Tuesday, December 18, 2007

follow-up with Dr. Bajaj

discuss results of the provocative discogram from Monday Dec. 3

update: unfortunately this appointment was cancelled because Dr. Bajaj called in sick. I leave for Dallas tomorrow and return on December 31. My new insurance starts January 1. Therefore I have made a last-ditch appointment with a Dr. Virgil Hilliard for Dec. 31 at 3:30pm.

I did speak briefly with Dr. Hilliard on the phone who (apparently reading Dr. Bajaj's notes) told me the discogram results:
  • partial pain reproduction at L4/L5
  • complete pain reproduction at L5/S1

As I basically already knew, Hilliard reiterated my options:
  • medical pain management (e.g., drugs, physical therapy)
  • orthopedic surgical procedures (e.g., disc replacement, fusion)
  • pain managment non-surgical procedures (e.g., IDET, bi-discal angioplasty (?)) note: it is uncertain if i am a good candidate for these procedures. presumably only Dr. Bajaj knows the answer to that, since he performed the discogram. I was given Bajaj's e-mail and plan to contact him from Dallas.

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