Hello,
I am new here (obviously) and looking for support and guidance. I pride myself on being an incredible researcher. Friends and family ask me to research everything and anything and I LOVE researching. I think my love of researching now is causing me great anxiety because I'm completely overwhelmed. Doctor's opinions and medical studies go every which way, how is one supposed to know what to do?
You can see my story in my signature. I've decided I will NOT get a fusion and I want my athletic life back. Although my recent foraminotomy has helped with my left leg weakness, I know it's just a bandaid surgery. During the summer, after the first herniation, I was religious with my PT and was walking 5 miles a day. I was feeling amazing and 1 week after PT I was back in the hospital. The depression is setting in. I'm still on restrictions from the foraminotomy (no lifting, bending, twisting or PT until Dec 6) and it's driving me nuts. My husband seems to think this time it's going to magically heal all by itself but I've done enough research to know that no amount of PT is going to fix this,
I won't have a fusion but I can't figure out which disc and doctor is the right choice. There's so much conflicting info.
Dr. Ritter-Lang recommends the M6 disc which, if I'm understanding correctly, is not an elastomer disc and according to Dr. Bertagnoli's website, he does not advise using an elastomer disc at the L5/S1 level with spondylolisthesis (my MRI shows spondylotic spurring).
I've requested consults from Dr. Bertagnoli and Dr. Clavel as well - haven't gotten them back yet.
I'm just so overwhelmed with the options available.
Here's a picture of my MRI if anyone is interested:
I do have a little silver lining in that I'm married to a French citizen and we're willing to uproot and move to France where, after 3 months, I could get the procedure for almost no cost. Honestly though, that comes with family strings I'm not too excited about. I just want the right doctor and the right disc and i don't care where I have to go for it at this point.