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The Big File All issues not easily categorized in the above forums are here. Comments on general health, diet, "getting comfortable," and more are here. |
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#21
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Fellow Mainer
Hi Grumpy
I am orginaly from Lewiston, I can wait, not on pain meds,yet, Still working a little and enjoying life. will hold out for the surgeons knife and insurance fight. A wicked thank you Gil How about the steelers |
#22
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When I was looking at ADR in Germany I considered two surgeons. Dr. Bertagnoli was my first choice, but I felt like there really was no difference between him and Dr. Zeegers. When I got Dr. Bertagnoli's price, it seemed higher than I thought it would be, so I got the price from Dr. Zeegers. It was, indeed, considerably lower. When I told Bertagnoli's people that the price was too high for high, they did not attempt to negotiate - they just said, basically, "ok, good luck."
Bottom line, I do not think it is negotiable, but it is always worth a try.
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http://kirksbacksurgery.blogspot.com/ My tale of woe: "Threw back out first time in 1986 at 22 years old leaning over brushing teeth. Recovered in a few days. Threw back out again 1988, 1989, 1993. Chronic pain begins in 1993. MRI shows |
#23
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Dr. B
I sent an email to Dr. B's office and told them I had a diagnosis from Stenum and wanted a second opinion but that I didnt want to spend $350 for them to give me one. They replied back a couple weeks later with a PDF of their requirements and wouldn't budge on the evaluation costs. Then right after I got that email, I got another from them with a link to pay by PayPal. I now have a contact with a family friend who is related to an orthopedic surgeon (she doesn't perform ADR) in Germany who is giving me an evaluation for free and hopefully will recommend a good Dr. I am leary of both Stenum and Dr. B at this point...maybe I'm just paranoid.
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DDD L4-L5 DDD L5-S1 |
#24
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Yep.
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#25
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Stenum, in my humble opinion is the best in the business. They will look at everything you have and give you a diagnosis and a path to take. They get back to you fast and will even talk to you on the phone. I had L3-4 and L4-5 done with them in January 2008 and am back to work as a captain for American Airlines. They use the maverick and the cervical M6 and their rates are 28,000 Euros for a two level and that includes everything.
If you want, they will be in Missoula, Montana June 13 and 14 and will talk with you there for free. They are a nonprofit organization and travel to other countries to do ADR. Mark
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L4-5 discectomy 1996 L3-4 discectomy 2007 Maverick L3-4, L4-5 January 08 Stenum Multiple facet blocks and epidurals L5-S1 annular tear 8-08 lased with ELD October 08 back to work |
#26
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I agree with rhatzy. After all of the rumors thrown about concerning Stenum, I was leary about the visit. The team spent well over a half an hour with me reviewing my past MRIs, surgeries and asking general questions to see if maybe something else was wrong. Before the visit was over, I was hugely impressed with the character and compassion shown.
If anyone gets the opportunity to get an evaluation with them, I think they'll be equally impressed. I'm currently trying to rearrange my budget to have a single level Maverick implanted. The one thing they wouldn't do was install a zerk fitting for future lubrication if needed....... Bob
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04/06 L5/S1 Rupture 05/06 MRI shows DDD @ L2-S1 06/06 Diskectomy/ Laminotomy L5/S1 04/07 Recurrent Disc L5/S1 4 Ortho and 1 Neuro Surgeon, 5 MRIs, 1 EGM, 1 Myleogram & 11 EDIs later: 03/27/09 L4/5 & L5/S1 Maverick disc at Stenum |
#27
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Stenum - Nonprofit? ADR Abroad?
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It's obvious from your several posts mentioning Stenum Hospital that you are satisfied with their services and that your outcome was successful (more or less). I say more or less because it appears from your signature that you may also have had a concurrent L5-S1 issue that was not diagnosed or addressed at the time of your surgery and a 3-level ADR might have been a better option at the time. That said, I congratulate you on getting your life back and getting into the air again! It must feel really great. I visited the Stenum website (http://stenumhospital.com/) to investigate your statements, quoted above, but could find no evidence to support them. Would you kindly reference your source for that information? Thanks!
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03/09/26 - Ruptured L5-S1. Years of pain, discectomy, research into anatomy, hardware, clinical trials, facilities, surgeons, techniques, insurance. Attempts at ProDisc, Activ-L trials. Now, low bone density. D'oh!!! At 61 years, no longer qualifying for trials due to my age (chronological, not physical or mental). 2009 - Working on improving bone density or getting rich so I can go to Germany, where medicine and insurance have gone beyond the Stone Age. |
#28
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My Own Research For Facts
Not having received any actual citations or references for the statements made above by Rhatzy,
(“As I have said many time, Stenum is great... I think they are a nonprofit organization and I know that one person didn't pay at all and just left. I also know that they do this operation free for people really in need. They travel all over to do this. I also believe they are one of the cheaper ones out there.” “There are also horror stories on this site about surgery done by doctor B. I believe the two surgeons at Stenum have done more ADR's than anyone on earth... Stenum, in my humble opinion... ...will even talk to you on the phone. They are a nonprofit organization and travel to other countries to do ADR.”) I decided to do my own research. I’ve taken the question to another thread, to separate it from the original topic. Here’s the link: http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/sho...1796#post81796 (Fact vs. Conjecture - ADRSupport Community - The Big File)
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03/09/26 - Ruptured L5-S1. Years of pain, discectomy, research into anatomy, hardware, clinical trials, facilities, surgeons, techniques, insurance. Attempts at ProDisc, Activ-L trials. Now, low bone density. D'oh!!! At 61 years, no longer qualifying for trials due to my age (chronological, not physical or mental). 2009 - Working on improving bone density or getting rich so I can go to Germany, where medicine and insurance have gone beyond the Stone Age. |
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