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The Big File All issues not easily categorized in the above forums are here. Comments on general health, diet, "getting comfortable," and more are here.


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  #1  
Old 10-09-2008, 10:53 AM
builder5840 builder5840 is offline
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Default New member heading to Malaysia for two level Cervical ADR

Hey everyone,

I got turned on to the site from another member that had gone to asia for surgery, I've just glanced over a few things on the site and i'm very excited to finally find a place with good support and info on ADR.

I fell from a ladder 3 1/2 years ago and the pain began. Diagnosed with buldging disc DDD at C5,6 and C6,7 with 80% of my pain in the neck and 20% in the arms, numbness and pain on both sides and numbness about 50/50 neck and arms. Since my Discogram they told me that I have pain becuase i have what is called:
"Discogenic axail neck pain with buldging disc and DDD"
(can I get a cup of coffee)

Like most of you have gone through the horror of dealing with doctors and many test. Right away I was told that my injuries were not serious enough to cuase the pain that I was having so I began the long painful dealings with my insurance plans idea of helping me. First test: x-rays, Mri, Ct. Physical's by at least 4 doctors which took about 6 months then becuase i'm still having pain, a 12 week pain management class to help me consitrate my way out of pain. Still in pain so lets try drugs helps but not my idea of help. next was cordison injections and then epidural injections. epidurals helped but only short term.

So last year I went to my doctor and said I don't care what your telling me I want some help and I need to get some relief and get off of the drugs. So again with all of the test and Meeting with Nuerosurgeon. The first Nuerosurgeon that I met with told me that becuase most my pain is in the neck that they could fuse the two disc but he didn't give me much hope in it working for me, he told me that I did have two buldging disc but they are small and not pushing on my nerves enough to cuase all of the pain I'm in. Both disc are degenerated but they could be worse I asked him about ADR and he knew of another surgeon in my plan that had an ADR done in Europe and had preformed one ADR surgery. So I went to see him.

He spent an 11/2 hours with me telling me just the oposite that he had went to europe becuase he was told the same thing about his neck and he didn't want his neck fused. Unfortunatly for me the FDA hasn't approved a two level disc surgery. He told me that he would go off label and do it with the new bryan or prodisc which at that time he thought would be available. So again Unfortunatly for me he asked me to do a Discogram to figure out if my pain was coming from one or both of my injured disc so that if it was only one he would'nt have to go off label. That was the worst test ever and my pain level has increase since that test. Anyway since then He has backed out of the surgery saying that he can't go off label and i've seen another surgeon that told me the same and my insurance won't let me go out of my plan to have an off label surgery.

I have decided to go overseas and have the surgery which will cost about
30K which i'm still trying to come up with but I've been told that having it done here in the states by surgeons that will do it off label is over 100k. The other plus is that the surgeon that will do my surgery has done close to 200 ADR surgeries.

I noticed that some on the site made refference to getting their insurance companies to reimburse them for their overseas ADR surgeries. This is probably the exception rather than the rule and I have Kaiser Insurance and they want everything done in house.

Last edited by Harrison; 01-01-2009 at 08:44 PM. Reason: Fixed typo in "Malaysia"
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  #2  
Old 10-09-2008, 11:21 AM
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Harrison Harrison is offline
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Default Welcome, Builder

Wow, that's quite a plane ride (ouch). But we've had a handful of folks that have flown to Thailand, maybe 2 or 3 that have gone to Malaysia; here's one:

http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/sho...light=malaysia

Builder, what kind of shape are your facets in? Did you read all the radiologist's reports?

I may chime back in soon, hope this helps...
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  #3  
Old 10-09-2008, 11:49 AM
berry berry is offline
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Hi there Builder

There's a new member here and on our UK site who is in Malaysia and was considering cervical disc replacement but has recently decided against it for now. Mack was listed for surgery at the end of this month and the surgeon has much experience. Perhaps you should contact Mack for more information.

"mack mahendran thangavelu" are the details you need. Just for your info, to have two level cervical using Activ C, which I had in February - story with photos on Uk site here http://z6.invisionfree.com/adrsuppor...?showtopic=303 would cost around £18,000 privately. Not sure how that compares price wise but would be a long journey.

Good luck and I hope you get some relief, for me my new neck is simply great.

Kind regards

Lynda
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  #4  
Old 10-09-2008, 09:50 PM
builder5840 builder5840 is offline
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re facets: I did read all of the radiology reports and there is nothing indicating any problems with the facet joints its something that I had discussed with my Nurologist he was also concerned becuase most of my pain is in the neck that it could be coming from the facets but they couldn't find any sign of problems there.
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  #5  
Old 11-25-2008, 01:26 AM
builder5840 builder5840 is offline
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Just a quick update,

I finally have a surgery date. partially my fault becuase I have had to come up with some monies. And I had to postpone from January to March becuase I'm needed for a building project in Honduras in February. So My Scheduled date for surgery is March 21st
I'll fly into Panang, Malaysia on the 18th and do some pre-op check in evening of 20th and go surgery at 8:30 am on the 21st. I'll be doing a two level with the Discover disc.

I want to thank all on the site for their incouraging words and all of the help i've recieved

Richard
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  #6  
Old 12-01-2008, 02:45 AM
ZorroSF ZorroSF is offline
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not to be too off topic, but what kind of discogram did you have?

FAD or the old fashion kind? I've heard this hurts, but with an FAD they inject an aenesthetic after the test to kill a lot of the pain.
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Prodisc St. Mary's 12/2006 not diagnosed properly pre-op and now have DDD L4/L5, facet calcification L5-S1/L4-L5, mild scoliosis and left knee pain. DDD: C3 through C6
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  #7  
Old 12-01-2008, 11:13 AM
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KBear KBear is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ZorroSF View Post
not to be too off topic, but what kind of discogram did you have?

FAD or the old fashion kind? I've heard this hurts, but with an FAD they inject an aenesthetic after the test to kill a lot of the pain.
Sorry to butt in; but I am just curious of what the difference is? Just the anesthia? My first discogram, I was awake and had a mild painkiller (which didn't help. I cried like a baby! ). After they did the dye, they sedated me and I went straight to recovery. For the second discogram, I was sedated while they put all the needles into place, I was then woke up for a few minutes while they did the dye. As soon as they finished with the dye, they knocked me out again. I then went to have a CAT scan (which I didn't really understand why they did that? Does anyone know why?) I never knew there was a difference, the dr. said the reason he sedated before and after is because it was cruel to make someone go through that, AMEN! Maybe that idea will catch on.
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  #8  
Old 12-02-2008, 01:56 AM
builder5840 builder5840 is offline
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ZorroSF,

I'm sorry I'm not sure which type that I had. They put me on the table first on my stomach becuase they said that they could go in from there which was confusing becuase everything that I had read was that they would go in from the front. Then when the Doctor came in He said nope we have to have you on your back this all took about 30 minutes in a very cold room. after they got set up they gave me a local injection to help with the pain of putting in the needles. I asked for more but they said they needed me awake and they wanted me to be able to feel the pain and let them know how it felt. but said they would give me meds after they finished. When they injected my spine with the dye my pain level went through the roof a 10 for sure. I did get some relief when they removed the needle but when they did the next disc WOW another 10 the last disc was ok but I was in great pain. they then undid all of their stuff and said that i had to go to xray for a CT. I asked about my pain meds cuase I was hurting bad and they said that they would get them to me as soon as I made it to the recovery room. I spent 40 min. waiting for the CT and it was a full hour before I made it to the recovery room and another 10 before they got me some relief. In other words I don't care to ever have that proceedure done again and hope that everyone that cared for me will some day have to go through what I did so that they would be more curtious to their patients (not really but it sounds good) I didn't appreciate them making me wait over an hour for pain meds. Hope that helps

Since the test my pain level has went from an average 6-7 to 6-8.5 I'm not sure but I think that somehow the test further damaged my allready damaged disc. they found that both levels had anular tearing and noted that as soon as the dye was injected it leaked from several areas. The only good thing about the test is that now my doctors believe me when I say that i'm in pain becuase before they would always tell me that I didn't have enough degeneration or disc bulging to cuase me the type of pain that I told them I was in. So I quess I would do it again for that reason.

Richard

Fall from ladder 05 lots of pain, lots of test
DDD C5,6,7 opted for two level ADR in Malaysia
Scheduled for 03/09 using Discover disc
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  #9  
Old 12-02-2008, 11:00 AM
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trkdoc714 trkdoc714 is offline
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Default Discogram pian

Richard,

I had the twin (relative to pain) to the discogram, the myleogram. My pain level has been elevated since then as well. The pain management doctor and neurosurgeon's nurse told me the dye irritates the nerves and it would abate. Since July, it's eased up to a managable level but it's still worse than pre-myleogram.

Good luck in Malaysia,

Bob
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05/06 MRI shows DDD @ L2-S1
06/06 Diskectomy/ Laminotomy L5/S1
04/07 Recurrent Disc L5/S1
4 Ortho and 1 Neuro Surgeon, 5 MRIs, 1 EGM, 1 Myleogram & 11 EDIs later:
03/27/09 L4/5 & L5/S1 Maverick disc at Stenum
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  #10  
Old 12-04-2008, 01:59 AM
builder5840 builder5840 is offline
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Bob,

I'm glad that yours has gotten some better, I had mine in January and it hasn't let up at all. I know that these test are necessary but not a lot of fun.

Richard
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