That's gonna leave a mark!

OK, now that my head is a little clearer I can pass along how I'm doing. First off, Dr. Bierstedt said surgery went well and that the disc is situated perfectly. One good thing about being so thin is he didn't have far to go through my abdomen before hitting my spine. It took about 90 minutes from beginning to end. He also said he made a smaller incision than normal, so I'll be ready for bikini season in no time!

Pain in my stomach is strong enough that the pain meds aren't helping much. But I've never really reacted to painkillers, so I expected that. I was told most people experience a fair amount of stomach pain for the first 2-3 days, so it's nothing I need to worry about. My back is burning a little, mainly in my sacrum, but Dr. Bierstedt explained that the SI joints get a little angry form the surgery, so that's normal as well.

It's 3am here, and later this morning I'll get up and try to walk for the first time. I'm getting pretty fidgety, so I'm anxious to start moving around. I've never been good at being patient through injury rehab, but this is one time I plan to take it very slow and do as instructed.

I still can't believe I've got a prosthetic disc in my spine. The surreal aspect of this entire trip still hasn't worn off yet. It took what seemed like forever to get here, and now that it's happened it feels like it blew by. To say that I was scared as they wheeled me into surgery is the understatement of the year. Rarely do I get rattled about anything, but part of me wanted to jump out of the bed and run like the Santa Ana winds on warm autumn evening. But I took a deep breath, sucked down the happy gas, and came out the other side feeling relieved.

The good doctor is confident that my quality of life is going to improve significantly once I'm healed up, so I'm pretty excited to start rehab and put this behind me.

Break on through to the other side!

Tired, drugged and in a bit of pain, but I'm still kicking! I'm a little out of it, so I'm gonna keep it brief for now. My back feels achey, but not too bad. My stomach is quite raw and the catheter isn't a lot of fun. But I'm back in my room and resting. I'll write more later once my head clears up.

Good night, Germany!

One last night before I turn into the bionic man. Surgery is scheduled for early tomorrow morning. I'm currently resting comfortably in bed at the hospital in Hattingen. I've met with all of my very attentive doctors and the nursing staff has been awesome. Malte Petersen, program coordinator, truly cares about every patient and makes sure everyone under his watch are comfortable. I was scared and apprehensive about traveling halfway around the world for surgery, but all of my concerns have been wiped away. And thanks to the fact that many Europeans learn to speak numerous languages, there have been no communication barriers. I shoulda taken German in high school!

I've got a surgery buddy who is booked right after me and staying in the next room. He's a former defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys (he played briefly in the mid 90's) and went into body building after his football career ended. He's one big dude! Literally twice my size. So I'll have a training partner once we hit the rehab center next week.

This has been one strange journey and it's taken a long while to arrive at this point. To getting my life back! Hooahh!

The Eagle Has Landed!

I'm here! Currently relaxing at the Aventgarde Hotel in Hattingen, Germany. The trip was fairly uneventful, but long! Since when do airlines use tuna cans for transatlantic flights? My knees were hitting the seat in front of me! Anyone over 6 feet will not enjoy sitting in coach for 10 hours on Swiss Air. One of the highlights was looking at the passengers in business class sip champagne before we even departed. Then the flight attendants handed each of them a nice hot towel (using tongs) so they could clean their tender hands. It was a rather hilarious juxtaposition.

So far German patient care draws high marks. I had a driver waiting for me at the airport to take me to my hotel. He was a friendly and interesting guy who kept me entertained for the entire drive. The hotel staff had my itinerary all laid out and informed me of my schedule for tomorrow, and the Program Director from the hospital called me in my room to ask about my trip and go over some details regarding my pre op appointments. I feel well taken care of.

I'm also feeling rather loopy, but I attribute that to little to no sleep for the past few nights. Things are somewhat surreal at the moment, but I'm hoping my head will be much clearer in the light of day.

Now...I sleep.

One step closer!

Patiently waiting to board my flight. I'm hoping the nerves currently doing the Tango in my stomach settle down once the plane leaves the ground. In the meantime, I have my choice of luxury retailers in the international terminal at LAX to purchase a Gucci hand bag, diamond ring from Bvlgari or a Porsche 911 Turbo. Apparently world travelers are all gajillionaires.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

The last 't' has been crossed and 'i' dotted. Surgery is paid for (no new fancy bikes in my future), airfare is booked, all the necessary insurance covered, and pre-testing done. Now comes the hardest part...WAITING!

A week from this Saturday I'll be flying across the pond so a doctor in Germany I've spoken with once can insert a bionic part in my spine. Am I a little nervous? I don't know...does a bear like honey? Yeah, you could say I'm a little jumpy. This has been a long time coming, and a decision I've not made lightly. But it's my last resort, and one I'm jumping into with all the positive energy I can muster.

I can't wait to savor a celebratory German lager after the dust settles!

Why Europe?

Several people have asked why I'm going all the way to Germany for back surgery. "Can't you get it done in the states?' Yes, I can. Disc replacement surgery has been performed in the US for several years now, but I still wouldn't consider it for two reasons - the disc options available and the level of experience American doctors have performing disc replacement.

Artificial disc replacement has been used in Europe since 1987. Doctors in the EU have had access to the latest in artificial disc technology long before it's available in the US. America is currently 5-10 years behind Europe when it comes to this type of surgical procedure.

The disc currently approved by the FDA that is widely used in the US is a ball and socket design, essentially a plastic ball that does not distribute the load efficiently. Made by Synthes, the ProDisc offers no impact resistance (cushion) and does not limit rotation, meaning there's no 'pushback' should you twist or bend too far. There have been numerous revision surgeries on patients who had ProDiscs implanted. There have been many successful surgeries using the ProDisc, but when you're faced with replacing such an essential part of your body, you want the best available equipment.

The primary reason I'm heading to Germany is so I can have the best disc on the market, which is the M6, made by Spinal Kinetics. Unfortunately, they have been locked in a patent dispute with Synthes, and have been unable to go to trials in the US. So they have instead focused on the European market, which has used the M6 for several years with a high rate of success. In well over 10,000 discs used there is only one reported case of disc failure, which was likely related to poor implantation.

The M6 has an artificial nucleus and annulus, just like the natural disc. It mimics the movement of our discs, and provides resistance to over-rotation. The overwhelming majority of disc replacements outside the US currently use the M6. It's even recognized by doctors in the states as the superior disc, but they are unable to use it on their patients. Ironically, the company is located in Sunnyvale, California. 

If I want the best shot at regaining my life, I need the best medical equipment at my disposal. It just so happens I need my passport to get it.