Still waiting bulging discs and spinal stenosis

My neuro found stenosis at L2/L3 last year...already fused L3 through S1.  Eight months into a knee replacement recovery and it just completely knocked me down.  Didn't get it all figured out for a while.  MRI showed it in late November, a CT/Myelogram with contrast confirmed it in January, and a pain shot to L2/L3 double-confirmed in February.  Took until the end of March 2017 to get the surgery to fix it (surgeon coordination required).

Neuro told me I had two choices.  Option A was to open my back, pull all the L3 to S1 metal and re-fuse me L2 to S1.  Ten days in the hospital plus six months of back brace and rehab.  Or...

Option B: a LATERAL Lumbar Interbody Fusion (LLIF). A General Surgeon goes in from your SIDE (lateral) and clears a path to your spine through the muscles and moves "stuff" out of the way.  The Neurosurgeon then goes in, destroys the disk, puts the "device" in place, cranks it open with an Allen wrench, backfills it with a bone graft from your hip and backs away from the table.  The General Surgeon does the close.  All finished in 90 minutes.  One night in the hospital, ZERO rehab.  

Thank you...I'll take one from Column B, please...

Result: Immediate stenosis relief (all the pain was gone when I woke up), speeding down the hallways, climbing up and down PT stairs.  See the attached pix.  You'll clearly see the "device" above my old fusion; the lateral picture shows how the neuro cranked the posterior edge open further than the anterior edge to maintain spine curvature.  

If you have single-level stenosis, this cures it in a heartbeat.  Docs will also do this for a second level at the same time...not more than two.  It replaces an old TLIF fusion with the rails and screws.  You just need the diagnosis and then find a neuro who's done a thousand of these.  He'll know the GS to call.  Search YouTube for "globus lateral" to see a cute animation of the LLIF procedure.  (Don't get freaked out by the retractor...you're fast asleep and never actually see it...)

Hope this helps...

Hi Wayne,

I used to drink regularly before my accident, but stopped as soon as I started taking the list of meds for pain relief. As I also take 40 mgs fluoxetine daily I must admit to feeling tired and lethargic at all times, gets on my wife's nerves. I am 67 now, right up to 61 I was very strong and active, in the building trade. It really took it out of me watching my triceps disappear, I had arms like pop-eye, now there like Olives,16 stone of muscle and blood now 16 stone of uselessness.

Oh, by the way, my downstairs department hasn't worked for about 4 years, I do have urinary problems connected to my cervical stenosis/spondylitis and my old path.

Mike.

This Pudendal nerve, never heard of it until now. I have cervical spine problems at C 4567, spinal cord compression at all four levels. Symptoms include loss of all upper body strength, numb arms and fingers, terrible pain in neck, shoulders and recently both legs. I take Tamsulosin so that I can urinate.I had a bladder scan, several actually, and the Urologist informed me that my bladder sphincter was being compromised by the spinal cord compression.

Now, I have of late found it increasingly difficult to void my bowels, although I take a laxative at night because of my meds causing constipation.

Now,no matter how long I sit on the loo I never feel finished, empty. Could this be because of cervical spine problems or am I getting problems with this Pudendal nerve.

Mike.

Hi Chico Marx,

That was sort of the point I was trying to make. After 6 years trawling the net looking at charts and reading differing reports about the spine I was getting more confused.

I am writing from the UK and my experience with all the medics I have seen are simular." Don't go on American websites" is usually the first bit of advice, or "don't believe anything you read on the net". We don't get to pick and choose our treatment or the professionals doing the treatment. It took 13 months of routine tests and X rays, mris and ct scans, as well as nerve conductivity tests to be told what I had diagnosed myself many months before by going on American websites. My neurosurgeon was absolutely adamant that my bladder problems could in any way be linked to my cervical spinal troubles. He kept sending me back to urology department until after 4 invasive examinations and urodynamics video test proved conclusively that it was down to my cervical spinal cord compression interfering with my bladder sphincter.

I even read on an American neurosurgeons page that he had self diagnosed his cervical stenosis was definitely to blame for his legs giving up on him, he ruled out everything else even though he had told his patients it was impossible, before getting it himself. I think the nervous system is a lot more complex than us mere mortals understand.

Mike.

Cervical stenosis with spondylosis and myolepathy are what I have been diagnosed with. Although I already had osteophyts (bone spurs)present in my spinal canal it all went out of control after my accident. I fell off a ladder and hit the right side of my head against a brick wall. Needless to say, the wall won. It pushed my neck over to my left and set off an abnormal self healing of bony growths growing inside, instead of outside the spinal canal. As soon as I was diagnosed,13 months later, I signed consent forms for two operations to correct my cervical spine.Unfortuneatly the operations were cancelled 3 times over an 18th month period.

Now, 6 years after the accident my Neurologist has told me he cannot operate as the whole of the cervical spine is affected and it would mean total neck fusion with no flexing or manipulation of the neck.

Now you and I know that if I waved a million or so under his nose he would miraculously find a way.

Mike.