From: Lynne
Date: November 24, 2002
Hi,
This is just the facts. We have been up and down with the emotions. So, I don't intend to be dry and certainly not unfeeling, for the opposite is quite the overwhelming case right now. I need to present the facts to you so you can offer suggestions, comments, and offer up prayers for wisdom as we make our decision.
I met with Dr. Vollmer on Friday afternoon. The MRI films clearly show the extensive kyphosis of my neck, and the further deterioration of several disks. C3-c4 are wearing against each other. You can see where the cord is depressed in 2 places. What Dr. Vollmer suggests is called a trough corpectomy with an anterior strut, using a titanium mesh cage on C3 through C6. He would use C3 and C6 as the anchors for the cage, and fill the mesh with as much of my own bone as possible that is removed during the corpectomy, since it is easier for your body to fuse, and then cadaver femur bone if necessary. Click here for information about post traumatic / post surgical kyphosis. It talks about increasing kyphotic deformity, pain, and neurologic deficit as indications for surgery. ALL the above are true for me, to a greater degree with each passing day. No getting around it - this is again very serious surgery.
Now the timing: Dr. Vollmer told us that he will be leaving the UT Health Sciences Center probably around the first of February due to problems between the school and the hospital.. He regretted having that as part of the basis for our decision, but we certainly appreciated him being up front with us. I asked if it could be somewhere else besides University, but he said that University has the best OR equipment in the city - makes sense - it is after all a trauma-1 hospital, which is why I ended up there 3 years ago. My deductible is met on our new insurance along with most of my out-of-pocket expense after my eye surgery this week. My new insurance only allows for 10 PT and OT visits annually and if I did it in Dec, I would have some in 2002, and more in 2003. He did give us a couple of names if we wanted to pursue a second opinion. Should we take the time to do that? Oh, and did I mention that 2 members of senior management of the new company told me to do what is best for me and not worry about the company - they will be there for me. I need to find out more about long-term disability benefits which will start my first day in the hospital.
I'm sure there is more I could add. Please let us know your thoughts. I go back to the eye doctor in the morning and will send a detailed update about that tomorrow. For now, let me just say that things are getting clearer every day.
I did not send this to many people because it is so technical, but feel free to share.
Love,
Lynne
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Date: November 24, 2002
Hi,
This is just the facts. We have been up and down with the emotions. So, I don't intend to be dry and certainly not unfeeling, for the opposite is quite the overwhelming case right now. I need to present the facts to you so you can offer suggestions, comments, and offer up prayers for wisdom as we make our decision.
I met with Dr. Vollmer on Friday afternoon. The MRI films clearly show the extensive kyphosis of my neck, and the further deterioration of several disks. C3-c4 are wearing against each other. You can see where the cord is depressed in 2 places. What Dr. Vollmer suggests is called a trough corpectomy with an anterior strut, using a titanium mesh cage on C3 through C6. He would use C3 and C6 as the anchors for the cage, and fill the mesh with as much of my own bone as possible that is removed during the corpectomy, since it is easier for your body to fuse, and then cadaver femur bone if necessary. Click here for information about post traumatic / post surgical kyphosis. It talks about increasing kyphotic deformity, pain, and neurologic deficit as indications for surgery. ALL the above are true for me, to a greater degree with each passing day. No getting around it - this is again very serious surgery.
Now the timing: Dr. Vollmer told us that he will be leaving the UT Health Sciences Center probably around the first of February due to problems between the school and the hospital.. He regretted having that as part of the basis for our decision, but we certainly appreciated him being up front with us. I asked if it could be somewhere else besides University, but he said that University has the best OR equipment in the city - makes sense - it is after all a trauma-1 hospital, which is why I ended up there 3 years ago. My deductible is met on our new insurance along with most of my out-of-pocket expense after my eye surgery this week. My new insurance only allows for 10 PT and OT visits annually and if I did it in Dec, I would have some in 2002, and more in 2003. He did give us a couple of names if we wanted to pursue a second opinion. Should we take the time to do that? Oh, and did I mention that 2 members of senior management of the new company told me to do what is best for me and not worry about the company - they will be there for me. I need to find out more about long-term disability benefits which will start my first day in the hospital.
I'm sure there is more I could add. Please let us know your thoughts. I go back to the eye doctor in the morning and will send a detailed update about that tomorrow. For now, let me just say that things are getting clearer every day.
I did not send this to many people because it is so technical, but feel free to share.
Love,
Lynne
Outline | Previous | Next