spinal fusion

Hi Enna

It just said in the letter from mid thoracic to sacrum . Dont really understand it myself . will only know when I go for the pe op and see the surgeon x

Hi Enna

I have already had 2 ops on my back the first was an emergency as I lost the use of my legs and the pain was horrendous .I beleive they done a decompression.. then 1 year later I had to have a fusion done on the sacrum as I had a fractured  sacrum were they put in what I call scaffholding like a cage. It has got a lot worse since then and I now have scoliosis and more crushed discs .I am 67 and the pain is really bad I cant walk very well as my left leg drags and I get horrendous pins and needles.They recently tried the injections but it hasnt owrked thats why the surgeon said the surgery is the only other option I have now my problems have all ben caused by rheumatoid arthritis I have had it for 40 years  .I feel for you if the docs are not going to help you xx

I know how you feel Enna the pain really wears you down.

I have my treatment at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Newcastle upon tyne.Yes I have spinal stenosis. Do you live in Spain Enna.I also go to the pain clinic but I am one of these people that have bad reactions to different meds.I take liquid morphine for my pain x

I cannot believe that there are so many people with nerve pain issues and no-one seems to be researching this.

I had a terrible night last night, If I lay on the side where the sciatic nerve is, I wake up after a while and the pain is terrible.  I usually go and have an extra tablet (well 2 Pazital and 1 Lyrica) my partner hears me rustling and wake sup.   Newcastle was always supposed to be very good hospital but then we wouldn't be going there, I expect you were referred to the Pain Clinic, as a friend says, the end of the line.  I have spinal stenosis and when I was told at Preston, I hadn't a clue what it was. Yes I like near Valencia, and yes there WERE good surgeons in the Health Service but they hadn't been paid for months and at least 3 I know now are in private practice. In spain you can't really do research and the surgeon I saw, I haven't a clue how good he is with backs but I saw a surgeon privately and he said "oh you will be walking out of the hospital after your operation". Yes I suppose I would - each op I have walked out of the hospital but I thought well it depends how I get on AFTER an op. But with scar tissue, it seems its not to be.  I think most of us have issues with meds, mine is I can't seem to swallow them - I have put a hell of a lot of weight on, I am ashamed - anyway my partner is helping me at the moment lose some weight. Like you I can only walk for an hour, the pain isn't so bad to start with and gets worse.  I feel for you if you are taking morphine, I had a dose when i lived in Kendal, I just went to sleep, my partner took me out and tried to work it out of my system. I went back and said could I have cortisone injections - in the meantime my doctor had gone to Morecambe and the one that took over said no to injections. I honestly think that over the years in England, they thought I was putting .  it on. My partner said I was too happy/jovial when I went in to see the doctor but I'm not really a moaning person I just go to bed with a hot water bottle.

Did you try one of these pain machines?   It didn;t work for me but it does with some people.   If I have a lot of pain its usually a hot water bottle - I don't take the full amount of medication, I leave 1 lot of meds in case I am really in pain, like i am at night.   The doctors here have been good to me but its difficult to communicate with the local doctor as she speaks Valenciano/Catalan and she is doesn;t speak English so Peter has learnt a bit of Spanish but she is visibly annoyed if he can;t understand her.

Never thought I would be like this in my old age and I feel for my daughter who I know will be like me.  She walks to work and back every day but has a prolapsed disc 4/5.  Do yu ever use a hot water bottle? I know its basic but it sooths my back so long as its not too hot.  Have the surgeons seen you since you had your cage, did you have fusion as well? The two go together usually.   There should be some feedback after an op but I didn't get one for the op I had at Preston.  He sent me to the Pain Clinic and I had lots of injections here and there and now Spain is going to do the same thing.  I seem to go round and round.  Who does the operations in Newcastle Joyce. 

I was told that these surgeons meet in leicester (2 have told me that) so if you go back to the same surgeon he may be able to help.This is the picture of the spine I mentioned.  This is small isn;t it.  If you click on this you will see the various levels of the spine.

 https://www.google.es/search?q=picture+of+spine+and+discs&espv=2&biw=1108&bih=636&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjetomDidLKAhWKwBQKHZteC

WwQ7AkIPw#imgrc=AM6RgSz0IbidAM%3A

Do you remember when the nurse came to school.  I remember her coming and looking at my very seriously then having to go to the clinic.  I bunked off and didn't go, but had sclosis(can't spell it) said just a bit. which was confirmed at the benidorm clinic.  How do you get it?  I will look it up. I am taking vitamin D and have done for 2 years, but the prescription still is ongoing and I have boxes and boxes of it.  I have read that you can take too much Vit D,

Honestly, what a load of information...  I daren't click on the picture but if you do it might come up bigger and there is always the link above.

Have a good weekend. Take it easy....Like me you are waiting for an appointment.  Hope they come soon.............

 

I know what you Mean Enna Nobody seems to listen to you and I sometimes think they think it is all in my head.I am not a moaning person either Infact I can remember years ao whenI had the RA for just a few years my gp told me I didnt moan enough and thats why the consultants didnt do anything

I have a lot of joint replacements ..elbows Knees Wrists and one ankle. As well as the spine ops I have had 2 fusions done...What operations have you had on your spine Enna. My daughter lives in Lanzarote and she reckons the health care there is a lot better than her in the UK take care Enna hope things get better for you hun x

Hi Joyce

we have spanish friends and her husband plays padel (tennis) with a local surgeon, he somehow got me an appointment at the hospital last time  but.... you have to have a referral from the dr and I can't always go to them.  (I have just typed what is absolute rubbish, Lyrica does affect my mind terrible) Imma took me up to the doctors and I was staggered how "to the point "she was. The doctor couldn't get a word in.  I hadn't a clue what they were saying but it was something like urgency.  I had the appointment in 3 weeks, referral to the hospital within 6 weeks but it was then that they told me it was too dangerous to operate.   I have just been looking at James upload message

When I think  I paid 7,000£ for decompression its because I couldn't wait as I was coming to Spain.  I remember standing outside the police station when I came in absolutel agony. That was 5 years ago.  No better now.

\i could go to emurgency (see I can't even spell that) but last time I was in there 7 hours !!!

You really have been through the mill, but if you are in America, you must have private insurance?

How did your daughter come to be in Lanzarote?  Does she inherit your problems.  My daughter is 43 and she has.  Ours are, I think, caused by an accident or I think it is.  She fell off her mountain bike and I fell down the stairs.  Can you think that you did something like this for your spine to be like it is, or is it something to do with RA?

Have never been there, I hear its beautiful.  We are thinking of going home now as if we come out of the EU we could be worse off.  I don't get any benefits at all and the UK took away our heating allowance as they thought we didn't need it in Spain.  They want to come and liver over here in the winter.  But its not that we will be immigrants.  Terrible - there are so many people now scared and trying to sell up and go back to the UK.

Read James' note, he is EXACTLY like me.  If I have a full bowel it also does affect my nerve pain - We try to have a little walk every day, whether its going round the SHOP (lol) or out into the countryside. It also takes my mind off things and maybe like you.

Let me know, keep in touch, its nice to have a moan to each other. Just going for a little walk today not far away but the history is fantastic, full of rocks with creatures in it, (sorry my memory again) and Arabic bridges etc.  Last time we saw footprints of a wild boar which weren't there as we past and when we went back there they were.  hope don't see another today.

Have a good day

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Hi Enna

My daughter and her husand ovedout there 4 years ago. they were fed up with the system here in the Uk wages employment et: They are a lot better off out there

 No she hasnt inherited my RA but my eldest daughter has  I dint know that they would take your heating allowance of you I am in the UK Enna .My joint repacements were done a lot of years ago before the NHS became crap !! I cant take Lycra or the likes of it the ide affects I get from those kind of meds are really bad .Yes it is nice to have a moan to each other ..lol  hope your day is a good one x

yes it wasn't so bad today, been to Benidorm to try and buy a washing machine mine has died.

Everyone is worried here in Spain about Cameron and the in/out decision on the EU.   We will be immigrants if we come out so we think its about time to go home now, I am 73 and Peter will be 63 so we have had enough really.  We WERE better off but then the £/€ is not so good now, it makes £150 difference to our income per month so we are having to be fairly careful.  We don't save but we have savings in the UK and a home to go back to.  Not suprised you couldn't take Lyrica, you are better off without it, my memory is absolutely terrible which is a side affect.  Sometimes I can't even remember what happened yesterday. I was hoping for this fusion so that I could come off Lyrica but I might ask him to do a cortisone injection in my thigh.  We walked yesterday and this morning my body was terrible.  It was rough walking and hot so will put my boots on next time.  Crickey my daughter must have been lucky - well lucky most times with her jobs but she was employed by Microsoft the year before last and was given the push but was on contract. Now she has moved to Wakefield and is happy there.  Her job is a psychologist and the job is very specialised in checking a game before it goes out onto the shelves.

Who did your fusion?    I don;t think I will ever get a fusion now at my age, there arn't any in cumbria anyway and the bloke who did my fusion in Warrington (Mr shackleford) I had to pay for and apparently it didn't work.  If I hadn't had money from my other house, I couldn't have afforded it and for it not to work was annoying to say the least.

Well Joyce, let me know the surgeon who did your fusion. There is a good one in London I have heard of.... for me.  HaVE YOu been onto ADRSupportUK web site. Its quite a good website but not as popular as this one.  Spek soon

Hi Enna If you come home is your home in Cumbria...... I cant see why you cant have the fusion done There was older people in hospital having them done when I was in having mine done No I havent looked into that site will have a look into it  I am still waiting for my leter to go in for my surgery not sure how long the waiting list is  take care x

Yes my home is in Kendal but want to move to Lancaster. Kendal is for "offcomers" these people from the south that can afford expensive houses, poor kids can't afford a property.   We maybe will rent in Alicante for a couple of years and I will give the money to my daughter to buy a property. Lancaster is nice, lots going on there and Jane used to go to school there so know it quite well.  Ah well i got some news today, appointment with the pain clinic so I may ask for second opinion but there are people on forums who have had fusion done with scar tissue that arn't well at all. I've just come back from shopping and could hardly walk.   Just nudge my brain, did you say you are going in for spine surgery?   I don't know honestly Joyce, I feel I have been mucked about for over 10 years.  I could write a flipping book at the mediocre surgeons and surgeons who take on jobs that they are not qualified to do. My partner says it was Darlington hospital I went to the second time I got a referral.  He's not there now he went back to Athens but I had excellents Xrays and MRIs, he was good to do this with me coming from Kendal but.... his Registrar read them and said I had no prolapsed discs. Well what could I do.  I still have the discs here as in Spain you have to keep these things yourself.  If the surgeon had read them it would have been different, anyway it wasn't - really annoying.

Do you know which surgeon is doing the op - he will be experienced anyway. If you go onto ADRSupoortUK (register first) and there are a list of surgeons within the UK. 

I will have to go and do my knitting as my back is terrible and sciatica is so bad today.  Speak tomorrow

Yes I have to have further surgery Enna I have more prolapsed discs and have tried everything under the sun fr the pain but nothing works It affects my walking as I seem to have to drag my right leg all the time and the pins and needles are driving me crazy.I know what you mean about being messed about I feel the same way they just fob you off .

I know were  Lancaster is but never been there.My surgeon  works from the Royal Victoria hospital in Newcastle .I dont think I should put his name on here ...lol ... I have what they call Quada Aquines Syndrome . I am pleased you have your appointent for the pain clinic hope they can help you .and yes you should ask for a second opinion ...So you Knit.. I do as well .I cant just sit and do nothing have to be doing something all the time..lol Take care Enna xx

Tell me when you have your appointment and I can wish you well - I have been to C & A today for a pr of trousers and they have a sale, I just want a pr of trousers and by the time I had chosen the ones I wanted and got to the changing room I thought, why bother I really was in pain - but once I got to the car park and sat down I was OK.  I'm trying to write down questions.  

Yes, my Mum once knit 2 mohair sweaters for me both in same colour. Anyway I pulled them back oh maybe 30 years ago and re knit and now pulled them back again - i knit my daughter a sweater and now onto mine but think I might have to do a bit of manipulating, red on the front with scottie dogs at the bottom but won't have enough wool I think so I will do the back in black!!!! 

Here we have all sorts of factories, much more production of "stuff" here than in the UK.  Every market has several stalls where you ratch around for a garment for about 3€ and something better $5 so I saw this beautiful pale blue mohair and knit it up for my daughter it was so nice - obviously someone didn't like the design and as it was off the shoulder I thought the same lol.   But then I have design my own garment and have to keep pulling it back - there are not many mohair patterns in England. In Spain you have to buy a whole book with about 6 patterns - expensive but the wool is cheap to buy a ball.  There are lots of free patterns on the net but it just had to be that i couldn't find anything for me.

Let me know when you have your appointment, I will watch for a heading.

All the very best.

I will let you know Enna when I get my letter for my surgery.I buy a lot of wool of e bay because we dont have any woo shops near us and the ones that there is dont sell a good selection

Yes you need to write things down for your appointment at the pain clinic and ask  loads of questions. What dateis your appointment

 good luck with your knitting and hope the pants fit ok xx