HELP..need imforamtion on disc replacement surgery

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cheshirecat

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hi everyone cheshire cat here,been to see my surgeon today and im scheduled to have my disc replacement surgery in a few weeks,and i was wondering if anyone can give any information or possibly links to websites that will be able to help,im very worried as i dont no what to expect so if there is anyone out there thats been through this that might be able to give me a run through of eg..how you felt just after,post op,a few weeks on etc etc all information welcome.. i no this might seem a bit morbid but are there any sites that can show me the surgery in progress so i can see what im letting myself in for thanks ccat
 
Hi, I had a disc replacement about 7 years ago, here in Australia, before a lot of the medical profession were even very familiar with this surgery.
I've been very happy with the results. Looking back, I'd say it was a good 18 months to 2 years before I could actually totally forget I'd ever had the surgery. But I'd had back problems off and on for years prior to surgery and could barely walk by the time it was done, so there was probably a fair bit of nerve damage to heal.
However as far as the surgery went, by the time I walked out of the hospital after a week, I was only taking panadol. I react to a lot of drugs, so I'd rather the pain than the drug reaction, so probably anyone who can take morphine/codeine drugs would have even less pain than I did.
REcovery for me was a 2/3 steps forward, 1 step back process. I went ahead wonderfully for 5 months, then had a setback after a car trip, when I thought my whole surgery had come "undone" somehow. Same old spasms and sciatic pain. I really dropped my bundle, and went back to the surgeon. He said, I've been expecting this actually because you've been almost too good to be true. Setbacks are very normal on the road to recovery.
I'm having similar problems with my neck now, and am booked to see the same surgeon in 5 weeks. If he wants to do disc replacement in my neck, I wouldn't hesitate to have it done. My husband had a laminectomy on his lurabar spine some years before mine, and he didn't have the disc replacement...because it just wasn't around then. His recovery and pain was a lot lot worse than mine.
I'm still careful of my back, sure, but only to the point that I ask for help to lift heavy loaRAB, and don't go skiing anymore. (but at 52, that's not such a sacrifice LOL). But we go boating, travelling, hiking, gardening, and I was doing water aerobics and yoga for years, until my neck started giving me trouble.
So I can glady tell you that my disc is one of the best things that could have helped me.. and sadly, it doesn't go off when I go through airport security LOL.
Anything else you want to know about it, I'll gladly tell you.
All the best.
Lily
 
Cheshire I have a Maverick disc at L4/5 as well as 2 fusions and a Dynesys stabilisation. Thank goodness they weren't all done together!
What type of disc replacement are you having at at what level? Some allow more movement than others eg; the Charite disc. Usually depenRAB on your surgeons's preferenceand your diagnosis.
I've heard that recovery from an ADR ( artificial disc replacement) is quicker and not as painful as with fusion or a hybrid surgery as I had.
Sorry we're not allowed to post links to other sites here but there's one that caters specifically to ADR's.There's lots of post-op info that I found invaluable. Just search and you should find it no problems.
Cathy
 
I think you ladies from the UK will have to provide support for each other as this procedure is not done much in the United States. It was approved in 2004 but quickly fell out of favor. I don't know if it is a lack of training among spinal specialists or what, but patients here are not clamoring to have an ADR surgery.
 
thank you everyone for yr information, all i no of my disc replacement is that the new discs have 3 modular implants. a polyethlene core sandwiched between 2 plates. and 2 colalt - chrome alloy plates, which are coated in titanium not sure if that helps much i no its lower L4-L5,I i also have damaged worn discs in the neck. any information at all will be helpfull
 
Cervical ADR is very successful in the US.. it's more about the lurabar ADR that has gotten all the bad press for the last two years or so now. They are still being done here and certain states are even doing multiple levels for the lurabar region. Texas is a big state doing these here.

Hope this helps.
 
hi everyone my operation is getting very close now i go in on the 28th july if anyone has any tips ideas of how i will be please let me no..
 
Only one type of replacement disc has been approved for use in the US, and it has a very bad reputation for lurabar use, although some are still using it. I work with a woman whose husband required multiple lurabar replacements and they all collapsed within a month, leaving him back where he was.

However, there are a variety being used in the UK and Australia and I've read some very good things about them. This was something I looked into, as my problem meant disc replacement or fusion, there really was nothing else that would work. After reading about the US problems I'm glad my surgeon also agrees...this particular one is not ready for prime time in the US.
 
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