“I have gotten my life back!”

Discectomy in 1995 on L4-L5 seemed to help for many years. Lifelong lower back pain “episodes” I would go for months and years with no problems. Then, maybe I lifted too much, or twisted too much, or did something too much that would leave me laid up for days, walking crooked, sciatic nerve pinching, etc.

• March 2017: immobilized with excruciating pain. Ambulance to ER. Morphine, MRI showed bulging discs, stenosis, calcium buildup, bone spurs, and some type of cyst (all while living in Chicago). Moved to Phx. Aug 2017; No PCP, no info on any doctors here.
• Monday, July 4th, 2018: lower back pain developed by Wed. into terrible terrible back/sciatic pain. Had hydrocodone left from 2017 episode. Went to Banner ER 7/7/2018 – 3 morphine, 2 valium, 1 muscle relaxant did not ease pain! Wife called her surgeon in Chicago. He recommended DISC.

TIMING WAS EVERYTHING! Needed a new MRI (2 hydrocodone, 1IBP 800, 2 percocet, 2 valium) I was barely able to get through laying flat for the MRI. Was able to meet with Dr. Abrams on a Tuesday 7/17 and he was able to schedule surgery the following Monday 7/23!

Now, I am two weeks post op. The four inch laminectomy scar at L2-L3 is healing nicely. ALL sciatic, continual extreme pain has ceased. Off walker now and only maybe 1 pain pill daily. Incision is “tight” but compared to the pre-surgery pain level, “I got my life and back – back!”

I don’t normally do testimonials, but I knew I needed surgery and the speed at which DISC got me through the system was amazing. I hope you never experience the crippling pain that I had. Thank you, thank you to all the staff and Dr. Josh Abrams.

- David N.