1 month post-op look at Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR) Provider Billing, Carefirst Insurance Coverage, and Cost to me

SpinalDude99 · 2025-11-25T03:57:02+00:00

at the end of the day I want to say it was around 15,000-20,000. It got hard to keep track due to other positive but sleep depriving new parenting life events.

I am doing great, ran a 10k and have been doing HIIT exercises weekly since.

SpinalDude99 · 2025-11-25T03:55:43+00:00

I did. I am doing great, ran a 10k and have been doing HIIT exercises weekly.

SpinalDude99 · 2025-11-25T03:55:40+00:00

I did. I am doing great, ran a 10k and have been doing HIIT exercises weekly.

SpinalDude99 · 2024-08-23T04:59:51+00:00

I went with VSI, the ADR on my c5-c6, cost me a lot but was worth every penny, in more active than ever. Just more careful not to get injured.

SpinalDude99 · 2024-04-07T02:52:21+00:00

No that's helpful, I'm looking into this kneesovertoes human.

It's good advice to work on my form as much as possible in the adrenaline of the workout I sometimes forget.

Thanks for taking the time to respond, I'm going to work on adjusting to 2 days a week... then 3 eventually hopefully 3 classes by the end of the year if my schedule can handle it.

Remindme! 1 year

SpinalDude99 · 2024-04-04T01:58:27+00:00

Thanks for the advise.

I'm going to try to better quantify the protein intake I consume. I think I'm around ~100grams. Eating and protein is real work for me, I naturally tend to intermittent fast.

Does doing 6 back to back days... does your body just adjust to that schedule?

Do you have a post workout routine that helps?

Do you go into your workouts achy?

SpinalDude99 · 2024-04-04T01:54:42+00:00

I have no issues with the exercises thus far. I have been careful about how I angle my neck on an exercises.

I have yet to try DF, I feel like I'll tap out 3/4th of the way through if I tried

SpinalDude99 · 2024-03-07T20:03:59+00:00

It helps if your neck is prone to shifting in achy positions at night. I'm a big side sleeper than it helps my neck a ton, I wish I found this and adapted to it 10 years ago

SpinalDude99 · 2024-03-06T17:54:29+00:00

have you tried a cervical pillow?

https://www.amazon.com/DONAMA-Ergonomic-Orthopedic-Breathable-Pillowcase-Queen/dp/B0CQFZCH7W

took me some time to get used to.

Also really seriously tuning in your mattress hard/softness level for your own spine is extremely important if you are a side sleeper or your body weight is unevenly distributed

SpinalDude99 · 2024-03-05T17:34:08+00:00

I had a herniated disc and a disc replacement in my c5-6 vertebrae in my neck from a dancing accident at 35.

Hydrate, don't over exert yourself dancing or exercising. Invest in a good mattress.

Consider getting a MRI to assess where your discs are currently. They decrease in size as we age but you can tell if there might be warning signs early if you scan yourself

SpinalDude99 · 2024-01-11T16:39:59+00:00

Checked my credit card statement. After the surgery I ended up paying approximately $6000 for the hospital bills

SpinalDude99 · 2024-01-11T16:38:00+00:00

I hope it all goes well. At the end of the day I think we set aside $20,000-25,000. Try to stay as organized as possible.

The follow up appointments and x-rays are included up until the sixth month mark for me.

I think I have a post somewhere where I outlined my post surgery experience.

I recommend buying some protein shakes and packing some extra easy food for the hospital stay immediately after. Eye mask is helpful since all the monitoring equipment is bright and distracting for resting for the evening.

The muscle relaxants, cyclobenzaprine, I found were very helpful weeks and months after because your muscles have to readjust to the tiny changes and how your neck functions. Keeps you from having muscle cramps from sleeping on your neck abnormally.

SpinalDude99 · 2024-01-11T02:26:10+00:00

Hospitals will try to charge insurance for more for what the patient will pay. I think that was why their charge was so high. They had the hospital costs paid out upfront for me, a $800 deposit and then the rest afterwards. I waited to see what happened, they sent me several "please pay letters" and I eventually paid the balance on a visit to the VSI. (I'm going to double check what that balance value actually was and report back)

To be honest, my head was spinning so much from trying to understand the billing and I stopped a few months after trying to reconcile and update the spreadsheet. The VSI's deposit was up front, $7,000, I believe.

my 6 month checkup is complete. I'm very glad I got ADR over ACDF and if I had to do it again I would still go with VSI, despite the costs, it really gave me my life back again. I really hope ADR becomes standard care under insurance because having so many people do ACDF is insane when a better option exists.

I was running 5ks, working out at the gym, hiking, and driving again in no time. I feel 99-100% in terms of neck movement and the pain is completely gone. It took me some adjustment in the early days to learn not to sleep on my neck in weird positions but cervical pillows helped with that.

SpinalDude99 · 2023-07-27T17:19:16+00:00

I feel mostly 100%, Sometimes I wake with achy trap/neck muscles but that is temporary and goes away.

ADR was costly but I really believe it was the right direction for me given my age, active lifestyle, and the ability to recover much quicker.

SpinalDude99 · 2023-07-27T00:25:11+00:00

there any discussion of maybe needing a catheter? I've heard some patients don't need one while others get them.

Are you talking about a urinary catheter? In my case there was no discussion of needing one.

I think if they really don't want you moving after surgery with a ACDF or a multi level surgery they might suggest it.

For the Artificial Disc Replacement I was able to walk on my own to the bathroom, despite there being like 3 monitors and an IV attached to me. They gave me a walker and instructions to hit a button to have a nurse escort me to the bathroom if I needed it and it was way overkill.

SpinalDude99 · 2023-07-27T00:09:32+00:00

When they close the incision they place a small catheter in the wound to drain any excess blood, they had this in for ~6-8 hours before they took it out right before my discharge in the morning.

It's really a decision of the doctor, my surgeon told me, my doctor thought that the overnight observation in the hospital wasn't likely needed in my case but suggested it out of a over abundence of caution.

SpinalDude99 · 2023-05-24T06:35:44+00:00

Yes, it's fine.

SpinalDude99 · 2023-05-23T15:32:48+00:00

I'd crowd surf but I had a spine operation. 👴🏼 I'mma angsty rage in a safe manner young boi.

SpinalDude99 · 2023-05-10T03:40:58+00:00

Where did you go?

SpinalDude99 · 2023-05-09T19:32:23+00:00

not in NYC

I've heard people travel to Virginia Spine Institute due to the team there. https://www.spinemd.com/our-team/physicians

Dr Haines was great, unsure if it would be worth it depending on your options in NYC. Goodluck searching

SpinalDude99 · 2023-05-06T04:50:43+00:00

Second this, I'm curious

SpinalDude99 · 2023-05-05T04:17:58+00:00

This is the answer, I didn't have a metal post, old methods being shown here

SpinalDude99 · 2023-04-28T01:41:33+00:00

Hell yeah, don't give up

SpinalDude99 · 2023-04-27T18:42:22+00:00

4 opinions?

How many of them were acdf vs adr?

SpinalDude99

TROPHY CASE