I am a 67 year old male that has experience back problems ever since a wayer skiing accident at 18 years of age , in 1968.

After 3 weeks of traction and a  myelogram, it was determined that I required back surgery at Methodist hospital in Lubbock, Texas. The surgery was performed by Dr. Shannon, Orthopedic Surgeon and Texas Tech Team doctor. My L5/S1 disc was in numerous pieces and was touching my sciatic nerve.

After the surgery it was months of wearing a brace and no activity. I was told that i should have a full recovery but that arthritis would eventually set in and cause back problems. Being a young, healthy male, I resumed water and snow skiing as well as several other forms of physical activity. My mindset was that I would notlet my back issues hinder my daily life. I lived that way for most of my life.

At about age 50 I realized that my back was hurting more often. I visited numerous chir0practors and did whatever I could to find back pain relief. Again I continued with a determination that my back was not going to limit my daily activities, even though my activities were limited due to age.

For a lot of my life I traveled by car or air for a living. At about 60 I realized that traveling was becoming harder and harder due to back pain. Sitting in a car, airport, or a plane was no longer fun. On the advice of my doctor, I visited an orthopedic specialist. At that time I lived in Omaha, NE. I had a laminectomy and had absolutely no pain relief. The doctor wanted to try a fusion, notice the word try a fusion??? I decided to pass due to his lack of assurance of pain relief.

After moving to TN for work, I visited another back doctor. He said he would not touch my back due to arthritis and numerous disc problems. His recommendation was to see his partner that specialized in hip replacement, as he thought having my hips replaced would eliminate a lot of my pain. After review it was determined that I would have my right hip replaced in January 2012 and then my left. As it turned out, the left is still all natural. The morning after the hip replacement, my pain level was 10 times worse than before!!! Even just laying in bed I hurt, I mean hurt like a pain level 7 to 9 constantly. After 6 weeks of recovery and no pain relief my hip doctor referred me to a noted spine specialist in Nashville.

After numerous tests, procedure, and 3 series of shots, my doctor called to inform me that there was nothing else he could do to eliminate my pain. His exact words still ring in my ears. “Son, your back looks like you have been rode hard and put up wet.” I said, “Surely you can fuse it or do something?” He was very empathetic that he would not touch my back under any circumstances due to the deteriorated condition and recommended that I find a good pain management program. I was devastated, to say the least, as I had to quit my job that I loved and learn to cope with the reality that life as I knew it was no more. At 62, that is hard to hear and even harder to realize that my life would be filled with pain for the rest of my days.

I was fortunate to find a great pain doctor. He worked with me throughout the terrible ordeal. He did a series of back shots, no help, tried numerous medications that only masked the pain. He also performed a nerve ablation on both the right and left sides on 3 different occasions with limited, but appreciated, pain relief. As one can imagine, my limited mobility and pain prevented me from leaving the house very often except for doctor’s visits.

In the Spring of 2016, Dr. Urban informed me that he had attended a seminar about a revolutionary new back procedure, the Discseel^® Procedure. He thought I might be a great candidate. After reviewing Dr. Pauza’s website and reading all I could about the Discseel^® Procedure and Dr. Pauza, I decided to fill out the patient evaluation form. Shortly after, I was contacted by Michelle Pena from Dr. Pauza’s office.

Everything changed from that moment onward. My wife and I decided there might just be hope after all. It still amazes me how easy and customer friendly the process is! All I had to do was get an MRI and send it Dr. Pauza for review. No being one to wait around, I worked with Michelle to get the MRI and Dr. Pauza’s review. I still remember Michelle calling to tell me that Dr. Pauza felt I was an excellent candidate, what great news. Having numerous questions, she arranged for Dr. Pauza to call me and we spent about 45 minutes on the phone discussing my back and his procedure. At this point I was impressed and excited. I did consult with my other doctors and found that most were, to say the last, skeptical, but the general feeling was that I had nothing to lose. At that point I was using an electric wheelchair to go across the street to visit neighbors. Life was not much fun!

After a lot of thought and prayer, my wife and I decided all we had to lose was the money. On June 23, 2016, Dr. Kevin Pauza performed the Discseel^® Procedure on me at the Turtle Creek Hospital in Tyler, Texas. His initial review was that I needed 5 discs sealed, but the reality was that I only needed 4 discs. My wife measured me before and after the procedure and I had gained  1/2 and inch in height and my posture was vastly improved.

The next morning I started walking with a can for 10 minutes twice a day. It did not take long until I could walk for 20 minutes twice daily.  To go from hardly being able to walk from the bed to the bathroom and spending most of my days in bed to walking… what a blessing!!!

It has been about 9 months and today I am a new man. I mow my own grass, walk without a cane, and live a much fuller life. Being pain free is such a blessing… Thank you, Dr. Pauza!