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Laminectomy/Fusion HELP

Posted , 4 users are following.

joy47826
joy47826

I just spend about 40 minutes on the phone with my brother who is 72....he's in FL and I'm in CA.

He's scheduled for the above back surgery in Early Dec.....I gave him all the negatives of doing this back surgery....Right now he says he's not in that much pain.....   Says his doc told him yrs ago he's got the back of an 80 yr old, when I was my 30's my osteopath told me I had the back of a 90 yr. old.  

I exercise, take supps, do special stretches for back etc....and gave him as much info as I could and he could handle.   

I know people who have had one, then had to do another and still live on pain meds...I remember some a woman somewhere said she had 5 and was done, she's still in pain......

What GOOD are they?

Tell me SOME positives about doing this back surgery, PLEASE....  

joy 76 US

0 likes, 17 replies

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  • ana100966
    ana100966 joy47826

    Posted

    My advice is that you should try mechanical decompression instead of the surgical one. You should leave the surgery as the last option. I mean, you should try those spine decompression tables in conjunction with some specific phisiotherapy. A spinal decompression via mechanical table should take 20 /25 sessions in 6/8 weeks and you should be able to find a clinicfor that near you.

    I am 51, three herniated discs and severe degeneration in L4/L5. I suspected I had bacteria in one disk, did the 100 day AB treatment and in the middle of it I started to have sciatic pain. I tried specific core exercises to strenghen core muscles but the pain got worse because mu sciatic nerve was pinched. I knew I had to decompress my spine. I went to the neurosurgeon who said he could remove my disc and fuse my spine at that level, but could not guarantee I would be pain free. After that I went to Dr. Nishimura Clinic in Brejos Azeitão, Portugal ( if you have curiosity check the site), and he said me I woud be pain free and that is happening. I do spine decompression 3 times a week in conjunction with some physiotherapy and some vitamine B12 injections in the sciatic nerve. I am really happy and advise you to do the same prior to surgery.

    Regards, Ana.

     

     

    • joy47826
      joy47826 ana100966

      Posted

      Thank you Ana, I sent your good advice and I sent it on to my brother who is in Florida and I'm in California. Thank you for taking the time, you are kind to do that.    Joy 76 US
  • Rob777
    Rob777 joy47826

    Posted

    Hello Joy, This is a really difficult area I also find myself in, to get objective feedback from people as to why they opt for surgery and the outcomes. I am 65, Brit, have stenosis at 3/4 4/5.  I think the diagnosis is significant in choosing and I presume you and your brother don't have stenosis - mine has got a lot worse past one to two years and I am just starting pregabalin after some months on gabapentin (with amitryptiline 25mg), the gaba finally started slowing my innards to a bad degree, and I have fingers crossed re pregabalin, but I am also on surgical waiting list for surgical decompression, surgeon said I won't need fusion, and his outcome statistic was 80/85% success rate.  I stress this is UK, not USA, where contingencies of making decision to go for surgery are quite different because of the way surgery is funded. I sense that including fusion in a surgery makes the outcome that much more of an open question.

    Maybe the above illustrates my confusion, though I am sure my problem is getting worse and I have faith in the NHS here and am pretty sure I will follow through with surgery.  I am surprised your brother has agreed to go when he says his pain isn't that bad - what is his reasoning.  I have no doubt I have the back of a much older person than  my years, we all do on these threads, but that's not a good reason to go for surgery, is it?, or at least only a fraction of it.

    There's a real dearth of good feedback online from people who have had surgery with either good OR bad outcomes, so I sympathise with your implicit question 'who to trust?'  I intend to start my own thread soon on here, asking for post surgery feedback.  I will keep an eye out for news of what you and your brother decide to do.

    • joy47826
      joy47826 Rob777

      Posted

      Thanks Rob, my brother says he has spinal stenosis and so do I for that matter, which hit me after a hip replacement in 2010....I do specific stretches to open up the spine to lesson the pain of stenosis....it's helping me to be able to sit longer periods of time with less pain.....

      I found the stretches on spine universe on the net and do them faithfully, I instructed my brother on these too....

      I don't know what he will decide but I'm sooooo not into the surgery world...the hip proved this more and more for this poor once great body.......thanks again.....I'll send him your comments......joy 76 US  

    • joy47826
      joy47826

      Posted

      Rob, just received this report from another friend in Pittsburgh, PA....I'd do all to NOT do a back surgery:

      ((My brother-in-law had a very bad back from his career as a roofer and multiple car wrecks and accidents. He had gone through a lot of rounds of physical therapy, electronic stimulators, medication and other things. He started all this in his late 30s. He had spinal fusion therapy when he was 39 or 40. The surgeon told him he'd be starting a whole new pain free life afterwards.

      For the moment he came out of surgery from the spinal fusion until he passed away at age 42 he was in constant pain that was worse than it was prior to the surgery. He ended up having to take methadone daily to even begin to have some pain relief but that wasn't always an option because he had kids to raise. He was constantly being accused of being a heroin user because he was taking methadone (society doesn't realize that methadone is first a pain relief medication, it just happens to be used by heroin clinics to help people come off of heroin. My friend is a hospice nurse and they have a really hard time getting consent for terminally ill patients in constant severe pain to agree to methadone even though it is one of the better drugs in regards to side effects and what not because they don't want to be junkies or people to think they are. It's sad.). 

      He had said many times after the surgery he wished he'd never had it done. Personally, it seems to me that spinal surgery is really tricky because so many necessary things occur in the spine that one slip can be disastrous. Also, I have noticed that when someone has back surgery then they seem to end up either always at the chiropractor or having more back surgery because what was fixed caused another issue. 

      If it were me facing a back surgery I think it would be a very difficult decision to make. My knees I would certainly do when the time is right but something about back surgery really frightens me. ))

       

    • Rob777
      Rob777 joy47826

      Posted

      Hi Joy, What a horrendous sad story. Puts me in mind of a man I met maybe 15 years back (as part of my then job) who'd had a bad motorbike accident and the surgeon had done a lot of fusion and the outcome was disastrous, he was utterly incapacitated and totally dependent. Because of that, I always said to anyone who mentioned a bad back 'just remember not to have surgery' - so you see I sympathise very much with your position and feelings. And this has made my journey through the diagnosis of stenosis and discussing surgery very fraught, but I am reminding myself that back damage through accidents and hard work is quite different to stenosis and the surgical approaches and outcomes I am sure are ditto very different. My GP told me he has seen good results from decompression surgery, less so if fusion is involved (I presume because there is more overall damage, so that must also be part reason why outcomes are less exciting).

      Glad to hear you can manage your pain with exercise and a strong mind - I fear I cannot, especially at night.

      Thanks for your thoughts and I am certainly taking account of them.  Rob

    • joy47826
      joy47826 Rob777

      Posted

      I just got a message from a friend who's brother in law had laminectomy ONLY and so far he's happy with results.....add fusions to the mix and things could be so much WORSE...

      I've had a back issue since 18 when it came on, and I got thru life with a lot of back damage issues and throw in spondylothesis, and after hip replacement in 2010, it all screwed things up MORE with back and alignment and stenois came on.

      I spent a couple yrs with acupuncture and did the specific spinal stenosis exercise and before all this work, I could sit only 5 minutes with PAIN and Burning, and now, I can sit for hours.....stiff when I get up so I don't sit for hours, but  you get my message.......

      Saw my chiro yesterday, hadn't seen her since before hip replacement and we talked a lot about my back and she looked at the 2 MRI's I took with me....spondy is pretty bad, but she too says no back surgery keep doing all you can to keep going and do the work.....she used ultra sound on lower back and knee which is very involved.....take care.    Joy

    • Rob777
      Rob777 joy47826

      Posted

      Hi Joy, I've just been to the spine universe site you spoke of and learned a bit more than before, and was relieved to see again that surgery can be in certain cases successful, 80 to 90% of the time there's relief. And I too do those exercises, particularly knee to chest which for me is best in the pool with the water to support the curl. I envy you being able to relax and stretch your problems away, long may it continue, after as you say a lifetime of diverse back problems.  How is your brother feeling now? And interesting to hear about your friend's brother. All the best, Rob
    • joy47826
      joy47826 Rob777

      Posted

      Hi Rob, sent my brother a lot of comments and tried to call him yesterday but couldn't reach him....I have a cousin in PA who has 3 children who are surgeons and she's had 2 hips replaced and deals with a lot of OA and a messy back......when we talked 3 months ago or so, she was telling me she was considering back surgery, she's 88 ... I was screaming and she probably thought I was a crazy woman......she gets pressure from her surgeon children...   

      Anyway, I called her yesterday to check in and ask her if she went with the surgery and she did NOT......   

      I've been in holistic healing for 25 yrs and do so much to HELP my issues and know that fresh lemons help to keep our bodies more alkaline, using lemons daily in water and so much other foods is a benefit for arthritis.......   Well, she tells me her lady friend is pushing lemons in water for OA pain......I was glad to hear this and I reinforced what her friend was telling her.....I have a fresh lemon going on my sink every day......keeping more less acidic helps with pain..

      Glad you found the spine site, those exercises save me....

      Everyone makes their decisions on these surgeries, but the back is just not for me......I HOPE I can get thru the rest of life with what I'm doing.....many things have changed but I deal with it.....

      Hip replacement in 2010 really did me in and I believe worse since my lower back is so messy......Joy

    • joy47826
      joy47826

      Posted

      Just talked to my brother who is now in FL,  he drives from MA to FL every winter....he has cancelled  the surgery he was considering.....he read all my comments I sent him and said he will work with exercises and look into the decompression table work.....

      I asked him how he felt about cancelling and he said "good"....he sounded good.    Thanks all for comments.   Joy

    • Rob777
      Rob777 joy47826

      Posted

      That seems like a sensible decision by your brother, if he says he's not in that much pain why go for surgery which may not necessarily be successful even though the stats they give are reasonable.  He sounds like a lively 72 year old and can always opt for surgery later on if he needs it.  I personally am in the honeymoon period with pregabalin - I was on gaba but I slept all day as time wore on - but at the moment I am amazed how I can move around the house with no pain, but there are already some side effects.  Oh dear, life & medicine! But you sound to be getting great benefit from the 'wholistic' approach you have crafted. As I said before I envy that.  All the best for now, Rob
  • n8ster
    n8ster joy47826

    Posted

    Hello,

     I am in california also . I just had the laminectomy and fusion in the bay area . My feet were partially numb and so was my left leg . It has been 25 days post op and I have to say my feet feel better and most of the numbness is gone . I still have some . I think the choice of doctor is key . My doctor I found came out of stanford about 5 years ago  which is a good school . I chose him because I wanted a new but proven technique on my back . So far so good . One thing I would recommend is before your go in for the surgery get a doctor for depression because after the surgery one of the worst things is that you are on some serious pain relief medicine and while your healing you feel horrible mentally , I found out the hard way . I had severe depression and I have heard that the anesthesia does this . Other than that I am glad especially since these conditions get worse with age and I feel it is better to deal with it while your still healthy . I had a fusion also so that the pressure is off of my spinal nerve . Any question you have , just ask . I am 52 with type 2 diabetes .

                                              Nate

    • Rob777
      Rob777 n8ster

      Posted

      Very interesting, Nate, thanks.  It's rarer for people to come online with positive stories than the opposite and it's obvious why the net attracts people who are not happy, so it's good to hear from you.  My surgeon looks at me and says he is 80-85% confident surgery will help me (and frankly the meds help a little but I can't see myself taking these for 10 or 20 years) and you see that statistic repeated in many articles. Every individual is different of course.  Best wishes for your continued recovery - I know they say improvement is not fast after surgery but comes gradually.  Rob
  • n8ster
    n8ster joy47826

    Posted

    I think if a person does their homework and checks out the doctor you can make an informed decision . I basically made my decision by seeing the MRI with my own eyes and could imagine how my situation could get worse to the point where I would be crippled . It boils down to all the factors of your own case . I can't imagine being on pain meds the rest of my life or letting my situation deteriorate any more.But I have to admit that everyone I talked to told me NOT to have surgery. Of course they are living with the pain either . And surgeries have come a long way unlike 20 years ago .
    • joy47826
      joy47826 n8ster

      Posted

      I made  my decision after seeing xrays of groin, crumbled down broken bone/cartlidge....that pushed me to hip replacement MISERY.  True no more groin pain, but tons of other complications...nerve damage, IT band damage, shorter leg.....once on the operating table, we are open to anything going right and wrong....it's a gamble.....and I had a surgeon who came highly recommended.....my lower back is a mess and I would NOT touch a knife to it.....glad  you are doing good....but we do take a gamble no matter what they tell us.   J
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