Dogpilot

[drewrad]

Hello, and am sorry to hear of your struggles.

My questions are for you, but also for the board to help provide clarity from the missing details of your last few posts.

Questions.

Who did your procedure?

How long ago was it performed?

How many levels was your procedure?

Which level?

How tall are you and your weight as well?

Did you have a DEXA bone density performed?

How old are you?

Answers to these will help clarify much.

Bone modding via a ProDisc is even more potentially destructive than an M6 which has mild keels/fins that don't even scratch the surface of the corticallis, so to focus on the M6 in regards to vertebrae compromise is not fair. I do however agree that there are not enough customization of sizes available which can make for poor spanning on extra large individuals. I, for instance, am a short man, and my M6's span across the vertebrae great according to the images laying atop corticoid bone, which is very much desirable.

So, please, help us by understanding your unique situation by answering the questions. Perhaps we can even be of help. At least I hope so. Be well.

[TPatti]

Dreward, thanks for taking the time to spell out thge questions that many of us have.
Dogpilot, again, I am so sorry to hear of your issues. Hopefully there is some solution for you to still get a positive outcome.

[colorado babe]

Dreward - I am so happy you posted these questions as well. Sometimes reading this forum scares me on the choice I'm about to make but to be honest I really am impressed by my surgeon and I feel confident in his abilities.
I am a 54 year old women who is 5'6" and weigh 130 pounds. I am seeing a surgeon in the states and just fought insurance with three appeals until I finally won to get the artificial disc replacement. My surgeon is Dr. Kenneth Pettine and he will perform the surgery in a few weeks. I am getting the Pro-disc L due to my size on the C5, C6, C7 and L5-S1. I do currently have several other opinions coming in from other doctors abroad and will see if they agree with his diagnosis. I don't have any plans to go abroad as I can not afford to pay 50K or more for this surgery and from all the previous patients I know who have had similar surgeries on them rave about him however, some folks on this board really don't give me a warm fuzzy. I will keep you posted when I hear back from the other surgeons to see if they are on the same page. In the meantime, I look forward to hearing from others.

[drewrad]

I hope he is doing well, and pray he is.

Thank you for your service Colorado Babe by the way.

[Optimistic]

Colorado Babe - I am very happy that you won your appeal for ADR surgery. I am also a bit surprised that you were successful if you are obtaining multi-level surgery for the cervical & lumbar areas. My questions are:
Which insurance carrier do you have?
On what basis did they deny your request, e.g. experimental, inadequate conservative treatment, etc?
What additional information/documentation did you provide on your multiple appeals?
How many levels of ADR were approved?
Which levels were approved?

This info can be helpful to countless others. I wish you success with the surgery and your recovery.

[henry4956]

My sympathy and prayers go out to you 'DogPilot'. It appears as if you are not interested in responding and who can blame you. Every time I post something positive about my own journey I try to be mindful of those who are suffering and mired in despair. I truly hope better days are ahead for you.

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer

Paul's directive to be joyful, patient and faithful in the midst of tribulations such as yours seems like a hard pill to swallow. Place your hope in Jesus who overcame death.

Faith is only as good as the object in whom it is placed. If it’s placed in yourself, it’s ill-placed. If it’s placed in God, it’s well-placed.
If you have faith in God, you’re also saying, “May it be according to your will, because you know what’s best for me, I don’t know what’s best for myself.” We see a snapshot in time, God sees the panoply of our lives, and therefore we say, “God this is what I would like, but nevertheless not my will but Thy will be done.”

I struggled with my very own words during my recent tribulation, but somehow I managed to not loose hope and I fully recognize that His timing is not ours, and sometimes His answers are not always what we want and when we want it, but ultimately are for our best interest in the Big Picture.

Hang on Brother (this message of hope will be PM'd to DogPilot)

I hope non-Christians and atheists are not offended when I bring my faith into a thread. I respect everyone's right to believe or not believe in whatever they choose.

[JEVE19]

Dogpilot

I truly can appreciate the surgery going south!
Don't give up hope!

I battle standing in that dark place too but try to remind myself
that we have some really good doctor's out there and one of them
can probably help us.

I agree with Henry and no offense to anyone but I am trying to have faith
that God is the all mighty healer and pray that he sends me to the right doctor
and I can still have a pain free life again.
I just want to be able to tie my shoes without pain!
Go to a movie or sit on a plane without pain!
If I get that, I'll be happy again.
I feel it can be done.

I know it's hard but hang in there.
Please let us know how you are doing.

[Kelly4ADR]

Amen, Henry. Beautifully said.

Dogpilot, I am praying for you. Harrison made a comment as to your thread before and during your surgery, I looked it up and read your story. I also read the blog your sister started on your behalf that you had posted a link to. It looks like it hasn't been updated in a while??? If you have a chance please fill us in on the gaps in your story so we best know how to offer you support.

[colorado babe]

Originally Posted by Optimistic

Colorado Babe - I am very happy that you won your appeal for ADR surgery. I am also a bit surprised that you were successful if you are obtaining multi-level surgery for the cervical & lumbar areas. My questions are:
Which insurance carrier do you have?
On what basis did they deny your request, e.g. experimental, inadequate conservative treatment, etc?
What additional information/documentation did you provide on your multiple appeals?
How many levels of ADR were approved?
Which levels were approved?

This info can be helpful to countless others. I wish you success with the surgery and your recovery.

I just posted a long response and when I hit send it said I was not logged in when I was. I have Tricare Prime and all my problems with my back are service related and I am rated 80 percent disabled with the VA. I will try and respond later when I have time. I am currently in nj visiting family. It might not be until Tuesday but I would be happy to share all my info with everyone. #1 key, get your congressman involved and your surgeon in the appeal process. Also evidence-based practices and studies showing that ADR is better, cheaper, faster recovery rate and hospital stay than Fusion. let them know that you have exhausted every option with eastern and western medicine and that you refuse to get a fusion. I also told the third party that It was my body and I should have a say on what is best for me and my body. Will post later when I have more time.

[colorado babe]

I also had letters from my Congressman and Surgeon. I believe adding other cases in which denials were overturned was a key factor and also proving your point with articles that are evidence-based practices. Good luck!