why back surgery?

The following is an e-mail to a relative explaining why I am getting back surgery now. I also forwarded to Cherri at Dr. Delamarter's office to see if I had any misconceptions regarding the recovery process. Hopefully she will write back....

Thanks for your concern. I have been very concerned also, but I have come to the decision that I have to get this done. The pain is not getting better. If anything, it's getting worse. In the last month or so, I've started to get numbness, tingling, and pain down my right leg all the way to my foot which is something I had not experienced before. And I haven't done anything which would make things worse. My physical activity is limited to some stretching and basic yoga along with walking. That's all I do. I'm tired of putting my life on hold waiting around hoping this will get better.

The whole insurance thing is a mess. The procedure I would like to have done (artificial disc replacement or ADR) is fairly new (approved by FDA in 2005) so Blue Cross is apparently not yet comfortable with it. They denied my surgery saying it is "experimental" or "investigative." From my research and from talking with a number of orthopedic spine surgeons, I am of the opinion that ADR is the best option for me at this time. I am inclined to move forward with or without the insurance. I am still hoping that (1) somehow my back will get better so that I do not have to get surgery and (2) if I do get surgery, that my insurance will cover it.

So that's where I am. As far as logistics go, mom will be coming out to San Diego the week beforehand and has plans to stay as long as need be. I have to go up to LA the week before to give blood and get checked out. I'll be in the hospital for three days. Recovery time is variable from 2-8 weeks, although I may not feel 100% recovered for six months or even a year. While not brain surgery or heart surgery, spine surgery is still major and quite invasive. They come in through the front. And I'm getting hardware installed into my vertebrae. I think a lot of the recuperation is just recovering from the operation itself. Supposedly the back pain I'm experiencing now will be gone although I may feel some residual nerve pain (hopefully not!) I'll be doing plenty of physical therapy (core strengthening) throughout my recovery.

I really don't see that I have much of a choice right now. I am able to live, but I'm in constant pain. I've had to increase my medication dosage including narcotics (vicodin), and my quality of life is not very good. I've always been very active, and right now I don't do much of anything. I'm getting fat. I occasionally battle depression. Bottom line -- it's time to get this fixed. Thanks for your love and your prayers.