Heidi Spaeth

My story - Cervical Spinal Fusion (C4, C5, C6)

For three long years I was battling neck, back, and head pain because of degenerative disc disease. Three discs in my neck were flattened, and two nerves were compressed, causing me great pain. The pain was so bad that I could barely get out of bed in the morning. I was experiencing daily excruciating headaches. I was always an extremely active woman who loved to travel the world and who loved life. Because of the miserable pain, I felt that the quality of my life was gone.

I had seen many different doctors who tried to help me with my pain. I tried so many different options such as narcotic pain drugs, radio frequency ablation, epidural steroid injections, trigger injections, chiropractic treatments, acupuncture, and energy healing treatments.

When I first met Dr. Han Jo Kim, he quickly noticed that I had tried everything possible except surgery to alleviate my pain. He told me that he would have performed surgery first and never would have prescribed narcotic painkillers to me.

My cervical spinal fusion surgery was scheduled for two months later, but because of issues with my insurance company, I was forced to delay the surgery. My pain was getting worse, and I was now losing function of my arms.

Within the next few months, I had gotten two other opinions from top surgeons who both said that surgery would not help me. After seeing Dr. Kim a second and third time, he still insisted that a spinal fusion would very much benefit me.

Finally about a year later, Dr. Kim performed my cervical spinal fusion at HSS. While I was still lying in my hospital bed and only a few hours after my surgery, I noticed that my neck and head pain had already noticeably decreased. The entire staff at HSS were so caring, helpful, and nice.

It is about 4 months post surgery, and although I am still recovering, I feel that I have made tremendous progress. I am still waiting for the bone in my neck to fuse, but I am not feeling miserable anymore like I used to. I feel like my life is worth living again, and am looking forward to traveling again very soon.

Thank you, Dr. Han Jo Kim and HSS!