NeuroTalk Support Groups - Dr. Jho Surgery

I ruptured a disc at c6-c7 back in 2002. It caused some paralysis down my right arm and constant throbbing pain which I had to manage with pain killers.

After looking at fusion, I just didn't want to go that route unless there was no other way.

I found an integrated sports and spine clinic that had a chiropractor on staff, but was run and owned by an MD. I knew this was the place that could help me or could point me in the right direction. I spent a year doing every alternative therapy including prolotherapy and nothing got he impengement to back off. However my doctor knew of the latest and greatest and mentioned Dr. Jho, but cautioned that it might be very difficult to get in with him. And it was.

I was 31 at the time of my surgery. Before the injury, I was in the best shape of my life, lifted regularly and played soccer. The morning of my surgery, I was in a large room where all the patients for surgery were being "prepped". The entire room was ringed with patients on gurneys. A handful of nurses were going to every patient and double checking with them on the main details to make sure no mistakes were made. So, I could hear several different patients near me confirm who their doctor was, what surgery they were to receive on what area of their body and so on. Everyone I heard (which was several) were there to either get a neck or back fusion.

When one of the nurses came and picked up my chart and started confirming the details and she said "And your doctor today will be Dr Jho....", she literally stopped in mid sentence, leaned in close and whispered (so nobody else could hear), "You're very lucky".

From my own research in regards to cervical fusion, the risks, the future of needing more of them... I knew exactly what she meant. To be clear... neither myself, the nurse, or even Dr Jho... expressed or ever thought that his surgery or techniques are a guarantee to fix every patient that he works on. Anyone who has spent any times around doctors and the medical field know that if you're expecting a guarantee... you're guaranteed to get disappointed.

I just knew that my odds were better with this than with fusion. And... if this didn't work... it didn't take fusion off the table.

Anyhow, my surgery was early that morning and I was awake in my bed later that morning. As soon as I was fully awake, I climbed out of my bed, got down on the floor and started doing push ups. I knew if the surgery worked, my right tricep would no longer be paralyzed. I don't remember how many push ups I did back then, but it was more than a few.

That was roughly 15 years ago. Since then, no pain, on problems, no big changes to the structures in my neck... no cloud of future surgeries hanging over me.

Hope this is helpful.