Introduction. Trying to make a decision.
 

Hi everyone,

I have been battling back pain since 2009 when I ruptured my L3-L4 disc. Throughout the last 8.5 years I have had probably half a dozen acute flare ups where my back pain puts me out of commission from 2-4 weeks then gradually gets better. I have used rest, chiropractic, ibuprofen, and epidural shots for pain and healing. The pain and stiffness never go away completely between acute episodes, and overall my symptoms are progressively getting worse. Mri shows that I have ddd from L3-S1 with nerve compression at L3-L4 due to decreased disc height and a large disc fragment in the central canal pressing on the dural sac. Additionally, there is severe neuroforaminal narrowing at that level.

In the past I have only had low back pain, however after my most recent acute episode(Sept. 20) I have developed hip and leg pain as well that won't go away. I am getting to a point where my quality of life is suffering. I have been a very physically active person. I am a rancher by trade and my profession requires a lot of physical labor. I love to play and coach basketball. Additionally, I am the father of 4 kids ages 5-14. I want and need to be able to move with less pain than I have now.

I have been to three doctors for opinions on what I should do. They have all suggested microdiscectomy at L3-L4. One of them also recommended stem cell injection following microdiscectomy. One of them did say that he wasn't sure microdiscectomy was enough for me. He said I may need a new disc. Additionally, one of them said that with my lifestyle I would be at high risk for reherniation and that microdiscectomy alone would only fix my hip and leg pain and not my back pain.

So, I have been researching for more options on the internet which brought me to the adr forum. I have read a fair bit on this forum and have found it to be very informative about the realities of adr. From what I have read, it is a major surgery and no cake walk. However, it may have the potential to fix my back pain, my leg pain, and improve my mobility. Or it may not work. I believe that I am probably a candidate for this surgery, however I'm not sure if I should try the microdiscectomy or microdiscectomy with stem cell first and see if it works or just go for adr.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Hi. I had 15 years pain from L3-L4 disc. I spend so much money trying to get relief but nothing acctualy worked. This april i herniate L4-L5 when playing tenis.
On december 4th 2017 i had 2 ADR by dr Clavel and so far i am amazed by their team and professionalism.
Im glad i chose him at the end. He is so kind and caring person :-)

Howdy Rancher,
Sounds like we're both up the same smelly creek.
From my years of battling pain and researching, as well as getting opinions from pretty near every Doctor in Colorado, I'm holding out for the Axiomed Freedom Disc.
I'd do the surgery now if I could afford it since it's FDA approved as 'investigational use only' but I'll have to wait until it makes full approval status (Axiomed said 3rd quarter 2018) so that my insurance covers it.
I'm fortunate that I never opted for FUSION surgery, or a laminectomy, since they eliminate you as an ADR candidate.
Anyhow, I feel for ya and hope for the best :D
There's always Hope.

Hey Rancher,

When you can, pls see: http://adrsupport.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11053

Let me know if you need help with this. :wiggle:

Any news on your progress?

Edit
 

Since I don't know how to edit an existing post, I'll just add it here. In my earlier post in this thread, I falsely wrote that a device listed under "FDA investigational use only" could indeed be used at an out of pocket expense. Upon investigation, under FDA guidelines, this means for clinical trials only.
Which is why I'll be going to Jamaica.

again gen patton stick to wars. fda approval isnt necessary if your paying out of pocket.

Made a decision
 

Hello,

I decided to go the most conservative surgical route, transforaminal endoscopic discectomy at L3-L4. I am 5 days post-op today. So far I am doing pretty good. My leg pain is gone, and I’m very happy about that. I can sleep again.

During the first couple of days there was very moderate discomfort in my back. I hardly took any pain pills. Now on day 5 I still have moderate pain and I’m not taking any pain pills, but the back pain is similar to pre-op pain. I’m hoping this will get better over the next few days. My surgeon had told me it should be better. I’ve been walking a couple of times per day and walking feels good. I am definitely standing straighter and able to walk better and farther post-op. I’m a little nervous that the back pain will stay at a similar level to what it was before the surgery.

I’m going to try and stay positive and work toward a pain free life. I’m hoping to get back to living and avoid any future surgery. I’ll try to update my recovery periodically. Thanks for any comments.

O.K. now you're just trolling me, AND you are WRONG...And you completely missed the point of my edit.
Rancher asked for any help he could get, which is what I try to do is HELP.
That you have now negatively commented on 2 of my posts tells me you either have an axe to grind, or you're just an @$$hole.

I'm praying you have a pain free long term outcome Rancher.

Staying positive is definitely important. A lot of people get down on their selves too fast which often has a direct impact on how they feel physically. Any added levels of stress and anxiety won't help. You're still not far removed from surgery so the pain level you're experiencing is normal at this stage.

Hope everything works out for you, keep us posted!