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  #1  
Old 06-11-2015, 10:10 PM
Mrbaozi Mrbaozi is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 5
Default Hello there!

I've been lurking on these boards for a while now... Decided it was time to officially join and hopefully learn even more about my options.

Bit about me...

I'm 31 and have been having back issues since the summer of 2010. I was training for strongman with some friends who are much stronger than I (330 lbs in each hand, while walking seemed like a great idea at the time). Felt a pinch and it's been downhill ever since.

Had X-rays taken and never received a call back/was living in China and wanted to get the hell out of here, so I went back with my slight pinch... I kept training in China (kickboxing and weights) and my symptoms got worse and worse...eventually to the point where I found it very difficult to walk.

At this point I figured, why not try Chinese medicine (since I'm already here) before I head back home. I started acupuncture treatments in the winter of 2011, and to my astonishment, after two weeks of treatment, I was 100% pain-free! I was so happy and wanted to make sure I took advantage of this pain free time!

From early 2012 until May of 2013, I was completely pain-free and training very hard in Thailand. I returned back to Beijing and the pain worsened...Eventually, I had an MRI taken in Beijing (150 bucks, 3 hours lol), and the doctor told me that my condition wouldn't get better without surgery. This bummed me right out and made me realize that my wonderful relaxing lifestyle of 5 years in the middle kingdom was about to end...

Came back to Canada at the end of October 2013 and waited a good long time to see a specialist to read my scans. I saw 3 surgeons here and all of them recommended fusion (L4-S1). I got a job and worked with some crazy pain for about half the year (friggin hurt!). After this, I caved in and told my doctor I was ready for the fusion. I'm the type of person who likes to know what I'm getting into, and what I read about fusions was pretty awful...the bad severely outweighed the good and I started having a very bad feeling about my upcoming surgery.

At 22 hours pre-op, I called to tell them I was cancelling my procedure and started having acupuncture here. The acupuncture here wasn't even close to as effective as it was in China (and significantly more expensive! 65 bucks a pop versus 6...lol). Two thousand dollars and 3 practitioners later, I decided to pull the plug on my local acupuncture experiment.

This brings me to now (anyone who has actually read this intro, I'm so sorry lol)... Year and a half of depression and 60 lbs of weight later

I found out about this site while googling alternatives to fusion and came upon the TOPS system. I then checked online where they were doing this surgery and eventually contacted Dr.Bierstedt in Germany. After looking online for reviews, I found myself on this site more and more, so...

Here I am!!!

Sorry about this extremely crappy intro...maybe I just needed to vent?
__________________
2010: Strongman training, felt a pinch.
2010-2012: Living in China at the time, pain worsened.
2012-2013(May): Received acupuncture treatment in Beijing and had 2 pain-free years.
-Very intensive kickboxing training during this time.
2013(May): Pain started coming back while training.
2013-Now: Diagnosed with Spondylolisthesis L5-S1 and ddd at L4-L5. Declined fusion less than 24 hrs pre-op. Began my research on ADR and alternative possibilities to fusion.
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  #2  
Old 06-12-2015, 09:20 PM
NJ Gene NJ Gene is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 376
Default Perhaps a Hybrid Approach is the way to go

Mrbaozi, I'm sorry to hear what you're going through. It sounds like you're just at the beginning of your research. Dr. Bierstedt is a good start. There's also Dr. Clavel in Barcelona and Dr. Zeegers in the Netherlands. You might also want to check out the Texas Back Institute (TBI) in Plano, TX. That's where I had my cervical ADR at C5/C6 which was below two levels of previous fusion. Here is their website: Center For Disc Replacement - Texas Back Institute

You might want to discuss a hybrid approach with the surgeons with whom you consult. From reading these boards most people do okay with a fusion at L5/S1. However, you might want ADR at L4/L5. Most people who have ADR at L5/S1 do well afterwards. However, it is amongst the highest levels of failure (maybe 2%). It's not a high percentage, but when that level fails it can be debilitating. Since it's one of the best levels for fusion and worst for ADR, that's why I suggest you look into the hybrid approach.

Best of luck to you!!

Gene
__________________
Car Accident 2002 - Small Herniated Disc C3/C4
1998 Larger Herniation and Cervical Fusion C3/C4
2005 Herniation C4/C5 - 40 epidural steroid injections from Oct 2005, - Oct, 2007
2008 - Foraminotomy at C6/C7 on left side
Feb, 2010 - Cervical Fusion C4/C5
Dec, 2010 - Lumbar Fusion L3/L5
2013 - Bulge on C5/C6; herniation C6/C7 right side
Mar 26, 2013 - Foraminotomy at C6/C7 on right side
May 5, 2015 - ADR with Dr Blumenthal of TBI for C5/C6 using Mobi-C
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  #3  
Old 06-12-2015, 09:25 PM
NJ Gene NJ Gene is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 376
Default

I just read your posting on a different thread. It sounds like Dr. Bierstedt is recommending what I suggested, a Hybrid approach.

Gene
__________________
Car Accident 2002 - Small Herniated Disc C3/C4
1998 Larger Herniation and Cervical Fusion C3/C4
2005 Herniation C4/C5 - 40 epidural steroid injections from Oct 2005, - Oct, 2007
2008 - Foraminotomy at C6/C7 on left side
Feb, 2010 - Cervical Fusion C4/C5
Dec, 2010 - Lumbar Fusion L3/L5
2013 - Bulge on C5/C6; herniation C6/C7 right side
Mar 26, 2013 - Foraminotomy at C6/C7 on right side
May 5, 2015 - ADR with Dr Blumenthal of TBI for C5/C6 using Mobi-C
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  #4  
Old 06-12-2015, 09:37 PM
Cheryl0331 Cheryl0331 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 890
Default yes

it provide a good balance of fusion and ADR. If the fusion is in the correct place it an be a good benefit along with an ADR.
Is hybrid surgery of the cervical spine a good balance between fusion and arthroplasty? Pilot results from a single surgeon series. - PubMed - NCBI
drzeegers: 2 level L4-L5 Activ L ADR + STALIF L5-S1 hybrid spine surgery | Dr. Willem Zeegers – Artificial Disc Replacement
__________________
54 yr old female 5'7" 147 lbs. non-smoker conservative treatments failed
2007 fusion @ C4-6 peek cages, failed due to long term use of cox-2 inhibitor
2008 revised C4-6 donor bone, plate & screws
2009 fusion with Roi-C @ C3-4
2015 MRI & CT mjr ddd @ C6-7, segmental kyphosis at C7-T1, 2-level M6-C prosthesis by Dr. Clavel Barcelona Spain
2019 H.O. formed behind M6-C @ C6-7 left nerve rt & in spinal canal.
2020 Revision C6-7 to a CP-ESP prosthesis by Dr. Schmitz Dusseldorf Germany
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  #5  
Old 06-14-2015, 12:25 PM
Mrbaozi Mrbaozi is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 5
Default

Thanks Gene and Cheryl!

Ya, I have been told by both Clavel and Bierstedt that I'll need a fusion at L5-S1 due to my spondy, it has a fairly decent amount of slippage, so an adr there wouldn't do much unfortunately

I hope I'm making the right choice, as I could have a double fusion (or single fusion done here for free), but when it comes to standard of living and health, I think it would probably be best to have it done right the first time...
__________________
2010: Strongman training, felt a pinch.
2010-2012: Living in China at the time, pain worsened.
2012-2013(May): Received acupuncture treatment in Beijing and had 2 pain-free years.
-Very intensive kickboxing training during this time.
2013(May): Pain started coming back while training.
2013-Now: Diagnosed with Spondylolisthesis L5-S1 and ddd at L4-L5. Declined fusion less than 24 hrs pre-op. Began my research on ADR and alternative possibilities to fusion.
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  #6  
Old 06-15-2015, 07:12 PM
bwink23 bwink23 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 263
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrbaozi View Post
Thanks Gene and Cheryl!

Ya, I have been told by both Clavel and Bierstedt that I'll need a fusion at L5-S1 due to my spondy, it has a fairly decent amount of slippage, so an adr there wouldn't do much unfortunately

I hope I'm making the right choice, as I could have a double fusion (or single fusion done here for free), but when it comes to standard of living and health, I think it would probably be best to have it done right the first time...


I too had a hybrid fusion done, a fusion at L5-S1 and ADR at L4-L5. It has been 1 year and 4 months, and unfortunately i did not fuse at L5-S1. I just had an anterior plate put on. My spondy was no more than 2mm shown more on flexion. If your spondy is that bad, a posterior approach with an anterior one should do you well. An anterior approach will NOT correct spondy, but a posterior one can have some benefit of correcting some of the slip. If you can an ADR a complete 360 fusion wouldn't be a bad idea. The base of your spine would be very stable.
__________________
2013 - MRI and CT scan....DDD L4-S1
left side (where my pain is) interarticularis pars fracture/defect with Spondylolithesis L5 over S1 with 2MM anterior displacement

Feb. 2014 - Hybrid lumbar fusion(l5/S1), ADR(L4/L5)...2-level cervical ADR (C5/C6, C6/C7). Dr. Pablo Clavel of Quiron Hospital in Barcelona, Spain. All M6 implants (PEEK cage and plate from Medtronic at fusion level in lumbar.) SAME DAY OPERATION for both areas of the spine.
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