After a new round of injections, my surgeon decided the only option left is surgery.

My options he gave me were:

1) Do nothing

2) Two-tier spinal fusion in my C5-C6, C6-C7. He tells me this would limit my neck range of motion by 20%.

3) Two-tier disk replacement in same sections. He tells me this could put me at full recovery at a fraction of the time as a fusion. He is very comfortable with this procedure. He would use LDR's Mobi-C device.

I am having trouble finding reliable information on how much a replacement can be trusted. This is making it very difficult to decide what to do. As I am only 28, surgery is a difficult decision anyway.

Where can I find more information on this very tempting replacement? What is the success rate of this replacement surgery?

I should point out, this two level replacement can not be done if three or more levels need surgery. I have three herniated discs, and an MRI that is more than six months old...

I must thank all of you so far who have offered information and support.

It is greatly appreciated.

Just a couple of thoughts for you…

Have you been in physical therapy these past few months, to see if your cervical problems can be managed conservatively? (I would think your surgeon would have written you a prescription for PT on your first visit, that's pretty standard procedure.)

Have you sought out any second opinions as to whether or not to have the surgery? (You're entitled to more than one, I believe, as you explore your options on this very serious decision.)

If you do decide to go the surgery route, you might want to ask your surgeon (whomever you choose, based on qualifications, experience, etc.) for the names and numbers of 2 or 3 of their other surgical patients who have had the same procedure(s) done. This way, you can talk to people who have been right where you are and ask them any questions you may have re their experiences with it. (There're no privacy concerns, as long as they've agreed to talk with you.)

Do you have a neurologist and/or a primary care physician you can bring into the loop as to what's going on with you? Encourage your docs to talk to each other about your case… and most importantly, to you! The more specialists you have advocating for you, the better.

That's it for now. I know this is scary stuff, especially for someone as young as you are. But I think you will feel better about things the more informed you become - and the more people you have on your team. If you do decide to try PT for 6 - 9 months before making any decisions, and you need help managing your pain, you might want to consider adding a Pain Management Specialist to the treatment team as well.

Let me know what you think! We're here to support you.

Alison

I suppose I would seek another opinion Mikey. Even go outside the company. Also the moderator may be right to try to seek some kind of other employment within the company. Have you tried Ketamine infusions, and sought the advise of a pain specialist? Currently I see a doctor called a physiatrist. In my case she thinks outside the box. Your doctor is correct about the surgery. That is only a last resort, when you MRI starts to say " severe" in the language of it. I hope you find a good solution so that you can stay active and still work. ginnie

So I finally received a second opinion...He has insisted on no surgery, but also six MORE weeks of physical therapy. I have already been through around half a years worth of PT...In two weeks I will reach my 1 year mark since my original date of injury...I don't know if I can take this anymore...I just want it to stop...the pain, being kicked around so people can make money off of me...I just want to work without being in excruciating pain. Is that really so much to ask?

I have not been working beyond a few days this past July. Does it ever stop being hard to handle all this?

I just found out about a form of PT that isn't the normal one. I have had two spinal fusions, so I know the difference. This is called neuromuscular Massage. The licence for this particular type of therapy is required. It is not the sweet, feel good therapy. This goes to all the nerves in effected areas, and it does not feel great. HOWEVER, in 6 treatments my nerve pain and pain in general in my blown out arm is improving. There was no surgery fix for my arm. Just a warning I was losing function and I am an artist.
This is the kind of therapy that athletes get when they blow out a back, arm, leg or whatever. Either it gets you back to some good state, or you are out of your sport. Look into this if you have a chance. I didn't know what it was, or how bad it hurt, but I now look forward to it, bring on the pain, as it seems to be giving me some ability back. I wish you all the best Mikey. Also if you have to do the regular PT, change therapists. Sometimes a new person has a few tricks the others don't. ginnie