Artificial Disc - Dr. Benson

Testimonial for Dr. Rudolph Bertagnoli

Melba W. Benson, Ph.D.
Arlington, Texas
February 2010

One of my favorite quotes, which is framed in our home, reads:

Not until you have been in the deepest valley
do you know how magnificent it is
to be on the highest mountain.

The deepest valley we experienced in the year 2009 was on January 14, when my neurosurgeon in the United States told us that all of my lumbar discs were so severely deteriorated that no surgery could help and that pain management was my only hope for the rest of my life.

Fortunately, in May 2009, I learned about Dr. Bertagnoli and another surgeon in Germany who performed surgeries on people like me whose surgeons in the United States had given up on. Although I sent all my records for evaluation to two surgeons in Germany, it became apparent to me very quickly that Dr. Bertagnoli was the surgeon I wanted to perform my spinal surgery.

On September 11, 2009, Dr. Bertagnoli inserted artificial discs at L1-2 and L2-3 through an incision in my abdomen and inserted a Dynamic Stabilization System through two incisions in my back to straighten a curve in my spine. Following the surgery, I was in the hospital in Bogen for 11 days. That time might have been even shorter if I had not broken my foot in a fall at the hotel the first night we arrived in Germany. We consider my surgery a miracle, and now we feel that we have gone from the deepest valley to the highest mountain.

As a patient, it is important to me for a doctor to be technically competent and have a caring personality as well. Dr. Bertagnoli, Dr. Fenk-Mayer, Dr. Nickl, and Dr. Mysek (anesthesiologist) met those criteria. Dr. Bertagnoli’s talents as a surgeon are unequaled, and we were also pleased to find out what a genuinely caring human being he is. He radiates joy and kindness when working with his patients.

My hospital stay was a very pleasant one. I had a large, beautiful room with a patio, my husband had a bed right beside mine, and the hospital staff was excellent. Most of the hospital staff members were sufficiently fluent in English, and I never had a problem communicating with any of them. If we needed anything, the staff was right there, but we were not unnecessarily bothered 24 hours a day as I have experienced during several surgeries in the United States.

From the time we made the decision for Dr. Bertagnoli to perform the surgery, the assistance we received from everyone on his staff was remarkable. We received rapid responses to any questions we had about the surgery itself, transportation to and from the airport, lodging, etc., from Tim Vicknair or the appropriate person on the Patient Coordination Team, capably led by Renata Hein. Since we had not been to Germany before, this type of assistance was tremendously valuable to us. Even Dr. Bertagnoli’s website provided an amazing amount of information to help us prepare for the most important journey of my life.

The gratitude I feel to everyone associated with Dr. Bertagnoli and the Bogen Hospital is overwhelming. We can honestly say that we enjoyed our trip, which is not something we expected to be able to say about a trip to have serious surgery.

I have a life again, something I never would have thought possible. My pain before the surgery was so bad I had an “existence.” Although I still have some healing to do, I am thrilled with the progress I have made. Friends who have known me for years tell me I look 10 years younger, have the biggest smile on my face they have ever seen, and cannot believe how good I looked even from the first day we got home. People are also amazed by how good I looked in photos we took on the trip, some of which were taken as early as three days after the surgery.

Also, we will soon be going on a short vacation. I can remember the time before my surgery with Dr. Bertagnoli when I doubted that we would ever be able to go on a vacation again.

I have not been able to practice the profession I love as an Educator/Coach/Mediator for three years, but in 2010 I expect to be able to go back to work.

Thank you hardly seems enough to say to people who have done so much to change my life. May God richly bless all of you for what you have done for me and for so many other people.

Sincerely,

Dear Dr. Bertagnoli,

One year ago today, September 11, 2009, a new life began for me when you performed surgery on my back.

For three years I had been unable to work in the profession I love, go on vacation, or truly enjoy anything because of the pain I experienced.

Since last September 11, my husband and I have taken two wonderful vacations and are planning a third.

In June of this year I returned to work part-time, and the joy I receive from being back at work is difficult to describe.

Dr. Bertagnoli, we thank you, Dr. Fenk-Mayer, Dr. Nickl, Dr. Mysek, Tim Vicknair, and everyone on your wonderful staff for how well we were treated while we were with you in Germany and for giving me life back again.

Thank you seems inadequate to express the tremendous gratitude we feel. We thank God every day for leading us to you and making all this possible.

We hope that all of you are doing well as you can continue to change lives with your incredible skills. We will never forget you and will always be thankful for the time we spent together.

Danke,

Melba W. Benson

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