Anterior Posterior Fusion while Pregnant?!

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Inspire1

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Hello I am 24 years old needing a second surgery after having a 2 level laminectomy on l4-5 l5-s1 14 months ago after a car accident. Since the surgery pain has gradually returned and have had 3 series of epidural injections to the site with no relief. The pain has now become excruciting and I have been out of work for almost 3 months and am using a walker. To make matters even more interesting I am 18 weeks pregnant.The surgeon I am seeing recommenRAB anterior posterior fusion but belives there is only a 50% success rate. Of course there is always the added risk of losing the baby. The pain is unbareable and I cannot imagine living another 22 weeks like this. Has anyone had a surgery while pregnant? What was the outcome? How long is the recovery for this type of surgery? I also have 2.5 year old twins here at home. I would hire a nanny to take care of both them and myself until I recover. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. :confused:
 
Oh dear! Welcome to the board, dear Inspire, but I'm sure sorry you're here for this reason.

I had an anterior/posterior fusion. They move everything around in there for the anterior part, as they have to get down to your spine. I can't imagine that the baby would not suffer from that. I recommend you talk to your ob/gyn.

Is there anyway to hire some help until you get through this pregnancy so you'll have less stress on your back?

I wish you the best. I know how hard this must be!

Emily
 
My friend had an emergency laminectomy at 5 or 6 months into her pregnancy because she (the mother) was becoming paralyzed. It was controversial and risky, but her child is 14 years old and perfectly great. My friend did fine with the surgery. It's never an ideal case. You will want to be sure this is absolutely necessary right NOW in your pregnancy, of course. Best wishes.
 
Why does he need to do it through the abdomen? Is there any chance he could go through your back? I am so sorry you are faced with this decision. I would DEFINATELY get a second opinion first, and talk it over with your OB. Perhaps they could put you on bed rest and induce labor early?
 
I really don't have an opinion one way or the other. My prayers are with you and the baby. :angel:

Hugs Nadine
 
Megss has a good point. Is there a particular reason why he wants to do a 360? (ie, front and back incisions.) There is a higher success rate with the 360, but if you aren't at higher risk for non-fusion, could he just go in through the back so the baby wouldn't be so likely to be hurt?
 
I had a discectomy when I was 19 weeks pregnant. I was in so much pain from a large herniated disc that I didn't sleep for almost 2 weeks. I was a mess. My surgery was very minor compared to a fusion. I would definately talk to your OB about this. Is there any way they could give you some pain medication to help you get through the rest of your pregnancy? I was prescribed vicodin to take, and did take it before the surgery. I of course hated taking it, but without it I could not even stand to take a shower. I did not have twins at home to take care of, but I had a 13 month old son who wasn't walking yet! And I thought my situation was bad. I cannot imagine the stress you are under right now.

Again, I would definately talk to your OB and be honest with him about all your fears and options. He should be able to talk to your surgeon and figure out a game plan. My surgeon would not prescribe anything for me until he cleared it through my OB first. I would think there is something less invasive they could do for you.

Also, I wanted to add that my daughter had no issues from the surgery and is now a thriving 2 year old. They told me that I was at the perfect place in my pregnancy for a surgery. All of the major organs were already developed but I wasn't too far along that they would have to worry about pre-term labor. The nurses that were prepping me in the OR told me they see pregnant woman in surgery all the time.

Good luck and please let us know how you are doing.
 
I was also prescribed vicodin during my pregnancy for pain. I had a herniated disc that healed itself with the help of prednisone, thank God, but I did need to take the vicodin until my pain was reduced. The pain was so bad that it hurt to breath, so I really had no choice.
 
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