[Artificial Disc Replacement / Lumbar] My Short Bio (2-level Artificial Disc Replacement, Stenum)

[Cindylou]

What an outstanding, uplifting post. I am so happy for you Mark. Your outcome is the goal we all shoot for, and hooray for you for getting your life back!

[Fuzzy]

Thank you Mark for your great post. that your spine is more then up to your challening job and does not detract from the task at hand. Really great to hear. I had stopped flying small planes as I would get a small space phobia bue to the pain building up in my back and I couldn't move...have to land the plane first, doh! My back surgery in 07 has also been great and now I have been practicing with a small sports car and it is going great. I can squezze in tight space and my back is fine, my neck is holding up better then before and it looks like I'll take to the air again soon. I wish every body this king of improvement after careful research shows a reasonable chance of a good surgical outcome. I am amazed how many years of pain I have left behind!

[scduggan]

Dear Mark,
Thank you for sharing your awesome story with us. I gain a lot of strength and hope from folks like you who have knocked it out of the park. I hope to be just like you when all the dust settles.
CD

[Justin]

Hey Mark,

Thanks for the update. I'm glad that you are doing so well! How's the batting cage? I've thought about going back to one, but I'm just worried I'll screw something up.

[New-disc]

Mark,

Thanks for keeping us posted!!

Congrats on your 27 months

Todd

[Katie]

That is awesome news. Congratulations on such a successful recovery.:thumpup:

[Greg]

It's been 27 months after my 2 level lumbar at Stenum in January 08 and couldn't be happier. Been back at work since Ocober of 08. In October of 09, I bought a nice high performance glider and have been flying it since. I have no pain and take no meds not even aspirin. It was the best decision I have made and am now trying to enjoy life more. I do all the yard work, shoveling snow and going to the batting cages hitting a couple hundred balls at a time. I hope that everyone can have the success I have had with my surgery.
Mark

Mark,

Couldn't be happier for you and thanks so much for sharing your story I'm thrilled to hear about someone who succeeded at fixing their back and it's nice of you to come back to share with the rest of us. It seems that for some of the people who get healed they dont have to post about their issues because they dont have any. To hear your success is the uplifting boost of confidence needed to keep my head high and wade out the storm.

My company, American Airlines now refers people with back problems to me and there have been a couple that have gone to Stenum with very good results. Just hope the FDA and the insurance companies get in line with this and move it along. It will actually save them money.

Mark

I didnt see anything that said exactly what procedure you had but I think you had ADR?? I cant agree with you more about the insurance company realizing that not only is ADR far superior than fusion (given the right conditions) but it cost a hell of a lot less. Not just the surgery but recovery and chance of more money with complications. I have been forced to settle with 2 level fusion instead of ADR at L4-S1 because the insurance company still considers it investigational.

Just from the surgery alone they would have spent $35,000 instead of the at least $100,000 for my fusion. In my research of BCBS and how they define something to be investigational, if it doesnt prove to be superior to the standard (because for some reason non-inferior isnt good enough) then it has to have other benefits (like a lot cheaper) to be approved and not considered investigational.

Thats what I dont understand about BCBS because the 2 level ADR I need is 65% cheaper than the fusion they approved That clearly meets their requirements to be an approved procedure so I guess they just dont like to be proved wrong.

Thanks again for your uplifting, confidence boosting success story. Best wishes to you and hope many more years of a pain/med free life.

[rhatzy]

Greg,

American airlines is self insured using bcbs as an administrater. The medical department thinks this,ADR, is a great idea, however trying to get HR to pay for it is another thing. I've appealed to them and told them how it would cost them well over $100,000 for the fusion, but that I would more than likely be receiving expensive care after and forever with the high probability of having the fusion redone. This coupled with company disability and now having the expense of 2 pilots doing one job is pretty expensive. However, this didn't change their minds.

Back problems at the airlines is the number oner cause of sick leave in the industry. I had L3-4 and L4-5 done with the Maverick disc at Stenum. I have talked with many pilots and I know that a couple have had ADR. I haven't heard back from them yet.

As for going to the batting cages, I was a little apprehensive, but it didn't hurt a thing.

Mark

[rhatzy]

Hey Mark,

I hope you are doing well. If you have time, I wanted to see if you could answer some of the questions in the quote above.

By the way, do you have to get up and stretch during your longer flights? I constantly squirm around when I am seated in a chair--now that I think of it, I guess I always have since my spine injury in my early teens. Changing my position sitting / standing is best for me.

Talk to you soon. :thumpup:

Justin,

Sorry I am real late in replying. Can't remember if I ever did. The FAA does not care what you do intervertebrally as long as you have no pain and have good range of motion. So fusion,ADR, discectomy, whatever is ok. Usually they want you to get checked out by an orthopedic or nuero before they let you get a flight medical certificate. So, I go in and do some bending and say I have no pain and I'm good to go.

Mark

[rhatzy]

It's been 4 and 1/2 years since my 2 level lumbar with the Maverick discs done by Ritter-Lang. It was about a 5 month recovery but since it's been great. No pain and doing what I want. The best $40,000 I have ever spent.

Mark