happen to have any information that was particularly useful in your decision-making, I would love to hear/see it.
Thanks so much for your time. I'm wishing the very best for you and your family.
tx rollergirl
|