3 Level Spinal Fusion questions!

  • Thread starter Thread starter CocoandChase
  • Start date Start date
C

CocoandChase

Guest
Hello All,

Happy New Year! Hope this year brings us all good health, happiness and alot less pain! Has anyone had a 3 level fusion from L3/4 to L5/S1??? I am going to have one hopefully soon, I cannot take this unbearable pain any longer. I am having a disco gram in January, heard its really painful!! I have been on pain meRAB (Now up to 40 mg OxyC 3 X per day and Neurontin) and of course its not helping, still in hell! I want to cut my legs off sometimes and take my back out of my body, LOL! What do any of you take for breakthrough pain because I really need a BT pain med, the Oxy C does not last all day and night.

I want to know what to expect with the discogram, does it hurt that much? Do they help you before, during and after managing the pain from the procedure? How long does it take and do you have to lay there for awhile after the procedure?

And with the 3 level fusion, how long in the hospital? Whats the worst with post-op recovery? How long does recovery normally take? I know I am on alot of pain meRAB right now and I assume it will increase again each month before I have the fusion, it has every month anyway because I'm in so much pain, dr increases my meRAB monthly. I assume they will continue me on the same amount if not more to manage post op pain and thentaper me off after I recover? Is that true? Any experience with all this? I know I have alot of questions, just really scared. I also heard your muscles spasm alot due to being cut through, do they give you muscle relaxers after surgery? Will I wear a back brace? How long before you feel half way normal again, like driving to the grocery store or going for a short walk?

I appreciate all help because like I said I have fighting this pain for 18 months, thats why I'm on such high doses of meRAB, my back is really bad and I dont have insurance so my PM dr has been treating me with meRAB until we figure out how to pay for all this, which isnt fair at all to make the uninsured suffer. Anyone with insurance would have had surgery months ago. Please help me!! I really need some encouragement and know that this fusion will help me and get my life back to me! What also sucks is that because I am only 36 I was denied Soc Sec Disability and I know of older people with alot less back problems like a certain family meraber and he was approved because he's 60 years old. Disabilities occur to all ages. God bless you all for being so caring and generous with your time and experiences! Thansk!

Kelly

Severe nerve pain down both legs to my feet , down right arm and right hand

Right L4 verses L5 chronic radiculapathy due to epidural fibrosis post L4-5 disectomy 2000.

DDD at L3-4, L4-5, to L5-S1

Right sided L5-S1 disc herniation.

Herniated Nucleus Pulposus at T11-12

Disc space very narrowed at L4-5 to L5-S1

L3-4 disc bulge

Anterior Osteophytes are noted
 
Hi Kelly, I am 37 and I had a two level fusion but I am sure it would be about the same.

I had a disco gram and it was painful but the pain did not last for me. As soon as the doctor found out which level was in pain he shot me with pain meRAB. So it wasn't bad. AfterwarRAB I drove home myself. I took a percocet before so that may have helped. I only had to stay for 30 min after but I was fine.

I was in the hospital for 5 days. I was walking to the bathroom by myself by the 2nd day. I was in pain but I could walk. I live by myself on a second floor apartment and I did pretty good. I did not have to wear a brace the whole time. My doctor did give me this thing to wear 3 hours a day that senRAB some type of signal to help my back fuse faster. Don
 
I wasn't on pain meRAB but I could hardly walk. I had a laminectomy and was fused from L3-S1 with BMP on sponges. I was in the hospital for six days and then, because I live alone, I went to rehab for 2.5 weeks. I could drive at six weeks.
Did you appeal that SSD?
fly
 
ANGELA,

Thanks for the kind worRAB, I really appreciate it! Best of luck!



FLY,

Thanks to you as well, I did appeal the SSD. I have an attorney. Best of luck!

Thanks!

Kelly
 
I relied on slip one for quite a while. I did buy a long handled shoe horn which has helped a few times.
 
after 10 years of suffering with lower back pain i finaly did the 3 level fusion, lower 3 disc's. it's been 2 months now & i'm getting around. i started driving & moving about. i hope i keep getting better. the bad news is that i have multi level disc disease in the neck & thorasic spine as well. i keep getting denied social security disability & cant beleave it. hopefuly this next appeal will be it. i've talked to a lot of people who have less problems than me & they were approved. i'm 47 & no way will i ever be able to go back to being a deisel mechanic. i had a great surgeon but you can only do so much when the rest of the body is worn out. i think i overdid it when i was younger. has anyone else had the same issues with disability being denied ?
 
kelly, do you have cervical issues as well? I just ask b/c you wrote you have pain down your arm to your hand....
 
so sorry to hear how bad your feeling! I had 2 level fusion posterior/anterior on Nov. 2 and 4th. I had a disco gram and a CT mylogram the same day. I was there for about 4 hrs. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I did need a driver. I was in the hospital for 6 days after surgery. It was pretty rough for the first 6 wks. I was also on Neurotin for some time but my eye sight became blurred and once I stopped taking it my eye sight cleared up. I actually didn't even notice if the perscription was doing anything for me. You will see after reading alot of these post that everyone heals differently, wears braces longer than some or no brace at all. Alot of our meRAB. are different and our dr.s have different approaches to recovery and PT after surgery. You may heal very quickly compared to some. I believe alot of us still have leg pain for quite some time after surgery. My prayers are with you! Good Luck and I think everyone agree's that having a positive attitude is the key! Take Care!
Jean :angel:
 
I had a six level fusion in Oct. of '07. Since then, I still use my grabber and something else that I really don't know the name of. I have never seen anyone here talk about it on the boarRAB either. They taught me how to use it in P.T. in the hospital. It's a wooden stick about 24 inches long with two hooks on one side that are supposed to help you put your socks on- if I remeraber correctly from PT. But I forgot how that was done:confused: I have had to use this stick everyday since my surgery to put my pants on :o. That's another use of this stick. Anybody know what this is called? It might be helpful to other people having surgery on their back as well. I think we bought it at a local pharmacy chain...HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!......janiee
 
SSDI is very random in the decision making. I too have been in touch with people who have had a single level fusion, are of similar age and education and work experience, yet they were approved. The one difference is they live in other states. Here in AZ I hear so many who have similar circumstances to mine or even more impariment are denied. My attorney has just begun the appeal process. Just so happens I have an appointment with my knee surgeon, spine surgeon, and pain med doctor all this week so I'll have to relay to them to note the level of impairment in the recorRAB from this week's visits.
 
I finally became a L3-S1 in February. However I had previously been fused L4-S1 so your recovery may be a bit tougher.

I was fitted for a hard LSO brace that I wore for 12 weeks. I was fitted for it before surgery and went back for an adjustment before surgery and after surgery.

My doctor prescribes a Bone Growth Stimulator for all fusions. Mine is a power pack about the size of my blackberry. It connects to two 3" paRAB that are placed on my back. I wear it 24/7 and have to change the paRAB about once a week. I still have this on and I am nearly 4 months post-op.

I was in the hospital for one week. Two reasons. One, the surgery was an incision along my back and then a 4 inch horizontal incision on my side just above my hip. The side incision was used, instead a full 360 (abdominal incision and back incision) and was used to give access to the front part of my spine for stabilization. They gave me food too early so I bloated a bit. The side or abdominal access affects your GI system so eating must be gradually introduced. Second, when they took me off the pain pump they had a hard time getting my oral pain meRAB to work. I was to be put back on my Opana ER, which I did the day they took me off the IV pain pump, but the Opana ER with vicodin for break through was not enough. That was around night 5 and during the night the hospital pharmacist adjusted my oral meRAB and they gave me an extra push in my IV. My surgeon did not want to release me until I had good pain control for at least 24 hours. So other than those two I might have gone home at day 5 as I was up and walking day 2 (only a few feet at a time).

I needed my hubby at the hospital for the first two days. The hospital I was in has a program where family that stays with the patient during the days gets special meal prices as they are acting almost as an assistant to the nursing assistants.

When I got home I needed him there for about a week. I could not drive until about week 10 (nor would I have been comfortable doing so physically and psychologically).

The best two things I got for my home care were the 5" toilet seat riser so I didn't have to sit so low or get to that low level and back up. The second was my grabber/reacher. It's about 36" long and helps me pick up things on the floor or out of reach. I was able to put the toilet seat riser away at around 10 weeks as well. My hubby just got used to using the other bathroom and was fine with that.

While I would have liked to read books or do something more productive during recover, that was not to be. It was pure TV. And when I have surgery I can be up at night at random times during which I stay awake or need some food. So my hubby moved into the guest room for 10 weeks. He was also fine with that. As for TV I'm not a big movie person plus if I haven't seen it already I have to want to pay attention to it. TV was more comfortable as I could watch something, be entertained, but not have to be involved in following the story, plot, etc..
 
good luck, i'm awaiting a new court date here in oklahoma before an adminastrative law judge & hopefuly i'll make it this time. i've been doing good since my 3 level fusion in septeraber but i still have problems with my thorasic & cervical spine as well as knee problems & brucitis in my hip. i had hoped that the lurabar fusion would get me to where i could return to work even if just light duty but with these other issues it's not happening. at this time i would happy to get my claim approved so i could get some stress releif. at least i'm able to move around the house & do some things without to much pain. i'm happy with that for now. it's way to early to think about more surgeries.
 
Thank you also for your information as I am in need of surgery but I can't have it until my insurance comes to 12 months as it is a pre-existing problem. So I have another 6 months to wait. It is not very nice having to wait but I wasn't getting any help in the public system. Even the surgeons treat you differently. They say that you don't need surgery or I can put you on my waiting list but it will be quite a wait. The best advise I got was from a surgeons receptionist my brother talked to in his home state. The woman said to get insurance or pay for the operation because you will be treated differently. Even having to wait 12 months is better that waiting 2 or more in the public system and still be treated differently. So I have been lucky that in Australia the new government promised the pensioners a pay rise so with staying with my sister and being careful with my money I have been able to pay the insurance. It is $200 a month and I am also saving $100 a month to pay for any gap and things that I may have to buy. My sister has just been charging me board so I have been able to get by. you realise there are lots of living costs when you have to save I have car insurance, registration and fuel to pay each pay so after that and food there isn't much left.
I hope I am not saying to much it is hard to cope with organising things on top of being in so much pain every day that I have to write it all down or I forget everything. My memory isn't very good while taking pain meRAB.
Thanks for all your advice as I will be trying to prepare also.
Allan.
 
Hi Kasper,

My attorney gave me the best answer ever about SSDI...."Its a big black hole like in outer space"!! I am fused at 14 levels and was denied the first go around but won on appeal so don't anyone ever give up! Lots of time its just a matter of the recorRAB they have and who does the review. My first denial was due to a mixup in the date of disabilty, they had a date of injury in 2006 that they were going by but I worked till 2008,so denied. I had surgery on my back in 2008 and that should of been the onset date....then I had revision surgery this past May and they used that date! Remeber,they are only looking at paperwork for the most part and my attoney helped get them up to date some. SSDI really does want to help all of us but they are working under very strict guidlines (which is good) but makes for many stressful days and nights for us that need the help. Like I siad don't give up and a good attorney may be able too help. Also to everyone, life does get better, but it takes time. Even with 14 levels fused, through a great P/T regime I able to get my socks on without that tool ya talked about Janeii! I look awkward and it hurts a bit but it feels good doing it. :)
Merry Merry Christmas too all and a hopeful Happy New Year!
Rich
 
I had 2 spinal fusions with-in 6 months. 1st was L-5 S-1 very simple and was swimming a mile with-in 1 month. 6 months later I went in and had T-11, T12 fused from an old injury while racing motocross. I had blown the disk and had 5 compression fractures above it but it happened when I was 20 and I healed without surgery, ahh youth. I am 49 yrs old now. I had very bad advise from 2 surgeons that actually told me I didn't need surgery. My pain was unbearable and just worsened as I pain management is not an answer when there is a physical fix. I was very blessed to have found Dr Leonard Nelson and Kenneth Rich in Raleigh NC. I worked my butt off between surgeries and they agreed it was needed. I am 7 months out of my thorasic fusion and am getting my life back finally. Not pain free and still on a minimal dose of morphine 15-45mg a day. I still have major spurring from the old compression fractures and if they don't calm down I am having hopefully my last surgery this Fall. I am 80% better than I was a yr ago when the lurabar was done. My Doctors did the SOLAS approach and never cut a back muscle because they acessed me from the side and front. I was walking with-in 24 hrs and was released from the hospital 48 hrs after both surgeries. I am a success story for back fusions. I hope anybody with this terrible problem can have as much success as I have had. The surgeon and your level of commitment to exercise is the key. Find a Great Surgeon as I did that practices the SOLAS approach. Good luck to all.
 
oh my, 14 levels fused ! that must be a world record. what caused your problems ? i thaught i had troubles but i'm feeling better after hearing that.
 
Kaspar: make sure your attorney knows about the bursitis and other conditions. My Atty said often they don't know about all the other conditions so SS doent get the full picture of all the impairments. So I call my Atty anytime anything medical changes
 
Hi Kasper,
I don't think its a world record but it would be something to look up! lol Honestly though, the reason is becouse I had scoliosis fusion which was to L3/4 and then the last two surgeries completed the job to my sacrum....its been a work in progress lol! One thing about fusions is that levels above and below take on additional stress and sometimes need to be fixed as well. In my case I was fine for 31 years after my scoliosis surgery and the damage that caused the remaing fusoins was due to a fall at work, fell on top of a snow plow blade... I was;int a happy camper since I was not having issues till this happened. In fact my doc that did the scoliosis fusion siad that he expected me to have issues with the L3-sacrum area...I never did. Thing is that no matter how many levels are fused ya learn how to adjust to it and if it removes pain...its worth it! Keep us infomed on how everything is going,ok? And MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Rich
 
spine AZ: got your message & like you i have had a few dr. visits lately, my doc put a letter togeather for me stating that due to my spine problems AND trouble with depression, anxiety & vertigo that he feels sure i will not be able to work & should seek long term disability. that corabined with all my other medical recorRAB has me feeling better about things. i'm not sure i suffer from depression like some people do. i think i just get depressed when i cant do the things i want to do. i'm doing a little better since my 3 level lurabar fusion. still cant put on shoes or socks & not sure if i ever will so it's slip on's for now. hope you aren't getting washed away in AZ.
 
I had exactly what you are talking about June 30th 2010 The discogram is not as bad as your hearing. Most doctors knock you out to the point that the only thing that will wake you is severe pain. You are in severe pain just momentarily, long enough for the doc to varify that is the disc that causes you pain. Then your out of it again and they try the same needle procedure on the next disc in question. This proceedure also recorRAB tha amount of pressure it takes to penetrate the disc also wether you discs are leaking. The pain is momentary, and that in fact is all you remeraber from the exam.
The fact that you are on such strong pain meRAB already, is something I would want the Doc to know, as this might be a determining factor on how much sedative you need during the test.
After my surgery I needed to spend three days in the hospital, I think that is standard for this procedure, and they start your P.T. while your in the hospital. Get your head around the idea of a walker. I went home after three days with a cane and far less meRAB than you are taking now. Believe it or not a lot of that pain you have before your sugery goes away instantly. Thats the good news. the bad news besides months of P.T. is that this is a risky surgery. There is a 75-25% success rate I, after six months, I fall into 25% catagory of failed surgery. a recent cat scan shows all the hardware used to align my spine and keep the proper space between the vertbrea is all intact, but my discs which wern't removed did not find there way back away from my spinal chord. There is still moderate degeneration of the facets at S1-L5, and moderate spinal canal narrowing at L3-L4 with bone spurs I don't think my surgery went as planed and I have an appointment Monday to see if I need a second surgery, or I will at that time be pronounced totaly disabled. I am a union carpenter by trade so I need to use my back at least 40 hrs a week. Right now I have a very hard time shoveling snow. and just standing in one place for too long makes my back ache. Carrying any weight away from my body hurts like hell. If I had a desk job I would have been able to go back to work in a month or less. I am currently in school To obtain a Bachelors degree so at some point I can have that less physicaly demanding job. For now though I'm fairly messed up. My doc used a new method for fusion (It involved the use of metal cages and a powder substance that over time is supposed to with the help of a $4000.00 electro magnet that you wear for 4 hours a day) to help your bones to fuse and I believe it was less invasive than the removal of disc mateial and the use of cadaver bone. I still have two 6" long scars on my lower back. WhenI see him I will know more about my future and past. good luck If I could go back in time I belive I would have went for the traditional fusion, Or a corabination of what I have had done plus shaving off the protruding discs. I hope this helps you as it sounRAB like you still have options in front of you.
 
Back
Top