When Sven Schaarschmidt, a mechanical engineer working in Shanghai, learned that he needed to undergo an operation on a dislocated disk that was causing him considerable pain in his left leg, he was scared. His medical problem, he was told, had the potential to leave him paralyzed.
He wanted to return to his native Germany for the operation. But his doctor at Shanghai East Hospital, Wu Desheng, warned that a jolt from turbulence on a flight back home could worsen his condition, leaving him paralyzed or, at best, incontinent.
The disk in Schaarschmidt’s lower back was hitting the nerve center that controls his left leg, excretory functions and his ability to sustain an erection, Wu said.
Eleven days ago, Schaarschmidt, 39, married and the father of an 18-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter, underwent the operation at Shanghai East Hospital.
“Fortunately, the surgery was very successful,” Schaarschmidt said. “The leg doesn’t hurt like before and it is getting better every day. I didn’t expect the Chinese doctors to carry out such a difficult operation so well.”
Wu, chief spine surgeon at Shanghai East, added: “Disk herniation, even in the West, is a challenging surgery. Since the doctor is operating near the spine, where the nerve center is located, any mistake could cause a lifelong problem for the patient.”
Wu, who led the surgical team, said doctors succeeded in removing the disk to relieve the pressure on the nerve center. “The patient is on the way to recovery. Later this week, he will be able to stand up and walk by himself,” said the doctor.
(www.eastday.com.cn 05/29/2001)
