Gabriela Figueroa first began suffering low back pain 8 years ago. At only 36 years old, she was diagnosed with a herniated disc at the L5 S1 level, and the only possible treatment she could find in her home country, Guatemala, was fusion surgery. Then, she learned of the option of disc replacement surgery at the Instituto Clavel, and she decided to travel to Spain for the operation. This is her story.
When lumbar or cervical pain begins to affect your daily life, it is very important to see a specialist in order to solve the problem and regain your quality of life. Otherwise, the pain can continue for a long time and get worse. That is what happened to Gabriela Figueroa with her lumbar disc hernia. The good news is that she finally found the best medical solution for her case.
In this interview, she tells us how it felt to go through the process, all the details, and how she feels now, 3 months after her surgery.
You started having pain 8 years ago due to an L5 S1 hernia. How did it affect your daily life?
At first, I would go for long periods without pain, and then it would attack suddenly. When that happened, I had to stop doing any physical activities sometimes, and rest, because I couldn’t be on my feet very long, and I had to take painkillers.
This was not normal for someone my age, and it made certain activities difficult for me. For example, my husband and I were used to doing a lot of outdoor activities, trekking or walking, and then when the pain started, I couldn’t carry my backpack.
But little by little, it got worse. It was no longer just that I couldn’t carry my backpack, but that I couldn’t walk at the same speed or for a long distance.
When did you notice that the pain got worse?
It got worse after giving birth. I have two children, the oldest is 5 five years old and the little one is 3 years old. After my first child was born, I started exercising, but there were already a lot of things I couldn't do. By that time, I had already been diagnosed, so when I went to the gym, I told them I had a hernia and they found special exercises for me.
Two years went by, and after having my second child, I went back to the gym to start my exercise routine again, and one day, I just couldn't do it. So, I went to see a doctor again, in Guatemala where I live, and he told me that I had to stop doing exercise because there was a lot of inflammation and that, most likely, I would not be able to continue that kind of activity -- I was cycling - because I was going to continue to get worse. It was progressive. The only option was to have surgery.
And there, in Guatemala, they only offered you fusion surgery...
Yes, they offered to perform lumbar fusion surgery, and they told me that it was very important to do it. I couldn't wait long because my nerves could be affected in the long run. I needed to do it as soon as possible.
So, I sought a second opinion in Guatemala. And that's where they told me about the option of having an implant, but they told me that this surgery was not done in Guatemala.
At that time, they also operated on my uncle with fusion surgery, but he is older, he is in his 60s. I was only 36 years old, and what they told me about the long-term effects of fusion was not good for my age. The implant was much better. And that's when I began to research, read, and I discovered Dr. Clavel.
More information about disc replacement surgery
So, how did you find Instituto Clavel?
The second doctor I saw in Guatemala was the one who told me about Dr. Clavel. So I started to do some research and contacted Olga. Communication with her was very fast, I wrote to her one day and by dawn the next day I already had her reply. It was super fast, and that gave me a lot of confidence.
Also, I talked to friends and acquaintances and they told me “I know someone who had surgery with Dr. Clavel,” and I found another person who had been through the surgery, we got in touch and she told me her story. That made me even more confident.
Between my job and my children, travelling to Barcelona was a challenge, but I had a video-consultation with Dr. Clavel that left me feeling more at ease. He explained what the procedure was like and what I could expect in the long term. That's when I said "this is what I want, I'm not going have a fusion surgery."
The most important thing for me was to be able to play, and jump and run around with my children again, to be able to exercise and do outdoor activities like climbing volcanoes, trekking, camping, because thinking about not being able to do those things at my age, and with such young children, was very sad.
When did you have the consultation with Dr. Clavel?
It was in January 2020. Then, a month after that, COVID-19 arrived. That made it so there were other things to focus on and getting my operation was put on hold. However, with the confinement I started to get worse. We tried to do exercises at home, a yoga program, but I felt worse and worse, until in the last few months I had a hard time walking short distances. That’s when I realized that I needed the operation and I began to find out everything I would need to make the trip to Spain.
What did you have to do in order to travel under the pandemic restrictions?
I went to Spain when it wasn’t open yet to travel. I found out through a travel agency how to enter Spain for a medical procedure, and everything I would need. Olga was always available and helped me in getting everything I needed because it was not a normal trip.
No one was traveling then, and people kept telling me "no, you can't go right now." But we managed to do it. With Olga’s help, we were able to get the things that the Spanish Embassy asked for, and there were other procedures I had to do, that now they do not ask of anyone. We did all this also for my husband because otherwise, he would not have been able to come with me. And that's how I made the trip.
Tell us about your arrival in Spain. When did you get to meet the doctors?
The flight was long, so I rested the day I arrived, and the next day I had my appointment with the doctor. We went straight to the Quirón hospital and met the doctor. He explained the procedure and what was going to happen. The purpose of the visit was above all, to answer any questions we had.
I was able to see my X-rays on the screen and asked him if he thought the disk would fit. He told me that due to my height, and the size of my vertebrae, the space was quite small, but that he had requested a special Swiss disc smaller than the usual ones to have another alternative.
And how do you remember that day, how did you feel before entering the operating room?
I was nervous because you really don’t know, you hear things from other people, but everyone reacts differently, so you have the feeling of not knowing how it’s going to go. Added to that was the situation with the pandemic. You’re nervous about being in a hospital, you’re wearing a mask… All the pandemic prevention measures are quite stressful. But there was Sonia, a staff member who accompanies you to all the preoperative tests and examinations, and she is with you all the time, which gives a lot of peace of mind. She is very kind, she talks to you and tries to keep your spirits up. She really helped put me at ease.
How did you feel when you woke from the anesthesia? Did they tell you how the surgery had gone?
I remember that the first thing I did when I woke up was ask the first person I saw if they had been able to place the disc implant in me, and they said yes.
Then they took me up to my hospital room and my husband told me that Dr. Clavel had already spoken with him and that they had used the smaller sized disc for me and everything had gone well. Knowing that, I could be relax and be happy.
How was your hospital stay?
I stayed 5 nights and it was fine. The hospital is spotlessly clean and the facilities are first class. The people too, the nurses were very nice ... it's a very nice place to be for 5 days. Normally, I get restless very quickly, so I wasn’t looking forward to the idea of spending 5 days stuck in a hospital, but in the end, the time went by easily.
And did you feel pain the first few days?
Yes, there was postoperative pain. Mine was not extreme, and of course, during the first days following surgery they make sure your pain levels are controlled very well with medication. As soon as you begin to notice pain, they bring you something. Little by little, they lower the dose and it levels off. I had pain, but it was pretty controlled, nothing unbearable.
When did you start walking?
The day after the operation. I was always in contact with Olga via WhatsApp and she told me that the physiotherapist would arrive in a few hours. And that’s how it happened, the therapist arrived, she helped me up and made me take me first steps that same day.
Regarding the physical rehabilitation, how many sessions did you have at FisioSpine?
I had four sessions over the four days after I got out of the hospital. My hotel was nearby and I think that was good, because I walked out the door and the rehabilitation center was just a block away.
FisioSpine is a beautiful space and they treat you very well. My physiotherapist, Laia, helped me with stretches on the first day. She explained things to me. You have questions about some pains that you don’t expect, and she put me at ease, explaining that it was normal and the pain would begin to go away soon. She told me what I needed to do and she explained it very well.
What recommendations did the physiotherapists and the doctor give you before returning to Guatemala?
Well, the exercises you do during those four days, you need to continue doing them, and it’s even better if you get a physical therapist in your own country. I was able to do that. Walking is what they recommend the most, it helps a lot. Doing this in Barcelona is very easy because it’s a city where you go out and walk a lot. The first few days you have some pain, but you have to stay active. That’s the key recommendation, don’t spend your time lying down or sitting, you have to stand up, move around, and everything will flow along.
For me, walking has helped a lot. After I got home to Guatemala. I kept walking and I try to do it daily. I think that has been the key to feeling better. Also, the physical therapy I'm doing here. At first, my therapist came twice a week and now that two and a half months have passed, he only comes once a week. And I keep stretching, but the exercises have been increasing in strength, repetitions ... Every time I feel that I am better, stronger.
Do you still feel pain?
I have such a small amount of pain that I don’t know if it’s from the operation or something else. It's minimal. What I do notice is stiffness, I’ve lost elasticity, and that is why I have to continue exercising. But I’m not living with pain like it was before. I’m happy, with my children, I feel like I can do everything, although there are some things that I should not. There are some nuisances, like sometimes the sole of my foot falls asleep, these are things that they tell you can happen, but there’s no pain like there was before.
Specifically, what activities have you been able to resume?
Walking. According to the doctor’s instructions, until three months have passed, I should be careful not to overdo physical activity; I should continue physiotherapy and stretching. But now I can walk more than before, longer distances without pain.
And how about being with your children? Is it easier for you to care for them and keep up with them?
Yes. It’s recommended that I shouldn’t pick them up and carry them yet, but I know I can do it, and it doesn’t hurt. My youngest hardly weighs anything, so I’ve had to carry her and it doesn’t hurt. The pain and suffering I had is gone.
As we said at the beginning, it took you a long time to make the decision to have surgery. What would you say to a patient who is going through the same thing as you?
That, if you are able to do it, and have everything you need to do it, don't think twice about it. There are a lot of myths about back surgery because a lot of people have had bad experiences. However, I think this specific surgery in Spain with Dr. Clavel has a lot of advantages, because it is minimally invasive, and the surgical approach, which is through the abdomen, means that recovery is not as difficult as one would think, it’s fast. Yes, it takes time to recover, but it is much less than any other type of operation. So, I would say, don’t hesitate. If it’s a procedure like mine, you should not be afraid because the risks are not as serious as they would be in another operation. And, at Instituto Clavel, you are in good hands.
In closing, what did you like the most about having your treatment at Instituto Clavel?
First, I liked that, although I am in Guatemala and they are on another continent, the exchange of communication was fast, clear, and they always answered my questions. There were no hidden things. As for the costs, they tell you up front what the cost will be and there is a single invoice, there is nothing later. Here in Guatemala, a lot of times they tell you what it’s going to cost, and then they begin adding things up in the hospital and at the end, it’s nothing like what they said it would be. Here, they told me the cost, and that was it.
I also liked the hospital facilities. Like I said, they’re top notch, nothing shabby about it. The attention provided by Olga and Sonia, and that of everyone at Instituto Clavel, is excellent. And you can tell that the doctor is an expert who knows what he is doing, and that gives you the confidence to trust him with something as delicate as your back.
Categories: Spine pathologies, Surgery, Testimonials