Choosing my Spinal Surgeon for my Bad Back Problems

After spending countless hours on Google and the internet searching for answers to end my back pain and the associated problems from it I came across a web site by the name of "BadBacks". Try searching their forum here: http://forum.badbacks.com.au/ On there I continually found references to a spinal surgeon that operated out of the Gold Coast in Queensland that had marvellous results, and also carried out the surgery that had previously been recommended to me by my local ortho and neurosurgeons. He done a procedure he called a "Hybrid Procedure". This was one operation in which he did both a fusion and also an artificial disc replacement at the same time. Back here in NSW the surgeons were saying that I would need 2 separate surgeries. A fusion from the back or posterior side, and also an artificial disc replacement from the front or anterior side. This brought further problems in that I could only have one surgery at a time and needed to wait until I fully recovered before undergoing the other one. 2 lots of surgery, double the costs, double the risks, and double the time to recover was not for me. This Hybrid surgery looked like it was what was needed for me. An ALIF (Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion) and an ADR (Artificial DIsc Replacement) all done at once.

So after plenty of research on BadBacks and emails to members on there, (Thanks Joseph for all your advice and help. Joseph was only 22 years of age from Victoria and he was planning a Hybrid procedure with Matthew for exactly the same condition as me), I now had to research this type of surgery, the different types of artificial disc and the surgeon. Back to Google I went. Everything I found confirmed to me that this spine surgeon who operated from the Gold Coast in Queensland, a Dr Matthew Scott-Young, was the best Back Surgeon in Australia, and was the best back surgeon for me. He was part of the team that developed the Charite artificial disc, and had implanted over two thousand of them. He was very well respected and had excellent results. All surgeries have risks and not all go to plan. But I was very happy with my research and this was the man I needed to get my life back again.

But now I had another challenge. The best 'back doctor' for me operated in another state in Australia. Lucky for me my mother had moved to the Gold Coast and after telling her all about it she offered to act as nurse and for me to stay with her before and after any surgery that may eventuate, as well as run me around to appointments with doctors, physiotherapists, and for MRIs, xrays etc.

The next problem was the delay in getting to see him. I was suffering from both terrible pain and depression from the situation I was now in. (Depression is something I have never discussed with anyone, but I highly recommend finding someone to talk to about it. Do not handle it like me). I had decided that I needed to end this suffering somehow soon, and decided that I would undergo spinal surgery as soon as possible. Anyone suffering the pain I was in would understand that you get to a point that it all starts to be too much and you just want it all to stop. Or as I often said, "I just wanted my life back again".

Looking back I can honestly say I would have never ever thought that I would ever in my life be discussing or thinking about spinal surgery and everything that goes with it. It was a subject very far from my mind in my life. It just goes to show that life throws up some real challenges.

So an early appointment was necessary in my view and because Matthew had such a good reputation as a spinal surgeon I just couldn't wait for him to actually agree to get me on the table. His staff sent me plenty of paperwork I needed to complete, and asked that I send them all my scans, xrays and MRI's etc. Matthew had a procedure for looking after his interstate patients too. He reviewed the documents he received from his prospective patients, and from these he arranged an appointment based on the patients medical needs.

Luckily for me I received a telephone call within a couple of weeks to arrange an appointment for a discogram and an appointment the next day in his rooms to discuss the findings of both the discogram and his medical opinion from my documents I had given him. Unfortunately this discogram would be in about 5 weeks from their telephone call so I needed to be patient and wait. Lucky for me it wasn't any earlier as I needed to make arrangements for many things in the mean time to get me ready for the discogram and the early surgery that was about to eventuate in circumstances that I had not dreamed of.

By the way, a discogram is not something you should really research if you have plenty of time up your sleeve before having one. They are not a pleasant procedure to undergo and I have never met or heard of anyone who actually enjoyed the experience. But it is a necessary experience and one I would highly recommend you ask for if your own doctor doesn't (which I think would be highly unlikely if they know what they are doing)

Anyway, more about my discogram, my appointment with Dr Scott-Young, and my pending ADR and ALIF hybrid surgery, and my new Charite artificial disc will follow.