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  #1  
Old 02-12-2022, 10:30 PM
russguy russguy is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 1
Default Hello from British Columbia

Hello team,

Firstly thank you for this community as it has been a very challenging last 6 months and to stumble upon this page has given me some comfort and positive vibes.

I have so many questions to ask but I will dispense my story first.. I think it is important to note that I have had a very high impact career over the last 15 years and finding one acute injury that caused anything in my spine is like finding a needle in a needle-stack. I also have Scheuermann's Kyphosis which causes accentuated thoracic curve of the spine (average is 25-45 degrees i am around 60 degrees).

Right - So, I would say since around 2018 I have dealt with comings and goings of unusual, dull pain into my right buttock/hip. Some months I feel great, others I feel the presence 24/7. It's not changing my routine but it's just there. In early Sept 2021, I have a great day surfing, climbing, and being active. Over night my back starts to spasm. Every little core muscle... Excruciating. I end up in the hospital, morphine, cyclobenzaprine, nothing helps. This spasming event lasts for 4 days, followed by another week flat on the floor. Since then, I have not recovered to a point where I can live my life properly. I can be up, walk around, drive a car, etc. But nothing remotely sporty, lots of ibuprofen , sometimes sleeping is very uncomfortable... Just not the life I want to live.

Coincidentally, I had an MRI taken in July of 2021 as I had the dull pain in right buttock for 2 years previous and finally wanted to get it checked out. I then got another MRI after this spasming event in Jan 2022 and the L2/L3 disc had lost height and now had bone edema in both of the adjacent vertebrae. To me it looks like the disc just "deflated" overnight and that's why I had the muscle spasm reactions and have not been able to recover fully.

A friend of mine has dealt with back pain for 2 years and had just done ADR at ONZ in Germany, so I quickly did my own due diligence and decided to send my imaging to Dr. Bertagnoli which I just received a prognosis a couple days ago recommending ADR at l2/l3 and possibly l3/l4. That brings me to today. I have been referred to a spine clinic here in Canada by two different MD's but knowing that all they offer in Canada is spinal fusion, I am planning to wait until I see someone in Canada just for another professional opinion but should anything surgical happen it will likely happen in Germany.

SO my questions for you good people... who have had ADR surgery... (I will also be asking these to the surgeon but they are a business...)

- Is there any reason in waiting to do this procedure? I have never had an injury / condition last this long but I would consider myself to only be at the 6 month mark since it has been really bad.

- How much of your active life did you get back? Sports? Do you feel "back to normal" or are you always having to take precautions, constant physio etc.

- I really hate to ask this one but is there a certain percentage of people who did not get better or even got worse after ADR?

- Kind of rogue one but I read somewhere that it can cause infertility and sexual dysfunction can anyone elaborate on that?

- Other than that I really would just be grateful of anyones advice. Not going to lie - I am scared. Scared of not being able to do the things that my life is based around; being outside and active... but also scared of this surgery and if it doesn't help or if it makes things more complicated.

Thanks everyone, hope that wasn't too long..
Much appreciation!
__________________
35m w/ l2/l3 disc dessication & loss of disc height w/ minor bulge
dull pain usually in right glute/hip since 2018
acute spasms and pain event in sept 2021
unable to do any usual activities since sept 21
lots of physio, acupuncture, doctors with minimal progress
images sent to dr. b in germany suggesting 2 level ADR
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  #2  
Old 02-13-2022, 12:45 PM
annapurna annapurna is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,668
Default

deleting double post

Last edited by annapurna; 02-13-2022 at 12:47 PM. Reason: deleting double post
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  #3  
Old 02-13-2022, 12:46 PM
annapurna annapurna is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,668
Default

- Is there any reason in waiting to do this procedure?
Yes and no. Damage to your spine from having a damaged spinal disk goes beyond the disk. Facets, particularly, can take a hit from the misplaced loading caused by a desiccated and deflated disk. That suggests that early intervention is better - don't wait. On the other hand, many people have discal damage and it never develops into problems. I've given this advice many times - do your research now, while the pain is controllable, as if you're going to get surgery. If the pain increases or your abilities to live your life decrease, you'll know it's time to operate (you're degenerating not holding level) and not be trying to rush around thinking through things through a haze of pain meds. If your pain and abilities hold level, you'll have learned a lot about spinal surgery and have the confidence to hold off on surgery knowing you're ready to pull the trigger when the time comes.

- How much of your active life did you get back?
For surgeries that went well, it seems like most people get most of their active lives back. The more non-disk damage you have, the more persistent post-op problems you'll struggle with regardless of how well the ADR surgery goes, though. Side note: nearly everyone over-does it post surgery and has a period where the pain increases. Take your time; it may take more than a year post-surgery to fully recover.

- I really hate to ask this one but is there a certain percentage of people who did not get better or even got worse after ADR?
Yes. Even if you ignore the people who get an ADR when they were really too bad off for one and a fusion should have been performed and those who's surgeons made some mistake, some fraction of people do get worse from ADR. One benefit of doing the research now but not rushing off to get surgery is that it lets you really understand the risks of ADR vs. the risks of fusion vs. the risks of conservative (non-surgical) care so you can understand what you're getting into. I wouldn't consider going to a surgeon who promised you a good outcome. Stating that you are or are not in a condition for a high probability of a good outcome is okay; promising one isn't.

- Kind of rogue one but I read somewhere that it can cause infertility and sexual dysfunction can anyone elaborate on that?
I've not checked into this for a long time but there was talk of the possibility of retrograde ejaculation from lower abdominal surgery; don't know if that applies to your case. I'd say it's possible but there didn't seem to be a lot of talk about it so it may be a unlikely side-effect of a poor surgical outcome.
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Laura - L5S1 Charitee
C5/6 and 6/7 Prodisc C
Facet problems L4-S1
General joint hypermobility

Jim - C4/5, C5/6, L4/5 disk bulges and facet damage, L4/5 disk tears, currently using regenerative medicine to address

"There are many Annapurnas in the lives of men" Maurice Herzog
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