[Micodiscectomy, Laminectomy & Laser Decompression] Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery- read if you are thinking of fusion!

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Hey everybody, I just had surgery on Thursday at the Bonati Institute on my L4-L5. I have had chronic back pain for the last couple of years, and it really began to irritate me. I am not a young man anymore by any stretch, but I am far too active and lively to have that bring me down like it had. Anyway, I went to my regular doctor to see what he had to say, and he informed me of spinal fusion and how that would likely cure my pain. Wow, no way is that happening! My older brother had spinal fusion about a year ago and it went horribly for him. He has a big ugly scar from the procedure, and his pain has not gone away; in fact, it has probably only amplified! This isn't an isolated case either- I did a lot of research on the Internet and on this site, and it seems spinal fusion is risky and the results are shaky at best. So instead of becoming a half-android with rods and plates in my back, I decided to read up on "Minimally invasive spine surgery". Living in Tampa, Florida, I had always heard a lot about the Bonati Institute and the Laser Spine Institute. After a consultation first at Laser Spine, the doctors treated me badly and I felt like it was a factory; I was rushed in, quickly examined, a surgery prescribed, and then told to clear the room, before I even got to put my shirt back on! So after almost losing faith in this idea, I went to the Bonati Institute, and man was I in for something great. I first spoke on the phone with some knowledgeable staff who knew about my condition and spoke to me nicely on the phone. I quickly scheduled an in-person consultation. While I having my short wait to be seen, I talked to three of the other patients in the room. One flew from New York, and the other from Michigan! The other made the three hour drive from Gainesville. These people came all of this way just to get a one hour surgery.... I talked to them and they were so excited. They had heard great things and couldn't find relief anywhere else. Meeting up with Dr.Bonati in person was great too. We did some MRI scans and he saw that the L4-L5 area had a lot of overgrown bone, and that this was compressing the nerve around that area. So I came back in the next day for surgery, and could tell these guys were pros. After explaining what they were going to do exactly and giving me a quick rundown in "layman's terms", as I know absolutely nothing about medicine, they started an IV and the surgery began. The surgery is done with arthroscopic technology, through a small incision. This means a little tool with cameras hooked up to a tv for the doctor to see what he is doing. They actually had another tv for me to look at if I wanted! After the anesthesiologist, Dr. Hirschauer, started up the drugs, I began to get that loopy feeling you get. (We all know that by now!) They use what is called "conscious sedation" to keep you pain-free but able to answer simple questions during the procedure. They just asked me if I felt leg or back pain, which I later learned would tell them if they were near a nerve. If I was knocked out like in spinal fusion, I couldn't say anything, and this is one reason why those patients can have nerve damage! Dr. Hirschauer did a great job of keeping me aware, but totally pain-free and it was cool that they let me watch a "surgery tv" too. Dr. Bonati is a miracle worker- in a procedure that I estimate took about fourty minutes, he totally healed me up! My back pain was gone, and even after the anesthesia drugs wore off, I felt great. It was like the old me again! The nurses took me into the recovery room, and I got to sit down and ate some lunch while they asked me some questions and made sure I was okay. Dr. Bonati came in afterwords and told me that, even though I felt great now, pain could surface in a couple of days, and to come back in for an epidural if that is the case. As of today, I feel great and don't think I'll be needing it. The outpatient factor was nice too- I wasn't out of commision for days, and even though they advised against me having my brother drive me home, (they want to be as save as possible) I could have done it just fine. I cannot thank Dr. Bonati and his staff enough. From the nice people who advised me on the phone, the nurses who joked around with me and comforted me when I was getting nervous for surgery, to Dr. Bonati and his years of experience. I am feeling great and am so happy with my decision to not get any sort of fusion done. I am currently relaxing at home for two days, then back to work until Friday. I could work just fine right now, but who wouldn't want a little break right? Then, this weekend, my friends and I are going golfing, something I haven't been able to do pain-free for a long time!

If you guys have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them. I cannot recommend the Bonati Institute highly enough!



P.S.... Incidentally, I had exchanged phone numbers with the people I was with in the waiting room. They all felt great too! The couple from Michigan and the man from New York said the flight had been terrible for them, sitting in those cramped seats with their bad back pain. They all said the ride back was much more pleasant, even though the seats were just as bad! The man from Gainesville, the sneaky guy, had actually driven himself all of the three hour trip back, while his wife napped in the passenger seat! I knew I could have done it too.

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Update to the invisible and mute people who are reading this post: I am feeling great and am back at work. My back pain is virtually gone and I didn't have much post-op discomfort either. Getting my golf swing back slowly!

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Another update! I am completely healed from the surgery and my friends have seen the change in me. One of them wants me to help them go through the surgery process where I got mine done. I went from being a surgery newbie to a guide!