My ADR Surgery and Recovery (Alphaklinik, L5/S1, Charite ADR)

**Alastair** · 05-04-2009, 11:08 AM

Alastair

My trip to the Alphaklinik, a Shooters Story.

I live in the UK have been a target shooter for over 50 years. I have participated in competitions with rifles and pistols at national and international level. I continued to compete in the allowed competitions in the UK even after handguns were banned.

Imagine my despair as being involved in an accident, which took this totally away from me. I damaged my spine whilst falling over some steel plates that were partly covering a huge hole and were left by a water company unprotected and unlit at night time. At the time I was aged 59. I was unable to walk more than a few yards and had to use a wheelchair and 2 sticks to get about. I started to do a fine arts degree.

Living in UK we are very poor at spines and we have only one spine surgeon for every million of the population. It's not the fault of doctors; it's the way that our health service is constructed. I live in a city which has a population of nearly a million people in Yorkshire -- -- -- but no spine surgeon! Yorkshire is the largest county in Great Britain and even though searching throughout the county and nationwide there was no one who could give me any possible solution to the damage which had occurred to my spine except for the usual laminectomy and fusion, some who might have helped refused to even see me, because of my age.

Being a person with medical knowledge, I have many contacts within the medical profession where I myself worked for almost 35 years, I knew that this treatment was incorrect and started to search on the Internet for alternative treatments, in different countries. Not only had I to ensure that the treatment was available, but that it was available for me, should I travel across to that country.

This was far from easy and I certainly tried to get people's personal details of the treatments I found quite hard. Ultimately I came across the Alphaklinik whilst researching Europe, I found that there were people in the UK who could not be identified for legal reasons, but I discovered the hospitals which they were having physiotherapy. Further to this many many e-mails between Dr Zeegers and myself established in my mind that I was able to go and have treatments at the Alphaklinik, and the treatments given to me would be as far as I could tell the finest in the world.

I then discovered I was overweight and had to lose 25 pounds in bodyweight to come within the 20-25 BMI required by the Alphaklinik. I swam for my county when young and decided to swim a mile 3 times a week plus dieting. It took 12 months to lose this weight.

It was with great trepidation that I left the UK on the 24th of July 2002 to travel to Munich. My wife and I arrived at the Hotel in the middle of huge thunder and hailstorms. We telephoned the alphaklinik and told them that we had arrived. We were asked to attend the following day for premedical checkups etc. These took place and Dr Zeegers established that I was a suitable candidate for Artificial Disk Replacement at L5/S1. He said he would do a discogram immediately prior to surgery to check that there were no other disks that were degenerated.

The following day we attended the alphaklinik yet again and after the discogram Dr Zeegers replaced just a single level L5/S1 with a Charitee Artificial Disc Replacement. I was more than a little surprised to wake up in the recovery room and to be asked to walk 10 to 15 yards to my Hospital bed! Despite many excuses that I made, I was assured that everything would be all right and this was the first time that I had walked pain free for many years. Prior to going to the alphaklinik I had had to use two sticks or a wheelchair to get about. These were a first few steps that would signify my freedom from being a cripple for life.

Suddenly I found that my freedom was re-established. Three days later I left the alphaklinik and return to my hotel. I have worked round Hospitals most of my life but have never found the high standard of care and hygiene which was practiced at the Alphaklinik The weather was so appalling I started walking the length of the corridors in the Hotel which were approximately 100 yards long to start in get my muscles and legs moving again.

Returning to the UK, one of my first objects was to get back shooting as I had previously, at my old favorite club. I started to become really mobile and now free of pain, started gradually to start my shooting again. This was hard as my stance had to be changed slightly.

Many people are unaware that the muscular, body and mental co- ordination to release a single shot from either a pistol or a rifle is the equivalent to an Olympic sprinter coming off the blocks in the hundred yard race every time.

Summer competitions 2003 saw me back winning a Gold Medal in a local competition. Not a great International achievement but a good move in the right direction.

I continue to make good steady progress, out of pain and approaching the age of 7 3 I can only say that I owe Dr Zeegers and the Alphaklinik a debt of gratitude I can never repay.

Thank you Dr Zeegers!

**Justin** · 05-05-2009, 02:49 PM

Alastair, what an amazing story! It is great to hear that you are still making steady progress at the age of 73. Dr. Zeegers sounds like a fantastic surgeon and I have heard extremely good things about him--it is so great to hear story after story of patients regaining their lives after spine surgery!

If I can do my math right

, this summer will be 7 years post-op for you--absolutely amazing!

By the way, congrats on the Gold Medal!

**Terry Newton** · 05-09-2009, 09:34 PM

Your a true gentleman Alastair and I've enjoyed reading about your progress over the years. I hope to live as long and healthy as you.

Congratulations on such a successful surgery and life.

I am glad to see you posting here. It's been awhile since our conversation and a lot of good has taken place in the process. I hope our forum will be as good as yours is in the UK.

Terry Newton

**Justin** · 05-30-2009, 11:57 AM

Sir A,

How have you been feeling lately? I hope you are doing well. BTW, when I was in Munich I saw the old Alpha Klinik building and thought of you

--it was actually really close to my hotel.

**KBear** · 05-30-2009, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by Justin

Sir A,

How have you been feeling lately? I hope you are doing well. BTW, when I was in Munich I saw the old Alpha Klinik building and thought of you

--it was actually really close to my hotel.

I'm so lost, has Alpha Klinik moved or shut down? I know I have heard of Dr Zeegers, is he now at Stenum? ProSpine is Dr B and Dr Faenk Myer, right? Everytime I think I have the whole Germany thing figured out, I realize that I don't!

A- Glad you are doing so well, the shooting sounds fun. I shot with my dad a few weeks ago, I sucked bad! My dad is an avid gun collector and goes to all the gun shows in our area (he sells and buys). He is determined to teach me to use a gun, good luck to him, he's gonna need it! Those guns are really heavy and it is hard to hold them steady, look through the scope, aim and fire all at once (too much coordination required for me, I got screwed in that department).

**Cindylou** · 05-30-2009, 01:48 PM

Quite a story Alastair. I admire your drive immensely.

Cindylou

**Justin** · 05-30-2009, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by KBear

I'm so lost, has Alpha Klinik moved or shut down? I know I have heard of Dr Zeegers, is he now at Stenum? ProSpine is Dr B and Dr Faenk Myer, right? Everytime I think I have the whole Germany thing figured out, I realize that I don't!

Hi Kathy, it is confusing. The Alpha Klinik changed it's name and there was some rearranging of surgeons. I think it was renamed to the Atos Klinik, which was close to my Hotel in Munich while I was there. I'm pretty sure that Zeegers is now next door to the Atos Klinik--see Alastair's thread for more information:

Dr Zeegers update details.
(Please correct me Alastair if any of my information is incorrect.)

**Alastair** · 06-25-2010, 01:54 PM

Hi folks,
Well tomorrow the 26th of June it's 8th "happy birthday" to my Charitee ADR.Dr Zeegers
It's never given me a minutes trouble, and is still going as good as gold.
I'm wishing the same for everyone here, a trouble-free and happy life after their surgery
Very best wishes
Alastair

**KBear** · 06-25-2010, 01:57 PM

That is awesome news!!! Congrats on 8 years of having your life back!

**Greg** · 06-25-2010, 02:08 PM

Wow! you must have gone overseas to get yours or maybe you were in one of the beginning clinical trials? 8 years of pain free life....I would pay whatever amount of money someone would want to be able to say that. Lets just hope that once the surgical pain is gone that can say I've made it.

Congratulations again. It is SOOOOO wonderful to hear a success story especially of that length.