Medical Endeavors w/ my Herniated and Degenerative Lumbar Disc

It's been almost 4 weeks since my operation. It seems like it's been more time.. I'm getting a little bored at home, but i've found solace with a subscription to Netflix and a few seasons of Dexter. The sciatica pain I mentioned a few days ago is now completely gone. I was quite nervous about it, but I just kept doing my exercises more carefully and it's gone now. It seems the nerves were still quite sensitive from the increased disc height, and all the commotion and cooking in the holidays upset them a little. I'm spreading apart my exercises, so now i'm doing them every other day with a day of 'rest' in between. If I had a job right now, I would probably feel comfortable returning to half a day of work within the next few days. My back feels very strong, my movements are smooth and flexible, driving is comfortable (big suv), and sitting is tolerable as long as I take the occasional break. In two weeks I will be going to an Andrea Bocelli co...

It's been a great busy week. Back pain is completely gone and I am almost as mobile as before the operation. I do have some sciatica pain down my left leg, but I'm hoping this will settle soon. It seems to be there regardless of what position i'm in or what activity level i've had. I'm going to the gym every 2 days for my hydrotherapy and a little bit of stationary biking and walking.

Hi everyone. A few people have expressed interest in this type of surgery. Given that I have plenty of time to spare these days, I've set up an email address and google voice phone number to answer any personal questions you might have for me. This email forwards to my personal email, which I get on my phone so I should be able to respond within the hour. Remember, i'm no doctor and i'm probably not the best person to be answering technical questions about the surgery itself.. but I can tell you about what i've been through, what i'm feeling, and what i've read or been told by doctors. Email: mike.spineblog@gmail.com And by the way, as of today I am 3 weeks post-op.

I've found an interesting tid-bit from Mr. Boeree's website , which is consistent with what they kept telling me at the hospital: Although the recuperation after total disc replacement is relatively quick, you are certainly likely to be aware of some discomfort and soreness deep in your back. The wound itself and the surrounding stomach muscle will also feel quite bruised and tender initially. These symptoms will gradually dissipate over the days and weeks following your operation. Another cause of lower back discomfort after disc replacement can be the facet joints having to get used to the slight readjustment of the vertebrae and often the rather improved range of movement compared to what they have been used to! Again these symptoms will usually settle, but if they remain troublesome we will sometimes recommend a course of facet joint injections. It is not unusual to experience post-operative pain in one of your legs. This is caused by the nerves being slightly stretch...

Hi all! I seem to be getting a lot more confident these days. I'm almost being a bit cocky with what i'm able to do now. Changing, grooming, showering, and other activities are a breeze now. You develop little 'tricks' to get yourself through these things, but my progress has mainly been due to lowered pain levels. I can now bend forward a little more without any pain, which makes all these tasks even easier. Did I mention that I started driving 3 days ago? Sitting Tolerance Sitting tolerance has also been getting better, but still isn't great. The general rule with ADR is that 6 weeks post-op you should be 80% recovered, and 3 months post-op you should be back to normal. I would say i'm 50% recovered so far. This is reflected in sitting, which puts a huge load on your disc. When I sit, I can feel the pressure on my L4/L5 bones, which are both trying to grow new bony in-growth around the endplates.. for now, i'll avoid sitting as much as I can but i...

It's been 4 days since I came home. Every day is a huge improvement.. I think to myself: "I feel ok! there's now way I could feel better".. and them BAM! I feel better the next day. hahaha I'm relieved to be speaking this way. I'm been blessed with a successful surgery so far. Sometimes I forget I even had surgery... but don't take this the wrong way.. feeling well works against you! You get too comfortable sometimes and forget you had spine surgery two weeks ago. You forget about the proper way of getting in bed, and then BAM, you get some pain. Good thing the pain is minimal and is relieved after a minute of bedrest. But from now on, my mentality is: AVOID "I WISH I WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT" SITUATIONS. So, overall things are going really well. I just wish I had a pool around here. Hydrotherapy is a big part of recovery, and i'm not doing the one thing the surgeon recommended. Today i'm looking for a local pool!

General Comments: The last few days have been wonderful. I've seen tremendous improvement every single day. Muscle spasms are virtually non-existent, incision pain has never been present, and back pain is barely there. The only times when I experience any sort of pain are after sitting down for a short while. Car rides are absolutely terrible, but have been getting better every day. The Incision: My staples were removed 9 days post-op. The incision looks wonderful! I think I understand why I barely experience any pain.. they stapled the incision in such a way that it was 'bunched up' so as to not create any pressure against the healing.. By the time I had my staples removed, the staple holes were separated by at least a centimeter more than when the staples were in place. The Flight Back Home: I just made it back to Houston. It hasn't been an easy day, but it hasn't been terrible either. The main reason why it wasn't terrible was the wonderful seats in my Co...

I've compiled some information on the M6-L artificial disc replacements. The most important thing my surgeon, Mr. Boeree, told me about the M6 is it's 'constrained' and 'graded resistance', which means that the more you twist or bend the disc, the more resistance it puts against that direction of movement. This is unlike the charite or prodisc that allow for a dangerously free range of motion that isn't restricted.  M6-L Product Brochure (PDF) M6-L Wear Debris Study (PDF) M6-L Mechanical Characteristics (PDF) M6-L Biocompatibility Study (PDF)

This is the 2-day post-op X-Ray of my L4/L5 level. It shows a good implantation, good location, and a very large M6 disc. The small gap between the L4 and the disc should fill with bony in-growth. There is an increased disc height of a few millimeters. I will try and measure this with previous X-Rays. The doctor told me he managed to install the Large M6. Here is the reference and serial number. I've been to Hydro-therapy at the hospital twice already. Tomorrow is my last session. I will also get my staples removed tomorrow. The incision is about 2 inches below the bellybutton. I will measure it's size tomorrow. Muscle spasms are calming down a little bit. I sill have to be very careful with my movements so as to not piss them off. So far, no complications.

It's been 5 days since my surgery on November 3rd. It seems like it was yesterday, but that's only because I've been in a hospital room all this time. My recovery is going really well, except for some annoying muscle spasms in my lower back. They show up randomly and severely weaken my walking ability sometimes. It seems my muscles are adjusting to the increased height of the disc, which is only a few millimeters but you also have to take into account all the surgical work done in the area. I've been walking around the hospital about 4 times a day, down the corridor and back. Walking is VERY comfortable and I feel ZERO pain walking. The post-op team is VERY serious about taking it easy... It's something I wasn't expecting considering all the stories I read online about walking miles a day after surgery... but spinal surgery is something I respect and definitely don't want to screw up. I know any little mistake could set me back months in recovery, but th...

Greetings everyone! I will try and provide all the details that I can. If I missed anything, please feel free to ask! For a discussion, read the post on the Spine Patient Society thread! Preparations and Arrival Paperwork with the clinic was a breeze. After I got approval from my insurance company, which covered 100%, I booked my ticket with Continental Airlines. I booked an economy seat on the way over and a first class seat on the way back. I made sure that I booked a return flight with the new flatbed seats. I'm staying in a Holiday Inn that's 3 minutes away from the Hospital. I highly recommend this hotel! The food is fantastic and the rooms are efficient. Plus, it's probably the best value near the hospital. It's very business oriented too. I arrived in London Heathrow with two family members. We had 6 big bags and decided to take the train to Eastleigh. BAD IDEA. Take a taxi or hire someone! Not only will it be a shorter ride, but you won't be switching...