[Carl in Tampa]

I suffered "age related lower lumbar stenosis" complicated by a trip-and-fall injury to my thoracic spine before I could get the stenosis treated. The fall left me with three crushed vertebra which was so painful that I sat in a recliner chair 24 hours a day. The pain was so great that I could not lie down in bed.

When Dr. Ronzo saw my MRI he told me he could remove the pain with kyphoplasty using minimally invasive surgery. He did. It did not solve all of my problems but it got rid of the intense pain. The incision was so small that it was covered with a band-aid. I could have been released from the hospital on the same day as the surgery if I had not had an allergic reaction to an antiseptic that they used on my.

The surgery was at The Villages Regional Hospital and Medicare and my secondary insurance (BC/BS) paid for it.

My other spinal problems were so extensive that my primary care doctor wanted me to go to a highly regarded surgeon in Ocala. That doctor was so concerned that he had me consult with an Orthopedic surgery instructor at University of Florida (Shands Hospital). My subsequent surgery, both lower lumbar and thoracic spine, involved major open incisions and repair.

I don't know what to say about a herniated disc, and am not sure that a laminectomy is even the proper procedure to repair it.

Good luck on whatever you decide to do.