[Artificial Disc Replacement / Lumbar] NuVasive XL TDR® (Total Disc Replacement)

[ajj1001]

Hope it all goes well. Coming off the meds is a really good idea as I struggled post op. I go for my first X-rays on the 9th to see if I'm fusing over the ADRs.

[mike m]

Jennifer- sorry to here the study faiedl in your case. I am 4months post surgery and not doing that good , seamed like i started out good but things are getting worse. My doctors have talked about fusion if things dont improve. Did the study end up covering the fusion? I hope this is the fix for you, Ihave read your story and you have had a tough time . good luck

[JenniferC]

Hope it all goes well. Coming off the meds is a really good idea as I struggled post op. I go for my first X-rays on the 9th to see if I'm fusing over the ADRs.

Hi, hope all works for the best for you! This chronic pain sucks even more than coming off the meds ! I hope you get the relief you need and get better and better!
Jennifer

[JenniferC]

Jennifer- sorry to here the study faiedl in your case. I am 4months post surgery and not doing that good , seamed like i started out good but things are getting worse. My doctors have talked about fusion if things dont improve. Did the study end up covering the fusion? I hope this is the fix for you, Ihave read your story and you have had a tough time . good luck

Hi Mike,
Maybe give it more time? My disc has been in for almost 2 years and pretty close to that point I figured out I was up *hit creek" One of the worse things are that your family wants to know why you are still hurting and you have no solid answer. Being in the study was so exciting for me! I'm just having to accept I'm not good, will never be ok with this device in my back. I was one who posted how excited they were about the surgery. I really was so happy. I'm reading a lot of those testimonies now and I do hope the device will work! After being home from surgery, you are excited you made it through. I'm sure a lot of the 2 week post-op and I am cured folks are still on the pain meds. Who knows. Keep trying. I did physical therapy, facet joint injections, almost had a spinal cord stimulator put in.
Anything that would help. The worst part of the story is, my disc looks perfect on x-ray. W.T.H? And b.t.w....since the disc looks fine on MRI and Xray....My husband's insurance is footing the bill. Keep trying though! You may just be going over a hump. There are days when you want to stay in bed, some better. Keep me posted.

Jennifer

[Matthew]

Hi Jennifer C and Mike M,
Just wanted to check in and see how you are doing at this point? I am now almost a year to the day post surgery and still on lots of meds and with incredible amounts of pain radiating down from the disc down my legs to my heels. I just started physical therapy and have been told by them that they can fix me. I am very cautiously optimistic, and feel I have to try everything I can. They seem to think that my spinal cord was stretched in the procedure? I am also very frustrated still at this point with the surgeon who has no interest what so ever in finding out what went wrong in surgery. Like Jennifer said, all they are concerned about is that the disc is positioned properly and rotating properly when seen on xray.
Hope you are both feeling better?
Matt

[mike m]

hello matt I had my surgery done on 8-5-2011 also in the Spokane study. Things started out pretty good but have been getting worse. Iam also still on pain meds ( Oxycontin 30mg 3 per day ) Thought I would be off all pain meds long ago. Im not sure what is next for me. keep me informed Mike

[Matthew]

hello matt I had my surgery done on 8-5-2011 also in the Spokane study. Things started out pretty good but have been getting worse. Iam also still on pain meds ( Oxycontin 30mg 3 per day ) Thought I would be off all pain meds long ago. Im not sure what is next for me. keep me informed Mike

Hi Mike,
Sorry to hear you are getting worse. It sounds like you are in a similar situation to mine, I was optimistic in the beginning that my pain would go away but instead it's increased to a point where I am now taking more pain medication than I ever dreamed would be possible. I believe I was about at the same amount of Oxycontin at 5 months as you are, but I'm now on a lot more medication with barely any relief. My surgeon doesn't seem interested in finding out what went wrong during surgery, I have seen one specialist at OHSU who didn't have anything good to say about the disc. He didn't offer any solutions but said he saw no evidence that the disc was growing in to the bone, and that he thought I should be really worried about the situation. Not encouraging. I can't sleep, work, travel or even sit through a dinner with friends or family. I have been in contact with the WIRB, they are listed in the paperwork re the XL TDR study I had to fill out prior to surgery, as an organization that monitors the study. I am not sure it's helped at all but I am not sure who else to contact to get answers to my failed surgery since there is no way to contact Nuvasive and my surgeon keeps telling me that no one else in the study has any problems like mine and that he thinks I am "going to get better". According to the person I spoke with from the WIRB she has contacted Nuvasive to let them know that I am not doing well. Again, I am not sure that it really matters, they don't seem interested in finding out what went wrong. I am trying to get in to see another spine specialist that specializes in failed back surgery. I'll let you know if I have any luck. Really feel bad for you and hope you find a solution. Keep me posted on how you are doing. I would really like to know if there are more people who are having similar problems, but like I said, my surgeon told me I'm the only one.
Matt