[Artificial Disc Replacement / Lumbar] M6-L (lumbar) Artificial Disc Replacement

[helmut]

hi, thanks for your reply, i wasn't sure where to post the details but here we go:

i had my first disectomy in may of 07, after about 6 years of repeating episodes of excruciating pain down my left leg. sitting, during those years was never really an option. MRI showed a very large bulge pressing on the nerve. finally after years of chiropractors the surgery in 07 removed the bulge and i was fine. it was quite perfect, simple mechanics, bulge presses on nerve, remove the bulge ... no more pain ... and i regretted not having done it way earlier. Then 2 years later it started again on my right side, not as painful by far but after about 10 months of it it grew to be pretty uncomfortable again. so i went to see the same surgeon again (who in the meantime also removed part of my right meniscus succesfully) and the MRI showed an almost exact mirrorimage of the previous one. Basically same situation, bulge presses on nerve... etc. so we decided to again remove the bulge, only this time when they removed the bulge, a hole must have opened in the annulus and the nucleus pretty much spilled out. i wasn't happy to hear about that as my "flat tire" just had gotten even flatter. now my mind is spinning. the doctor says that the nucleus would dry up eventually anyways and at least it can no longer cause the disc to bulge but that eventual diminished disc height can cause trouble down the line. my sense of mechanics tells me that i should avoid somehow for the remaining disc wall (annulus)b to be slowly crushed by my bodyweight.

I would love to hear some opinions on what I could?should do. It would seem logical to inject something solid forming, into the space where the nucleus was. wouldn't it?

Thanks,
Helmut

[helmut]

I am about to get a M6L, it does sound better than most of the other options out there but I am not a professional in the field. I am traveling to Stenum hospital tomorrow. At this point I really don't see any better option out there.
Please correct me if I am wrong

[helmut]

Thanks! I am quite excited at this point, especially looking forward to full mobility without having to think about my lower back constantly as well as the promise of protecting adjacent discs which means I would have a overall improvement which is much more than the usual compromise which a disectomy has brought in the past.
Of course I am also nervous as I have never had anybody inside my abdomen before but I suppose there actually are people out there who can handle such things rather elegantly.
Tyler, your story sounds mazing, I am also usually the type of patient who tries to refuse painkillers considering that I feel any poison that my liver has to deal with hinders the healing process but I did eat ibuprofen like cereal at times of severe sciatica just so the pain would become slightly less.

[tyler]

Thanks! I am quite excited at this point, especially looking forward to full mobility without having to think about my lower back constantly as well as the promise of protecting adjacent discs which means I would have a overall improvement which is much more than the usual compromise which a disectomy has brought in the past.
Of course I am also nervous as I have never had anybody inside my abdomen before but I suppose there actually are people out there who can handle such things rather elegantly.
Tyler, your story sounds mazing, I am also usually the type of patient who tries to refuse painkillers considering that I feel any poison that my liver has to deal with hinders the healing process but I did eat ibuprofen like cereal at times of severe sciatica just so the pain would become slightly less.

Helmut - I know how you feel, I'd never had an operation before and my first involved slicing my neck open and poking through some tightly-spaced plumbing and wiring to get to the cervical spine. I think that's why I was even happier after the fact and amazed with the recovery and results.
Are you scheduled for surgery yet?

[helmut]

I am scheduled for friday. I am quite curious how I will feel afterwards.

[trkdoc714]

Helmut,

My surgery at Stenum was over 1 1/2 years ago. I remember standing for the first time afterward. No pain. First time in 3 years. I was elated and it still amazes me every day. Pain free after all the U.S. surgeons were lining up to fuse and remove the laminae.

The surgeons and staff at stenum are top notch. I'm anxious to hear from you once you're on the other side of surgery.

Good luck!

Bob

P.S. Ask Hans about his classic Mercedes. Both of them.

[jss]

I am scheduled for friday. I am quite curious how I will feel afterwards.

Helmut,

When I woke up after my two M6's were implanted, I felt better than I did when they put me out. And I was able to attend to all of my needs after the anesthetic wore off within a couple hours after surgery.

Here's hoping for a successful outcome. Good luck this week!

Jeff

[runagain]

Helmut,

The doctors slicing through your belly is kind of odd. But just to deal with surgical pain, which gets better each day, is a bliss. That is compared to presurgical pain.
Wishing you happy trails and see you on the other side,

R

[helmut]

Thanks everybody for the support, it does feel good to know that there are others who are doing very well with the M6. Mechanically it appears to be the best device out there, lets hope it will last 100 years.

[helmut]

...and the M6 with the 6 degrees built in stopper avoiding additional pressure on the facet joints is very important compared to others that turn 360 degrees. was that mentioned already?
Well hopefully by tomorrow this time I will be able to test the M6 inside my spine ...