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New Member Introductions If you just joined, please introduce yourself here. Please add a signature describing your spinal history (use the "User CP) and ask us how we can help you get started.


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  #1  
Old 08-16-2011, 10:16 PM
digitalrbb digitalrbb is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 5
Default New member saying hi.

Hi - I am a new member and wanted to introduce myself. In the Spring of 2007 because of increasing pain and numbness I went to the hospital and had an MRI done the next day. It showed I had 4 discs bulging, C4, C5, C6 and C7. Over the next year I had 5 different Steroid shots, 3 direct into my neck and 2 as epidurals. One seemed to work for a few months, but things got worse.

In Feb 2008 I had a Discogram done that showed my Discs were disintegrating and the dye from the Discogram could be seen coming out of the Discs. By the way the Discogram was the most painful experience of my life and that is saying alot. Luckily my Doc in Marin County knew that Dr. Delamarter in Santa Monica had done one 4 Disc replacement surgery and recommended me. I ended up having the surgery March 25th 2008. Insurance would not pay as they said my surgery was experimental, so it cost me 100k out of pocket.

For the most part it has worked however I still have Chronic Pain and have to take medication to be able to get thru the day. I am able to do anything and no one knows I take medication as I am not groggy or loaded. Before the surgery I couldn't get out of the house and had screaming pain that would come on out of the blue. Had I done fusion I might have lost 60% range of motion. I am happy with the outcome, but wish I had no pain - also I had to give up playing Hockey as the Doc said no more head contact sports. Only thing that makes me nervous is I am 47 and wonder if these will last and worry about getting rear ended and having my neck snap and them shoot out - A little joke.
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Degenerative Disc Disease
Pro Disc C (4) Disc replacement surgery 3/25/08
C4 C5 C6 C7
2nd person to ever have this surgery, 1st male.
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  #2  
Old 08-16-2011, 10:28 PM
JEVE19 JEVE19 is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 359
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wow! I won't complain about my one disc hurting.
Sounds like the only safe Hockey for you would be in a video game.
Wish I had words of wisdom for you, but brave comes to mind.
Welcome to the forum.
Maybe someone else will have ideas for you.
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L5-S1 Lumbar M6 by Nick Boeree
10-14-2011
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  #3  
Old 08-17-2011, 06:10 PM
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SISSYJOC SISSYJOC is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 48
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Welcome, and I like your joke Sorry to hear about all the pain you went through. What kind of pain medicine are you on? I am in desparate search of one that doesn't make me a zombie. It's difficult to work when you keep falling asleep zzzzzzzzzzzzz

I still have 3 weeks before my 2nd surgery c5-c6 this time getting a fusion over my prodisc-c
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sissyjoc
May 5, 2010 c5-c6 prodisc ADR surgery in Yakima, WA. 16 months later after suffering every minute of every day I had a posterior cervical fusion c5-c6 over the prodisc surgery on September 9, 2011. June 18, 2012 posterior hardware removal of fusion. I HAVE ZERO PAIN!
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Old 08-17-2011, 06:25 PM
digitalrbb digitalrbb is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SISSYJOC View Post
Welcome, and I like your joke Sorry to hear about all the pain you went through. What kind of pain medicine are you on? I am in desparate search of one that doesn't make me a zombie. It's difficult to work when you keep falling asleep zzzzzzzzzzzzz

I still have 3 weeks before my 2nd surgery c5-c6 this time getting a fusion over my prodisc-c
Hi Sissy - I am on Fentanyl Patch for long acting and Opana Ir for BT pain. I have been on it all since 2007 and these seem to work the best for me. Don't have to take a lot, and my wife says I am the best on them. I will never, ever, never take Oxycontin or Oxycodone. This drug made me mean and I acted differently on it. I do not do well with Morphine and the drugs with anything like acetaminophen are dangerous long term on your liver - plus I need too much of them.

If I may ask why are you getting a fusion over your ProDisc. Do you still have pain after your surgery?
__________________
Degenerative Disc Disease
Pro Disc C (4) Disc replacement surgery 3/25/08
C4 C5 C6 C7
2nd person to ever have this surgery, 1st male.
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  #5  
Old 08-17-2011, 07:29 PM
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SISSYJOC SISSYJOC is offline
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Thanks for the info on the meds I will ask my dr about them... Yes I have been in pain since I had my surgery in May 2010. After 14 months of physical therapy, massage therapy, ultrasound, stem, pain management, cortisone injections, botox injections I finally had enough of hearing its just muscle pain and went back to my surgeon and said there is something wrong with me. Within a week he knew what the problem was and now I'm scheduled for surgery. I have a non-union on the top of my adr the bottom is fine and in perfect alignment the top their is no bone growth at all and he found it through plain xrays! I am getting the fusion over the adr because of the keels he would have to fuse c4-c7 if he took the adr out and he doesnt want to do that because of my age.
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sissyjoc
May 5, 2010 c5-c6 prodisc ADR surgery in Yakima, WA. 16 months later after suffering every minute of every day I had a posterior cervical fusion c5-c6 over the prodisc surgery on September 9, 2011. June 18, 2012 posterior hardware removal of fusion. I HAVE ZERO PAIN!

Last edited by SISSYJOC; 08-17-2011 at 07:32 PM. Reason: added to post
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