Donnie’s Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Story

Donnie Roman
Spine surgery gave Donnie the ability to keep up with her grandchildren — pain-free.
After a lifetime of constantly standing and bending over as a hairdresser, Donnie Roman, 64, started noticing soreness in her back. The pain would intensify when this avid hiker, runner and workout fanatic paused during her workouts. Donnie knew it was time to be treated when the pain became so excruciating that she was barely able to get out of bed each day.

“I had pain in my lower back that shot down my left leg all the way to my ankle,” recalled Donnie. “The pain was nearly paralyzing — so I knew the problem could no longer be ignored. My husband, Ted, had been seeing an orthopedic surgeon for his own back problems so he introduced me to Dr. Mundis and I was soon on the road to recovery.”

After a series of X-rays and an MRI, Sharp-affiliated orthopedic surgeon Dr. Greg Mundis determined that Donnie had spondylolisthesis, a condition in which one vertebra slips over the vertebra below it. Donnie was also diagnosed with stenosis — a narrowing of the spine that causes pressure to compress on the spinal cord and nerves.

Donnie Roman
Donnie tackled a rope obstacle course only seven months after surgery.
To correct these common back problems, Dr. Mundis performed a minimally invasive spine surgery. As opposed to traditional open surgery in which Donnie could have been left with a large scar, this procedure allowed Dr. Mundis to gain access to Donnie’s spine through two small incisions on the side of her body. This left her with less tissue trauma and, therefore, less postoperative discomfort and a shorter hospital stay.

“The care I received at Sharp Memorial Hospital was the best I’ve ever had,” remarked Donnie. “Dr. Mundis’s great bedside manner made me feel like I’ve known him forever. The nurses were always in my room checking on me, but were happy to leave if I wanted to be alone. They were kind and listened to what I wanted so I enjoyed my stay.”

Seven months after back surgery, Donnie visited her son and his family in Sydney, Australia. “While in Australia, I was able to complete a rope suspension bridge obstacle course at Tree Top Adventure Park with my grandchildren, pain-free,” said Donnie. “I’m so pleased with the outcome of my surgery!”

Find a San Diego Orthopedic Surgeon
To learn more about orthopedics at Sharp or to find a Sharp-affiliated doctor, search for San Diego orthopedic surgeons or call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 6 pm.

For More Orthopedics Information
To find general information about orthopedics, visit Orthopedic Surgery in Adult Health or read the Orthopedics News archive.