I have been on so many surgical consults its frustrating when the response has been different..

[mark kim]

I am confused right now what to do in my situation and wanted to seek the advice of others on this board. I have been given different opinions about my spine which has left me in a state of confusion. I have been given different opinions on why i continue to have leg pain. All the doctors say there is nothing pinching on the nerve so either its the scar tissue from my previous surgery at the l5-s1, the disc itself, or permanent nerve damage. This makes it complicated because some of the doctors stated that fusion will help 99% and the others say its 50%. I just recently came back from a surgical consult with one of the pioneers in endoscopic spinal fusion and he gave me the 50/50 option. He is worried about the nerve pain. All the other doctors want to perform an alif. I don't know what to do.
On a side note, the doctor I visited who performs the endoscopic spinal fusion told me that in the past ten years he has not seen any patient effected by the adjacent segments who has gone through the endoscopic spinal fusion. However, his information is only limited to 10 years since this technology was developed 10 years ago.

[Katie]

Mark, I don't think I've officially welcomed you to the forum

What you are describing is pretty much what each and every one of us have gone through. For many, it took years to get the consults because of wait times, etc. Personally, my best answers came when I sent my images out of country, to Germany, Brazil and India. It was only then that I started to get answers that at least had a common vein. You may think that adding more may be even more confusing, but soon you will start to see a pattern. Plus you get the advice of some of the top surgeons in the world. I have to add that out of the country for me included the US, as I'm in Canada

Also, perhaps the surgeons who are only giving you a 50% success rate is all they have personally had...just something to think about. Also, they naturally all specialize in certain procedures and will lead you that way. It doesn't mean that it is the best, just that it's the best that they do.

I had great luck with the XLIF procedure, which is much less invasive than most procedures. The surgeons that specialize in this often do the same type of procedure with artificial discs as well as fusions. If you need more information on that, there are several threads about it here, or look up Nuvasive, the company that has lead the research on it.

There is a wealth of information on several options if you search through the archived threads. You are on a journey, and unfortunately the road maps are not always the most exact. But keep searching and it will come together.

[Keano16]

I just recently came back from a surgical consult with one of the pioneers in endoscopic spinal fusion and he gave me the 50/50 option. He is worried about the nerve pain. All the other doctors want to perform an alif. I don't know what to do.
On a side note, the doctor I visited who performs the endoscopic spinal fusion told me that in the past ten years he has not seen any patient effected by the adjacent segments who has gone through the endoscopic spinal fusion. However, his information is only limited to 10 years since this technology was developed 10 years ago.

Wondering what is the name of that doctor?

I suppose he does tubular retractor assisted fusion which means minimally-invasive...

[KBear]

Excellent advice from Katie, very well said. I can't imagine the confusion of different treatments, different ideas on your pain generator and the conflicting advice. I was very lucky and all 3 of the surgeons I consulted agreed on my diagnosis and treatment agreed on what should be done. That being said, this is exactly why we stress on here to get multiple opinions (so kudos to you for doing so), had you just asked 1 surgeon and went with it, who knows if it would have helped. I also agree with Katie, that you should seek even more opinions, which does seem more confusing, but it should give you a common theme like she said. Even if out of country treatment is not an option for you, the opinions will still help and lead you the in the right direction. Good Luck and sorry that you are having such a hard time, Kathy

[mark kim]

Thanks for advice. I have sought consultation from at least 10 doctors in the U.S. I have been to CA, NY, and Chicago. Keano16, the doctor i went to was dr. richard g fessler. He is supposed to be one of the pioneers in minimally invasive surgery. I will take you advice and send some of my films out of the country.

[Keano16]

He is top. Good luck

[Gilbert P]

Hi Mark

This is a great family
I also have seen my share of Doctors, all with different solutions.

It is not an easy task, but we may be able to help.

Reading many post and learning who is the best for your condition.

I wish you the best

Gil

[runagain]

Mark,

You are not alone. I had different opinions before surgery, too.
I think the more us (the patients) are armed with information, the more we can ask questions that will guide our decisions.
I don't believe it hurts to be informed.
And welcome.

R