Using Entire Savings To Go Abroad: Need Advice

[Renee771]

I have been denied surgery multiple times for bull**** reasons. I am in desperate need of surgery. I have been told how serious my situation is (possibly why I was denied. I do not believe so), and I can not take this constant rejection while I continue to get worse.
I am so unsure of whom to go to.
I was told I would need a three-level disc replacement. I was quoted 42G's for a 2-level with Dr. Ritter-Lang but have heard so many nightmares about him. I just read something quite disturbing about Dr. Bergatolini (sp?). Highly disturbing.
I have the discs of my MRI's but I do not know how to get the images on my PC and send to someone. The programs I have looked at for this purpose are all quite expensive. Any suggestions?

I have such significant and multiple issues (but I can't get anyone to give me a detailed diagnosis or prognosis...Very frustrating) and all I know is what I had to learn myself from the MRI reports, and few things I was told over the phone by docs that I sent my records to. They all said the smallest of accidents would be detrimental. I don't know why not one surgeon I saw last year would tell me. My pain doc is a D.O. and said the same thing. Told me to wear my soft collar while I sleep and drive. Said I would need surgery from the back of my neck too, so I am making the deduction that he is referring to a laminectomy of some kind because of the stenosis. He won't tell me anymore, just to get to a surgeon asap.
I am opposed and have waited so damn long for disc implants. So I have decided to use the only savings I have to go to someone who has been doing this for a long, long time and is proficient and skilled not just with disc implants but the other issues I have going on as well.

Any advice is appreciated. The pain is unbelievable. The weakness is my arms so significant, and my legs. My bowls are barely functioning, bladder is causing problems.

I can't fight until I am fixed. I can't protect myself, and my circumstances are not good.
I am begging for help.
Please, please, please help me.

[scoop302]

Hi and welcome. Sorry to hear you are in such pain, both physically and mentally. I went to Spain to Dr. Clavel. I think he is the best and would not hesitate to go back or tell someone to go to him.
As far as getting your images to him, all you need to do is get dropbox, which is free, load the disk into your PC, and dropbox should pop up a window asking you if you want to import the images. Import all the images and you can send and email to Dr. Clavels office inviting them to see the images. They will be able to only download the images you have selected to send, not your whole dropbox account. This way, if you get more images, you can only invite to see those. It is pretty easy, just search for dropbox on the web. You should be able to see the images on any PC, as most of the imaging places use PC based equipment. I have been able to read my images from three different places on PC's running XP and 7. On my mac, I can see them after they are downloaded into dropbox, they will not run on my mac's unless I run a program, which there are two or three, all free. Hope this helps.

[jss]

Renee,

Sincerest condolences and welcome.

While I am a huge proponent of European ADR surgeries, you should know that they may not be appropriate for everyone. If your case is one that has a high incidence of excellent outcomes and a low incidence of complications and revision surgeries in the next several years, then you are a poster child for a foreign ADR surgery. If however you ... are "a mess", and will require extensive follow up and/or multiple surgeries, then there are significant problems with a foreign surgery when you need further surgery after returning home. Transatlantic communication and time zone differences aside, a great many US doctors will refuse to treat or even evaluate you. For subsequent care you will not get the US doctor of your choice, but rather the first one that is willing to see you, or even be required to borrow money to back to the European surgeon. If you are going to require long term follow up care and don't have money for much/most/all of that care in Europe, that is not a good formula.

If you condition is as extensive as it sounds, I would strongly encourage you to gain the support of the US doctor of your choice before traveling to Europe.

Good luck!

[drewrad]

Is neck pain worse than lumbar or vice versa? If bowel problems are creeping up I am surprised lumbar is not more central to this discussion with neuros. Perhaps both need to get knocked out in one surgery.

It's doable but may be more expensive. The key is to not do too much and not do too little. You want the goldilocks that is just right, and everyone is different.

[Dema]

Hi Renee, sorry to hear about your suffering, and pray relief will be near!
I think Jeff makes a good point about a local surgeon, for follow-up care, but also depending on the condition of your discs and vertebrae, you may not be a good candidate for ADR.
If you are having problems with bladder & bowl movement, this could indicate pressure on the spinal cord, and you will need attention soon. I am not sure about your location, but from the surgeons I contacted in the US I liked Dr. Lauryssen (Los Angeles) & Dr. Wohns (Seattle).
Wishing you the best,
Dema/Raouf

[Renee771]

Originally Posted by scoop302

Hi and welcome. Sorry to hear you are in such pain, both physically and mentally. I went to Spain to Dr. Clavel. I think he is the best and would not hesitate to go back or tell someone to go to him.
As far as getting your images to him, all you need to do is get dropbox, which is free, load the disk into your PC, and dropbox should pop up a window asking you if you want to import the images. Import all the images and you can send and email to Dr. Clavels office inviting them to see the images. They will be able to only download the images you have selected to send, not your whole dropbox account. This way, if you get more images, you can only invite to see those. It is pretty easy, just search for dropbox on the web. You should be able to see the images on any PC, as most of the imaging places use PC based equipment. I have been able to read my images from three different places on PC's running XP and 7. On my mac, I can see them after they are downloaded into dropbox, they will not run on my mac's unless I run a program, which there are two or three, all free. Hope this helps.

This helps quite a bit.
Thank you very much.

[Renee771]

Thank you very much

[Renee771]

Thank you all very much for your input. I appreciate it. I am so, so, so lost. I don't mind moving over-seas to be near an excellent doctor.

[Cynlite]

Renee, if you are still around I have a few questions. Are you taking narcotics or pain medication? I'm assuming you are so the next question is are you doing anything to manage the constipation from them? If yes then the next place to look would be your lumbar spine for bowel problems. If you can't get the insurance company to work with you then perhaps you need to call a lawyer to help you. If you can handle the hours of phone calls it takes to get the insurance company to cooperate, then you need to insist on speaking to supervisors only. The low level people will give you different answers to the same question on the same day. You will need to appeal and push! I sure hope you are doing better.

[Stonewall_Boris]

Hi Renee,

I would advise not to spend your entire savings going abroad for surgery. Quite simply put there are no guarantees. I don't visit this site often but I felt a need to repy to your message.