1 year Post ADR

This is what I looked like a year ago today. It’s my 1-year anniversary of Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery. I feel great and am so happy with my decision to have ADR instead of fusion surgery. A year ago I could only walk about 1/4 of a mile, spent the majority of my day in bed and was dependent on pain pills and sleeping pills to get through the day. I had no quality of life and was isolated from my family and friends. Going out and socializing was not an option unless I could lie down. I was on total disability from work and the school year started without me. A year later I have my life back. I have no back pain, only take ibuprofen as needed and have been back on an exercise program that I could only dream about last year. I started the school year today with such a smile on my face. Committing to a medical procedure is the scariest thing I have ever done in my life. I had to put my life in my doctor’s hands and believe I would wake up on the other side of this dreaded nightmare.

This is Mark my patient advocate from Global Patient Net Works. He observed my surgery. In the recovery room when Dr Delamarter was trying to wake me up I would not respond to him but when Mark said “Paulette… Paulette it’s Mark” I reached out for him. I had told myself to listen for Mark and my subconscious was waiting for him. I held on to his had like it was my life line. Later in my room only 4 hours after surgery I stood up for the first time with Mark’s help. What a difference a year has made in me physically, mentally and spiritually. What a blessing this year has been I would not change anything. God is so good!