First Anniversary!

It’s now the one-year anniversary of my Tarlov Cyst operation on 11th Sept 2009!

It has been a long and painful journey for me.

I first noticed that something was wrong in 1996 when I developed neck pain. My US doctor prescribed Soma, a muscle relaxant, and most of the pain went away, only to increase over time and travel down to the lower back.

I now wonder why this doctor did not try to diagnose the problem?

Finally, the pain got so bad that in 2003 I decided to see another doctor, Dr. Mark Rubin, in Phoenix, Arizona. His treatment was to give me steroid shots in the neck. They worked, and the pain in my neck disappeared—but not completely—and not for long.

By 2007, I was developing severe pains at the base of my spine. I was existing on Motrin, Aleve—anything I could find at Walgreen’s or CVS Pharmacy, including the wonderful Capsicum Pain relief roll-on, which I used all the time for my lower back.

On July 24, 2007, I went back to Dr. Mark Rubin, who had given me the steroid shots in the neck. He suggested that I get an MRI, which I did on the very next day. It was done by SimonMed, who bills themselves as “the largest and most advanced medical imaging provider in the Southwest.”

Back at Dr. Mark Rubin’s office, his assistant, who looked like a dud, checked the MRI in front of us, and had nothing to say. I have no idea if Dr. Rubin, himself, ever saw the MRI.

In any event, Dr. Rubin’s solution to the problem was to give me a series of four steroid injections into my lower spine for a cost of $4,100. This was at our personal expense as we were not insured.

Dr. Rubin’s spinal steroid injections relieved the pain for about three months—then it increased.

From that point on, I took whatever I could to relieve the pain. By the middle of 2009, were living in Mexicali, and I was taking steroid pills for the excruciating back pain—pills which caused me to bloat up like a balloon.

The MRI taken in Mexicali, showing the Tarlov cyst (arrow) - click to enlarge

By September of 2009, I had hit rock bottom, I was hopping around on my right leg, and using a cane to support my left leg which suffered from an intense pain which radiated down my leg from the base of my spine.

On September 3, 2009, I scheduled an appointment with a specialist in Mexicali, Mexico—Dr Carlos Maya.

Dr. Maya immediately prescribed an MRI which was done the next day, September 4, 2009, at Resonancia Magnetica in Mexicali.

The Mexicali MRI technician reported that I had a Tarlov cyst at the base of my spine!

SimonMeD 2007 MRI - clearly showing the Tarlov cyst (red arrow) - click to enlarge

Luckily, we had saved my old 2007 MRI from SimonMed. On it, the L3, L4, and L5 vertebrae were marked with circles indicating a possible herniated disk between L3 and L4.

What SimonMed failed to notice was something much more important – a Tarlov cyst (see the red arrow)!

With Dr. Maya’s explanation, even Jim and I could see the Tarlov cyst clearly on the old SimonMed 2007 MRI!

On the frame immediately to the right of where SimonMed marked the vertebrae, is a light oblong area – that is the Tarlov cyst – plain for anyone to see.

SimonMed had not marked it!

Mexicali 2009 MRI letter pointing out Tarlov cyst (red arrow) - click to enlarge

Thank God we came to Mexicali, and found a competent doctor, and an MRI service that was able to interpret their own MRIs—something that the expensive Dr. Rubin, and SimonMed were apparently unable to do—or did they even give a damn?

I can imagine how the actor Michael Douglas must feel, after numerous visits to his own US doctors who failed to diagnose the tumor in his throat! Michael Douglas, I am sure, gets the best medical care anyone can afford. How do you like that? No wonder his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones was furious! We pray that he will make a full recovery.

On September 11, 2009, I had a three-hour long surgery conducted by Dr. Maya with a neurosurgeon in attendance. They found not one, but two Tarlov cysts which they drained and treated. It was near my S1 spinal nerve.

I woke up from the operation with NO PAIN at all!  How mind-boggling and awesome is that?

The lower back had gone away completely!

Now came the difficult part—the post-op!  Dr. Maya ordered bed rest for four weeks to avoid scar tissue, and I obeyed.

This was unlike a certain US surgeon who “specializes” in Tarlov cysts, and who dopes his patients up with addicting Vicodin, and lets them move around immediately after the operation – generating scar tissue. I guess he wants to operate on them again (and again), or charge them for prescribing more opiates to feed their habit.

I was very lucky to have moved to Mexicali, and lucky to get the right surgeon, Dr Carlos Maya.

Who says medical care in the US is good? It is my Constitutional opinion that SimonMed didn’t do the job, and neither did the very expensive Dr. Mark Rubin.

With Jim’s fantastic dedication and help, the wounds from my operation healed completely.  There were ups and downs, but the trend was always up.

One year after my Tarlov cyst surgery, I can walk without a cane, pain-free. I know that my S1 nerve will take time to regenerate. I don’t put a lot pressure on my left foot, and avoid carrying five pounds of anything!

I still cannot walk around a huge place like Wal-Mart and look for items, or stand for long periods of time, as the pressure gets to my S1 nerve. It’s not pain, just nerve discomfort coming from the S1 nerve that I feel now.

My current doctor, Martina Gallardo, a brilliant lady doctor in Mexicali (of course) has given me a clean bill of health.

She pressed every inch of my scar and spine, no pain…yeh! Dr Martina wants me to do simple leg lift exercises to strengthen my thigh muscles. I do them every night and it’s making a big difference. Hey, if it means I get slimmer thighs, then I’m there, with Jane Fonda!

These are very simple leg exercises; not the active physical therapy often recommended in the US which can only damage you after Tarlov surgery.

That’s where I am right now. I am not on any opiates; I still take my Lyrica, and Soma daily, along with Aleve or Motrin, when I need them.

I will continue to blog about it.

Here’s what the new U.S. health care “reform” bill has in store for Americans:

• A 50% increase in the cost of a premium for a pre-existing condition.
• No public option where everybody would get it free, like in some other countries.
• No Medicare buy-in where 55-plus people can pay to get Medicare.
• Compulsory health insurance for everybody, like car insurance.
• Fines and potential jail time for failure to sign up with a health insurance company.
• Hundreds of millions in payoffs to Senators to get them to vote for the bill.

Free health care clinic (for a day) in Inglewood, California

That doesn’t sound great to me, at all.

I sure hope the compulsory part of the bill doesn’t apply to Americans living in Mexico.

If Jim and I had to pay U.S. health insurance premiums we would go broke, and so would a lot of folks.

In Mexico, the health insurance system is much better, but don’t take my word for it. Here’s what CBS News has to say:

Some Senior Citizens are Finding Sunshine and Affordable Health Insurance in Mexico

(CBS)  For American retirees the Pacific coast town of Manzanillo, Mexico is paradise. The weather is always warm. Every home has a view, without a million dollar price tag. And a doctor’s visit doesn’t cost a penny out of pocket.

CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports Billy and Sandi Hunter retired to their dream home in Manzanillo. Then they learned they hit the healthcare jackpot: full medical, dental and vision coverage for $600 a year.

“It was a great deal, and the care is good,” Billy said.

The Hunters bought into the Mexican Social Security Institute, or IMSS – a government-run health care plan for Mexican employees but open to legal foreigners.

“When we leave our doctor’s office, if we have a prescription we go pick it up,” Sandi said. “No charge, so we like it.”

There are no limits, no deductibles and no co-pays. Even pre-existing conditions are covered after the first one to two years.

Doctor Ivan Ocadiz is a doctor in Manzanillo’s IMSS hospital. He said the number of patients from the U.S. increases month by month.

The hospital is new, but without the comforts of a U.S. facility: few private rooms, extras like blankets are brought from home, and families are expected to help feed and bathe patients. But when it comes to diagnosis and treatment, Americans here say it’s just as good, sometimes better than the U.S.

Craig McDole was taking more than a dozen pills prescribed in the U.S. when he collapsed on a tennis court in Mexico. He went to an IMSS hospital.

“When my internist there saw what I was taking, he went nuts. What do they have you on all this medicine for?” he said.

McDole’s feeling well now. Dr. Ocadiz said, “he’s perfect.”

But the system isn’t perfect: long lines, waiting lists, not enough doctors or in some cases, not enough medications.

IMSS is designed for Mexican workers who’ve been paying into the system for decades and it’s already financially strained. Some worry a flood of American retirees could bankrupt it. The Hunters would like to see their own government come up with an alternative.

“I wish they could stop arguing and find a way to help as many people as are helped here,” Sandi said. “This is simple. It’s not perfect, but a lot of people get good care.”

Without it, the Hunters would struggle to afford paradise in their golden years.

Lady dumped on Los Angeles skid row by U.S. hospital

Mexican health insurance is a whole lot better than what you get in the U.S.

OK, what if you live in Mexico and have no health insurance, like us?

Well, here’s an article from International Living on the subject.

(By the way, you can check all my quotes by clicking on the blue links.)

Health Care in Mexico-High Quality, Low Cost

By Glynna Prentice

When I decided to move overseas, I made sure I would have access to excellent, affordable health care. After all, I only wanted to downsize my expenses-not lower my quality of life.

That’s why I picked Mexico. I’d heard that Mexico’s medical professionals and hospitals are first-rate, while the cost is only a fraction of what you’d pay in the U.S. I’ve lived in Mexico nearly three years now, and so far I’ve never been disappointed. My own medical care has been all that I’d hoped. Other expats I’ve spoken with report the same thing.

My first experience with Mexican health care was pretty minor. I cut my thumb while slicing vegetables, and needed stitches. At the clinic I was moved to the head of the line-I saw a doctor right away. The stitches weren’t the dissolvable kind that I was used to in the States, but otherwise the prep and treatment were similar. The other difference was the fee: less than $5. In the U.S., I probably would have had to add a couple of zeroes to that bill.

As I say, a few stitches are pretty minor. But low fees are the rule here rather than the exception. Most specialists, for instance, charge between 350 and 500 pesos ($27 to $38) for a consultation. I pay 400 pesos (about $31) to see an internist. A local gynecologist here in Campeche-whose lab equipment is cutting-edge-charges 350 pesos for a consultation, and 500 to 700 pesos ($38 to $55) for an ultrasound. The gynecologist takes her time with patients, too-no rushing.

Dental work is also cheaper. I lost part of a back tooth some months back, and the dentist said I’d need more than a filling to repair it. He took a mold of the tooth and had his lab create a replacement for the missing section. I returned the next week for a fitting. The entire cost-for both visits, the mold, and the fitting-was less than $100.

Well, there you go. Even without health insurance, Mexico has better and more affordable health care.

With or without health insurance, Mexico wins.

No wonder so many retirees and other Americans are moving to Mexico! It’s such a shame when patriotic Americans, like Jim and me, can’t afford to live in our own country!

There’s no way people like us, with modest means, could survive with the U.S. health care system.

We could easily wind up on the sidewalk like that poor woman on LA’s skid row…and so could you!

Yeah, sure!

“Patriotic” Americans would rather shoot themselves in the foot than be rational about healthcare.
Who are they against? – themselves!

Since my last post I have been attacked by defenders of American healthcare, which is incredible. My thought was to tell people suffering from Tarlov’s disease that there is an option to the exorbitant healthcare costs in the U.S.

Simply stated – consider getting the operation for Tarlov cysts in Mexico as I did. I was lucky to find out about Mexico, as in the U.S., I never could have afforded the operation.

Now I am 100% pain free – not so with most of the members of Inspire.com.

The last thing I expected was to be attacked. My attackers are people, who for some crazy reason, argue against their own best interests.

Many of these people will never be able to afford the $80,000+ that the Tarlov cyst operation costs in America – I sure couldn’t have.

Most of my critics emerged from Inspire.com, a site sponsored by a number of healthcare companies. These people seemed to think that the only guy who could operate on Tarlov cysts was a Dr. Feigenbaum in Kansas.

On 10/21,  Debra, who recommended Dr. Feigenbaum, emailed me from Fort Myers, Florida, writing, ” How much is Mexico paying you for this blog?  I have had surgery with a wonderful doctor in the US and the doctor himself was paid $5000.00 for performing the surgery.” Huh, really!?

That same day Linda from Ringgold, GA (who also recommended Feigenbaum) emailed me, “I can’t imagine that Dr. Feigenbaum charged the outrageous amount you are saying.  His charge for my surgery was $5000, and my insurance did indeed pay it.” Coincidentally, Linda’s amount is a doubtful $5,000 -  the same amount that Debra gave.

This was in response to my post in Inspire.com where I simply quoted what another member who stated the operation cost far more than $5,000 - 20 times more!

On 10/22, Linda emailed me again, “I’m happy for you that you love living in another country.  However, I am a staunch, patriotic American and going to Mexico for anything wouldn’t even enter the scope of my desire.” Linda is confusing patriotism with healthcare – is that prejudice, bigotry, stupidity – or all three combined?

In response to Linda, another Inspire.com member wrote, “I haven’t heard of a surgery that cheap in about 40 years. Now, I was stretching when I said Dr, F charged 100,000. but I looked the bill up and it was 82,000. It doesn’t matter anyway. Ins. will do their thing and what is left I guess she will spend the rest of her life paying off…My daughter had TC surgery done in K. City, on May 19th 09 by Dr Fiegenbaum…She can’t work yet, as she still has post op pain, it could take up to a year to be pain free if ever.“

Feigenbaum again. Maybe his daughter should have seen my doctor in Mexicali – her folks would have saved tens of thousands of dollars to boot – and with no pain.

On 10/23, Linda wrote, “I have spoken with several people who saw you on the support forums.  They told me you had been asked numerous questions, but didn’t answer them, so you were deleted.”

Well, I had made only one post to Inspire.com, and no one had responded except for the fellow that said he paid $82 thousand for the operation – and nobody asked me any questions, but, guess what?

Inspire.com canceled my login. Looks like Linda has some clout.

Many of the Inspire.com members are desperate because they cannot afford to pay in the range of $80 thousand for an operation. Some had their insurance deny their coverage because they were “out of area,” or for other concocted reasons. “I am on North Carolina medicaid for disability and cannot get treatment outside the state.”

Many have no insurance. The entire Inspire.com site is full of people who have no clue as what to do.

Sometimes you just can’t help people. So be it!

If Inspire.com and its members are so hell-bent on protecting high U.S. healthcare costs, and doctors, they must suffer the consequences.

And here are the consequences, my friends:

The pain will start small – you might feel it anywhere – I felt in in my neck. My U.S. doctor prescribed Soma, an addictive drug.

Whatever you are taking, the pain will increase, and localize to your lower spine with possible numbness in your legs. You will go on to strong pain killers. Your doctor, like my U.S. doctor,  may give you steroid injections, which will work only temporarily. The steroids will cause constant hunger and weight gain. Your face will become bloated – the medical term is “moon face.” You may also develop “buffalo hump,” and suffer personality changes. You doctor will probably  prescribe Gabapentin orVicodin, both addictive drugs. If you discontinue Vicodin, for even a day – your pain will be magnified.

U.S. doctors are high on addictive drugs – to keep you coming back. No wonder the U.S. leads the world in drug addiction!

If you reduce the use of steroids, you will suffer side effects, including: tiredness, headaches, muscle and joint aches, depression, osteoporosis (which may result in fractures of the spine, ribs or hip joint with minimal trauma).

Your walking will be affected by the Tarlov disease – your legs will become numb.

Soon, you will be reduced to using a cane – one of those canes with four feet. “I am 36 and they want me to use a cane for walking because I fall so much. ( I fall because the cysts put pressure on the nerves, and my leg goes numb).“

A short while after going to the cane, you will be in a wheelchair.  Meanwhile, your Tarlov cyst(s) will continue to grow.

The pain will become excruciating as the Tarlov cyst pressures and breaks and destroys your sacral bones – just like the roots of a tree can break up a concrete sidewalk.

You will become completely incapacitated, and confined to bed.

Can you die from Tarlov disease? You bet!.

According to HyperMED, “Tarlov disease must be taken with great seriousness, because Tarlov disease can advance to the stage of constant severe pain. If not successfully treated, a person in this stage of the disease can die from the stress of the suffering, from the pain medications (hepatitis), or from suicide.“

I chose life!

My MRI