[Artificial Disc Replacement / Lumbar] WPKat's Journey to Stenum (Artificial Disc Replacement L3-L4 & L4-L5)

[Katie]

K has asked me to keep all of you updated on her journey to Stenum. After the excellent job she and others did for me when I was on my trip, it is the least I can do.

So here, word for word, are her experiences so far.....it doesn't sound like she's having the best time......

"The First Leg:

The first leg of the trip is over - all 4.5 hours of an 18 plus hour long journey. At this point, I truly don't want to know how long it is from Salt Lake to JFK. The first / business class seats were a disappointment. I tried like heck to curl up in the chair ... if only I were 5 inches shorter! I just closed my eyes, shifted around a lot, got up to visit the little girl's room 10 times and prayed it would be over soon.

I have already resorted to the more high powered pain killer as the combo of no sleep and uncomfortable chairs (for a person with a bad back) has been a challenge.

Good thing I have a lot of will power and medication "

[Katie]

"Leg Two:

I am soooooo tired. Operating on zero sleep laying on a dirty floor in JFK. I was a little craftier and took all my pillows and blankets and propped them up behind me. I took my shoes off and plopped them on the wall in front of me. While that helped for a while, it didn't take long for my back to get pissed off. I'm here to tell you that a 20% incline is just not enough. The combo of zero sleep and not enough incline sent tears streaming down my face. I wiped them off hoping no one noticed, but a flight attendant could help but notice the look on my face. I had taken my TENS unit with me and not knowing if it was OK to turn on, I showed it to her and we talked for a bit. She was very nice and gave me 6 bottles of water for the lay over.

God bless the folks that push the wheel chairs too. Every single connection was a long haul. The first guy handed me his business card as an attempt to sell me Omega 3 oil as fix for my back ... right. He took us to the wrong gate and on the trip back to the right one I was alone with him. He asked for my address ... NOT. I politely declined.

I am so glad the seat reclines all the way back. I need some sleep ... 18 plus hours is a long time

Germany is next though "

K, you are stronger than me....I don't think I would have survived that trip....that was just plain UGLY! And that wheelchair pushing dawg....I can't print what I would have done to him, let alone my hubby
...Katie

[KBear]

Wow, that does suck, hope the rest of the trip makes up for the bad beginning.

[Katie]

I am stunned at the clarity and sense of humour that K is showing after that impossible plane ride across a continent and an ocean. She is a real trooper! So here without further delay is Kat's tale from Germany. I have edited a tiny bit of information for privacy and clarity, until I can clear things with her. She has composed a wonderful story for all of us to enjoy.

She should do this professionally, relating her experiences so well. This is also bringing back great memories of my trip to a different culture and country for surgery. I can't wait for the rest of her story.

-Katie


Friends and Family,

The time change has resulted in mega jet lag ... 10 hours ... my goodness, it's like having a newborn who has their nights and days mixed up. At times, we all feel like walking zombies. My daughter says I'm a nerd ... and of course, I know she is absolutely right. She has really been a Godsend for me ... a positive ray of sunshine (corny I know, but so true). I raised her well as she is a true blessing and of great help to me on this trip!

All the international patients (doesn't that have an important ring to it ... but we really are just average Joe's with bad backs), including me, spent the day at the hospital for pre-op. In some ways, it was like the military ... hurry up and wait ... not unlike my experience has been at any doctor's office in the good old USA. There were only three of us, but the process took several hours, mostly because we were waiting on each other to get done.

While we were waiting in the reception area, I talked to Malte Petersen's (the director of the international department) wife. She has a wonderful, unique name, but of course, I have no ideal how to spell it. She is easy to talk to and laid back. I know a little bit of the German language and we had a great laugh about how to say that your behind was hurting. Since I am admittedly "linguistically challenged," I had a hard time saying it right and instead of "poh poh," I said "poo, poo." We all had a great laugh over my boo boo

Although there are only three international patients, there was a lot to do and Malte's wife jumped right in and helped with translating, with directing us here and there, and with explaining to us what needed to be done. She is very fluent in English and does not have a heavy accent that is hard to understand. I told her that she really should become a translator for them as she did a great job.

Aside from blood tests and x-rays, I say the "bone doctor" and the "medication doctor" (okay, so I am way too tired to spell out their specialties, but I know you understand what I mean). The "bone doctor" was a nice young lady who spoke English quite well, explained complicated things in layman's terms and had a great sense of humor. She saw that I was in pain and asked if I would like to stay in the hospital tonight. Stunned, I said I just needed to take more of my own pain medication. She offered to give me a shot right then and there. WOW, what service!! I have no ideal what she gave me, but it did the trick and calmed my angry back down for several hours. I was amazed at her willingness to take care of me quickly, rather then (a) ignore it, (b) make me suck it up, or (c) hand me a prescription so that I could wait in line at the pharmacy to fill it. Again, awesome service!! Her job was to re-confirm my diagnosis and answer all our questions relating to the condition of my spine. She showed us the artificial disc (Lauren took pictures), explained how it worked, how it would be inserted as well as explaining all the pro's and con's to the surgery as is customary in the U.S. Because of her friendly demeanor and quick wit, it wasn't a boring experience. I give her an A plus!!

The "pain doctor" did not speak a lot of English, which meant that Malte Petersen translated for me. By this time, my eye lids needed tooth picks to stay open. I am confident that everything that needed to be communicated was taken care of though. Listening to them speak fast and furious in German was like watching a foreign movie without the captions on. My head went back and forth from one to the other ... I was getting kind of sea sick . I waited for Mr. Petersen to translate so I could ask or answer a question. Although I understood little of what she said, I know she also had a good sense of humor as she made a joke about being careful with me since I have studied Karate for several years. I laughed and said it was a defensive sport ... not an aggressive one (well, not intentionally anyway .

Malte Petersen's wife gave us a heads up that the German folks are not as modest as us American's. She explained that we may encounter folks in the sauna who ... let's say ... are not so inhibited. I thought about my 14 year old son who had stayed back at the hotel and I knew he was considering going into the sauna. Oh my ... he would certainly get the shock of his young life. Thankfully, he is not at all accustomed to the time change and was in his room sleeping when we return to the hotel. Lauren went to the sauna to relax, and by golly, it's true! After hubby woke up, I explained this cultural difference to him. He said I was a nerd for not knowing ... geez, what am I ... the cultural encyclopedia?

Even though I studied the German language for a year and a half a decade ago, I only remember a small percentage of it (what can I say ... I'm old). But in the spirit of good will (and humor), I try to use them when ever I can without totalling sticking my foot in my mouth. Everyone so far has been pleased that I try and when I stumble on the pronunciation, that is when it gets fun ... and ... at least I remember the polite words ... especially THANK YOU!

Dear daughter brought me up some bread and my favorite salad from the restaurant downstairs. The salad is light and quite tasty. They also have the best sunflower seed bread ... it's taste almost like dessert ... yeah, okay, I am a nerd.

In just a short while, the surgeon, Dr. Karsten Ritter-Lang, will be arriving at the hotel for a social visit tonight. Okay now, I have NEVER heard of any surgeon in the U.S. willing to make a social call. I really like being an "international patient!!" I am beyond tired, but I will suck it up, splash water on my face, fuss with my hair and go down to meet him.

I am embracing our cultural differences and I am really enjoying the people as well as the environment ... it is truly a beautiful country.

[KBear]

Now that is service with a smile! You are too funny, I agree with Katie, you need to be a writer... good stuff.

[Katie]

Katie here: Somehow Kat's middle email describing her first day in Germany, plus a much better description of her exhausting trip there was lost in cyberspace for awhile. I've just gotten it and will post below. There is a bit of duplication in spots, but her writing is so eloquent that I prefer to leave everything as she wrote it, other than taking out the names of family members. Enjoy!

Anchorage, Alaska to Salt Lake City, Utah

The first leg of our trip to Berlin, Germany started at 12 midnight Sunday morning. After 2 hours of waiting after an interesting search through my medications by security, it took exactly 4.5 hours to get from Alaska to Salt Lake City, Utah. Exhausted and a hurting unit already, I truly did not want to know how long it is from Salt Lake to JFK.

The first / business class seats were a big disappointment - a recline of only 20 percent was not enough. I would have gladly asked to be moved, but the flight was full. I tried with all my might to curl up in the chair ... if only I were 5 inches shorter ... however, my 5 foot 9 inch frame just would not fit comfortably in that "so-called" plush chair. Either one leg or the other fell asleep, throbbed or had something jamming into it. One of the smartest things I did was to make sure I was in the very first row of the plane and I had a wall directly in front of me that gave me a bit more leg room.

I gave up on sleeping during this leg of our journey. I curled up with the throw blanket my sister had made for me, which was great because it was cold and they gave us lightweight blankets. I shifted around a lot, got up to visit the little girl's room a lot and prayed it would be over soon.

I had to resort to the more high powered pain killer that I had with me because the combination of no sleep and an uncomfortable seat made my back pretty darn unhappy.

God bless all the folks that push you along in the wheelchair or cart. Some rides are more interesting then others: After taking one look at me, the guy in Salt Lake City who carted us along to the next terminal, asked what was wrong, after which he offered to sell me his Omega 3 oil that worked wonders for his back. He gave me his business card, which I discarded. We then discovered he had dropped us off at the wrong gate, so my husband asked if he would cart me back to the right one alone. He really wanted to sell me the Omega 3 oil because he asked me for my address so that he could send me a bottle. I politely declined.

Salt Lake City, Utah to JFK, New York

Operating on zero sleep laying on a dirty floor in JFK. I was a little craftier and took all my pillows and blankets and propped them up behind me. I took my shoes off and plopped them on the wall in front of me trying to take the pressure off my back. While that helped for a while, it didn't take long for my back to get really pissed off. I am here to tell you that a 20% incline is just not enough. On this leg, tears streamed down my face no matter how hard I tried to stop it - medication barely taped the surface. I wiped them off hoping no one noticed.

I had taken my TENS unit with me and not knowing if it was OK to turn on, I showed it to the flight attendant in my section and we talked for a bit. The first thing she said is that she couldn't help but notice I was in a lot of pain - it was written all over my face. I guess there is no hiding it. She was very nice and gave me 6 bottles of water for the lay over.

Germany is next ... or is it?

JFK, New York to Berlin, Germany

We were to depart at 6:55 PM ... it came and went. The next thing we heard is that maintenance was being done and we would hear soon how long it would be. One hour turned into another, while they decided to get another plane. I don't know what was wrong with our plane, but personally ... I was glad they switched them out despite the long wait ... better safe, than sorry. We did not board the plane until around 110 PM. I thought we would leave quickly, but as it turned out, the maintenance guys were on this plane trying to figure out how to turn off the "ding dong," it sounded like someone had turned on the flight attendant alarm and it refused to turn off.

I would have been quite annoyed, but I was so happy to see that my seat fully reclined. I honestly don't think I could have made this 8 and a half hour flight in the same seat as before. What a huge relief!

They finally figured out how to turn off the racket and we took off well after midnight. Immediately after take off, they fed us a wonderful dinner with several courses. There was no way to eat it all

I didn't fall asleep ... I past out for 6 straight hours. I woke up about an hour before we landed. I sure wish they had this plane available for the domestic flights.

Berlin, Germany

We arrived several hours late ... we were suppose to arrive around 10 AM, but made it in around 2 PM. Our total journey took nearly 24 hours from start to finish and we were all showing the wear and tear.

Having wheel chair assistance was great because the guy zoomed me through the crowd right to the front of the line to customs. He moved along so fast I thought he would crash into a few folks so I started saying "excuse me" a lot.

The gentlemen in customs had a poker face, no expression whatsoever. He eye balled my daughter and I, making me wonder if we would be searched. But in the end, he stamped our passport and off we went.

The guy pushing my cart was tickled that I knew a few words in German. As we were waiting for our luggage ... and for Tom and John to catch up with us ... I tried to communicate with him. He knew only a few words in English ... what a pair . A pleasant German couple who were close by help us out. A new guy appeared soon to take over who knew more English so it was easier to communicate.

The hotel had sent over a van and they were waiting for us with a sign just outside of the cargo area. He spoke German to the guy pushing my wheel chair so fast I had no clue what he was saying. No doubt, he was telling him where to take us.

The van was very comfortable and the trip through the countryside to our hotel was beautiful. Even though I was exhausted and in a boat load of pain again, I enjoyed the view. Lauren asked the driver a bunch of questions and I had ask a few myself. He was very pleasant and thankfully spoke fluent English.

Did you know on the highway there is no speed limit? Dang ... so I asked if there were a lot of accidents then ... yes! Go figure

There are a lot of beautiful, huge trees with a lot of green grass.

We drove for some time on the highway and then on the country back roads where trees lined up on both sides of the road. I thought this was very majestic, but sure wouldn't want to smash into one. They are so close together that if you swerved off the road, you could not avoid hitting one.

We drove through several small towns and I enjoyed looking at the old buildings that were very nicely kept up. One thing that struck me was how clean the roads and highways are ... free of roadside garbage. Obviously, they take a lot of pride in the beauty of their country!

The hotel is very quaint, but the air conditioning is a lot to be desired. We have a nice balcony though so we opened the door and let the cool, humid air in.

We met Malte and his wife last night as well as two other patients. Evidently, there are only going to be three international patients undergoing back surgery this week ... two of us are having multi-level ADR and one is having a multi-level fusion. We have pre-op today, so will meet a lot of the medical team this morning.

We have a lot of birds outside singing beautiful songs. Hubby said that there was even a rooster crowing outside as well letting everyone know it was time to wake up.

Well folks, time for our free brunch. I will try to keep you updated, but if not, then my daughter will do it for me.

[KBear]

Thanks for keeping us updated, sounds beautiful there! I have always wanted to go to Germany, as that is where my family is from. My great-grandfather was born there and his dad left 2 days later on a ship (that he wasn't supposed to be on) for America, in 1907. You are such a trooper, not sure I would have made it through that. I thought the Miami back to Texas flight was bad, and I was only in travel mode for 12 hours, with delays, etc.

[Katie]

Here's the latest from Germany.....

"Due to complications, my surgery has been postponed one week or until Thursday, June 3rd. The extra time is a Godsend as I will personally benefit from an extra week of rest and relaxation. I am quite exhausted from our long journey, which sent my back into a big uproar. It was mad before, but now it is major league, flat out angry. I still cannot sit for long and walking was quite limited the first three days. I am doing better today and walked a short distance with my husband on the beautiful trail beside the hotel and along side the lake. I would love to make it all the way around, but will make it a goal for rehabilitation after surgery.
The extra week will also give me enough time to adjust better to the 10 hour time difference. My whole family has had a hard time resetting their internal time clocks so I am not alone on that one. Before I go into major surgery, I would like to be in the best physical and mental shape possible - being completely exhausted is certainly not ideal.

Our entire group met with Dr. Karsten Ritter-Lang last night at the hotel. He answered all of our questions regarding our upcoming surgery and confirmed that we will all be meeting with him individually for a private consultation prior to surgery. He speaks English well, is quite pleasant, and seemed genuinely concerned that our medical needs are met. He even offered to set up a group tour of the castles nearby his home in Berlin ... providing that the weather cooperates.

A new person joined our group last night as well. He just happens to be from my home town AND worked in the same military section as my husband at one time so they know each other. Although he has a different doctor, he goes to the same pain specialist office as I do. WOW, so what the odds of us meeting up in a place thousands of miles from our home town like this? One in a million?

I really wish that I could spend some time being a tourist. Oh well, I will have to settle for getting my back fixed and my life back for now. My daughter and son took the hotel shuttle to the train and are spending the day in Berlin shopping and looking around. I asked them to bring back some of the famous chocolate that I have heard so much about as well as some other items unique to Germany. They will take a lot of pictures so I can be tourist vicariously through them."

[WPKat]

Thanks for keeping us updated, sounds beautiful there! I have always wanted to go to Germany, as that is where my family is from. My great-grandfather was born there and his dad left 2 days later on a ship (that he wasn't supposed to be on) for America, in 1907. You are such a trooper, not sure I would have made it through that. I thought the Miami back to Texas flight was bad, and I was only in travel mode for 12 hours, with delays, etc.

KBear,

You are welcome!

The countryside here is quite beautiful, the air is fresh and the area clean. I mention "clean" because it is actually quite amazing to me that there is no garbage whatsoever along the roadside. Obviously, they take pride in their country and do not disrepect it by throwing stuff out their car windows (a pet peeve of mine).

I still wake up way too early, but enjoy listening to the many birds chirping and singing away outside as it is so very relaxing.

I absolutely love the architecture here, most new, contemporary buildings are boring to me. The old buildings have such character and I enjoy looking at them ... maybe it's because I am ancient myself.



We have a lot of in common as my great grandparents immigrated from Germany to American when my grandparents were quite little. My Mom only knew the German language when she entered kindergarten and had to learn English from scratch. It was hard because her family only spoke German at home.

We are being treated exceptionally well here ... spoiled, in fact ... it's a good thing I don't have all the great food at home because I would sure have a hard time keeping my old figure in check.



I wish I had brought my swimming suit as they have two pools ... an indoor and outdoor. I could use my birthday suit, but just cannot bring myself to take the dive. Although I was aware of the cultural difference, I ran into a guy in his while I was checking out the pools.



I quickly did an about face and hobbled out of there ... hahahaha ... my kids are right, I am such a nerd!

My husband and kids are going into Kremmen today and will bring back a real swimming suit.

I would love to go to Kremmen, but the long plane ride here did my back in and my endurance for sitting, walking and standing has been major league compromised (like it was so great before). But now that I think about it, I may suck it up anyway... after all, I am tough and I can exercise mind over matter ... right? I can lay down in the back of the van, bring extra meds and something to lay down on the sidewalk (no benches) when my pain takes over my sense of humor ... though I might look like a person without a home ...



I hope you get the opportunity to come over and enjoy Germany ... you won't regret it.

K

[scduggan]

Dear K,
I am just now getting caught up on your journey, and I am really enjoying your knack for writing. I am also a huge Nerd. Your story about the flights is hard to hear. We lumbar people know about the whole nightmare of sitting. Are you feeling good about waiting for your surgery? I think it will be a good thing for you to go into it rested and relaxed. Your journey was long and difficult. I am keeping my fingers crossed that you will be able to get out and do just a little sight seeing after a few days rest. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
CD