Spinal Fusion

Yep, thats what happens sometimes, how did they do the fusion? Who did you fusion?   It is now known that fusions always affect the disc below and I have exactly the same discs out as you.  Disc replacement can do the same unless its come on a long way now.  Go onto ADRSupportUK which is a disc replacement forum I am sure Alastair will put you right.I say can do the same, but i am sure that there are plenty of people who are OK with disc replacement.  It all adepends on what your bones are like and mine has spinal stenosis so its not possible to do a disc replacement as I would have had it done 10 years ago.  I agree with you that there is no going back once fusion/ADR but please go onto the forum Alastair an d lots of other people on the board have experience.   Of course its also depending on your bones and who does the disc replacement I think.  

Bless you, you are young to have disc replacement I guess, my daughter has a disc out but has been taught by a physio how to hold herself it, but then she works for a gaming company and sits nearly all day, but doesn't do exercises like her mother taught her.

As you will see above, I have been offered fusion by two private surgeons but got the opportunity to go State and the surgeon said that he wouldn't do it as in my case it would be dangerous so goodness knows whats rount the corner for me because I have been, seen and done everything else.  Whether it was because of scar tissue or whether its because he wouldn't recommend it because of the spinal stenosis I don't know but I have 3 levels, going down to the S1 L5.

Anne

 

Bless you Becca

I'm sorry to hear that you haven't had the best experiences with your surgery.

I don't know how old you are but I'm 50 and have been suffering on and off with my back for over ten years.

The current damage at L4/L5 was caused by a fall on stairs 8 years ago, which I have suffered sciatica ever since and lost sensation in both of my big toes. This is when I began to take Co codamol and tramadol on a regular basis. Then 2 years ago I had another fall in which I landed smack on my coccyx and did the damage that I live with today. Increase meds to include gabapentin and fentanyl patch.

I hasten to add that alcohol wasn't involved in either of my falls!!! Haha

I refuse to give up the fight. I am determined not to let it beat me, although some days when the pain is unbearable despite all the needs, I do feel like that.

I find sharing and talking to fellow sufferers helps me to cope too. We are the only ones who know just how bad the pain really is and how much is affects us on a daily basis.

I have looked at all my options and discussed them for well over 3 years now. I'm from a medical background myself so have a bit more of an inside viewpoint.

I didn't come to the decision lightly and did my research on which surgeon to choose.

Matthew Crocker at St George's in Tooting has a very good rep. He is young but very experienced. He aliterates very well and explains everybody in detail in terms that anyone would understand. He takes his time to explain and when I saw him initially nearly 2 years ago he told me to go away, try other methods of control including physio, epidural and nerve block etc. Only then after I'd tried and failed to gain any relief did he consider any kind of surgery. That I respect!

Sadly in my case, discectomy wouldn't help as the majority of my pain is in my back.

I cannot sit for any length of time even with the huge amounts of medication I'm on. Driving is the worst and anything over 20 mins in the car and I'm "crippled".

Fusion surgery is my option and I'm hoping it is successful for me obviously. Matt was very honest with me about other patients he'd treated and that there are failures but there are also lots of successful stories too, so I remain very positive.

In fact after only going for my pre op assessment on Weds this week I received a call yesterday with an op date of a week on Saturday!! I just couldn't quite believe how soon!

Stu

Did they tell yu Becca Lou what the problem was with a fusion  Yes I think I may have L5/S1, my report is in Spanish so I forget, I think its on the way because I fell down the stairs. (My daughter is just the same as me she fell off her mountain bikeI know she has L4/5)  Yes, I know fusion is a last resort, what are they doing now L5/S1. Well probably last resort as you can have Artificial Disc Replacement if you bones are good.  I totally agree with the bottom half of your notes but then, artificial disc replacement is just as bad an option.

Do you know who does disc replacement, do you have insurance?

 

It hasn't fused fully, but has caused the other discs to degenerate a lot faster. They've said my fusion has failed but they won't elaborate much more than that right now.

why is the ADR as bad an option as the fusion?

its L5/S1 but also L3-4 on the way out too. 

There are quite a few surgeons doing the replacements but none on the NHS as far as I'm aware. I put it to my surgeon last week and he is going to discuss it at their next MDT meeting. Unfortunately I can't insure my back now, so it would be very expensive, although I have found a private health care company that will insure it after 2years of being with them without any exclusions.

Becca Lou, go onto ADRSupportUK, they are an experienced website specially for Artificial Disc Replacement.    Someone will for sure get back to you with experience of this.  A replacement disc (in my opinion) does give you a few more years of free pain - eventually - it does make either the top or the bottom disc apt to go off alignment.  But just log onto the site, Alastair/Ajj or one of the other moderators will come back to you.  If you are in the States, there is an ADRSupport there too but now sure the URL.  

Come back to me if you get stuck....

I did say, or perhaps not if you put your story on ADRSupportUK (there is an American site I believe) someone on there will tell you everything. I'm scared of this epidural, too many people I know have been in terrible pain afterwards.I would rather do without and have no pain - we all like doing things, but if you know you shouldn't do it, you shouldn't be doing it.  Its like sorry surgeon, I just did riding/figure skating for a hobby.  If I was the surgeon, I wouldn't half tell you what I thought. But thats me and I'm not you.  You know there are a lot more hobbies than riding and figure skating. I loved to walk but know my limitations and thats half an hour!!!! maybe more if its a fiesta 

Have you asked the surgeon about decompression of the osteophites?  I had decompression and haven't got arthritis and I'm 73.

I am hoping that whatever is in store for me this time i will be walking more thats why I am trying to lose weight from taking tablets) it won't be so much to take off if I do lose weight.  And I won't be among the loads of English/Spanish women standing around on the beach....

Like I said , I gave up skating again!! At 33 or 26 at the time of 1st surgery I wasn't about to, nor am I now, be defined by my condition. Riding is excellent for core strength among other things and it makes me feel good.

im careful in what I do and know my limitations.

I don't need a lecture on what I should or shouldn't be doing when you know very little about my situation.

i joined this site for support and be able to talk to people who actually understand what things like this can do to a person and to gain insight from people to be able to make an informed decision.

 

Hi Bonnie, can I ask you how long after your op it was before you started Physio? Also is your internal wound still healing or is that Ok now? I only ask because my job involves bending, lifting, twisting and carrying heavy items. I've been signed off for 6 weeks but my Dr says she thinks it would be better if I took longer than 6 weeks to ensure the internal round has healed enough.

Sorry you have had decompression like me.  I think as you are young, your bones are not of stenosis type so you probably got on OK>

No I told a fib at the weekend, I told peter I hadn't lifted a garden pot and I had but it wasn't that anyway lol.

Have you done the NHS exercises?  They are good I used to go to hatha yoga and miss it like hell.

Hope you get on OK>

Hi Alison, it would be beneficial if you're in a manual job to take longer. You should do hydrotherapy before you start physio and it's all within a couple of weeks.

make sure you look after the wound site as mine got infected and hasn't left a great scar. 

Hello Alison,

my physio started about 3/4 weeks post opp. I was also introduced to hydro physio, I must say that helped. My scar down my back is healing great, I don't know what's happening inside though. My surgeon told me after my opp that it took him twice as long to do mine as he had to thin the bones on two different parts of my spine. L4 and L5. I think my back is still healing around the bit he opened. ( I had 18 staples, the scar is about 7" long) I've been off work for 3 months as my job also involves those movements you describe. There's no way you should go back to work so soon. 6 weeks is nothing. I'm due to go back on 18th April on a phased return. But I'm really not sure how I'm going to function. I love my job , but I don't think my back will ever be perfect. I'm always mind full now but it so disables me if I carry shopping or walk for too long. I'm still learning to know what my abilities are.

i hope this helps. 

Thank you Bonnie B 

, 

Hi Ennis,

lol I'm not that young I'm 60! 

im hoping to go back to the gym, but first I'm doing the back class at the hospital with the Physio's. It's a small group - upto 6 at a time. Iv been twice and it's giving me the confidence to do the movements.

i recommend to anyone post opp to use the hospital resources as much as posible. 

Regards Bonnie 

Hi Bonnie, you are 13 years younger though, makes a difference. I remember being 60 !!!  Its nice that you are doing exercise do these exercises ring a bell.   I think its pretty normal as most websites recommend these.  Its the ones that I did in England but here, we have tiles and although warm in the summer they are not in the winter

http://www.spine-health.com/wellness/exercise/abdominal-exercises (hoping the moderator doesn't cancel this link as I can't do it any other way).  We did hatha yoga in England which is very similar to these exercises.  Here in our village there is a woman who does zumba (its getting quite proficient now, the volume has gone up and I wondered what the hell it was all these women singing - was the music they were zumbering up on lol).  Everyone speaks Valenciano here and I think I would be embarassed to ask them to speak Spanish.  Plus they finish in summer as although there is air con, its too hot, so they say.

I have a thought, I wonder if the hospital has phsyio exercise, I have made a note to find out.  Yes why not use the hospital resources, we pay for it, even though I am a resident in Spain and as a pensioner don't pay into the system, the UK pays all my medical things.  God only knows what will happen if we come out of the EC we will be migrants then and we are gearing up to doing little repairs to put the house on the market - us and thousands more.  Tell us how you get on its always nice to have a complete story....