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  #71  
Old 12-18-2013, 08:06 PM
dustman9725 dustman9725 is offline
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Default Another Option possibly

I met a Neurosurgeon out here in Nevada. Dr. Jaswinder Grover who think that one of my screws from newest revision fusion had sunk into and is sticking into my c7 space which is causing a lot of my pain.

He also thinks that the ProDisc has submerged a little into the space...sat back more than expected.

Surprsingly, he is thinking that he can go in through the anterior. Same scar as the original prodisc (Front of Neck) and remove the Prodisc altogether. Drill out the prodisc and remove it from C5/C6 space. I was surprised that he could do this with the same level being fused. DOESN'T SEEM Like I would have enough endplates/disc left to be drilled into again?

Then after removing he would put a plastic spacer in the disc area. It seems like a rough operation, because Remember...I don't have the Prodisc Nova or VIvo...I have the Prodisc version 1, with the huge keels.

I guess with the screw from the fusion, he will just remove that screw?

I don't know what to think or what questions to ask. Scary stuff and sounds like a giant adventure. But I am so sick of hurting and it really will be hard to live the rest of my life like this (as I am now). So, I am kind of excited to have some new options (even though they may not be viable in the future with all of my concerns) it is somehow good to hear now.

Dr. Grover sounded very confident and he looked at all of my MRI's and all of my CT Scans and now the next step is a Nerve Conduction study on my glowing and numb hands. He says his next important step is to find the exact area of my pains!

let me know your thoughts and thanks in advance. Hope everyone is doing OK.
__________________
Ruptured C5/C6 June 2010. Rushed into Prodisc surgery July 1, 2010. Month after installation, symptoms came back and new more intense pain. Fought all year for help. July 6, 2011 received fusion-revision on top of Prodisc - John's Hopkins. Numbness went away in hands, but pain still remains. Doctor's all say "Life of Pain Management" forever. Trying to endure life through the fog of pain and meds and procedures. New hope is now Neurotransmitter "TENS" unit implanted into neck at C5/C6.
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  #72  
Old 12-18-2013, 08:40 PM
bwink23 bwink23 is offline
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Default

What type of revision fusion was this? Is this a posterior fusion only?
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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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  #73  
Old 12-18-2013, 08:46 PM
dustman9725 dustman9725 is offline
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Default Posterior Fusion Revison over top of Failed Prodsic

Posterior Fusion Revison over top of Failed Prodsic all at c5/c6 Level. 1 year apart.
__________________
Ruptured C5/C6 June 2010. Rushed into Prodisc surgery July 1, 2010. Month after installation, symptoms came back and new more intense pain. Fought all year for help. July 6, 2011 received fusion-revision on top of Prodisc - John's Hopkins. Numbness went away in hands, but pain still remains. Doctor's all say "Life of Pain Management" forever. Trying to endure life through the fog of pain and meds and procedures. New hope is now Neurotransmitter "TENS" unit implanted into neck at C5/C6.
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  #74  
Old 12-18-2013, 09:26 PM
bwink23 bwink23 is offline
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Curious about this "plastic spacer". How's he gonna keep that in place, assuming he can even remove the old disc at all. Does he have a Plan B if he cannot remove the old disc? It seems the success is riding if he can even get that disc out. that would be terrible if that was the only option, win or go home.

I would see what the results of your nerve study bring first, and explore your options...hopefully, it's not the disc itself causing your pain.

A rather expensive test that could be done is an MR Nuerography Scan (NOT covered by insurance) that would run you about $2,000 bucks. It's a specialized MRI designed to focus on nerves themselves. It's a long shot but it's another avenue you could pursue. When staring down a revision ADR surgery/fusion, all options need to be considered first.
__________________
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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  #75  
Old 12-19-2013, 06:31 AM
dustman9725 dustman9725 is offline
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Default great Ideas

Great Ideas Bwink. I would wonder about that spacer too. I have never heard of a plastic spacer that would mimic a cervical disc. I would love to knkow more about this...I guess I will go through w/ the Nerve study (Which I've done 3 other times) and get the same results of which my nerves are irritated and my biceps, tris, hands, etc...

Money money money. We need to get into Nerurosurgery!

But I will definitely keep you posted. This whole 3.5 yrs of this neck, adr's, surgeries, etc... has really changed my life. Look back through my postings to the beginning...it has been a rollercoaster ride from hell.

Feel free to ask me any more questions...

I may do that specialized MRI, but I would only truly do this (I think) if I was in a situation (like most of us find ourselves) where the doctors do not believe our pain and sort of just dismiss our agony. This Dr. Seems to think he has recognized my pain issues and the reasons.

Thanks again for your concern!

Dusty
__________________
Ruptured C5/C6 June 2010. Rushed into Prodisc surgery July 1, 2010. Month after installation, symptoms came back and new more intense pain. Fought all year for help. July 6, 2011 received fusion-revision on top of Prodisc - John's Hopkins. Numbness went away in hands, but pain still remains. Doctor's all say "Life of Pain Management" forever. Trying to endure life through the fog of pain and meds and procedures. New hope is now Neurotransmitter "TENS" unit implanted into neck at C5/C6.
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  #76  
Old 12-19-2013, 09:14 AM
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jss jss is offline
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Dustin,

That is great news! This sounds like a pretty high risk surgery, but from all you've gone through I can certainly understand why you'd proceed. With the intractable pain I was in before my double ADR, I was willing to do almost anything for relief. How many of these has Dr Grover done? Do you have a time frame on when this might get done? Was your fusion from posterior instrumentation? Or was is BMP smeared over the implant? Will you be in a halo for some weeks after the explant?

Thanks for the update. Hope this works out for you. Please keep us posted!

Good luck, Jeff
__________________
C4/5 - ACDF in 2000
C5/6 - ACDF in 2002
C3/4 & C6/7 - M6 ADR, Nov 2009, Barcelona
Conceded defeat to a manifestly disingenuous BCBS-TX in my quest for reimbursement, Jan 2011
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  #77  
Old 12-19-2013, 02:28 PM
dustman9725 dustman9725 is offline
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Default Definitely Jeff

Thanks for the post! It was my first consult with him, he was asking me all of the questions...but I will certainly ask him how many and exactly how he plans to remove.

If he sees that screw from the fusion poking into c7 disc from the various MRI's and CT scans that other "readers" may have missed... Why can he not just back that screw out if the metal has already fused. It has been 2.5 yrs.

Why does he have to remove the prodisc altogether. I know that the darn thing has always been my problem and has failed. But, I may try to talk him into one "project" at a time

Sounds Dr. Grover is making this a long-term plan (step by step) but I don't exactly know his timeframe. Yes, my posterior fusion was in July 2011. I have a 9 inch scar on the back of my neck from Hopkins. When he went in, he noticed that my nerve channel was compromised so he dug that out a little. He really opened me up wide in Summer of 2011.

I would imagine that this would be really rough. I have never heard of the Prodisc, especially model # 1 with the huge keels coming out easy and without complications. Death can even result. So, extremely scary.

I just don't know what to think, I guess it will be a very long and thorough decision making process. But I am about done with Opiates which are basically useless at this point now anyway. I am still on the same dose of 30mg per day 5mg x 6 that I was on a month after the initial surgery in August of 2010. I refuse to go up in doseage so I am kind of stuck.

And I wasn't a teacher. I am a salesman for Comcast, now Cox Business out in Vegas. I do a ton of cold calling and run a ton of appts. So, a heck-load of driving and door knocking and running around the Vegas valley w/ meetings and prospecting, etc...

I have basically had to cut out the gym from my regimine because I pay so dearly for even the littlest wrong move. So, I feel like crap all around.
__________________
Ruptured C5/C6 June 2010. Rushed into Prodisc surgery July 1, 2010. Month after installation, symptoms came back and new more intense pain. Fought all year for help. July 6, 2011 received fusion-revision on top of Prodisc - John's Hopkins. Numbness went away in hands, but pain still remains. Doctor's all say "Life of Pain Management" forever. Trying to endure life through the fog of pain and meds and procedures. New hope is now Neurotransmitter "TENS" unit implanted into neck at C5/C6.
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  #78  
Old 12-19-2013, 04:14 PM
bwink23 bwink23 is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2013
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Default

dustman, i doubt the disc itself failed. The most important thing for successful ADR, like everyone has mentioned here, is PLACEMENT. So critical to have an experienced surgeon, and that's no guarantee either. Well, no surgery is.
__________________
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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  #79  
Old 12-19-2013, 08:56 PM
christinlal christinlal is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 103
Default placement

my ProDisc was placed too far forward, and I have seen yet another neurosurgeon, and he states my M6 is placed too far to the right.

I have tried to toughen up and push on for almost 4 years, and I am just not sure what to do anymore. I am deathly afraid of any more surgeries, but quality of life is just so drastically different from before being injured.

I work a lot of hours every day, and have been doing ballet to keep core strength because even the thought of any high impact exercise costs a price in pain.

I still believe the disc replacement is better than fusion, but I also hope the pain subsides.
__________________
12/2008 early am gym class-something very wrong
2/2009 DDD 4 herniated cervical discs
3/3009-8/2009 8 spinal epidurals, pt
09/2009 C6/7 Prodisc C ADR
11/2010 facet joint inj 12/2010 Rhizotomy TBI Dr. Cottingham months of relief
05/2011 facet Joint Inj 06/2011 Rhizotomy
7/2011 Dr. Zigler TBI, facet block and Discogram
11/18 surgery with Dr/Mr. Boeree..Thank God.
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  #80  
Old 12-20-2013, 10:31 AM
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jss jss is offline
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Dustin,

When I was considering a ProDisc-C with Dr Zigler in 2008, I quizzed him thoroughly (for a layman) about removing the ProDisc if something went wrong. He explained to me that the patient's situation would have to very bad for him to even consider explanting a ProDisc-L; saying that with lumbar, "we only get one shot". He contrasted the ProDisc-C saying that it comes out relatively easy and that each cervical level can be accessed multiple times. I've since learned that that means that provided that 1)there has not been excessive bone in-growth and that 2)during implantation if the surgeon also implanted a barrier to keep damaged tissue from growing together, that it is easy, relative to lumbar, to remove a ProDisc-C.

All I mean by all of that is that since your fusion wasn't done with BMP, that your disc 'might' not be prohibitively dangerous, or even hard, to remove???

Good luck, Jeff
__________________
C4/5 - ACDF in 2000
C5/6 - ACDF in 2002
C3/4 & C6/7 - M6 ADR, Nov 2009, Barcelona
Conceded defeat to a manifestly disingenuous BCBS-TX in my quest for reimbursement, Jan 2011
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