Hardware removal (back)

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nvrgoback

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I had lower back surgery in early '08, and to my disappointment, it was unsuccessful. My back problems were not related to any injury or accident, but to dRAB. I had a fusion of the L4/L5, and in conjuction with the pain I endure everyday of my life, I can feel the pressure of the hardware pressing up against my back, and it is very annoying and unpleasant. I've been seeing a pain specialist who has given me injections, implanted a "trial" stimulator, has me on pain medications and none have been successful in giving me the relief to function normally on a daily basis. I have also recently found that the mri's my doctor sent me get done came back normal, so now I am passed the point of frustration and am seeking advice from anyone who has either been thru the same situation or is going thru the same thing. My doctor has brought up the issue of hardware removal, but after what I went thru after the back surgery, I vowed I would never let anyone touch my back again! However, I never imagined that the surgery would be a total failure.
 
I'm so sorry about the pain you're in. :( That can be so frustrating and I totally understand and empathize with your level of frustration and disappointment. If you are experiencing so much and the hardware is contributing to the level of pain you're experiencing then I think considering having the hardware removed would be totally understandable.

I had actually fused, but was feeling so much irritation (nerve pain, etc.) and my surgeon did a CT of my lurabar spine and found that the instrumentation was hitting a nerve and recommended I have the instrumentation removed. The surgery is actually pretty easy compared to what you've already been through. Mine was done on an outpatient basis.

I completely understand your reluctance to have more surgery, but its definitely something to consider. :angel:

~ Fiona Jo :wave:
 
I had a similar situation. I had a fusion at L5-S1 10 months ago and never got better. It was considered a failed back surgery. I told my surgeon that I was not getting better and he didn't listen or offer to order more tests (this is months out, at least 4). He had the nerve to tell me that, for some reason, some people are just left in chronic pain forever and that the surgery didn't work. I refused to accept that since I am only 28, have a young child and a loving husband. The pain was bad enough that I could not function. I could not work and dreaded being alone with my daughter because it was hard for me to take care of her. I became very depressed and developed an anxiety disorder. I started with a pain management clinic who offered PT, therapy, and injections. They were not very willing to prescribe meRAB but I think I was able to once get 10 percocet and another time get 10 vicodin. They really liked to do injections and kind of forced me into one. I knew it wouldn't work because none of the other ones did and they all caused a major increase in pain for about 2 weeks. Of course this one did too. I just cried and cried. Then to make matters worse we lost our Cobra insurance. The Cobra was from my previous employer. My husband had been laid off so the only income we had was my disability (1/2 of my old salary) and his unemployment (1.2 as well). Finally we got insurance again. My dad started his own consulting firm and I was blessed to be hired and be able to work from home, in bed if I needed because he got me a laptop for work purposes. My personal computer is a mac and he needed me to have a pc.
So I rushed to a differed surgeon who looked at my old MRI's from over a year ago and though the L4-L5 disc looked completely abnormal. He sent me for another CT and another discogram. The discogram showed that L4-L5 (remeraber not operated on) was a definite source of pain- it caused 10/10 pain. The CT showed a failed fusion. There was empty space between the hardware and the bones from where the screws grinded up against my bone when I moved. They were actually about to pop out- I learned that after surgery. The old guy apparently just did a wack job. I had so much scar tissue every where that they removed as much as they could.
I just had surgery 8 days ago, and my old hardware was removed, and L5-S1 was re-fused, and he also fused L4-L5. I am crossing my fingers that this surgery will work. I am wearing a brace for 3 months, they want me walking a mile by 6 weeks post op (treadmile is being delivered tomorrow), and he actually gave me restrictions like no lifting more than 5 pounRAB. My old surgeon was a joke. He gave me no restrictions when I asked, he even said I could lift my 1 year old (about 27 lbs) right away. He ignored L4-L5 (other surgeons and the radiologist thought it looked abnormal) and it got so bad that now I have permanent nerve damage. He also didn't believe in PT and thought all I needed to do was walk. I referred myself to PT. The worst part in my opinion is that he completely dismissed my complaints about still having severe pain. He just said I would be one of those people with failed back surgery syndrome.
One cool thing about this last surgery is that I got to keep the hardware! I didn't even ask, they just gave it to me as soon as I woke up from surgery. Its really amazing that all that was inside me!
So I know your MRI's look normal, but those tests, as amazing as they are, don't always show everything. My first MRI didn't show that my fracture had actually completely broken off and was laying top of my sciatic nerve. All the doctors I saw thought my leg pain was simply referred pain. It wasn't until my first fusion that it was discovered that I actually had a nerve compression.
I think that if you are in that much pain and you can feel the screws, than hardware removal might be a really good option. Like Fiona said, it wasn't a bad surgery compared to a fusion, and she got to go home the same day. Plus they let you keep your hardware so you can show it off to everyone! It might really relieve some of your pain! You don't want to be in pain PM and on pain killers for the rest of your life, especially if they don't give you much relief like you said.
Good luck and keep us posted!
 
I am a so called Failed Back Surgery Syndrome( FBSS or FBS) also. I was fusing wonderfully by three months and never had any problems with my hardware. So, I can't speak to those kinRAB of problems. My issues are tons of scar tissue like Megss. When this happens, the scar tissue presses on the nerves, which in turn causes pain. Having six levels done, I have scar tissue @ each of those levels pressing along the nerves....ouch!!!!:eek: Also, (didn't know this till after my surgery); the more levels you have fused, the less sucessful your surgery will be . Now, there are always exceptions, but it is usually the norm. Let's say for example, three levels are fused; those levels will not give or move anymore after surgery. When you move, bend, lift, or twist, they sit still. Because of that, the workload (so to speak), will now go ABOVE the fusion, and BELOW the fusion. Or, above or below the fused levels. This is where problems may begin to occur. This is another one of my problems. The levels above and below my fused levels are breaking down and causing me a lot of pain. About your MRI, Nvrgoback; do you have a WRITTEN report of that scan? The reason I ask is because when I was about nine months out of my fusion, and I had to get a second opinion on why I was in such horrific pain (the surgeon who performed my surgery didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore), this second surgeon ordered an MRI with contrast. He looked @ the images, and raved and admired my surgeon's work. So, basically he said there was no reason for me to be in that much pain. Well you can only imagine how I felt:dizzy: On the 45 minute drive home (hubby was driving), I started to read that report of the MRI. Can you believe that thing was three pages of what was wrong with my spine. At the end of the report, they summarized (concluded) these problems into thirteen sentences!! I really didn't mean for this to be so long-sorry!! However, my point is when a doc says the report came back normal-ask to see the actual WRITTEN report, or if they are lab results, ask for a copy of those too, then share with us or someone who is knowledgeable on the subject. Better Go.......Janie08:)
 
I feel your pain. Speaking on behalf of my wife.
One year ago she had a HEMILAMINECTOMY with
L5/S1 being fused, implant with the hardware.
Outcome To Date: Still in alot of pain with shooting
pain that goes down her left leg to the side and
bottom of her feet. Currently on painkillers and
doing physical therapy. Also has had the injections.

Originally this was going to be a less invasive one
hour micro surgery where she would go home the
same day or the next. Instead this surgeon informs
her just before surgery that he's doing a implant.
This major surgery took six hours and put her in
ICU due to complications.

To date there is no improvement. There is a bone
impingement on the nerve due to the surgery that
is currently causing her problems. 2nd opinion
indicates that the surgery was not done right and
can be corrected with very risky surgery. WE HAVE
CHOSEN TO GO WITH NO FURTHER RISKY SURGERIES.

Know what you are signing up for, ask many questions
and do your due diligence.
 
Janie08, thank u sooo much for ur response to my thread. Although I didn't get a report of my mri results, I was shown by my doctor only the page that said "unremarkable". I kinda felt my doctors attitude towarRAB me changed some b/cuz like u wrote, if the results were negative, then I must be making up the pain and am wasting his time. I will be requesting a report of my mri to go over it thoroughly, so thanks for that bit of info. There has to be a reason why my back/neck continue to hurt so much, and now the pain has traveled down the back of my legs. I wake up so stiff and achy in the a.m.; don't get a good nights sleep so i am exhausted the next day and in pain. I've tried doing several back exercises, but I end paying the price the next day. I just wish there was someone out there who could tell me what I should do or if there is a certain doctor who could really give me a total evaluation and take it from there.
 
nvrgoback...I know the pain and frustration you are enduring with the hardware. I had spinal fusion in'93 L-3-L5. I drive dump truck, and you can imagine the sensations I felt with three inch screws and plates in my back. I was back at my Dr. exactly one year later and told him, "take this **** out of my back. The second surgery was a breeze, and well worth it. If the fusion is solid, the hardware is no longer serving a purpose, other than to make your life miserable.
 
This is one reason we now have a Healthcare Reform. I was doubtful about the reform, until today. I found out that the triple spinal fusion that I had in 2001 did not fuse properly! This is after having repeated follow-up ex-rays from my original surgeon. I have been told that everything looks great! But, as many have experienced, was also told there was not clear evidence of why I continue to have progressive pain problems.

The last appt. I had with my original surgeon lead me to go somewhere else this time. I totally respected him. But, the last appt. he spent a total of 5 minutes with me and left me bewildered by not addressing my complaint of excessive and unbearable pain. Today at the new place (Duke Orthopedics) it was discovered that the graph did not fuse properly. Ex-rays do not usually show or tell the whole picture, so to confirm this dx I will need to have a cat scan or MRI. REMErabER ALL, EX-RAYS CAN BE POINTLESS! I had fractured my L5 vertebra 16 years prior to my spinal fusion twice, which went under-diagnosed. I was repeatedly told that I simply had a slipped disc!

What the ex-ray does clearly show is that there is no fusion of the two remaining vertebra within the hardware. A black hole, and what appears to me as a screw coming out!

I was tramatized by the pain of the original surgery...my blood pressure dropped to 60/40, thus shortly after coming out of the recovery room, they removed me from all pain medications, thinking it would increase my BP! For 24-48 hours I layed in the hospital bed in agony and now I have to repeat the surgery! I am scared witless!

My husband is unemployed, and cannot find a job after more than 800 resumes being posted. I am the only one employed and currently have insurance. But, I fear that I will loose my job because the recovery time will put my employer in a bad position. When I had the original surgery, the insurance company told me that I could not take more than 3 weeks off or else my insurance would be discontinued. At that time, my employer worked with me, allowing me to work in the office doing light work, just enough to keep my insurance until I fully recovered. I cannot say that my current employer can do that for me. I am already in the position of foreclosure and bankruptcy. When it rains, it does pour, eh?

Sorry, I am venting here to avoid stressing my husband out. I am good at making him think that I am not worried, when I need to do so to keep him from being depressed. This is between us. Noted, I am scared.
 

I am so sorry that your surgery was not a success.:(
I hurt my neck a few months after my husband and I got married. I have had 2 seperate surgeries on my cervical spine. My neck is fused at C3-4,C4-5, and
C5-6. My last surgery was done in 1999 and I just found out that the pain I still have, that has progressively got worse over the years is partly because my fusion did not take. When I found that out it made me sick. I never wanted that surgery again but it doesn't appear I have a choice, I am still hoping that I will be somewhat normal again (even though I don't remeraber how life was without pain). I am getting 2 seperate opinions from 2 surgeons who are specialize in failed cervical spine surgeries.
I am always thankful that I can walk and that I wasn't injured worse.
I get depressed by how much my life has changed. I guess I feel like the woman who said she felt like venting here because she didn't want to depress her husband. You are right, when it rains it pours! We are in a similar financial situation so I understand.
I pray that we all will find the strength to live as normal lives as possible.
:wave:
 
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