[go*big*red]

I'm not even sure where to post this, so I think this is right. Not even naming it yet until I finish the message, as I'm not sure what to even name it.

I posted a few months back introducing myself. In short - I have been diagnosed with Juvenile Discogenic Disease (or disorder) which simply put means that my entire spine did not receive the blood flow to properly form the end plates to my vertebre, thus the discs prematurely dried out. Where I am at right now is that probably 95% of my spine is dried/bulging - basically bleh! I have a kyphotic curve in my thoracic and scoliosis in my lumbar - all secondary to JDD.

Surgeries are: PLIF at L5/S1 2 1/2 years ago. 2 years ago 2 level ACDF, C5/6 & 6/7. Due to non-fusion, re-did 6/7 last year in October along with removal of hardware from PLIF. Still not fusing at 6/7 but do have a plate so - oh well! (okay, I guess there's nothing about this that's going to be short - really sorry about that)

I am a 50 year old female and just read a post somewhere else on this board about age and ADR. I think I could be pushing the age thing and that scares me. No amount of PT helps my pain, ESI's do nothing any more and the pain meds just make me sick so I don't do those either. Basically, I manage without medication. Those that have helped, Bextra and the like quite working in about a month. (I realize that this is just one of the countless stories that everyone has is this spinal journey we are on)

The worst discs right now in my lumbar (I believe are the major pain generators)are L1/2 & 4/5. 4/5 has disc material into the neuroforamen (sp?!?) I also know, though, that discography is in order to actually pin that down.

All that said, this is my dilema - like us all, I'm just so VERY DAMN TIRED OF THIS PAIN and my surgeon (in Loveland - I've seen his name several times on these boards) told me the next step would be ADR as they become unbearable. The thing is - it's not unbearable -----yet, but my pain threshold is so high that what I live with might put many down. (did all my surgeries w/o post surgery meds) And, at 50 - I'm so afraid that my life will be over before it's so unbearable. I've spoken with other ADR patients and they have all asked me why I live with it when the ADR is so readily available now. I know my surgeon would go along with anything I want to do at this point. Also realizing that surgery is the last resort - the JDD is just progressive. My discs are 50% worse that they were 2 1/2 years ago according to the MRI's.

So, am I being stupid wanting the ADR? And, do they do it as high up as 1/2. I'm just tired of living my life in so much pain and no sleep and if this is a chance to have a close to pain-free life for a while, why not? Right? Right?