Patienten
Born again for fastbiking …..
Throughout my adulthood I developed a history of lower back problems. However, with rest and physical therapy, I repeatedly healed well enough to pursue various physical activities. These activities included hiking and backpacking for up to a week at a time in the Sierra Mountains and racing bicycles at an amateur level. During the spring of 1997 I rode a challenging 161km in a little more then 5 hours and a 200km three-day self-contained mountain bike tour in Canyon Lands National Park. I developed a lower backache on the tour that didn't respond to my usual therapy. The pain progressed to the point that I had to give up bicycling by the spring of 2000 and work the following fall. I pursued medical treatment in America. After a succession of various doctors, I found a knee and back specialist who ordered a series of MRI's that clearly showed degeneration in disk S-1/L-5. A subsequent disk-o-gram substantiated that problem and, in addition, suggested that L-4/L-5 was unsound as well. This information produced a referral to a surgeon who suggested I try IDET (Inner Disk Electro-thermal Therapy) prior to pursuing surgery. Unfortunately, the procedure increased my pain. The surgeon then remarked that he would not perform fusion (the only technique currently approved in the States) while I was still able to walk. This doctor based this recommendation on a statistic he sited: "patients undergoing two level fusion had a 40% chance of never walking again". I enlisted a second opinion from another surgeon who offered to perform fusion as soon as it could be scheduled. In the meantime, my wife and I started to assemble case studies of Fusion patients. The reports were typically depressing reading. I insisted that there MUST be some kind of prosthesis available. My wife found Dr. Zeeger's: " First 100 Patients" in the local medical library. After reading this and other studies, we contacted Dr. Zeeger and arranged an appointment in Munich. In the meantime, I tried to do as much as I could prior to surgery. However, I was reduced to only being able to walk for 2 to 3 hours in the morning and a short routine of physical therapy. I was required to rest about 3/4 to 2/3 of each day. Typically, I required 3 ibuprofens (200 mg. ea.) in the morning and 2 darvocets during the afternoon. Pain continued to increase slightly each week. Pain in Back = 85%, and pain in legs = 15% of total pain. The following is a time line of my post surgery experiences. Surgery; Friday 4 May: Double implantation of the SB Charite 111. 2 to 6 days, 6 May to 10 May: on Sunday I'm able to walk a couple of kilometers. Though I tire easily, I climb up and down the stairs at the clinic on Monday (the rain keeps me inside). I walk several kilometers on Tuesday after my release from the clinic. I continue to explore Munich by walking through the city, increasing my distance each day during the rest of the week. I wear the corset whenever I am not resting. One Week, Friday 11 May: Train to Fussen to see Schloss Linderhof (Ludwig II's palace). Train trip demonstrated improved sitting tolerance with the help of the codeine drug Talvosilen forte dispensed at the Alpha Clinic. Linda and I confirmed that there are NO sexual side effects! 9 Days, Sunday 13 May: Flight home MUCH more comfortable then flight to Munich due to improved sitting tolerance with the milder codeine drug Talvosilen forte every 4 hours (I took darvocet on the trip in) I removed the plastic liner and stays from corset to sit more comfortably during the flight. 10 to 18 Days, 14 to 22 May: Pain in Legs pounced at night similar to lactic-acid build up or intense fatigue. Starts at the top of pelvis to my hip sockets; progresses during this period down between my glutius-maximus and upper quads; lower quads to knee; knee to shin and ankle to the top of foot. Pain less intense as it progresses down my legs. Small amount of back pain at base of spine. Walking 2 to 3 hours per day. Rest about 2/3 of each day. Taking 3 ibuprofens (200 mg. ea.) just prior to going to bed enables me to sleep through the night undisturbed. 12 days, 16 May: Start physical therapy per handouts from the clinic. Hamstrings VERY tight, but progressing each day. 19 to 20 Days, 23 to 24 May: Removed plastic liner from corset. Typically require about 8 ibuprofens (200 mg.) throughout the day. Walking 2 to 3 hours per day. Rest about 2/3 of each day. Small amount of back pain at base of spine and some leg pain at various locations still persists. Physical therapy is proceeding. 21 to 42 Days, 24 May to 15 June: Stopped wearing corset during entire day. Typically require about 6 to 8 ibuprofens throughout the day. Walking 2 to 3 hours per day. Rest about 2/3 to 5/8 of each day. Small amount of back pain at base of spine and some leg pain at various locations still persists. Pain in Back = 20%, and pain in legs = 80% of total pain. Physical therapy is proceeding. Sitting tolerance is improving and I am gaining additional strength and feeling better as time progresses. 42 to 90 days, 15 June to 3 August: Begin more rigorous stretching and physical therapy including lifting free weights while positioned on an exercise ball. Continue to walk 3 hours each day. Pain in legs begin to subside, back pain diminishes. Setting tolerance gradually increases. 91 to 119 days, 4 August to 1 September: Begin bicycling again with a short 27km ride. Gradually I increase the distance and speed; by September I am able to ride 60km without prohibiting back or leg pain. I continue to lift weights, perform the physical therapy, and stretch. I ride 3 times a week. Setting tolerance has increased enough that I am fit enough to return to work by the first of September. I resume hiking on the more moderate trails in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. Leg pain disappears during this period and back pain is greatly reduced. 120 to 241 days, 1 September to 31 December: I continue to lift weights, perform the physical therapy, and stretch. I continue to ride a bicycle 3 times a week, though I've increased my distance to include weekly rides of 100km, many of which containing total vertical assents from 700 to 900 meters. For the first time in years, I am able to rake my lawn, though this activity produces a small amount of lower back pain, it is tolerable. I extend my hikes to more challenging areas; climbing steeper trails at higher elevations in the Sierra Mountains. Lower back pain continues to diminish, as does my consumption of ibuprofen. 242 to one year + 89 days (454 days), 1 January to 1 July 2002: I continue daily stretching and exercise programs as well as my typical weekly riding schedule. On the 22nd of March I travel to SanDiego requiring 8 hours of driving that resulted in only a slight discomfort in my lower back. On the 6th of April we acquire a Border collie puppy that yanks hard enough on her leash to make me thankful I rebuilt my upper body well enough to start training her. My family takes our first backpacking trip on the 25 of May. I successfully carry about 40# for about 20km over moderate terrain. On the 1st of July I will attempt to carry the same weight in a backpack approximately 56km in more hilly terrain in the Serria mountains southwest on Tahoe California. Lower back pain has not entirely disappeared, however, it is clearly manageable. Though I have yet to resume the full intensity of my pre-injury activities, I have been able to resume those activities. I credit this ability to the skill of a fine surgeon and my perseverance with post-operative therapy. Gary L. Button USA