New to DDD - Page 4

banhorn · #31 05-08-2011, 09:45 AM

Yeah Hooch, he might have been taking the piss a little.

Harrison, I'm not sure how my DEXA scores turned out... I got the "bone scan" back and have the CD sitting on my desk, but I can't make heads or tails of anything on the disc. It really just looks like a bunch of blurry low-res xray shots. They refused to give me the report and would only give me the originals. Silly Canada. I'm not even sure this was the right scan for densities.

As for keels, cleats, clamps or duct tape, we value everything we hear back on these boards...

We are rookies looking to you vets for your experience! Does the freedom disc have "cleats"?

One more interesting thing I heard (2nd hand mind you) - One of the ADR surgeons in Calgary didn't want to see me because I have developmentally short pedicles. He indicated that patients with shorter pedicles in the lumbar area generally have a lower success rate with ADR. Has anyone heard of this before?

banhorn · #32 05-13-2011, 04:32 PM

I did some more digging around but can't find much on this - can any of you experts chime in?

I've got short pedicles and a narrow-er than normal spinal canal. My disc degeneration is therefore putting more pressure than it normally would on a person's spinal canal/foramen. All of my local docs are telling me to stay away from surgery and all of the ADR surgeons aren't concerned about it. Should I be?

annapurna · #33 05-13-2011, 08:21 PM

This is all speculation but it would seem like surgeries that restore initial disk height should be less of a problem for decreased pedicle size. That's not just ADR but fusion with cages or anything like that. Surgery that doesn't give you the most possible canal area after your surgery would be a pretty bad idea.

Big thing here is to be very careful to understand scarring as well as the ADR or cage being used. Scar the area and you'll lose the room you need.

Harrison · #34 05-13-2011, 08:49 PM

All this may be moot if your DEXA scores are abnormal or contra-indicating surgeries like disc replacement...

banhorn · #35 05-14-2011, 04:03 PM

Harrison:
I've scheduled the DEXA scan and am waiting patiently. I had a nuclear bone scan originally, which was used to rule out discitis while I waited for an MRI. No densities measured.

However, as a 33 year-old, otherwise healthy and active male, are my chances of having an abnormal bone density lower?

What happens if you receive and ADR and begin to lose density as you age? Do the risks of subsidence or dislodgement increase?

Annpurna:
Thanks for the info. My local docs must be referring to scarring. Other than that, I don't know why an ADR would affect canal space.

banhorn · #36 05-31-2011, 04:33 PM

Bone density scans are smack dab in the middle of the road for a 33 year old male. I'm in the middle of the curve and have no issues according to my doc. They told me to keep taking vitmain d and calcium. I'm guessing this is ok for an ADR?

I've been doing more research on shorter pedicles and speak with my local ortho on thursday. There is a chance shorter pedicles put higher stresses on discs than normal ones. I'll let you guys know what I find out, but it could just be simple physics.

Harrison · #37 05-31-2011, 07:56 PM

B, Here some past topics on this issue of osteoporosis, the first one is the most helpful and relevant to these last posts:

http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/f51...porosis-10179/

http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/f49...e-issues-5333/

http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/f45...d-topic-10200/

http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/f60...ter-life-9153/

In particular, see my 2010 posts from March -- tons-o-info on the topic of supplements and DEXA scan results.

banhorn · #38 06-03-2011, 03:13 PM

I finally got my hands on the report and my t scores are:

1.6 - Left Femur
1.5 - L1-L4

T-Score Category: Normal

Well, I've decided to bite the bullet. My local doc finally referred me to our ADR surgeon, but it's a 2+ year wait in Calgary.

He said he'd be going to Europe if he were in my boat and I will not see any improvement at this point. He also indicated that they've got my back for follow-up care.

So, I've booked July 13th with Mr. Boeree. I inquired at TBI as well, but they were $15k more and I'm paying out of pocket.

LA Spine is still accepting patients for the Axiomed Freedom Disc trial, if anyone is interested. (I opted out of this one due to the travel back and forth to LA)

Good luck to the rest of you and I'll be posting again soon post-op.

Cheers,

-Brett

Harrison · #39 06-03-2011, 04:47 PM

Thx for the update Brett. Hey, did you ask if your travel to LA would be paid for? Just curious...some times the trials will allow for that...but not usually.

banhorn · #40 06-03-2011, 05:03 PM

No worries, Harrison.

For an insurance-less guy like me, the freedom disc trial was ~$10k out of pocket without complications or unscheduled followups. I was responsible for all travel and accommodation too. The price would sky rocket if anything went wrong and the scheduled trips to LA last for quite some time. I'd probably be close to or over the European surgery cost by the end of the trial.

I'm sure it would be far cheaper for someone in the US with insurance. It's definitely worth looking into... they are looking for more enrollment.

-Brett