Fusion Questions

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lizzybrog80

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Hi all,

Fusion is not yet a really viable option for me. I'm 27 years old. I've been dealing w/ back pain for 3 years, and have tried a lot of treatments. But, there are still a couple left to try, and I'm not ready to succurab to fusion yet, BUT, I want to get informed about it, b/c as much as I try to be positive, I truly believe it will be the last resort for me. I have 3 levels involved - L3/4, L4/5, and L5/S1. We don't know definitively which is causing pain. So in theory, I would be a 3-level fusion.

I am curious - once fully healed, how much restriction do you have on a day-to-day basis with 1 level fused, 2 levels, or 3 levels. I mean, can you never bend over again? What exactly are your restrictions on normal life? Thanks you guys!
 
Hold off as long as you can as there are some new developments on the horizon that will change the whole procedure of fusion. There are a lot of studies being done now that will use the same idea of fusion but will use flexible materials so the spine will be stabilized but will still have mobility. I'm sure other options are in the works too. I just don't happen to know what they are.

Regarding the current procedure, I know people with one or two level fusions who are physically active. They ski and play golf. One is very involved in kayaking...so I'd say that they are pretty active. I don't know about life with more than two levels fused.
 
Heya:

Hope you don't need a fusion! I had a one-level fusion almost two years ago and have no real restrictions nor real loss of motion. I do have nerve pain still and have lost some reflexes in one leg. I can bend if I want, but I choose to bend only at my knees because it's better for the ol' back that way. The few things I know I won't do are ride a rollercoaster or jet-ski or downhill ski again. It doesn't appear to be worth the risk since I have other bulging discs just waiting for the opportunity to herniate!

By the way, I had my first fusion at age 30 (2 levels in neck). I waited a while to have it because I felt too young to have to go through it, but am so glad I did it because it helped me tremendously. I have full range of motion in my neck and only occasional flare-ups almost 10 years later.

Best of luck to you,
Schragie-girl
 
Hi Brett,

How do you know to operate on L5/S1? Do you have a herniation? Or annular tear? See, most of my problem is that I have 3 levels involved, and we're not sure which one is causing pain, or if all of them are contributing. So I certainly don't want a 3-level fusion, but I'm super frustrated trying to figure out which level(s) are causing my pain. I do have herniations & bulges, but nothing impinging on any nerves (except maybe the foramen, slightly), so pain is coming from within the disc. I have had 2 discograms and several injections, with no relief from any. So I am mostly confused & frustrated at not being able to figure out which level(s) are causing pain. Therefore, I am defeinitely not ready to jump into fusion yet b/c I wouldn't know which level(s) to fuse!!! Thanks for you thoughts.

-Beth
 
Good luck w/ everything Brett.........The first 2-3 days are the worst...then everything gets better each day.you must be patient......

Please keep us posted..........
 
Thanks for the replies. I am going to put this off as long as possible b/c I know that there is newer, better stuff in the works. But then I worry about going with new stuff, too, because I know it takes a while to work out the kinks, or sometimes 5 years down the road they realize problems with the procedure. So it's like how long do you wait and what do you end up doing? I'm in a situation where I am facing "just live with it" or do something. My pain is somewhat managed by drugs, but my Dad (a former pediatrician) is REALLY against me taking the drugs for an extended period of time (which I've already done), so he's kind of pushing for surgery. I know I can (and am) make up my own mind, and I won't let him make up my mind for me, but it's such a confusing conundrum of when to do what, if that makes sense. I know there is so much research going on and that there will be new, great treatments in the future. But like I said above, part of me says go with the older, tried & true, because going with the newer procedure leaves me with such anxiety - what if something goes wrong? Do they know how to fix it yet? Will I have to have 5 surgeries in 5 years because I didn't wait for them to iron out the kinks? These are the thoughts that go through my (and I'm sure many of your) head every day. So frustrating. Living with the pain forever is just not an option. I'm young, which is a bonus in having major surgery - hopefully I can "bounce right back". I don't know....so confusing....thanks for your replies, though :) -Beth
 
Hi Beth,

In 2004 I had a microdiskectomy on the L5S1 after it herniated. The pain started as sciatica in my left leg and over the span of a few weeks, ramped up to a 10 on the pain scale despite conservative treatment. I finally got to see a neurosurgeon and he scheduled an epidural nerve block for the following day because it was 5pm already. That night, I woke up in agonizing pain and could barely urinate and wasn't sure if my bladder was empty. I couldn't get off the living room floor where I had collapsed hours earlier. My wife came out and found me and called 911 and the arabulance came and took me to the hospital. That was 4 am. I went into surgery at 9pm that evening. Fast forward to this year and the pain has been getting worse, have had 2 MRI's and saw a neurosurgeon last spring who recommended surgery if the nerve blocks I had wore off. They wore off and I have had another and another and each one has had less effect. The spine surgeon l saw last week showed me where the pain was coming from and said it neeRAB to be fused. It has degenerated more since the surgery. So that is a bit more of my story, see my topic a few days ago for more of my story-- like most of us, the story just gets more and more crazy ;)

I wish you the very best. To me, this back saga has been like the 2 pregancies and births of my children. When it was time, it was time. God has his plan for me, and it is vastly different than what I had planned for me.
Peace and prayers,
Brett
 
Beth,
I understand what you are feeling. I have decided to stop fighting and go ahead with a fusion next Tuesday. I have become less and less mobile, strength and stamina have decreased, until I got to the point I couldn't work. I have been on nsaiRAB for years but last April, I started on the Percocet after finally conceding that the pain was just too much. My usage has increased both due to tolerance and the severity of my condition is worsening. I can't go on like this - I am 43 yrs old. So I am having my l5s1 fused with a laminectomy. I will share as soon as I can after the surgery. They say I will be in the hospital 5 days. I am bringing my laptop.

Brett
 
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