Herniated Disc Testimonials
Mary Arnold
Chronic back pain can often leave a person feeling helpless and hopeless. After six years of living in excruciating pain, that’s just how Mary Arnold felt. A young mother, she couldn’t care for and play with her daughter the way she wanted to because of debilitating back pain and agonizing muscle spasms.
Diagnosed with a herniated disk, Mary tried to find solutions to her pain. After visiting multiple doctors and specialists over six years with unsatisfying results, Mary set up an appointment with Dr. Scott Blumenthal at Texas Back Institute. She voiced her concerns about using fusion to treat her herniated disk, which she originally was told by a referring doctor would solve her pain, and Dr. Blumenthal agreed that lumbar disc replacement would be the most effective way to treat Mary’s spinal condition.
Comforted and reassured by Dr. Blumenthal, Mary headed into surgery. Within days, she was feeling great relief, even surpassing the expectations of her physical therapist at Texas Back Institute. Since her surgery, Mary has been able to get her life back, be a mom, take care of her family, and travel - one of her favorite hobbies.
“It has greatly changed my life in just 13 months. For years I prayed to God to heal me because the pain was so intense, and now, I am thankful and grateful to Dr. Blumenthal and Texas Back Institute for their dedication to helping people with a debilitating condition,” Mary says.
Becky Bates
Becky Bates suffered seven herniated discs in her back and neck when a load of freight dropped on her at work in November 1999. The incident left Becky unable to walk or move her head due to the pain. In the following months, Becky’s family doctor prescribed her pain medicine and did everything possible to avoid surgery. But as her back injury continued to slow her down and depress her, Becky began to feel like life wasn’t worth it. She soon discovered the Texas Back Institute on the Internet, and in hopes of a new beginning, she asked her doctor for a referral.
Becky had surgery on her neck, injections and two spine stimulators before joining TBI’s CoPE program. CoPE, which helps patients learn pain-coping strategies, helped Becky feel a difference in her physical pain by only the second week of therapy. Becky also remembers how the CoPE program’s group discussions relieved her emotional pain by helping her realize she wasn’t alone.
One of Becky’s favorite things about her experience with TBI is how the specialists made her feel. “I always left feeling like they care about my well-being,” she said. “They all knew my name.” She recommends TBI because it helped her live life to its fullest, and through the CoPE program, Becky says she came to an important realization: “I do have a life to live, and I am happy again.”
Kelli Cough
Walking around the neighborhood with her children, dancing, working out and sleeping without the use of pain pills are all things Kelli Cough is able to do today because of Dr. Renato Bosita and the staff at Texas Back Institute (TBI).
In February 2004, when Kelli was only 27, her life was turned upside down when she was involved in a major car accident. “I started having a lot of pain, stiffness, decreased movement of my neck and arms, and a lot of aching, which eventually led to numbness,” said Cough. Kelli received her first diagnosis in October 2004. She had cervical spondylosis without a myopathy disc at C6-C7, which was pinching the C7 spinal nerve.
To see the problem more closely, Kelli had x-rays taken and an MRI. She tried hot and cold compressions, physical therapy and took anti-inflammatory medication. She went to see an orthopedic surgeon, two pain management specialists and a neurologist. Then, Kelli went to Texas Back Institute where she saw Dr. Bosita. “The individual care and attention I received at TBI was the best part of my visit,” she said. “Dr. Bosita was the first doctor to actually sit down and talk to me like an equal, listen to my story, ask questions to get to know my history and to just be a friend.”
Kelli continued her physical therapy at Texas Back Institute, along with added shoulder injections and epidural steroid injections. When her pain was still not improving enough, surgery became the only alternative. In June 2007, at the age of 30, Kelli had the artificial disc replacement surgery. “I was afraid of going under general anesthesia and scared that I would feel worse after having the surgery,” she said.
Despite her fears, Kelli’s surgery went smoothly. Immediately following the surgery, however, recovery was very difficult, and she took pain medications to help “soften the blow.” Then, after two weeks, Kelli began to rapidly recover. She experienced a large increase in her movement, less pain and feeling better overall.
“I am so grateful to the entire staff at Texas Back Institute, especially Dr. Bosita,” she said. “He had the courage to perform an amazing surgery because he knew it would help improve the quality of my life. I thank him for giving me my life back.”
Jill Efrussy
As a sophomore in college and lifelong soccer player, Jill Efrussy felt like she was running a marathon every day, but she wasn't. She was suffering from a herniated disc that was pressing against her sciatic nerve. "I had always been active and was used to sore muscles, but this was a whole new level of hurting. It felt like someone had a hammer and was banging it up and down my legs and on my back."
After trying over the counter pain medication and physical therapy, Jill made an appointment with Dr. Jack Zigler at the Texas Back Institute. Dr. Zigler told her that a discectomy to remove the herniated portion of her spinal disc would lessen, if not completely relieve, her pain. Tired of feeling "completely out of control" of her body, Jill scheduled her surgery date for August of 2000.
"I was showered in care at the hospital. I had to look at my incision just to make sure I really had surgery, because I was never in pain."
Living life to the fullest and pain free for nearly nine years, Jill was back on the field doing what she loved, playing soccer. But in January 2009, Jill was kicked in the back during a soccer game. Instantly, she knew her back pain was back. "My first surgery provided relief for so long that I was actually relieved when I was diagnosed to have it a second time around. I knew surgery would work and be worth it."
After her second discectomy, Jill is pain-free once again and encourages others to have a Texas Back Institute physician diagnose their back pain. "You don't have to live in pain. Many people have back pain, but that's no reason to ignore yours. There is a finish line, and that line is where your life goes from 'pause' back to 'play.'"
Robin Viator
When Robin Viator was a teenager, she was active in athletics and was even a cheerleader on her high school squad in Berwick, Louisiana. But at the age of 19, she began to experience back pain. The pain continued to increase and just wouldn’t go away. At the age of 22, Robin was diagnosed with a severe herniation of her L5-S1 vertebral disc.
Sharp pains shot through her low back and radiated down her right leg, all the way down to her foot. “It felt like someone was stabbing me over and over again,” she said.
After the birth of her second child in August 2000, the pain increased greatly. Sleepless nights followed, and her job as a schoolteacher worsened the pain, since she stood most of the day. Robin’s physician tried to ease her pain through steroid injections and physical therapy, but she found no relief.
She then received a recommendation from her doctor to try a microdiscectomy to remove the bulging section of the disc. She had the surgery on June 12, 2001, and for one week enjoyed life without pain. But the pain returned quickly, and Robin began to research additional options for relief. She developed a “suck it up and move on” mentality for almost eight years. Robin limited her activities to reduce the chance of irritating her condition, and missed out on many things she wished to do with her three small children. Her pain medication caused various side effects, including fatigue, making her “tired all the time.”
In 2007, Robin moved to Texas and was referred to the Texas Back Institute, where she began treatment with Dr. Sidney Berstein. After further conservative care treatment failed to provide her with relief, she applied to the Activ-L artificial disc clinical trial with Dr. Scott Blumenthal. Robin was accepted, and at 30 years old she had surgery for an artificial disc replacement on May 16, 2008.
Robin was pleased that her recovery took less than time than she anticipated. “My recovery went far better than I expected. I was amazed at how quickly I healed and was back to normal activities. I was walking around only three hours after my surgery and released from the hospital the next morning. I was relatively pain-free after the first couple days.”
Six months after her surgery, for the first time since she was 19, she was able to do the “fun” activities that she’d only dreamed of before. She even went skydiving for the first time and is now able to ride horses without fear of pain.
“After the surgery, people kept telling me that I looked like a different person,” she said. “Before, they could see the pain and fatigue on my face. I couldn’t sleep because of the pain. Not any more!”
Robin suggests “doing the research” and talking to your physician about your condition. “I was previously not aware of the artificial disc studies and might have missed out on the opportunity.” In fact, she’s recommended Texas Back Institute and the artificial disc replacement to a colleague and family members.
“It can be scary to make the ultimate decision to have surgery, but if you are informed and have the right expectations, you will be amazed at the relief these options can give you,” she goes on to say. “I’ve already recommended it to others.”
Robin now enjoys exercising, vacationing, activities with her children, adventure sports, and having a full night’s sleep. “I used to feel like I was trapped in a body twice my age; now I feel like I’m 25! I tell everyone how amazing TBI is!”
Deanie Whitley
A massage can help people relax, relieve aches and pains in the body and remove the stress of everyday life. However, for licensed massage therapist Deanie Whitley, no massage could alleviate her pain.
For eight years Deanie endured chronic back pain. She continued to work, even though that meant standing for hours at a time and having to lean over people as she used her hands to heal their pain. All the while, Deanie’s pain was worsening. In her bed on January 6, 2008, her back finally snapped. Deanie had merely rolled over when she heard a loud pop. Within an hour, her pain had intensified to the point of agony. She took some pain medication, but it provided only temporary relief.
Deanie went to Texas Back Institute (TBI) and met with Dr. Michael Hisey. He decided to start with the least invasive treatment and then move to more invasive treatments only if necessary. Deanie received spinal injections and started physical therapy. As time passed, her back pain was still not improving, so she decided to have laminectomy/discectomy surgery. When she decided to have surgery, she naturally had some concerns. She worried that something could go wrong on the table or that they might discover that her problem was even worse than predicted. But Deanie’s concerns were washed away after 10 a.m. February 26. “The surgery went textbook, thanks to Dr. Hisey’s healing hands and knowledge,” she said. Deanie was up walking around one hour after her surgery, and she spent only one night in the hospital.
The healing process began and she returned home. Deanie described her recovery as “excellent, but slow.” Everything went as smoothly as could be expected, but it took time before she could fully return to normal.
She is now experiencing real sleep and more days filled with smiles rather than tears. “I feel blessed there are Dr. Hiseys and TBIs out there to care for us,” she said. “We live in a remarkable world with healing and compassion, so make sure you allow people to care for you and are always thankful for it.”
Deanie’s advice to people with back pain who are hesitating to seek help is, “Please don’t wait – there’s no need to hurt. Find a doctor you connect with and trust. Recovery can happen.”