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  #1  
Old 11-04-2010, 05:46 PM
Jarrod Jarrod is offline
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Default Jarrod with broken neck!!!!!

Hello to everyone,

Hi I am a 35 year old male with 4 cervical herniations c4 - t1. My story gaes as follows.

On september 15, 2010 I was in the gym doing military db press when i felt a really bad pain in the middle of my back and immidately felt my neck crouch down and i couldnt lift it up at all. It was so bad my girlfriend had to drive me home. So i get home and have to get ready for work, ( work at night) and have to endure the pain for the entire night. This pain goes on for about 4 days and finally gives way to a numb left arm , hand and and fingers and it was driving me mad no relief.

Fast forward three weeks and still in extreme pain so i decide to go see a sports doctor in my area. He tells me it most likely a hernitated disc and gives me predisone tablets to help with inflammation. Thank god for those tabs they took my pain down to a 5 whereas it was a 9 or 10. Then he tells me that most herniations reabsorb 90% of the time and to come see him in 3 weeks.

I still didnt feel right so i took it upon myself to go and get an MRI and within the next morning after i was woke up at 8 am by the dic who did the scan and he said "Jarrod u are in real danger and need to go and see a neurosurgeon asap u have multiple herniations in yor neck c4 - t1. He said two of them are creating severe canal stenosis.

Since then I've seen a neurosurgeon and my pain is down to a 2 and my numbness is down too, although it is still present in my pinky, ring and middle fingers and my dexterity in my left hand is failing to a moderate degree. Ive been researching since my neurosurgeon said that he could go in and cage me up with a fusion and i'd be back to normal within 3 or 4 months. I said WHOA!!!!

So I started researching fusion and the the effects and the success it has and low and behold it is a straight crap shoot on it's success and even worse its after effects on the adjacent discs by it. Not a promising outcome. So i saw this forum on line and have been reading it faithfully and looking for alternatives to fusion and I must say thank everyone for posting and taking the time to tell ur stories it has saved me from making a huge mistake.

So as it stands now I have picked India to send my images to and Dr. Rajakumar to help diagnose my condition and see if ADR is maybe a possibilty for me.

I have to note that I have been a bodybuilder for 15 years and never had any back or neck problems until this injury and i was totally floored to know that c5/c6 and c6/c7 have been hernitated fopr a couple years and i had been training non stop without even knowing about it. The pain i felt when c7/t1 herniated was the worst pain i have ever felt in my entire life, and my condolences go out to everyone who has endured this breifly or chornicaly i wish everyone a speedy recovery. God Bless.

P.S. I will keep the board posted on my progress and what the doctor has to say, again thank everyone of u on this board.
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  #2  
Old 11-05-2010, 08:48 PM
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Harrison Harrison is offline
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Jarrod,

I am sorry about your complicated cervical issues. All of us here have slogged through the physical pains, and the terrible process of trying to calculate the best treatment options. Both journeys are too painful!

As always, my opinions here are my own (and usually rushed and for that I apologize). My bias is avoiding medical tourism for a long list of reasons; some of them include:
- spinal arthroplasty has now been practiced here 10+ years and there are plenty of good ortho and neuro spine docs here in the US;
- traveling is logistically difficult, and painful, for the patient;
- follow-up is difficult with any doc overseas and almost impossible, which is especially important should compllciations arise;
- the cleanliness of US hospitals (ironically) is getting better in terms of bug control and reporting; overseas is a bit of a crapshoot (do your homework on MRSA and NMD-1, both of which we’ve discussed here. Do a search using these terms within this community);
- one must always be suspicious of brokers and marketers in the tourism area; many folks here in this community have been burned seriously as a result of their interactions with “advocates” and “consultants.”
Sorry if I’ve given you more “homework” than answers, but it’s probably better to do it now than later. Or at least, I hope that’s how you receive this message of compassion.

That said, many folks have been happy with their procedures done abroad, and you can find them in the post-op forum with their comments about their recoveries. Find a way to get comfortable to review as many posts as possible; reach out to these people by PM or posts. Most people will respond when/if they receive your message.

Good luck on your next steps...
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"Harrison" - info (at) adrsupport.org
Fell on my ***winter 2003, Canceled fusion April 6 2004
Reborn June 25th, 2004, L5-S1 ADR Charite in Boston
Founder & moderator of ADRSupport - 2004
Founder Arthroplasty Patient Foundation a 501(c)(3) - 2006
Creator & producer, Why Am I Still Sick? - 2012
Donate www.arthropatient.org/about/donate
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  #3  
Old 11-06-2010, 10:55 AM
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jss jss is offline
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Jarrod,

Whew! I'm glad you did some research rather than just blindly letting the referred neurosurgeon fuse your neck into a 2x4. I hope that you find an ADR that works for you. Which device do you intend on pursuing for ADR?

I'd never heard of Dr Rajakumar and so 'googled' him just now. Among other things I found this link which was created by one of his American patients as a kind of chronology/blog of his experience in India. He seems to have had an outstanding outcome.

I did the medical tourism thing to Spain for a double ADR in Nov '09. I have had a better outcome than I could have ever hoped for, and I do it again in the same situation. While I have a little different view of medical tourism than Harrison, I want to ditto some of Harrison's concerns regarding medical tourism. Be aware that it is replete with risks that you wouldn't encounter by staying in your own country (presumably the US).

And yes, please keep us informed, especially if you do end up going to Bangalore. I'm wondering ... how do you get to India from Dallas? Do you go east or west?

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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  #4  
Old 11-10-2010, 03:58 PM
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jmichaeldail jmichaeldail is offline
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Default Rajakumar

Jarrod -
I see JSS sent you a link to my blog. I would not hesitate to recommend Dr. Rajakumar to perform the surgery. I do agree with Harrison, though, that there are numerous risks to having surgery outside of the country...and there are risks that are specific to India. Harrison mentioned NDM-1 (or the New Dehli Superbug). I believe this has only been traced back to northern India, but it is certainly something to ask Dr. Raj about (you should definitley set up a call with him personally). Also I would not go through a medical tourism company. You can arrange everything yourself, and I think it would be cheaper and I think you may actually be in a BETTER position to advocate for yourself once you are there. I have been meaning to write a blog entry about the risks that anyone should consider before going overseas. As an attorney, it was difficult to give up my right to sue in case the doctor is negligent in some way. However, in the grand scheme, I think the risk of negligence is low - and in the case of medical tourism to India, it may even be lower than in other situations since, I believe, the docs will be extra careful as each patient from overseas is a walking advertisement for their hospital (it certainly doesn't hurt to let them know as soon as you arrive that you are doing a blog about the whole experience).

As for my outcome, it has been very good in terms of relieving symptoms that I had prior to surgery, and I am progressing nicely. However, I did set up follow up visits with a surgeon here in Charlotte prior to going overseas. And that has been a life-saver. I have had a few episodes of pain or discomfort that really freaked me out. It has given me peace of mind to be able to get x-rays and have them analyzed right here in Charlotte. My discs were placed well, and have remained in the same spot despite my best efforts to knock them loose.

I may actually have some facet joint inflamation. I will get a CT-Scan tomorrow to verify. Be sure that you have the surgeons (whoever they are) do a CT-scan and check to see if you have problems with facet joints. NONE of the surgeons I went to prior to my surgery checked this. Not sure if it would have affected their decision to recommend ADR or not, but nobody ever mentioned it.

I PMed my phone #. Feel free to call for more info.
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  #5  
Old 11-10-2010, 06:04 PM
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jss jss is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jmichaeldail View Post
I see JSS sent you a link to my blog.
Michael,

So YOU are the Bangalore Bionic Boy?!?! I guess that makes me and a few others here the Barcelona Bionic Boyz, the Spanish Cervical Spaghetti Spined Cyborgs, the Iberian Infirmee's or the Catalonian ... something or another. (doesn't have quite the ring to it as yours) I'd considered writing a blog, and still may considering the ensuing insurance drill.

Well anyway, mucho gusto.

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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  #6  
Old 11-11-2010, 12:51 AM
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jmichaeldail jmichaeldail is offline
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Default Blogging

Yeah....I have been pretty bad about blogging since I have resumed my normal ridiculously busy life. I do think that blogging is a great way to entertain yourself and document things while you are traveling overseas for health care. People who haven't gone really have no other way of really seeing what it is like. I think among my co-workers, it helped to dispell a lot of misconception about what traveling to india for health care would be like.

There is also some possibility that if the medial providers know you are blogging about them, they will be more careful.
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  #7  
Old 11-11-2010, 09:51 PM
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Harrison Harrison is offline
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Jeff, I love your lingo terms! You should go crazy with your own creativity in some way! In the meantime, your posts here, to many, have been noticed and appreciated. So, if you get busy and famous, please clone yourself and leave a copy of you here before you go.

That said, human cloning will probably be available before stem cell treatments are for spinal DDD...

Michael, your posts are kind and thoughtful as well.

Michael, Jeff: How 'bout if we try something new and spontaneous: you two can start a new forum? This would be great for the community -- since I generally do not like the idea of people HAVING to leave this country for treatment -- it gets me really mad. But so many people have to, we need to support them in their absurdly challenging journey. If your forum is here, it's easily found by many...

It's not about me being a "medical nationalist," it's all about helping people find the right path for whatever their treatment may be. In the meantime, I really hope our country and medical system gets its act together to help so many people that need the right treatments!
__________________
"Harrison" - info (at) adrsupport.org
Fell on my ***winter 2003, Canceled fusion April 6 2004
Reborn June 25th, 2004, L5-S1 ADR Charite in Boston
Founder & moderator of ADRSupport - 2004
Founder Arthroplasty Patient Foundation a 501(c)(3) - 2006
Creator & producer, Why Am I Still Sick? - 2012
Donate www.arthropatient.org/about/donate
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  #8  
Old 11-11-2010, 11:26 PM
annapurna annapurna is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Harrison View Post
That said, human cloning will probably be available before stem cell treatments are for spinal DDD...
Check your birth certificate. Regenexx is treating damaged annuli with their version of stem cell treatments and ADCT is effectively a monopotent stem cell treatment, not exactly but effectively. Both are really treatments for early stage DDD not end-stage but they are out there. Laura, for that subject, just had a post-ADCT MRI and showed slight but marked improvements at about 6 months with both disks that received the injections.
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Laura - L5S1 Charitee
C5/6 and 6/7 Prodisc C
Facet problems L4-S1
General joint hypermobility

Jim - C4/5, C5/6, L4/5 disk bulges and facet damage, L4/5 disk tears, currently using regenerative medicine to address

"There are many Annapurnas in the lives of men" Maurice Herzog
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