Have to start somewhere

Welcome to my blog, "My ADR." ADR stands for Artificial Disc Replacement, which I'm hoping to have on March 30.

The one thing I've learned as a long time back pain sufferer is that there are a lot of us out there. All with different stories, but with similar struggles. This is my story.

I've been suffering from degenerative disc disease since June 1992; I was 16. On February 10, I made the decision to move forward with ADR surgery. At this point it's not officially scheduled since my insurance company, United Healthcare, has already denied the request twice.
This is a pic of the Charite Disc, which will take the place of my L5-S1 disc, whether I have to pay for it or not. It's not very pretty, and the thought of having this in my spine makes me weak at the knees, but it's the only chance I have at living a "normal" life at this point. This is what I've been waiting for, as long as I can remember.

This is the wave of the future, for good or bad. The one thing I've found difficult is finding real life stories of others who have been through this. The main point of this is to provide others out there who are looking for opportunities a chance to read about what ADR does for me, no matter what the results. It's also a place for family and friends to read up on the latest developments on the "back" front.

Comments, questions, etc. are welcome. Positive energy only, please. Life is too short for the negative stuff.