WC Nurse Consultant and Claims Examiner said..

Maria,
I just typed a message and lost the whole thing!

First I want to thank you for your message. I will try to get my records to Dr. B. I know that any input from him is very valuable and also that he would give an unbiased opinion. I find that some of the doctors here make their recommendations based on what kind of insurance you have. I don't think that is fair to the patient. It puts the insurance companies in the driver's seat when the doctor should be doing the driving. Just my experience.

I have seen Dr. Bae several times regarding fusion vs. ADR. He said he does not remove hardware after fusion and he can use BMP "which is a synthetically created product that initiates molecular and cellular activity that causes the body to grow new bone-forming cells called osteoblasts. These osteoblasts then develop into healthy new bone structures." Is this something similar to what Dr. B. uses?

Whar recommendations has Dr. Bae given to you? I think you said that you needed to get another test for him to give his recommendation?

Where do you live? What are you using to increase your bone density? I have been on Forteo for almost 1 1/2 years and my last test showed a 5% increase which is not very much.

I hope that you can get all of this sorted out. I will continue to follow your progress and wish you all the best!

[Mariaa]

Freshfig,
Dr.Bae was a one time consultation re the Pro disc trials back in summer of '04. I was given a surgery date of mid Oct. but couldn't make it as we were selling our house in Florida and packing to move back to CA. in early Novem.

What he said was I'd be good to go for either a 2 level fusion or ADR and that he thought by just looking at my xrays my bone was strong enough for the ADR. He also felt another discogram wasn't necessary to make sure I didn't need 3 levels done.

Re bone density, I'm taking Actonel 35mg one time/week. I can't stomach Calcium supplements in any form so I just try to eat a diet very rich in Calcium... and broccholi supposedly is abundantly rich in this so I eat this almost every day/night plus cheese, yogurt tho am very bad with milk too...hardly have it except with oatmeal.

I live in Long Beach~ so it's about a 30-40 min. drive to SM. I stopped driving on the freeway a while back tho even as a passenger to get up that way I usually have to adjust my seating in a way that a driver cannot do.. or move around like a maniac.

For my consultation a friend had driven me up there with a huge dog in his backseat so I couldn't lie down back there and we were waiting over 2 hours for me to be seen, then coming back in rush hour traffic. It was really painful to try and sit upright in the front seat and I felt like vomiting because the pain had reached this maximum level of nerve pain and low back aching...

So, I essentially just drive w/i a 20 min. drive at the longest and there are even days when several trips a day out and about will be too much sitting and driving for me re pain...

Oh well, back to the BMD... I'm due for testing in spring/summer and just hoping I've at least not gotten worse~ staying the same even would be Ok with me tho I'd feel better about backup like vertebroplasty if necessary~

thanks for asking and hoping your BMD will continue to improve as well and we'll one day both be "bionic spineys"!