MUSKEGON, Mich. — 74-year-old Debbie Reed suffered from a failed spinal fusion surgery in July of 2023, which left her unable to walk hardly at all, until a Muskegon neurosurgeon relieved her pain with a new, cutting-edge medical technology.
"I had Scoliosis, Stenosis, Arthritis...there were like five things that were wrong with my back,” Reed said.
After Reed's first procedure, she could hardly walk. "I personally thought it was just, you know, healing, and you got to get better, and you got to work harder... but it never got better.”
Reed is a true outdoorsy-type, so not being able to walk was unacceptable for her. "I stopped cooking, and that was huge for me," Reed said. "I also stopped walking, and we really like to hike.”
Reed is now able to hike again, thanks to a medical technology called Globus Excelsius.
Neurosurgeon at Trinity Health Muskegon, Dr. Lynagh, describes the device as a GPS for spinal surgeries, which provides "...smaller incisions, less unnecessary tissue disruption, shorter operative time, less blood loss, quicker recovery for the patients, and less post-operative pain.”
Globus Excelsius also has a robotic arm, which Dr. Lynagh believes is the future of spine surgery. "The robot is an arm, essentially, that comes in and it takes away the human error.”
Reed's surgery with Dr. Lynagh was in September. Only three days post-procedure, Reed was pain free and back on her feet. “The first time I looked at myself in the mirror, I was like, 'Oh my god, the pain was gone.' There was no pain, and I could see it in my face," Reed said. "And that's just a gift.”
Reed is grateful for the gift she’s been given, during the most giving time of the year. “I had a really positive attitude the entire time, and if I didn't, I don't know where I'd be right now,” Reed said.
Reed plans to get back to her adventurous self, hiking with her husband and friends, and keeping up with her young grandchildren.
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