Need input guys....On Back Surgery

[AKSNOWRIDER]

AKSNOWRIDER, If you haven't already at least get a consult/opinion from Dr Tim I. Cohen. Works at both Prov and Regional. He did an amazing job with my wife's neck/spine issues and is very much on board with getting patients back to doing what they love. He comes very highly recommended by all my doctor friends. As far as fusion or disc replacement, I hate that this even factors in...but will the insurance cover both of them? We wanted a replacement, but the insurance still deemed it experimental in the neck area so they wouldn't pay for it. Your injury sounds like its a little lower down so the replacement may well be covered as the disc replacement has been around a lot longer for those areas.
In any case, best of luck and hope to see you up and around by winter.

I will have a consult with Cohen..My best friends girl friend is best friends with Cohen and she said she can get me into see him.As for the insurance, I am sure they will want it done as cheap as possible, but its my body not theirs.. both types(fusion vrs replacement) have good points and drawbacks.. Thanks for the well wishes..I hope I get to get out again in the future....Mike

 

[smwizzz]

Chitty!!!

Good luck, hope your recovery is quick. I don't know anything about the surgery, hope you find a good one!!!

Hey guys, wondering if anyone has had either a ARD(Artificial Disc Replacement) or fusion surgery and still gets to play in the powder? How did you find a good surgeon and how did you make the choice between the two?How long did it take after surgery before you were ready to ride and how has it held up? Do you worry about reinjury? For those who don't know, I was in a bad wreck in March..guy lost control of his hummer and hit my GMC pickup in the door, pushing me off the hiway and right into a road grader backing up an exit ramp....Cops figured I hit the grader at aprox 60mph....its taken 4 months but its been decided that surgery on the disc as well as my left shoulder is going to be needed, I would appreciate any experience you guys have on it..thanks Mike

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

Good luck, hope your recovery is quick. I don't know anything about the surgery, hope you find a good one!!!

Thanks Smwizz, I didn't know much either..but I am getting versed in it...Doc called today, they are trying to figure out which surgeon I need to have a consult with first(neck or shoulder), besides the neck, my shoulder has a rotator cuff injury as well as whats called a slap tear. my understanding is this will also be fun to deal with, and I am not looking forward to any of it..on a better note...the Doc did sign my proxy paperwork...so one of my buddies gets to take my first Any "Bull" moose draw permit(first time in all these years to win a draw permit)as well as my caribou permit..maybe next season...

 

[Mag]

Check your fb buddy Shwee's got some advice for ya

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

Check your fb buddy Shwee's got some advice for ya

Advice or does she want to kick my butt?..bwahaha..am headed there right now big guy..thanks.

 

[go high fast]

if you are talking cervical spine with repair at only 1 level with no adjacent level damage/disk disease I would first explore the artificial disk. Artificial disk is not FDA approved when there is adjacent level disk disease. I would also have the shoulder done first in the wild hope of improving you overall situation to possibly avoid or, at least, delay the spine surgery. Spine surgery should be absolute last resort.

One word of caution....do Pre-Authorization with your health insurance company.

Good luck.

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

if you are talking cervical spine with repair at only 1 level with no adjacent level damage/disk disease I would first explore the artificial disk. Artificial disk is not FDA approved when there is adjacent level disk disease. I would also have the shoulder done first in the wild hope of improving you overall situation to possibly avoid or, at least, delay the spine surgery. Spine surgery should be absolute last resort.

One word of caution....do Pre-Authorization with your health insurance company.

Good luck.

my understanding is the 2 disc right above it are bulged as well. yeah, I understand about the pre approval, and wont make a move without insurance oking it.thanks...

 

[Shoefish]

I work in that industry- based on that there are some generalizations that aren't 100% all the time but you should be aware of. Spine surgery should be your last option- they are difficult and many times will lead to another somewhere down the road. They can do great things with alleviating numbness of limbs, etc but don't do much for back pain as a whole. If it's a one level cervical, they are doing artificial disks for those, but the data still isn't clear that it will benefit as well/better than a fusion. Insurance coverage is spotty too. One thing to ask about is ACDF- basically it's a fusion where they approach from the front. This is a very standard procedure that is done hundreds of thousands of times a year in the US and so has very good outcomes. Good luck!

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

I work in that industry- based on that there are some generalizations that aren't 100% all the time but you should be aware of. Spine surgery should be your last option- they are difficult and many times will lead to another somewhere down the road. They can do great things with alleviating numbness of limbs, etc but don't do much for back pain as a whole. If it's a one level cervical, they are doing artificial disks for those, but the data still isn't clear that it will benefit as well/better than a fusion. Insurance coverage is spotty too. One thing to ask about is ACDF- basically it's a fusion where they approach from the front. This is a very standard procedure that is done hundreds of thousands of times a year in the US and so has very good outcomes. Good luck!

Thanks Shoefish, I do have numbness, in both my legs and arms. I have done rest, injections and PT without improvement and I agree, surgery is the last thing I want to do, but its looking to be needed. Thanks for the info, I do appreciate it very much..Mike

 

[Shoefish]

Well that certainly sounds like you would be a good candidate and that you have a good chance of getting a positive outcome. The single most important thing to ask as you do research is how many of whichever type of surgery you land on is done by your surgeon. Surgery is like snowmobiling- the more it's done the better you get. Again, best of luck!

 

[AZ800]

You probably can't say, but I hope you're getting adequate compensation (if you can even put a price on your health) from the d!cktard that blasted you into the grader.
Best of luck with the outcome!

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

You probably can't say, but I hope you're getting adequate compensation (if you can even put a price on your health) from the d!cktard that blasted you into the grader.
Best of luck with the outcome!

I cant touch the legal side of it..but I will say..he is a lawyer(hummer driver)...

 

[smwizzz]

Too bad. After looking at your vehicle, I'd say you are real lucky to be here so I guess the hunting draw is the least of your worries. I have seen a couple people with crazy injuries come out in great shape. The journey isn't much fun but a positive outlook and the will to get back in shape goes a long way.

Hope your freezer is big!!! Looks like you have the potential for a full one or two!!!

Cheers!!!

Thanks Smwizz, I didn't know much either..but I am getting versed in it...Doc called today, they are trying to figure out which surgeon I need to have a consult with first(neck or shoulder), besides the neck, my shoulder has a rotator cuff injury as well as whats called a slap tear. my understanding is this will also be fun to deal with, and I am not looking forward to any of it..on a better note...the Doc did sign my proxy paperwork...so one of my buddies gets to take my first Any "Bull" moose draw permit(first time in all these years to win a draw permit)as well as my caribou permit..maybe next season...

 

[polaris dude]

I work in that industry- based on that there are some generalizations that aren't 100% all the time but you should be aware of. Spine surgery should be your last option- they are difficult and many times will lead to another somewhere down the road. They can do great things with alleviating numbness of limbs, etc but don't do much for back pain as a whole. If it's a one level cervical, they are doing artificial disks for those, but the data still isn't clear that it will benefit as well/better than a fusion. Insurance coverage is spotty too. One thing to ask about is ACDF- basically it's a fusion where they approach from the front. This is a very standard procedure that is done hundreds of thousands of times a year in the US and so has very good outcomes. Good luck!

Just curious, what do you do? Are you a doctor? Not that it matters, I'm just curious where information comes from by nature.

 

[m8magicandmystery]

I cant touch the legal side of it..but I will say..he is a lawyer(hummer driver)...

well hire him for an unrelated issue and then he can't work against his client...lol...or hire him to get compensation from him then at least its a win win...

 

[IDspud]

The anterior surgery mentioned by shoefish is how mine was done. I have a two inch scar in the crease of my neck at the collarbone. They clamped my esophagus to the side and worked from there.
Two discectomies placed artificial discs between c5-c6,c6-c7, then fused 5,6,7 together with a flexible fusion plate, held in place by two screws in each vertebrae, the plate is spaced out from the discs with little round washers.
My flexibility is greater than before. I do occasionally get a tight feeling in my throat when I exceed my current limits set by my doctor, but a little ice and it goes away with the inflamed muscle.

As for insurance, my procedure was cleared in less than 24 hours.

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

The anterior surgery mentioned by shoefish is how mine was done. I have a two inch scar in the crease of my neck at the collarbone. They clamped my esophagus to the side and worked from there.
Two discectomies placed artificial discs between c5-c6,c6-c7, then fused 5,6,7 together with a flexible fusion plate, held in place by two screws in each vertebrae, the plate is spaced out from the discs with little round washers.
My flexibility is greater than before. I do occasionally get a tight feeling in my throat when I exceed my current limits set by my doctor, but a little ice and it goes away with the inflamed muscle.

As for insurance, my procedure was cleared in less than 24 hours.

Thanks IDspud, How long did it take for you to get back to feeling as normal as possible? It sounds like you are very satisfied with the results, do you know what brand disc they used? I appreciated all the info..thank you, Mike

 

[treemagnet03]

Ouch man! Those are the kind of pictures that tend to come with a much worse end result than worrying about spinal surgery! Glad you made it through that one...

Here is a good overview read available to the public for "free." There is a very good possibility that you have read it yourself already, but in case you haven't:

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1343720-overview

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/322604-overview

I did research on spinal fusions in med school for a couple years. I would say it is one of the least predicable of all surgical outcomes that orthopedic surgeons/ neurosurgeons attempt. When it's good it's great, when it's bad it's pretty awful. A couple things to consider are that, yes, a surgeon who has done a procedure many times is good at that procedure, but the most modern approaches are in the hands of young surgeons or big training programs where research dollars are the highest. Everything from the shoulder up is what I would call "very expensive real estate" and the best procedure is usually the one that is the least invasive. Just a thought...and best wishes on the road to recovery!

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

Ouch man! Those are the kind of pictures that tend to come with a much worse end result than worrying about spinal surgery! Glad you made it through that one...

Here is a good overview read available to the public for "free." There is a very good possibility that you have read it yourself already, but in case you haven't:

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1343720-overview

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/322604-overview

I did research on spinal fusions in med school for a couple years. I would say it is one of the least predicable of all surgical outcomes that orthopedic surgeons/ neurosurgeons attempt. When it's good it's great, when it's bad it's pretty awful. A couple things to consider are that, yes, a surgeon who has done a procedure many times is good at that procedure, but the most modern approaches are in the hands of young surgeons or big training programs where research dollars are the highest. Everything from the shoulder up is what I would call "very expensive real estate" and the best procedure is usually the one that is the least invasive. Just a thought...and best wishes on the road to recovery!

Thanks Treemagnet, very interesting and informative reading(and no I had not seen either of those before). I appreciate the info, very good stuff. Mike

 

[Shoefish]

Just curious, what do you do? Are you a doctor? Not that it matters, I'm just curious where information comes from by nature.

No sir, not a doctor, but I did just sleep in a Holiday Inn....only kidding.

I'm on the commercial side in the spine industry.