i think the back to work in 6/8 weeks is a bit optimistic ..have you had any surgery yet?.i have had 2 operations and because of the operations and wear and tear i have no option but to have ADR or no operation and Carry on as i am .but i have been told that MY recovery time would be about 12 MONTHS but i am a bad case and long term quality of life may differ somewhat from yours .i will be happy just to be able to sleep the night and get myself a little mobile .i will never work again.but for someone with out my long list of health problems may have a better out come.let me know how you get on i am in the UK too and will be seen at warrington at there spinal unit can't mention names SPINE HEALTH DONT LIKE IT
STRAKER

I have had a 3 level Lumbar disc replacement 1 1/2 years ago using Pro Disc L and i have never been better. l-3 to s-1 have been replaced and i am doing just fine no pain no problems.

i am extremely happy for you and your family BUT i must say apart form you i know of only one other good outcome with ADR ..you are a very lucky man ..as soon as i said that i may have to have the same op as you i was bombarded with emails for around the world from people advising me NOT to have it done as they are so much worse off now ..there is a law enforcement officer on here that has just started a poet about such ..he had a lumber ADR and was fine for a few months but now he is on agony ..to be honest with you i don't want to be like i am for the rest of my life and i am not even scared of the operation ..BUT i am scared out of my mind should i wake and be in a worse position ..i don't think that i would want to live if my pain got any worse./TLADR where did you have your operation done and are you off pain killers and leading a normal life and how old are you .i think we have talked before but i tend to for get things .my email.is tony.beer1@googlemail.com i am also on skype .look for straker1999 i would love to talk to you about the operation and how you were before and now
tony

i am extremely happy for you and your family BUT i must say apart form you i know of only one other good outcome with ADR ..you are a very lucky man ..as soon as i said that i may have to have the same op as you i was bombarded with emails for around the world from people advising me NOT to have it done as they are so much worse off now ..there is a law enforcement officer on here that has just started a poet about such ..he had a lumber ADR and was fine for a few months but now he is on agony ..to be honest with you i don't want to be like i am for the rest of my life and i am not even scared of the operation ..BUT i am scared out of my mind should i wake and be in a worse position ..i don't think that i would want to live if my pain got any worse./TLADR where did you have your operation done and are you off pain killers and leading a normal life and how old are you .i think we have talked before but i tend to for get things .my email.is tony.beer1@googlemail.com i am also on skype .look for straker1999 i would love to talk to you about the operation and how you were before and now
tony

My surgery ( 13 months ago) was a breeze, Have had more pain with a mild stubbed toe than I had with this surgery. My wife is a RN and she made me take the pain meds on SKEDULE.
I did get constipation that required another doctor visit because of all the pain meds. Milk of magnesia is also an important med.
Hospital stay less than 48 hrs.
Could have returned to work in 3 weeks but I took 4 weeks off, because I didn’t want to ride 350 miles back to visit doctor. I had to get a return to work slip before they would let me work.
My surgery is a success so far, but I am not pain free.
Sitting is the worst thing I can do. My left foot tingles, burns and tailbone area too.I have to sit with my stomach pushed out and my lower back bowed foreword.
I have to hold myself up with the console and steering wheel when I drive.I get by with 2 to 3 tramadol a day.

If I had it to do over I would in a second! I would have been disabled without a surgery.
Went almost a year needing the surgery so maybe I damaged nerves during that time.

I wish you luck

I had a ProDisc L at L4-L5 in May of this year. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't. I am in more pain now than prior to surgery and now have a fusion scheduled for 12/28.

The surgery itself wasn't bad, I was in the hospital for 36 hours. The surgery took 2 hours. My surgeon said that I should be back at work in 3 weeks but I went back at 6 weeks and still felt like that was way too soon but he refused to give me anymore time off.

My Doc has determined that the restored disc height and movement with the ADR has aggravated arthritis in my facet joints that wasn't visible before or during surgery. So now I am considered a failed ADR.

I am going to have a PLIF at L4-l5, possibly minimally invasive. He isn't going to remove the artificial disc but fuse around it, although he did say that sometime down the road, I may have to have the AD removed but he wants to put that off as long as possible as it is a very serious procedure. I had a discogram earlier this week and believe I had another disc that showed symptomatic, will know more on that on 12/15 so I may have a 2 level fusion.

I am not saying don't do it, just that if I could do it all over again, I would have insisted he fuse me in the first place and not do the ADR. There is just so little data on the long term. Both of my docs have said that treating someone with a failed ADR is all new to them and they are learning a lot with me. Not very reassuring.

Just do your homework and make sure you are 100% positive that this is right for you. I wish you the best of luck.

I forgot to mention, I didn't wear a brace and no driving for 6 weeks.

I was only given Vicoden and Soma for pain relief and felt that wasn't enough as I was in a great deal of pain.