Has anyone had a fusion with BMP that didn't take?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ms_west
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Graves disease could be causing him problems with the fusion process. I don't know if you remeraber Clover but she experienced slow healing due to the thryoid. Has he had his thryoid levels checked recently?

Marlo, if this was the nurse practioner that gave it to you. I would call your surgeon and talk to him directly on this matter. I had the same thing happen to me but I knew about this in advance and my surgeon was not happy that his office recommended this to me. Oops!
 
Interesting, I too have auto-immune Hashimoto's thyroidism.

Thanks for your input.

Lorie:angel:
 
Hi Pamela - I feel the same way as you do. I had my 2nd surgery an ALIF in June 07, was in the hospital for 10 days and then a rehab center for 4 weeks! After that I started PT and was in so much pain my doctor stopped it. I have so much pain I can't stand it. I can't drive, sit for more than 15 minutes, I use a walker to walk. I no longer can do housework or cook, can't pick up my grandchildren and I have another on the way.

My case is a workmans comp case and I have a lawyer, he says I am totally disabled, I am only 52 and I feel like my life is over. I'm on vicoden, oxycottin, vallium, and zoloff for depression. My lawyer is trying to get a second opinion approved by the insurance company.

I had a 3rd surgery in Nov 07 and my doctor removed fragments pressing on the nerves which he thought was causing the problem....NOT

My pain starts in the lower back goes into my butt and down my leg into my foot. I spend most of my time laying down in bed since it is my most comfortable position.


My doctor has no idea why I am in so much pain since he removed L4 L5 and replaced with titanium cages and did a fusion. I keep telling him the pain is REAL and its getting worse. I had another MRI and he said nothing has changed since last MRI. He now sent me to a PM doctor again for epidural shots which I already had them about 2 years ago and didn't work. The PM doctor even was surprised to see me back again, he said we could try but not sure they would work, if it helps me a little its worth it.

Well I can't sit here any longer, I wish you the best and if you find out what is causing your problem please let me know,

Marie
 
Yes, my second surgery was a fusion with BMP but no instrumentation and it did not take. 8 months later, I had a 2nd fusion, this time with instrumentation and it did take. I am very solidly fused.
 
They keep the hardware in, unless they are pretty sure it is causeing pain for you. They will probably want to wait a year after the surgery and they will also do some other thereapies and labs to rule out other things that could cause problems as well.

Lorie:angel:
 
I had PLIF on Jan 7th and at my first post-op appointment at 3 weeks, I was having a lot of weird new pains. The PA gave me celebrex. I specifically asked her about it, saying I thought you shouldn't take NSAIRAB after fusion. She said that was generally true, but she thought it was better to get my inflammation down and make me more comfortable, and that celebrex wouldn't make THAT much difference.

I'm thinking maybe I better just put up with my arthritis pain and stop taking it.

What do you guys think??
 
I heard few people who used their own bone and the body just absorbed right up.can't win.
 
I had l3-5 fused with bmp and it failed. My surgeon could not figure it out, stating that he hardly ever sees this happen. However, I too have an auto-immune disorder and I asked my surgeon if there could be a connection. He said he could not say yes or no, since there just aren't enough studies about autoimmune disorders. (I tend to think it may have had something to do with it, since there is no other explanation.)

I truly wish you all the best, because I know the pain that you are in. If your Dr. doesn't understand it, you should ask him if the pain could be comming from a failed back syndrome. He probably can not dx. that until the year goes by, since it takes a year before a Dr. can say that you arent going to fuse (even though they know by the 6-9 month period). At least, that is what my Dr. said. After 1 year, he sent me to the pain management and I was told I had faild back syndrome and that it was a painful problem. It was ice to have a Dr. understand my pain. The surgeon kept stating that he did not understand why I was still in pain...every visit after the 6 mo. visit. It was so aggrivating.

By the way, do you have hardware holding you together? If so, at least your spine should be stable. Since my 1st fusion failed, when we went in for the
2nd one, he used really strong hardware. That way, if I did not fuse, my spine would not be in danger of the screws breaking.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Lorie:angel:
 
Lynn720, what auto immune disorder does your boyfriend have. Does his Dr. seem to think this was a factor? Or has he read anything to make him think this? I was shocked to read your post and thought how I wish I could talk to you or him about it. I tried talking with my Dr. about it and the surgeon first said it would not make a difference. But when both fusions failed and one was with BMP, he agreed that maybe it did have something to do with it.

Any info. would be great.

Lorie:angel:
 
I realize that I am responding to posts that were written 2 years ago, but I was doing a search on Bone Morphogenic Protein and found a wealth of information from folks who have had this material placed during a spine fusion. The reason I was doing the search is because I had a spinal fusion (actually....it was a redo of an old fusion that failed) in June of 2009 and the surgeon used BMP and I'm still suffering excruciating pain. From the moment I awoke in the recovery room I was in severe pain. It wasn't the same pain that I was feeling before surgery. It was worse! And it was on the left side of my back and radiated down my buttock and into my thigh and leg. I was told that my pain is probably a reaction to the BMP and I was put on steroiRAB (prednisone) while still in the hospital. The high doses of steroiRAB did help with the pain, but as soon as I dropped my steroid levels to 5mg per day all the pain came back.....and then some!! I'm currently taking Cyrabalta (recommended by my spine surgeon and prescribed by my pain management doc). I've only been on it for 5 days and I am not getting any pain relief yet. What I'm wondering is how are folks doing now who had the severe pain after their fusion was completed? Did it finally get better? Did your docs mention to you that BMP can cause swelling, inflammation and nerve pain? I'm sure that I was told of the possible complications, but I wasn't really paying attention to what the surgeon was saying. He told me right as I was being wheeled into the operating room and I signed the release. That was in June of this year and I'm still in agony. Does anybody have any suggestions for me?? I'm really suffering. Thanks in advance - BrittleBones
 
Brittlebones...I left you a reply to your questions about bone putty on the Spinal Disorders board. It's not the BMP stuff you had and is still in clinical trials. But I'll leave it for you to read if you want to.

Sorry you've had such a bad time of it.

gentle hugs.............Jenny
 
I had the BMP "installed" when I had my SI joint fusion 6/08...my fusion has failed...really never fused. When I was about 6 weeks out from surgery, I had to go to the hospital for naseau/major headache....they gave me an injection of what I later found out was an antiinflamitory...I had told them not to give me any of the antiinflam....the nurse said...oh this is different, it won't hurt your fusion...wonder if that was the beginning of the end for my non-fusion?? The Dr. had stated in Jan. of 09, that he wants to go back in, as well as in Aug. 09, and clean it all out again, and check the cage...and put more "fairly dust" (BMP) in there..... Now why am I afraid??? Will I fuse ??? Has anyone fused after a second surgery???

Sage
 
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