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Graham Morrell

  • Back - Spinal Fusion
  • 24/09/2025
Graham Morrell

Graham from Dublin’s Spinal Fusion and Nerve Release Surgery in Spain with no Waiting List

Eight weeks after travelling to Alicante for a Spinal Fusion reimbursed by the HSE, Graham is firmly on the road to recovery. The sciatica pain that had tormented him for five years stopped the day after the operation. For anyone who doesn’t know what sciatica feels like, Graham describes it as “standing on a thousand white hot needles with a constant shooting pain. When that pain started in the middle of the night, it didn’t stop.”
“I didn’t sleep. I was on opioids and nerve blockers to try and manage the pain, and I needed stomach medication because the tablets were running my insides. Each day before I brushed my teeth I was vomiting for an hour from all the medication I was on.”

No Light at the end of the Tunnel

An operation in Ireland was out of the question, “I was told there was an 80% chance I would be in a wheelchair if I had surgery. I was already on the highest dose of pain medication so I would just have to suffer for the rest of my life.”
Even though he tried to put on a brave face, his wife says it was clear the pain was getting to him “There were times where Graham got really, really down and felt worthless as his job and leisure were taken away from him. He had his own business but he had to shut it down and was out of work for a year and a half. Before finding Healthcare Abroad we had spent our life savings trying to fix Graham, and got absolutely nowhere.“
Everyday life became a struggle and the simple pleasures were taken away. “I love football, but to watch a match at 10am I needed to be up at 6. That’s how long everything took. We were doing nothing, going nowhere. I was just living in pain, the vomiting, not being able to eat because of all the tablets.”

First Class

When they were taken to HCB Benidorm Hospital, Graham says the experience was beyond their expectations. “We went and everything was brilliant, we can’t talk highly enough about Healthcare Abroad. The care was outstanding, everyone was friendly and made sure that we were looked after. There was someone to take you to all of your appointments, free taxi to and from the airport, they take all the stress out of the experience. Scott the Healthcare Abroad driver was fantastic. Him and the neurosurgeon deserve knighthoods.”
“For the first ten minutes of the consultation, the neurosurgeon Dr Karim Ben Ghazala answered every single question we had. We walked out of the pre-operation consultation with 110% confidence. He spoke to us like we were real people, not just numbers.”

The Old Pain’s Gone

“There’s a 100% complete turnaround from the day before to the day after operation. I woke up and straight away the sciatica pain was gone after five years. Now it’s a good pain, a recovery pain.”
The transformation has been life-changing for Graham and his family, and Graham’s wife says it’s nothing short of a miracle. “It’s brilliant for me and our kids, we can see a big difference in him. It’s given us a chance to look forward. Before the operation we couldn’t plan anything because we didn’t know what Graham would be like from day to day. Now we’ve booked a holiday away and we’re going to get to enjoy it.”
“I would be telling anyone who’s in any sort of pain to have a look at Healthcare Abroad. The service is top class, there’s no reason not to give them a call. I’m not one for talking or being public but this is to let people know there’s help out there.”
We have already helped over 2500 Irish people access HSE reimbursed surgery in as little as three weeks. Our number is 📞 01 267 8011 if you would like to call, or you can visit https://healthcareabroad.ie/ if you want to learn more.

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