Medical Endeavors w/ my Herniated and Degenerative Lumbar Disc

So a week ago I meet with Dr. Zigler because I wanted his opinion on what course of action I should take. I ended up getting Epidural Steroid Injections in an attempt to delay surgery, which means surgery is pretty much on the books in the near future. So I met with him today for my follow-up. We talked about a bunch of stuff: -The prodisc wouldn't be appropriate for me given my age, my goals, and the activity level I want. I need axial compression and the prodisc is last generation. -He's excited about the new trial they're probably starting at TBI in a few months:  The Ranier Cadisc . He actually explained to me how it works, particularly how it sticks to the bone. I didn't understand a word he said but basically there's a glue on it to attach it to the bone and then there's bony in-growth. He said he doesn't want me in  the trial  given how young the technology is. I should use something that has a little more history. Regardless, he's excited ...

Hello everybody! I met with Dr. Zigler yesterday. Just to let you know how fast we got working on something, I had an Epidural Steroid Injection today! But first things first, the Texas Back Institute is absolutely beautiful. Very modern, clean, professional, and FAST. I was attended rather quickly, my insurance was taken care of, and I had a couple of x-rays all in a matter of minutes. After that Dr. Zigler arrived with a huge smile in his face... he's a VERY NICE GUY. Very understanding of your situation and he likes to know about you as well. So anyways, we started talking and I went ahead and told him that what I've been trying to do to cure myself, and he completely understood where I'm coming from. He said he doesn't want to do surgery just yet because he's still testing new discs. But he basically told me that my disc is dead and it'll probably never recover. He said 'we have to take it out and put in a new one' (that's how the ADR conversat...

Greetings everyone. I got a response from the Doctor, and I was feature on the Regenexx blog. With comparison pictures, I can actually see a reduction in the bulge. He is recommending another injection... But I don't know if I'm willing to go through with it if it involves another bone marrow aspiration. Read the regenexx blog post: http://www.regenexx.com/2010/07/stem-cells-used-to-treat-a-disc-bulge-a-case-of-some-improvement-but-additional-treatment-likely-needed/

Hello everybody. Sorry to keep you waiting. I finally got my MRI results 4-months post stem-cell injection. Before you even look at the images, I can tell you this: they look EXACTLY the same as my pre-procedure MRI's. The L4/L5 disc is just as dark and the protrusion is just as big. It looks like they made replicas of my previous MRI's! In any case, pain is a little better and manageable. But I still have that stupid protrusion that flares up my sciatica every once in a while. And the degeneration isn't improved, from what I can tell. I sent Dr. Schultz an email with the results, lets see what he says!

Greetings everyone! Sorry for the delay. It's been hectic here in South Africa.. but i'll be heading back in 4 days and I should be getting my MRI in about 10 days. So hang in there for results! As for my condition, it seems my sciatica flares up every once in a while, ESPECIALLY after a night of drinking though! Otherwise I am completely pain free! So yeah, if I don't do much, i'm ok.. but if i'm active, I get flare ups. Makes sense right? At least I don't get flare ups when I'm not doing anything, anymore. Also I seem to have a much higher tolerance to sitting down.. like a CONSIDERABLE difference. The MRI will tell the whole story. 10 days and counting! We shall discuss everything then. Thank you for following and best of luck to you all.

It took a while, but my sciatica has finally calmed down and now i'm back to where I was. I occasionally get some tiny jolts down to my feet, but they're really minor and completely tolerable. So pain is at a 0-2/10 level. I've decided to 'not care' anymore. Meaning, I'm not going to pay attention to my pain levels. It's really helped me ignore the issue and move on with my life. I still have to come back to healing it, but that'll be after my trip to South Africa. Manchester is in my sights. I heard they install the freedom disc over there. Good luck everyone! P.S. I'm packing for my trip already.a

I don't know what happened... and i'm trying not to get depressed about it... but my sciatica isn't getting any better. Looks like I'm back to where I was. It's more constant now.. and annoying as hell. I had forgotten what it felt like... but this reminds me of so many things that I just want to forget. Pain levels are at about 3-6/10 in the legs. Lower back is a 1-2/10. Well then, lets start experimenting with the next thing! But not until after my South Africa trip in June... Maybe by then the stem cells will wake and realize they have work to do, unless, of course, they're dead. :( Wish me luck people. I'll need it.