Fusion surgeon any other options?

  • Thread starter Thread starter allanbruce
  • Start date Start date
A

allanbruce

Guest
Hello fellow pain sufferers, I have seen another neurosurgeon the 4th surgeon over 5 years and he wants to do fusion surgery. I have also been here before asking questions but no answers. I have been through a lot. I originally started out with depression after having my wife leave me, having to quit my job and give up drinking. I tried to do another job in a camping shop but got lurabered with all the heavy work. So 2002 I was also diagnosed with chronic pain. In that time I was told that surgery was not an option unless it effected my walking, my legs or my bladder etc. Well about 12 months ago after 7 odd years of chronic pain I started having all these problems with nerve spasms, shooting nerve pain up my spine and nerve problems from my waist down. After having a nerve root block injection at L5 both sides it gave me some relief in the leg problems but really stirred up the pain in my butt on the left side but helped the right side. Since then I have had trouble walking, pain basically from my waist down and a lot in my butt either side and I also have pins and needles right down my legs at times, nurabness also at times right down my legs to my toes even.
So the new neurosurgeon after looking at my MRI told me I need a fusion at L4-L5 to L5-S1. But I will have to wait until Noveraber because I joined a health fund and that will be when the 12 months exclusion period is up. So I wait and in that time I have been researching my options. But I have only found one minimally invasive procedure for fusion that saves them having to cut right through the back to put in the hardware. But I don't know if it is available to me or even in Australia.
I wondered if anyone has had another option other than disc replacement. as I also have facet joint issues. The fusion operation seems to be such a hot topic that no one wants because of the chance of failure and complications. It has me very worried and I am willing to go to other surgeons to find a better option but I may just have to go ahead with the fusion because I can find no help or assistance.
I have tried lots of other treatments up until the sciatica set in without any success and it seems only to make things worse. Walking any distance or every day is out of the question because it only leaves me with more nerve aggravation. So do I just go ahead with the surgery and stop worrying and except the situation or keep looking for other options?
Please someone answer me! No one seems to want to know me unless I am the one giving. I don't know?
Allan
 
Allen:
I am wondering what your injuries are exactly? It is hard to say if fusion surgery is the only answer depending on what your injury is to your spine. I am also going through the same thing. I am going Tuesday to my NeuroSurgeon and if he says fusion surgery is needed, I am going to schedule it that day. I cant take the pain anymore!
Please tell me what your MRI said. Not that I am a doctor but I am curious.

Thanks, Joe.
 
Allen, I was offered disk replacement but found that for some reason the body seems to reject whatever materials are used and that's why I went with the fusion and as far as I know (last time I checked was in 08' when i was going to have my surgery) there were two types of procedures being done at the time but both of them are fusions just done differently. They don't cage the fused disks any longer like they used to in my mother's time. I am fused from my S1 to my L-4 and L5 but I can still do what I used to do. Just read the board here on Post Op how to take care of yourself. I stayed away from sugar, smoking. I took all my B vitamins and calcium with Magnisium and ate thing that had soy and drank soy milk but because my stupid doctor was so surprised that my nerves were so swollen that they where the size of speghetti he actually strummed them!!! Needeless to say it slowed my recovery and it left me with some nerve damage but hey I was able to workout at the gym! Find out from your surgeon what procedures are avaliable to you then ask what are the pros and cons or you can do a search and and educate yourself as many of us do and take
the information with you to your next appt. My surgeon tried to confuse me with medical terminalogy not realizing I was familiar with it and when he told of some medical links I could check out he sarcastically said,"Wait you probably wouldn't undersand the medical terminology." I told him he'd be surprised at what I know and if I come across something I don't know I'll look it up, problem solved. I hope I was able to help you even if it was just a bit but don't let things just happen to you arm your self with as much information as possible.

Good hunting and many blessings

availe
 
The surgeon was very nice was never nasty or anything he directed me on the photo's (which he had the light on his table) and showed exactly what he was looking at. He showed me on both sides of both L5 and L4 the minimal space that was there for the nerves and showed me on the plastic model how he could put his finger through the space on it and said there was very little space in mine and told me the nerves where being compressed. Also on the scan the colour was completely different to the disc's above and the lower one L5-S1 was very close with protrusions along the sides as I said the disc was very collapsed and not doing much for me. The next one up had a little more room but not much. It had a tear on the inside with some herniation it also had very little soft material inside of it. So it isn't doing much movement for me either. The facet joints apparently are changing colour and showing damage from not working properly. The vertebrae also are showing the whitening in from anywhere it is contacting the disc's. He told me that the fusion was needed because both area's - the facet joints and the vertebrae in his opinion needed to be stabilised so he would not do the micro-discectomy that my specialist referred me to him for.
Well that is my take on his description of my MRI but I don't have the best memory and I am not a neurosurgeon.
If that sounRAB right he seemed to know what he was talking about but he didn't get into how the surgery would be done or anything so because I have some time to wait for my insurance it is driving me a bit around the twist researching the surgeries available. But it seems I don't have a lot of choice and my insurance will only cover certain surgery I suppose and the doctors would know what the government base charges or payments are so they will only do so much without the cash coming out and I am a pensioner. I started with Health insurance on the 10th of Noveraber so that is when the 12 months come up so I will have access to private hospital cover and it depenRAB on if the doctor charges a gap on what I can afford. But I hope to have about $2000 in the bank and I have a bank card I can put another couple of grand on but ha who knows what charges there will be. I do have the top cover though so I hope to get some rehab as well. My family will also help me to get the best treatment I can have. So I am feeling ok just the wait is a shit, and The mind wanders while I am laying around not being able to do anything much. A walk when I can but everything I do I pay for later on.
Sorry for going on so long I just am a bit stir crazy.
Allan
 
I have personally found that fusions, both cervical and lurabar, have been the best choice and have resulted in good pain relief. I have a ton of medical issues with my spine, so personally I'll never be 100% and may not be able to return to work. But my fusion was SO worth it and I would not have elected ADR. I am now facing a possible fusion revision on my neck and I'm in agreement 100% that I'll jump on the OR table if they need me to. Every spine surgery I have had has resulted in symptom improvement and that's all I need to move forward. If ADR is not an option, but fusion is, you have to decide if your symptoms are at a level where you are in continuous pain and have symptoms that inhibit your ability to function. If so, fusion surgery might be a viable alternative.
 
I am in bed 3/4 of my life and am in continuous pain. The pain now starts at my waist and goes through two spots in my butt against the bone and through my thighs, legs and even to my toes, it also radiates from right inside my lower back where it started originally. Sometimes my whole leg is in pins & needles if I sit the wrong way. I can't sit on a dinning chair for more than about 15 minutes. I can only stand around for so long and if I walk to far my butt gets really sore. If I over do anything I get shooting nerve pain that stops me in my tracks and I can't move. I also sometimes get the nerve pain shoot up my spine, it is sort of burning and horrible. The worst pain I have had. So I don't think I have much choice really.
Thanks for your advice I need some support.
Allan
 
Back
Top