We spoke with Romi Ivars, a patient who underwent guided spinal surgery with the Mazor surgical robot at Instituto Clavel. This technology optimizes surgery, and increases precision.
Romi had been enduring pain for a long time. She tried various conservative treatments, but her symptoms did not improve. In 2020, she was unable to bear it any longer she and reached out to Instituto Clavel, where, following an evaluation of her case, surgery was recommended.
The operation was performed with assistance by the Mazor X Stealth edition robot, which guarantees precision in the placement of the prosthesis, reduces the risk of infection, and also reduces postoperative pain, so recovery is usually faster. Romi Ivars tells us about her experience and how she is doing now.
How did your problem begin?
I had been in a lot of pain for years, and was unable to sleep. I had only consulted traumatologists, because I didn’t know about the possibility of seeing a neurosurgeon, until some friends told me about Instituto Clavel.
I retired from work just before the pandemic. It was the right moment because I was sick of not being able to rest at night.
The pain was especially worse at night?
I was always in pain, but when I laid down, it was unbearable.
When you came to Instituto Clavel, was it difficult to make the decision to have surgery?
Not really. I decided the very same day that Dr. Clavel told me about the surgery. When he explained the details of the surgery, and that it would be performed with assistance from a robotic arm, making the surgery minimally invasive and more precise, and offering a faster recovery, my decision was clear.
It’s true that until then, I had always gone to traumatologists, and the recommendation they gave me was just to endure the pain until I could no longer even leave the house. They recommended physical therapy, infiltrations, osteopaths... I had tried all that, but it didn't work. The approach that Instituto Clavel offered was entirely different.
After my appointment, at first I was a little overwhelmed because of all the new information. At that time, you couldn’t even bring anyone to accompany you to your appointment, which meant that if you missed some detail, you couldn’t rely on anyone else to catch it.
What was the day of the surgery like?
As I said, this was during the Covid pandemic, so on the day of the surgery, only my husband could accompany me. I was scared because I had never had surgery, but it went very well. The next day I was already up on my feet, and that surprised me! It was reassuring to be able to walk, even if it was only few steps around the room.
It’s true that because of the pandemic, the personal treatment felt a bit “cold”, but you have to remember that we were all afraid of getting infected, especially myself in that situation. Anyway, Dr. Varela was charming and, overall, they took great care of me.
Obviously, I don’t remember anything about the robot; I only know that it was there in the operating room, and that my surgery was more precise because of it.
How did your recovery go?
After the surgery, I went to sessions at Instituto Clavel Rehabilitation from March to June, and it went very well. At that time, I was afraid of "breaking something", but my progress was very good. I think I've been a pretty good student at the center, and although I’m not doing the exercises as much as before, I still do them.
How long did it take until you were back to your normal routine?
It was very fast, a month or so. It was a pleasure, really. I was in the hospital for more than 10 days because it coincided with Easter holidays, it took me a while to leave, which turned out to be good for me. When I left the hospital, I was already in shape to meet up with my friends and socialize. Yes, I did rest some more at home, but I went for a walk every day.
I didn't carry anything heavy, but I did make a point to walk. In fact, I walked to the rehab center every day. And although, at first, you want to be very cautious, the truth is, I didn’t walk slowly, I walked at my usual fast pace. My husband always tells me that I don't know how to walk [laughs].
Now, I do yoga, and although I have to be careful because some of the positions are very demanding, for the most part I do very well.
Did you have any discomfort after the surgery?
After the surgery, I had other pains and I went to another hip doctor, who diagnosed me with dysplasia, which was probably the origin of my spinal dysfunction. No one had discovered it before. Because of my age, he did not recommend surgery, and in my case, the best thing is infiltrations. The truth is, I’m handling it very well, because what had really been causing the pain was my spine.
How do you feel now?
I am doing great! I’m very happy, so much so that I recommend anyone who is in a similar situation to consider this surgery.
Categories: Spine treatments, Spine pathologies, Testimonials