Martha Lord

I had some cortisone injections done in April, but by May, the pain was back again. I had to take pain medications all day long to function. There was a period where I was on the floor all day long. I wasn’t driving. I couldn’t even lift a gallon of milk out of the fridge.

I first saw Dr. Jatana in June. He told me exactly what was going on- what surgery I was a candidate for and which one I wasn’t. He seemed to take the most minimally invasive approach as possible. I liked how he explained the options and explained what was best for me.

In the meantime, I visited two other doctors. One told me I was a great candidate for a fusion surgery and it was just a matter of when to do it. Another told me what my options were, but didn’t give me any specific recommendations. Dr. Jatana was the only doctor who said I believe you have a window for disc replacement surgery and the longer the pressure is on the nerve, the longer it will take for the nerve to act normally. Given my age and physical condition, I decided that disc replacement gave me the best chance to get back to my normally active lifestyle.

I woke up from surgery absolutely pain-free. It was the first time in months that I didn’t need pain medication. I was able to play with my kids. There’s nothing in my daily activities that I need to limit.

I could’ve done the fusion surgery, but I am glad I chose the surgery I did. I felt so confident in what I was doing and a lot of that is because of Dr. Jatana.