Thank you so much Kirk, your prayers most welcome. The pain is just really doing me in, not to mention inability to do anything at all. I think that huge crock sounds like a terrific buy and would make a neat fountain. I bet it's beautiful and can't wait to see it. Totems are very addictive and fun. I have made 4, and have stuff to make a few more. Two of mine are cobalt, one is milk glass, and is the lead crystal type glassware. I can't wait to get my amber one done next. It won't be very big, but that's the fun of totems. You can make most any size. I even have a tiny one that's only about 10" high. Pix of all in photobucket album, so you've probably seen them before. Karen Here is a link that might be useful: sangaree_KS

Thanks Michael. I appreciate what you posted about the cherite, especially if the degeneration takes more disks and the maverick never makes it here. Right now the cherite is fresh out of testing and in order to qualify, you can't have any other back problems, which was another reason for me wanting to go to Germany. When doing my research I came across all sorts of cherite pages and wondered when the US would catch up to Germany. They have all sorts of different back surgery products, the lady I saw was supposed to get 3 maverick levels with something called a Wallis implant. She ended up with only the maverick. The problem I have is doctors can't tell if my fusion failed. Looking at Xrays, they see what looks like incomplete fusion; so I'll get rods added next Wednesday to see if it helps. Germany never answered my question if they would try to pull the cage out to use the maverick, so I decided to stay local. I doubt I could handle the long plane ride there.

Thanks for asking Socks .... Had the surgery one week ago today. Got out of the hospital the next afternoon. I'm now home wearing a hard collar, bone stimulator machine and trying to stay off the computer. I'm only allowed on for 20 mins at a time. I was totally bed-ridden until yesterday... sleeping most of the day and night, so that helped keep me off the computer. So far the only real pain is my throat and left shoulder. Loss of voice is typical with this surgery. Mine finally came back yesterday afternoon. I was warned my shoulders might hurt after the surgery but was never told why. I might call the doctor and ask what causes the shoulder pain. Surgery ended up not quite what I expected. Instead of removing the bottom two fused vertebrae, the doctor cleaned the bone spurs off the fused verts and removed C5 instead. He cleaned up and realigned C3 and C4 and fused C4-C5-C6 with what's called a PEEK cage. From what I can tell, my range of motion is better than before and very little pain when I move. But I'm not going to be able to fully test it for a couple months. Because my throat is still sore from them moving the esophagus and other stuff aside to access the spine from the front, it's difficult to tell if my cough and breathing issues are gone. But I think they are. Just won't know until I'm fully healed. Jodi-

Gosh I hate to be the "nay-sayer" here, but.....I strugled for 10 years with stenosis and ruptured disks and severe back pain. I cannot count the 'practices" I have tried...from chriopractor, acupuncture. that stretching machine and neurologists from Modesto Ca, to Oregon....all telling me that they could not rid me of any of my pain. Oh Pain Clinics too....horible, and epidurals...several. When my Balance became impaired and I went to a balance clinic...they alarmingly sent me to a spine clinic, fearing that the stenosis was begining to impact other functions (like bladder and balance) and immediately sent me to a spine surgeon at the Oregon Spine Clinic in Medford, where I met the most remarkable young surgeon (recently finished training in SF) who performed two separate surgeries over 3 days. First day going in from my side to take care of the disks, rest a day...then doing that lamenectomy (sp) where they usually put in pins and plates. Andy put in bone grafts....I was on my feet the very next day and had a spectacularly short recovery time with no limitations, to this day.It was so successful. I do not have the back pain that had nearly crippled me. My back still gets tired and I have not lost the weight I needed to lose ( that part is looking better today, as my knees and severe anemia are finally under control and we have started an exercise progam) I am 77 and feel today that I have been given back 10 years of my life. BTW I did have to develope kidney failure to get the anemia attended to, and I do get injections every two weeks.....kidney failure due to taking too many OTC pain medications. I think that the treatment for my anemia is how they are stabilizing my kidneys...and I am good so far. Sorry this is so long. I guess my message is that you should not give up trying to find "your" way. I am sure my guardian angel put Andy in my path just when my back really needed it....like an answer to a prayer. The same with the kidneys. I have had the aanemia for years with no answers or cure except for a bone marrow transplant....now those red blood cells are perking along famously....and I am so grateful.