[carls]

Hi Beaverc,

Overall I thought both Dr. Clavel and Dr. Blumenthal (TBI) inspire confidence. They are both very well known and I am confident either would perform the surgery well. I had a virtual meeting with Dr. Clavel and an in person meeting with Dr Blumenthal. I do like that Dr. Clavel has a more lengthy post surgery process. They recommend two weeks in Barcelona with lots of rehab included. With TBI, once out of the hospital I would fly home and be on my own. Nice to be home, and I am good at rehab, but feel like having some dedicated work right after might help. Both want to do the same procedure (ADR 4/5 and ALIF 5/1).

Now I have to decide if I want to do this conservative approach or the more aggressive 3 level ADR. Bertagnoli recommends this. Although I have not spoken to him, based on all the information I have reviewed, I think he would also have the same ability to have a successful surgery. Once you have the right surgeons it really seems like it is just how your body responds to it. Obviously working on two vs three would have less likelihood of issues since less work is being done. However, the liability of having a degenerating disk at ¾ that could cause problems later.