Valerie Smith (nurse)

To all potential Pro-Spine patients....do it!! My experience was fabulous from start to finish.

My neck issues began with a skiing accident about eleven years ago which resulted in a fusion at C 5-6. My result was good until I was in a car accident in Mexico a year later and blew out C 4-5! I did fine until about four years ago when the pain returned and was relentless. The previous fusions had caused the usual stress above and below my fusions which, of course, resulted in tremendous pain. I tried all the usual therapies, from acupunture, PT, epidural injections and rhizotomies without any decrease in my pain level. I am normally a very active person and also work as a nurse in a very demanding physical job. I became more debilitated as time went on, but forced myself to work and play until I simply couldn't use my arms anymore and the pain was overwhelming.

I discovered Dr. Bertagnoli through a friend who I work with who had been in the same situation as me three years prior and had had an ADR with great success. So began my journey to Pro-Spine....it began with an inquiry and I had a response back within 5 minutes from Tim Vicknair, who was instrumental in orchestrating the whole process. I filled out the questionnaire and followed all the instructions after that. It took about two weeks for the evaluation once my films were sent, and two months later I was in Bogen, Germany having a two level ADR.

The patient coordinators were fabulous and took care of all the little details so I didn't have to worry about booking rooms or my ride to and from Munich with Peter Hoch who was a wonderful man and wealth of information, as well. It was like a well oiled machine, from start to finish. I felt very well cared for and confident in my outcome after meeting the team and Dr. Bertagnoli. As a nurse, it was so interesting to watch and learn from the whole process, as well.

My initial pain was gone when I woke up from surgery...I was thrilled, needless to say! I was walking into town to get gelato on my second post-op day! Bogen is a cute little village and is where we stayed prior to surgery, but then we moved on to Straubing for the recovery period which was a really fun spot to be. We hiked everyday and totally enjoyed the restaurants and people there. The post-op course takes awhile, but I knew that going into it and have learned to be patient with myself. I'm four months out and have been back to work for about a month, now and am managing well. I go to PT twice a week and have started a gentle yoga class, as well. As with any surgery as extensive as this, it does take time, but I'm thrilled the way it's going and expect to be close to "normal" in a few more months. I'm looking forward to the snow this winter so that I can dust off my Nordic skis and get out on the trails again! Again, I can't say enough about the positive experience with Pro-Spine and the fabulous outcome!

Valerie Smith, Nurse

Bend, OR, USA

Learn more at ==> Artificial Disc Replacement