Hi I'm Lynn & I'm a new member (2 Level cervical)

[Backbug]

Hi all,

this is all a bit new to me, not even sure I'm posting this in the right place!

I'm 38 & I have been experiencing back problems for about 3 years. My doctor in the UK suggests surgery for 2 level cervical but I'm a little hesitant as to what to do. It seems a wee bit too agressive to me & I'm worried about recovery time. I've got to small kids & work full time. I've had a fair bit of time off work already & much more would be pushing it! I've been looking at alternative approaches which are less invasive & they say that recovery is faster. Anyone have any first hand experience? I've checked out the options in the UK however it's incredibly expensive.

I've done some research & found that Barcelona & Germany both offer minimally invasive surgery which appears to be cheaper. My first choice would be Barcelona as I tend to visit Spain alot for work & it does seem alot cheaper than both the UK & Germany. I just want to make sure it's the better option.
I would really love to have some feed back from anyone who has travelled abroad for surgery.

I've researched Dr Clavel at the spine centre in Barcelona & his credentials look impressive.

Can anyone advise?

Thank you

[jss]

Lynn,

Condolences on your condition. As you can tell from experiences on this site, "We feel your pain" (literally).

Are your UK physicians suggesting fusion? ADR? Or some other surgical process?

The less invasive procedures I had were epidural steroid injections, chiropractic manipulation, ultrasound and interferential. All of those procedures met with some varying degrees of success; but I finally reached the point where none of it would help. However, until you try it, you can't know if it will be helpful or not.

I've had two fusions; C4/5 in 2000 and C5/6 in 2002 and two ADRs; C3/4 and C6/7 in 2009. Regarding recovery time, mine was very short for all three surgeries. In each instance I was 100% ambulatory by the time the anesthesia wore off the day of the surgery, and was capable of attending to ALL of my needs. As you are well aware, that falls FAR short of chasing two small children around. Our boys were 14/8 and 16/10 at my fusions, and didn't require the kind of attention as do your small ones; so I can't speculate on what that would be like.

My ADRs were done by Dr Clavel in Barcelona (we live in suburban Dallas, TX) In Nov'09. Regarding that recovery time, I was again capable of attending 100% of my needs by the time the anesthesia wore off a few hours after surgery. However, Dr Clavel required that I lay flat on my back with no pillow for about 18 hours after the surgery (something that the Quiron hospital nursing staff enforced with Nazi-like firmness). He required that I spend two nights in the hospital. The morning I checked out, we walked the 1.1 miles from the hospital to the hotel. We then walked the mile and a half to Parc Guell and spent the next four hours walking around the park. Dr Clavel required that we stay in Barcelona for five days and then have a final check up with him. During that five days, we walked many miles every day toodling around Barcelona, and then walked many miles around Paris for a few days after that before returning the DFW. I returned to work 13 days after the surgery (I'm an engineer and use computers, oscilloscopes, signal generators, etc... all day).

My recoveries were all very easy. If you opt for surgery, I hope that yours will be so easy.

Good luck, Jeff

[KBear]

I had a 1 level adr at L4/5 a little over a year ago. At that the time, my kids were 3 & 5 years. I flew from Dallas, TX to Miami, FL for surgery and was there for a week. Upon returning home, I had help with my kids for the first 6 weeks. My doctor did not want me driving for that time and I really wouldn't have felt comfortable driving anyway. My husband did all of the housework, cleaning, cooking, etc. After the 6 weeks, I started back some of the household duties, being careful to not bend/twist too much. My kids were old enough to do many things for themselves and were able to understand that mommy could not carry them, but they could sit on my lap. I definitely would not have been able to do it without the help of my family, friends and husband. My recovery took a long time and I am just now starting to really feel good. I tried just about everything before surgery and wish I would have had surgery sooner (3+ years of continuous conservative therapy).
You are in the right place, do your research, get multiple opinions and make sure you can be happy with your decision regardless of outcome.
Kathy

[ajj1001]

Hi Lynn, sorry not a long reply recovering from a discogram.

There are private places that do minimal stuff in UK. My dad had a laser discectomy equivalent at The Spinal Foundation: Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Centre

Who have you seen in UK

alison x

[Lynda]

Hello Lynn and welcome to the forum.

I had 2-level cervical disc replacement on the NHS in the UK 2 years ago (and 2-level lumbar TDR 6 years ago). My recovery from the cervical surgery was easy and I have had an excellent outcome.

There are experienced surgeons in the UK undertaking disc replacements and number of surgeons offering cervical is increasing as the outcomes are so good. Have you considered other opinions from uk surgeons?

I was considering going to Brest in Brittany, France for cervical disc replacement when the procedure became available on the NHS. ( I had also researched going to Brussels and Germany but France was the less expensive.)
I take it from your post you are seeking private self-funded surgery rather than NHS which is something I considered when I was first offered cervical surgery (a fusion at that time ..2005). I know there are waits but would you not consider NHS treatment rather than spend thousands of pounds on private surgery?

You may be surprised how different surgeons offer such different treatments for your symptoms, I sought several opinions and got five different recommendations which just added to the dilemma. The surgeon I consulted in Germany offered a percutaneous nucelotomy, different UK surgeons suggested fusion with rod, fusion with cage, double disc replacement and one recommended traction, physio and observation. The surgeons I contacted in Brussels and France recommended disc replacement. I've no regrets at all about opting for disc replacement but of course do not know if the other options would have also had a good outcome.

It does take courage to travel abroad for surgery. Do take into consideration follow-up appointments which are easier if local rather than abroad, although if you travel to Spain with work frequently this likely will not be an issue. Also, should there be complications anywhere down the line it is much easier to be seen locally rather than travel abroad.

You may be interested to know that there is a UK adr support forum.... Adr Support UK . There are relatively few cervical surgery members but you may find it interesting and helpful.

Good luck in your quest for relief Lynn, the decison-making is difficult but once you feel comfortable with a surgeon and the options offered and actually make the decision be optimistic and positive.

Very best wishes

Lynda

[Backbug]

Hi there,

Apologies all for not responding earlier, I've been away on holiday & home. Thank you all for the feed back!

Jeff, I've seen 2 doctors now in the UK & both believe that fusion is my best option. You had adr in Barcelona right?
I haven't contacted them as of yet, I've just looked over their web site & I've done the usual web searches for Dr Pablo Clavel. Barcelona does appeal to me. As I previously mentioned, I have travelled & continue to travel to Spain for work when fit enough. Business colleagues in Spain advise that the health care facilities are very good.

May I ask how you fond out about Dr Clavel, was he recommended to you by someone or did you find it by chance like me on the internet? How did you get the ball rolling?

I can't believe how fast your recovery was, I've got months & months of recovery planned in my head. After years of problems I can't quite believe what life could be like on the other side of surgery.


Kathy- Thank you for great advice. I know I can't do this without the support of my family & I know they are behind me 100% a little fed up too I think with me going on & on & on about it ;o)

Alison - Thank you for taking the time to respond, I do hope your recovering is going well & is a speedy one!

Lynda - Thank you Lynda for the info on the adr-forum, it's well worth visiting.
With regards to the issue of NHS versus private, this is something I think about all the time. Obviously there's the cost of going private which isn't cheap but the advantage is that I would be able to schedule it at my convenience (hopefully) & I'd get to choose the surgeon & the more I research, quite possibly the procedure as there seem to be more options available to me than I was first led to believe. The other issue I’m considering is if I do opt for private is where to go private, the UK or abroad. The plus for the UK as you say is all the follow up tests/appointments will be completed locally so I will feel like I'm a little more in control should I need to arrange appointments last min. The downside is the cost of course. Places like Barcelona Spine Center are much more affordable. There are upsides & down to everything it seems.

[jss]

May I ask how you fond out about Dr Clavel, was he recommended to you by someone or did you find it by chance like me on the internet? How did you get the ball rolling?

I found Dr Clavel by contacting Healthbase (healthbase.com). That is an international service that hooks patients up with medical providers. I filled out an online form and uploaded my images and reports. They sent that information to their associated providers and then forwarded back to me the replies from the providers that replied. Let me caution you; another person on this site contacted Healthbase inquiring about Dr Clavel. In that instance Healthbase contacted ONLY Dr Clavel and not other doctors in their network. While Dr Clavel was easily the best choice for me, he may or may not be for you. So if you call Healthbase, you might have to tell them that you want options (unless you just want Barcelona).

I am familiar with one other such service; planethospital.com.

Hoping that your having a pain free day, Jeff

[Lynda]

Hi Lynn

I hope you enjoyed your holiday.

You may be interested to know that, at the time of my cervical surgery, (2008) a two-level cervical TDR using Activ C prostheses would have cost around £18,000 for private surgery. I don't know how that compares to Spain? Have you consulted a UK surgeon who undertakes disc replacement at all? They are few and far between it seems. The waits for consultation for new patients on the NHS is on average about 5 weeks at this time (although the waits for surgery are longer, government targets are 18 weeks from referral to treatment but not everywhere achieves those targets). It is of course possible too have a private consultation initially (costs around £200ish) and then transferred to NHS waiting list for surgery.

It seems you have a few decisions to face and hope you can find someone you trust and feel comfortable with to undertake the surgery you require.

Very best wishes

Lynda