6 Months Post-Op L4-L5 Fusion Migrating Prostheses?

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Justoneofus

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Yah.. I was thinking the same thing.. a Prosthesis has to be something artificial they put there.. meaning the hardware (roRAB/screws) or whatever they put into the disc space itself (ADR, cage,etc.).
 
I have a bone graft. Very confusing terminology on the "protheses" I know there are two small round disks between on the x-ray.
 
That's really bad news. I have one screw that is real close to the bone graft. I want my hardware taken out. If it is not fused, then they can redo mine. They are going to do more Laminectomy work on my nerve canals and also the spinal canal. The pain in my back started about 3 months out. That's when they did my cat/dye. Then in 7/2006 they did a MRI/dye and found more things going on, but never with the hardware. I'm now 19 months out and the pain is never ending. Did they say how soon you would be going in? For your graft did they use donor or havest?
 
Had a bone scan Friday and today picked up the report. Says I have a loosening of the R L5 pedicule screw.
 
I began having severe pain 5 months Post-Op and was pretty much given simple x-rays and told fusion looked good. After the pain became dibilitating surgeon ordered CT w/contrast. Found migrating prostheses 4mm posterior indenting thecal sac, displacing L5 root and and impinging L4 root. Bone scan is next, has anybody else experienced this?
 
Remove it all and start over. At least I know what to expect this time as far as when I wake up and home neeRAB.
 
Hey guys, This scares me . I am 11 months out and am having really bad pain in my back(lower)and on down to my right buttocks into my hip and pelvis. Also legs are weak. I also had a L3/4 4/5 INTRUMENTAL FUSION. I can feel something real hard on the upper part of the back of my hip. Anyway, I know I need to see a doc. I am on pain meRAB from my regular doc. I never went off of them. So that kind of tells the story. I hope the docs don't thing I am a big baby. This has been really a nightmare. boomer
 
After my bone scan and CT they are going to redo the fusion. Very shocking and scary to go through that again.
 
SounRAB like the hardware is traveling. Did they say the screws broke or what? With bone scan it sounRAB like they are running test to either remove the hardware or replace it. Gee... I hope they are controlling your pain. They will also need to address what ever damage that has occurred. Good Luck with everything and keep us posted.
 
You need a bone scan to see if screws correctly in place and an MRI for soft tissue issues. I also had a CT w/contrast. They each showed part but not all of the problem. My pain sounRAB so much like yours. radiating to my hips, butt, now it has moved to my legs being nurab and painful just as before the first fusion. My problems are moving fast at this point. My saving grace was getting all of the radiology reports and reading them prior to going in, take them to your GP if you don't understand. I truthfully do not think my surgeon would have done anything if I had not started referencing reports.

Good Luck.
 
Here I am again, had to register again, therefore the new name. After my Revision in October 2007 my pain was greatly reduced. Then 6 months ago it started again, first in the lower back then radiating across the butt and then progressing down the typical leg dermatomes. I founs a new surgeon last week and he sent me in for a CT Myleogram which shows "A fracture or pseudarthdosis at L4 at the Lamina where it intersects the pedicle." Also there is no evidence of a "solid interbody fusion" and "Solid confluent bone block traverses the posterior elements on the left, minimal if any bone block is evidenced on the right"

This is after a complete revision with new hardware. My Surgeon told me I was fused at 6 months with very high certainty, even after I started complaining of pain. He then dumped me to pain management. I have been on Oxycodone x 40 mg/ day along with a myriad of muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories.

I guess the moral of the story is if you are in pain and do not feel right, find a doc that will go further than a typical x-ray. With mine he looked at them and pointed out the fusion saying all was great, when I finally starting disagreeing, I was off to the pain doc.

So tomorrow it is back to a new surgeon.:(
 
No the hardware is supposedly in place, this has been tremedously painful for about 6 weeks. Vicodin seems to work from my GP. Any movement makes the problem get much worse. It is very confusing I don't know what the "protheses" may be if not the screws loose or something like that.
 
Your symptoms sound indentical to mine. I was pretty much getting to the point where I could tolerate the pain for a couple of months then it started slowly coming back especially in my hips and right in the area of my scar. The surgeon really would not have admitted any problem had I not gone through the effort of getting my radiology reports and reading them with my GP to understand them prior to my appointment. Once I mentioned the loose screws and movement he then arranged surgery for next week! Completely blew me away. I do not want to go through that again, but have no choice.
 
They are getting me in next week on an expedited basis. Way too fast. So much for summer fun!
 
Do you have a fusion with bone graft or do you have an artificial disc. I have just heard it called hardware in the fusions with bone graft.
 
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