[Micodiscectomy, Laminectomy & Laser Decompression] Emergency Anterior Discectomy at C5/C6 and Microdiscectomy & Bilateral Facetectomy at C6/C7

[Deka]

Hi there,

I'm very glad to have found this site and hope it will help me discover how other folk manage their spinal problems plus information on new treatments and experiences of different treatments.
I'm 49 and had very sudden symptoms of cervical DDD 10 years ago resulting in an emergency anterior discectomy at c5/6. 12 months later following a worsening of symptoms I underwent a microdiscectomy and bilateral facetectomy at c6/7. I'm experiencing symptoms again and have been advised to have an anterior discectomy at c3/4 and the insertion of a Dynamic Cervical Implant (DCI). I am currently taking Pregabalin 100mg BD for neurogenic pain with good relief. I also have DDD in my thoracic and lumbar spine and am just about to replace 100mg Tramadol QDS with Butrans Patches.

I'd be really interested to hear of anyones experiences of having DCI used in surgery or from folk who've used Pregabalin for several years.
Look forward to getting to know a few folk on here.
Take Care

[Katie]

Deka, I'm sorry you have had to go through all of those surgeries. I wish I could help with your questions, but have not had any surgeries myself yet. I hope someone else will be able to help.

In the meantime, I would like to welcome you to our forum...where many of us spend hours a day ;-)

[Justin]

Hi Deka,

Welcome to the Spine Patient Society!

Sorry you need to be here, but we are here to help. Are you referring to the Dynamic Cervical Implant (DCI) by Paradigm Spine?

I recently had a device by Paradigm Spine (Dynamic Stabilization System) implanted for lumbar issues. Personally, I have not spoken with any Spine Patients with the DCI, but I have spoken with many Spine Patients using pregabalin to treat neuropathic pain effectively. Most of these patients have been on pregabalin long-term.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

[ajj1001]

Hi Deka and welcome to the forum.

alison x

[Deka]

Hi there, Thanks for all the welcomes I've had...I do feel welcome, which is great!!
Justin, Yes, it is a DCI from Paradigm Spine.
I have a week to decide whether to have surgery, stick with pregabalin and Butrans patches or just procrastinate!!
I need to have surgery in April as I missed my Father in Law's 80th BD as I was 1 day post op and it's his 90th in March, my close friend's daughter is getting married at the end of May and then I have lots of stuff on for the rest of the year.
Hope everyone is having a good day, it's snowing here at the moment!!

Take Care.

[Tim L]

Hi Deka,
Welcome to the board - I'm new here as well.

The implant you are considering really intrigues me. The simplicity of design, lack of friction surfaces, no need to "cup" into the disc for placement and shock absorbing aspects all appeal to me. I'm less certain about what lateral movement would be like for the joint though. It looks like front and back motion would be accommodated well through the design. Perhaps the other positive qualities compensate for this particular issue.

I’m very new to researching adr’s and have a degenerating c5/6 that I’m proactively researching. As such, I have no real foundation for any concerns about the product, just interested in peoples experience or any trials that may have been done with the device.

Tim

[Deka]

Hi Tim,
Sorry to hear of your C5/6 problems, you sound very pro-active about your condition. When I had my first op 10 years ago it was done as an emergency so i had no opportunity to do any research and didn't 12 months later either. this time is different though. My surgeon likes the simplicity of the design and the fact that it's one piece makes it less likely to fall apart. He is trying to get authorisation to use it for his NHS patients as it is no more costly than a cage and bone graft. He went to a Spinal conference in Luxembourg and was very impressed with this device. I do agree that it wont help lateral movement but it can easily be removed if necessary or if a better device becomes available in the future. I have poor lateral movement already as I have fusions at C5/6 and C6/7. My rotation is good though, probably because I do a lot of swimming.
I'll post on here if I find out anything else about the DCI.
D

[Tim L]

Thanks Deka,

I had some severe symptoms about 3 years ago that I was able to work through. Nerve pain is a really, really profound and life changing experience - it was for me anyway. I remember describing it to people and wondering how it could be possible to be in so much pain but somehow still able to move around etc, occasionally I would get a "nerve pull" that would hurt so bad it made my teeth chatter.

You could all it proactive, but I am very highly motivated to never experience that again. If it means traveling abroad for a surgery to avoid it, I'll remortgage the house and be on a plane tomorrow.

Let me know how it goes,

Cheers,
Tim