compression of 10 & 12 vertebrae.

  • Thread starter Thread starter bleugirl
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bleugirl

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help please :confused: will i get better, hi last yr i was knocked down by a car, taken 2 hospital xrayed they sed id fractured my spine t12, sent home after 3 days, had a mri scan in feb this year the results showed i have degenerative changes in the spine:confused: & i have mild compression of 10 & 12 vertebrae :confused: no one will give me any straight answers iv had pt & all they keep telling me is 2 listen 2 my body :confused: i still have pain & its been nearly a yr & i still feel alot of soreness in my mid back, please as anyone been in my position on here plz no one as really spoken 2 me im really frustrated:mad: will i get better with time or will my condition get worse :confused: i am a senior carer & i dont think i will be able 2 go back 2 doing care, at the moment im back at work only in the office. please please can someone reply 2 me im on pain patches,& muscle relaxers i dont sleep very well either im just so fed up with having no answers:(:(:(
 
Hi. I sure do hear your frustration and am sorry you are not getting any answers. First of all, what kind of doctor are you seeing? You need to be under the care of a spine specialist not the family doctor. Spine specialists are the best at reading MRI's and finding things that others might not be seeing.

If it is compression only, I am not sure what might help you as I haven't dealt with that. If the compression is putting pressure on a nerve, that would be awfully painful.

Please do some research on line to find out all you can about spine compression. Find an Orthopedic spine specialist or a neurosurgeon who specializes in the spine. That does not mean you need surgery; quite the opposite in your case since your compressions involve the thoracic spine. But the specialist will know what kind of things will bring relief. Please feel free to utilize this board as much as you need to.

Best of luck.

Carol
 
hello thanx 4 u replying 2 me the physio as recommended i see an ortho as this is goin through an insurance claim im waitin a reply frm them, i have good days & bad days, on my mri scan it sed no nerve compression , but no one as really explained anything 2 me i wandered will the compression right itself or will it just stay the same or collapse iv got compression of 10 & 12 vertebrae, do u think i would be able to go back 2 my caring job as it is a full hanRAB on job:confused: sorry 2 ask so many questions :( what is ur problem & thanx 4 ur reply:wave::):)
 
hi thanx 4 ur replys i do have a solicitor & i saw him in dec 09 he is a trauma & orthopaedic surgeon he sent me 4 mri scan. when i had the accident the doc at hospital told me i had fractured my spine t12 & it was the only part of the spine that knits its self back 2gether, then when i had my mri scan the results showed degenerative changes in the luraber spine without any compression, no narrowing of spine canal, mild compression of dorsal 10 & 12 vertebrae, no one as explained any of this 2 me, & i still have alot of pain & achin i still walk with my elbow crutch as it gives me stability, but i just wanted 2 now if someone as had this happen 2 them, i feel im moanin at people incl my doc my solicitor pt, all they say 2 me is give urself time 2 heal,:confused::confused::confused: noone explains my condition 2 me , my frienRAB tell me after what iv had happen 2 me i cant go back workin in care which is understanderble. why wont someone explain my condition 2 me is it because they are giving me time 2 heal :confused::confused: thanx 4 ur replys i really do appreciate them, people on here have told me more than anybody else, thanx :):angel::angel:
 
>>> Bluegirl, I think you should find an attorney who specializes in personal injury claims. You have the right to see the dr. of your choice, even tho at this point, they may be trying to keep you from doing so. A regular ortho is NOT qualified; you really need a spine specialist to diagnose you and to tell you whether or not you can work. My guess is that you should not especially if you have to do heavy lifting. The insurance carrier should have to pay you for your lost wages as well so it is important to find an attorney as soon as you can. In most cases, they will not charge for a conference, and if they take your case, they will only charge you a certain percentage of what they win for you....usually between 33 and 40 percent. No money comes out of your pocket.

Ask your ortho to refer you to a spine specialist. I cannot tell you how important it is to be proactive about your health care at this point. It is also necessary to be strong enough to stand up to any insurance personnel who might try to "push" you around. None of this is easy, I know, but I can assure you that I have been in your shoes. I was unable to work and the ins. co had to cover all my medical bills. It can be hard to hold out financially, but when working endangers your future ability to care for yourself, then you have to find other ways.

Please don't feel bad about asking questions. That's what this board is all about and if any of us can help you, it is our pleasure to do so. Many of us have suffered for years and all are very understanding.

Carol
 
It does take a bit of time for these fractures to heal. It's unfortunate that your doctors aren't taking the time to explain things to you. It sounRAB like right now you can only wait and follow doctors orders. You might ask your dr if he would order another MRI or ct scan to see if there is anything else showing up now. Sometimes it takes a while for problems to develop to a point where they can be verified by tests. It's worth a try.

Carol
 
thank you carol,from your experience do you think i could develope any problems thurther down the line ? as i have heard people say that it could be 5 yrs before i develope any problems , thanks for your replys, i will call my solictor tomorrow to see what happens from here, im just so tired of feeling the way i do :(:(:(:(:(. hope to hear frm u soon, best wishes :wave::wave:
 
Blugirl,
You have some very good advice here. T 12 compression fractures take time to heal. I fractured mine at work in Noveraber of 2009. In January 2010, I was approved of a procedure called "Kyphoplasty" where they put a glue/ like substance in your vertebra to straighten it. There have been many many success rates with this even in the older generation which I am a part of. I was 59 years when I fractured the vertebrae. It's done on an outpatient procedure, but be sure you have a good " Spine" Dr. who does the procedure. Check them out. I had a good one one who also was my work comp Dr. looking out for my best interest. Sometimes with a compression fracture they will put you in a brace for awhile to see if that helps. With me, my pain was so bad I was crying all the time, so I definitely can understand what you are going through.
I was not able to return to my job because I was on a permanent restriction of not lifting over 20 lbs. I am currently still on work comp.
I also have osteoporosis which could have been the reason for the compression fracture. Doesn't matter because it's still was an injury on my job. I'm not saying that your situation is the same as mine, but you could suggest the Kyphoplasty to your Dr., but do some research on it first.
 
mat, don't forget that bleu is from England and some of the advise that you mentioned to her would apply to someone in the U.S., but not in the U.K. I believe her "insurance company" is also her government. However, bleu, correct me if I'm wrong....janiee08
 
Hi
I am very sorry about your situation sounRAB like we are in the same boat. I was hit by a car on May 3rd 2010 when I was running. I have a burst fracture to L1 and T12 (from what I was told t12 has damage but....it is all so confusing).

I have not had a single day without pain or lots of pain drugs. I have seen 5 spine specialists 2 orthos and 3 neuros there opinions range from..
1. unstable neeRAB surgery to relieve pain
2. unstable neeRAB surgery to relieve pain and concerns regarding the spinal cord impingement
3. unstable consider XLIF surgery has healed forward causing me to have khyphosis
4. stable but has a shift (doesn't that mean its unstable) and he will do the surgery need to do anterior approach pedicals to smashed to do posterior.. if I was his family he would suggest nonoperative approach
5. go back to original doctor he has a good reputation, he said it is stable even though the flex/extend report indicates a 4mm shift, try getting into shape being fit can relieve back pain (little does he know I was supposed to race at worlRAB for Team USA just 2 weeks ago I am still very fit even though my workout regiem has totally stopped)

I can't sit comfortably without drugs
working out irritates and increases my pain
low back pain 85% of the day
mid back pain - stabbing - caused by flexing and extending

what do we do???
what is the right thing?
I wish we could see into a crystal ball and know what neeRAB to be done.
I can't believe that I have basically had 5 different opinions from 5 of the areas best surgeons
 
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