In 1993, at 24 years of age, I injured my back at work. I was told by doctors that nothing could be done because my L5-S1 disc was bulging into the center, towards my spine. The doctors said to collect my workers compensation until it ran out, then collect Social Security Disability and try to make the best of a painful life.
The Chiropractor I was seeing at the time didn’t believe them and proceeded to adjust my spine and after 6 months I was able to function quite well, considering where I had been. I couldn’t go back to my old job and I was limited as to what and how I could lift but life was pretty good considering the original diagnosis.
In 1998 I suffered a severe muscle spasm. I was in bed for two weeks and it took about three months to recover completely. These muscle spasms became a regular occurrence, increasing in frequency and severity. At their worst, they occurred twice a year with a 5 to 6 month recovery. In August 2008 it happened again but this time the symptoms were so debilitating and unrelenting I truly thought I would end up like the doctors said, collecting Social Security Disability and making the best of a painful life. The pain affected my legs severely. I couldn’t walk long enough to do the grocery shopping. All I did was work and lie around.
Then I found Dr Antonacci.
I searched the internet looking for anyone who could help. After all, it had been 15 years since the original injury. Surely someone has found a way to fix this by now, I thought. I came across Dr Antonacci’s website and read the testimonials of people just like me. I “Googled” Dr Antonacci and found his name associated with different hospitals and periodicals, all showing him in a good light, so I decided to see him.
It almost seemed like Dr Antonacci didn’t want to operate on me. He kept asking about my lifestyle and how the pain was affecting my life. I felt like I had to convince him it was bad enough to do the surgery. After all of the testing and diagnosing, when the day came for Dr Antonacci to decide whether or not he would do the surgery, I was fully prepared to beg him on my hands and knees to do it.
I didn’t have too. After more questions about how the pain affected my lifestyle, Dr Antonacci gave me the best news of my life. He would do the surgery.
That day I realized Dr Antonacci was only making sure I had exhausted all other reasonable options before turning to surgery. He only had my best interest in mind.
I had the surgery Jan 9, 2009. It was a complete success. The surgery was a lot harder on me than I expected but it was well worth it. At four months out, I am pain free. My back is still a little weak from the surgery but Dr Antonacci said it would probably take about six months to recover from the surgery.
Everyone throughout the process was a pleasure to deal with. Dr Antonacci’s office staff was very helpful and kind. Dr Antonacci gave me my life back.