One Woman's Heartbreaking Charite Story

Posted by
SCott Lindsey
on April 14, 2012

I to have been trying to get through the same nightmare as the rest of you. I received two of these God awful defective pieces of crap. I cant do anything at all without the use of narcotics and that doesnt even help anymore. I am just sick of it all, and i cannot believe that they (Depuy)sought billions of dollars and made millions however we are forgotten on the back page. I want to just tell someone about this injustice and obvious failure. Depuy withdrew it's FDA licensing on January 12 2012. Shelved it just like they shelved all the people that have these things in us. God Bless and lets get through it somehow?

Posted by
Shannon
on January 26, 2012

Well, then perhaps my pre op condition and rehab attempts will help you out.

When I received my Charite artificial disc at L4-L5, I was a 38-year-old former athlete and non-smoker, in otherwise good medical condition, who presented with degenerative disc disease and herniated disc as well as four years of unremitting pain as the result of an automobile accident. I was a non-smoker and within the desired weight range for my height.

I received my disc right after the FDA approval, and the operation was performed by one of the neurosurgeons who'd studied the procedure in Ohio during the FDA trial. When I woke up from my procedure, I, too, was almost screaming in pain. The procedure we'd been assured would only take a couple of hours had stretched on for eight. However, the pain was brought under control quickly by the nursing staff and I went home 2 1/2 days after the operation.

Within a week, I was experiencing excruciating pain--not in my back, but in my foot. At first, incompetent ER doctors in my hometown tried to tell me I had gout or some other silly thing despite the fact that I had just had significant surgery on my spine. When I saw my surgeon again, he ran some tests and then said off-handedly that he'd probably nicked a nerve sheath and the pain would resolve. Five months later, despite continued pain and difficulty rehabilitating, he released me from his care. He sent me to no physical therapy sessions--my rehab was walking. He cleared me to return to work. In fact, his office never called me again to follow up, and never returned my calls when I tried to schedule appointments. (I now know why; more on that later). I added to my rehab efforts with flexibility and light strength training and swimming. Within half a year, however, that rehab screeched to a halt. It was all I could do to work one day because I'd literally be laid up for two afterwards--all before the first anniversary of my procedure.

Over the next five years, my condition continued to deteriorate. Within a few months of being released from the surgeon's care, I was back on pain medications. I began to limp noticeably. My ankles and lower legs started to show weakening and deterioration, sometimes sending me to the floor in a heap when my legs would suddenly give way. Radiologists, pain management specialists and my personal family doctor could detect nothing on my films to explain these worsening conditions. I, too, started to be treated like a drug-addicted hypochondriac--to the degree where I refused to go to the emergency room for severe bouts of pain. MRIs and CAT scans showed an 'artifact' over the disc and only limited signs of damage at adjacent levels. I packed on over seventy-five pounds in a year because I could no longer work, clean house, work out, walk without fear or even drive--thereby exacerbating the vicious cycle of pain and worsening conditions. Finally, my doctor sent me to a new spine surgeon who took a look at my films and said, "We need an x-ray." I had one that day in his office. He came in, looked at the films and said, "This artificial disc is severely misaligned. You're going to need another surgery to rectify this." I left his office and went directly to the hospital where the artificial disc operation had taken place and got all my medical records.

Apparently, the prosthetic was visibly misaligned at my six weeks' x-ray, with a surgical screw already protruding. Upon a closer look at my surgical records, I discovered that my two hour procedure had turned into an eight hour procedure because initially the wrong size disc had been inserted and consequently had to be removed and replaced--none of which I was informed of by the original surgeon.

A L4-L5 spinal fusion and laminectomy was scheduled. I was informed that despite the misalignment of the prosthesis, the artificial disc could not be removed due to the dangerous placement without running severe risks of injury or death. The surgeon placed me on extreme restrictions until the operation--I could not lift more than five pounds, ride in a car longer than thirty minutes, sit longer than an hour. My life and activity level dwindled to nothing. And then, the day BEFORE the operation, my insurance denied the fusion, calling it 'medically unnecessary' due to the contraindications of MRI films and 'experimental' due to putting a fusion over an artificial disc. While I appealed the decision, another seven months passed--under the same restrictions. I packed on MORE weight and was literally almost afraid to do anything. The danger of paralysis or internal bleeding if that disc moved any further was emphasized to me, and scared me into doing exactly what the surgeon wanted which was nothing.

Now, in the past month, I was hospitalized at a major university hospital with worsening symptoms (sudden shift of radicular pain from the right to the left, extreme numbness and loss of feeling in both legs, low grade fever and severe pain)and a suspected infection at the artificial disc level. The diagnosis of the denied surgery was confirmed by my new surgeon, who has now scheduled me for a complete decompression of the totally impinged L-5 nerve root (and I have an L-6 as well, which complicates matters) as well as a fusion above, over and below the artificial disc. This surgeon has confirmed that the initial prosthetic NEVER fused, and in fact the misalignment of the disc is visible, obvious and progressive. This diagnosis has been confirmed by multiple orthopedic surgeons through consultation, and hopefully my insurance won't appeal this procedure.

So the Charite disc that was touted as giving me a full range of motion, a device supposed to last for thirty or more years, a device supposed to halt further spinal degeneration, to remove all pain and to give me back my life? Well, it did the direct opposite. Best case scenario for me after this upcoming surgery is 50% pain reduction--ever. Best case--and the ability to not move fully, to not regain my full strength and fullness of life. But, I'll be able to pick up a baby or clean my house--slowly--and walk and hopefully swim again for exercise and weight control within 6-8 months. I will always be on medications, most likely, and am now likely to suffer all the negative consequences of spinal fusion surgeries that I'd hoped to avoid.

BUT, 50% is a hell of a lot better than 0%. At least that will give me the chance to create some kind of quality of life--something that the Charite' disc completely took away from me for the past six years. A nightmare--plain and simple.

Posted by
Leah
on January 22, 2012

I am also a victim of the Charite implants.
I woke up from surgery into A LIVING NIGHTMARE. I immediately started screaming at the top of my lungs, barely able to comprehend the amount of pain I was in. I thought I was still having surgery and woke during the procedure. I have had 4 children and thought childbirth was the most pain I had experienced. I felt as if my spine was on fire...as if a million saw blades were cutting me open...there are no words to TRULY convey the horrific excruciating hell I woke up in. I was a wild woman....begging my husband to smother me with a pillow. I would have killed myself if I had been able to. I was on the max. amount of hospital grade morphine and was literally sobbing so hard, my pillow was soaked with tears of pain and fear......not being able to get ANY relief from feeling like you are being burned alive...SCARED ME TO DEATH. The Dr. looked stunned and scared as well and I begged him to please knock me out..I could not take it. I was put into a twilight sleep for 3 days....and was maxed out on a combination of opiates for an additional 5 days. I was still uncomfortable, but able to cope somehow.

I left the hospital on a daily medication routine of: Dilaudid, percocet, valium, ambien, oxycontin and flexeril. I had never taken pain killers prior to this and had NO IDEA what a lethal combination THAT was. The Dr. just kept refilling them month after month as I slipped into a drug induced coma basically....he never talked about side effects or physical dependence. I could not walk for months and was a MESS.

As I slowly began to emerge from the drugs by lowering the doses myself...to see how much pain I could tolerate...I decided to just throw out all the meds. Well I ended up in the ER from withdrawl symptoms so severe I thought here we go again.

To sum it up.....I spent the next few years trying to live with the pain and balance daily pain medication. The Charite disc overloaded my endplate causing fissure fractures, damaged my facet joints, is so unstable that it alternates between giving me electric type shooting pains all across my back and sciatic nerve pains down my right leg. It also caused massive nerve damage and most recently was diagnosed with Spinal Adhesive Arachnoiditis, a rare incurable progressive pain disease that most sufferers describe as cancer pain without the relief of death. The progression of numbness is followed by partial paraylsis then can become complete paraylsis. There are only a handful of Dr.s that are knowledgeable of this disease and its very hard to get the right treatment/medications/therapy that I need. I have tried every single pain relief alternative therapy/medication over the past 5 years since that fateful surgery.....and NOTHING has helped in any significant way except pain medications.

I HAVE to take daily narcotics to get through my day. The stigma attached to that is another hardship: from most Dr.'s (especailly in CA..my God) I am treated like a drug seeking addict...the 3 years following the surgery, since the MRI CAT scans and x-rays did not show much and the cast from the metals in the discs obscured the view to the point that the radiologists notes would read that I suffered from "failed back syndrome" and would have to BEG the Dr.'s to give me larger doses of narcotics (after being forced to take antidepressants and a slew of other medications that NEVER touched the pain..but am required to follow orders so I dont come off as a drug seeker) because the pain is so great. I have been bullied 1st by my family to "get to rehab" to get off the meds...which I did..only to be bedridden and crying nonstop for days..weeks..unable to walk...until THEY finally figured out I was in REAL pain. Then again years later when I moved and another Dr. convinced me that pain pills CAUSE pain, which can happen, so back to detox...and again...the pain was incapacitating. I HATE taking the narcotics and rarely tell people about my condition...so I dont have to get the "Ohh....taking Oxycontin AND Percocet???Whoa!! How are you even standing???" I did not add my daily muscle relaxants to stop the horrible spasms I have. The Charite has RUINED my life and I pray to GOD that it does not get worse.

Posted by
Terry
on April 5, 2011

Unfortunately, the article does not give a relative picture of pre op condition, nor rehab attempts. Terry RN 42 yrs.