Re: I'm Glad I'm Here (Lone Post)

[Guest guest]

> I haven't posted yet so I decided to talk to everyone. I was nearly

> killed in an auto accident in March, 1997. Hit in my truck by a

> drunk driver who was eluding police. The police arrived on the scene

> and thought I was dead, but I survived, with three ruptured discs

> and a nearly severed nerve.The neurosurgeons cut away enough bone to

> hope that I would recover the use of my left hand. I did, most of it

> through therapy. Spent a month in a trauma hospital.

>

-

So what do you do for excitement? Man, I couldn't think of another

opening line, execpt " Holy Sh*t! " I get the feeling that your discs

affected

may be in your lumbar due to the low back pain. I understand about

the low back pain and the unstable lumbar. I've had a single lumbar

surgery and have another herniated lumbar disc now, and have also

has a cervical procedure done on the of my neck vertebrae.

Usually for instability, the docs might suggest rods and pins with fusion,

but now, there's a new school of thought, Artificial Disc Replacement,

ADR for short. There are some places in the states that do single level

ADR right now, but FDA testing continues. BUT..... In Germany, at

places such as the Alphaklinik, they have been doing multiple level ADR

surgeries for over a year. One of the doctor's name I have heard is Dr.

Zeeger (sp?). I know at least 2 people (through e-mail) that have gone

over to Germany to get the multi-level procesure done and have had

amazing results, as they regained spacing and height with the artifical

discs.

Search on Google for more info, and if you have trouble finding it, shoot

me an e-mail, and I'll hunt up an e-mail address or web-site that will

get you to the most knowledgeable people.

My hat's off to you. You have my respect and admiration for pulling

through such a terrible event in your life. My best to you for a recovery

and a painless life.

Joe

[Guest guest]

Thanks for posting, this is truly an inspirational story, and I am so sorry

that you have had to go though so much. You must have an angel watching out

for you that day for sure. I can relate to your searing pain as I have had that

too.

I hope that you continue on your road to recovery.

in Clearwater Fl

[Guest guest]

Well said, !! I'm glad you posted and hope that you'll

continue to do so. Everyone benefits in some way from everyone

else's experiences. I wish you the best in your search for peace and

healing.

Betsy - GA

> I haven't posted yet so I decided to talk to everyone. I was

nearly

> killed in an auto accident in March, 1997. Hit in my truck by a

> drunk driver who was eluding police. The police arrived on the

scene

> and thought I was dead, but I survived, with three ruptured discs

> and a nearly severed nerve.The neurosurgeons cut away enough bone

to

> hope that I would recover the use of my left hand. I did, most of

it

> through therapy. Spent a month in a trauma hospital.

>

> But since then...in addition to the pain in my cervical neck area

> and the scar tissue, I've got chronic, searing pain in my lower

> lumber area and the neurosurgeon says nothing can be done for me

> surgically. I have a lot of difficulty sitting up, and I'm now on

> Darvocet for the pain. I've been turned over to a 'pain management

> doctor' which I understand is quite good, you know...acupuncture

and

> all the PT stuff. The neurosurgeon tells me my lower spine

> is 'unstable', full of stenosis and other good stuff, so what can

> you do?

>

> One thing that I want to express to you all is the hidden part of

> what we all suffer through day after day. Sometimes unrelenting

> searing pain, the difficulty of having no one to understand the

> turmoil it plays on you emotionally. And most of all the

difficulty

> of finding doctors who are quite good at putting your body back

> together, but woefully inadequate at dealing with chronic pain,

> which isn't taught in medical school. Toss in the fact that most

> GP's and Specialists don't want the DEA knocking on their doors

> questioning their prescriptions...it can be tough.

>

> I've been lucky. I had a good insurance settlement, a loving wife

> and family. And a home business...which is a blessing because I

> can't really drive much any more...especially with the opiates in

my

> system...

>

> So I express the final thought to everyone here...keep up the good

> fight as I do, and thanks for listening to this long post.

[Guest guest]

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