I am so tired of the pain...have spondylolithesis/spondylosis

L

Lanae

New member
I am a newbie here. I have been dealing with this back condition for 3 years now. Since I then, I have lost my job due to the pain, my doctors will not do anything about it nor give me any medication for pain. I went to PT for 4 months with some relief, but it's back full blown. I have did my exercises. I have bought every kind of analgesic cream you could think of. I have switched doctors, nope..he isn't going to help. He basically told me to live with it. I am just so tired. Where does a person go from here?
Thanks for listening to me vent.
Lanae
 
Hi Lanae:

I don't have what you have, I have a herniated disc L5-S1. I would say "same S**t, different Smell". Sorry for my worRAB, but hurts the same. I have had it for 2 years, I am tired of pain. I did everything on earth to see if I could heal, nothing helped. I finally had surgery on 7/16/03.. I still feel like crap.

I everyday wonder If this is going to be my life from now on.. It is sad.

I hope you have better luck than many of us.
Raiza

[This message has been edited by Raiza (edited 09-10-2003).]
 
What grade of spondylolisthesis have you been diagnosed with? I have been diagnosed with a grade ii. Every doctor I have gone to says surgery is the answer.

good luck
 
I am grade 2. Basically what I was asking in my first post was...what other measures have people taken with this condition. Any suggestions? Seems like nobody wants to respond.
 
I am from Maryland moving to Ca soon. We will be stationed in ventura county, Point Mugu.
Texmom-I am so glad your son is better now. I hope one day all of us will be pain free.
Raiza-thank you for you posts. I do agree that things may change if my husband goes with me.
What is funny is my husband and I are dealing with infertility and they sent me to a specialist and I am getting treatment for that now. You would think that they would fix this back before I carry any children. I know carrying a baby will be tough and cause my problem to be worse but I feel as though I don't want to put my life on hold. They will eventually have to deal with me!
Hope everyone has pain free days!


------------------
Me: 31 hx of endo, spondlyolithesis
Dh: 36 normal
TTC 16 months-natural
Lap#1 1990 endo stage 2
Lap#2 8/03 endo stage 2, adhesions, and bilateral cysts on fal. tubes.
Starting Clomid 100mg/d with IUI
 
My spondylolithis/spondlyosis (L5-S1) was diagnosed through x-ray three years ago. I have not had a MRI done due to the fact the docs says "it won't change the outcome or treatment" (which was PT). Surgery hasn't even been mentioned...like I said, they told me I needed to "live with it". I am also a military wife, so I see military docs...that may explain why I am not getting the best of care.
As far as nerve compression, my right hip is totally nurab, I sometimes have pain in my right leg and my right foot turns blue. So I am sure there is nerve compression LOL.
Have any of you gained weight because of your not as active? I know extra weight doesn't help but I am trying to lose some pounRAB to see if that helps.
I got fed up yesterday and made an apt. with another doctor. I am going to demand something be done. My husband is going with me, so this will probably help.
 
Hi Lanae.
I do feel your pain. I have the same condition and haven't decided on what route to take yet. I am considering the steroid injections and will probably decide sometime this week.

I wish you the best.
 
A grade ii slip can cause major nerve compression and spinal instability. Are experiencing nerve compression? My situation is a 50% slippage and loss of disk below the slippage. I know that a fusion surgery is my only option if I want my life to eventually return to full activity.

I'm not sure why the doctors are not providing you with options. It might be time for another opinion. Look for the top surgeons in your area for another opinion.
 
Lanae:

My NS told me that there is not "correlation" being pregnant and the back. I find this hard to believe. I think he was trying to make me feel better. I am 37 years old now and when hubby and I started talking about having babies I was 35... right then, I got my herniated disc. The baby thoughts were all put on hold. I really don't know if I can even get pregnant. I have never been nor I have tried. I am so paranoid that my eggs will be old then when I am ready. My husband is so for us having babies, but he is aware that I can't try if I am still taking anti-flamatories. So like you said, all our plans are put in hold, I feel my life is put in hold. But it is important we get our back to a point where we can manage pain without painkillers and then tried to get pregnant. I think if we do get pregnant (hopefully in a close future) we are going to be in bed the last months. Just to make sure everything goes well.

Raiza
 
I am so sorry for you. I nearly cried when I read your post because there IS help out there. My 15 year old son was diagnosed in January of this year with a Level III spondylolisthesis. He was on the high school baseball team and running 2-3 miles a day! We visited SEVEN different surgeons before finding the right one. One said he didn't "need" the surgery and recommended PT and an anti-inflammatory. We almost ran out of that office! Most only wanted to do an "in situ" or in place, fusion, which would have left him with an extremely deformed torso for life.

We found a superb surgeon. He ran a CT and it showed the disc between L-5/S-1 had TORN IN HALF!!! This doctor is using a new device to "click" the spine back into place. My son had surgery 3/31 of this year. It took 5 hours. They achieved 100% "reduction" (which means they got his spine back to it's original position. He has titantium roRAB and screws in his back. His fusion was done 360 degrees, which these brilliant surgeons have found is the most successful.

5 months out, he is pain free, totally normal looking, and back at school. His fusion is nearly complete. Except for the scar on his back, you would never know there was anything wrong with him. HE TELLS ME ALL THE TIME HOW GLORIOUS IT IS TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT AND NOT HAVE SHOOTING PAIN.

Please post where you are. I will give you the surgeon's name and nuraber if you are in my area of the country. THERE IS HELP!!!
 
hi, i'm a 15 year old girl who plays softball for highschool, and 2 travel teams as well, i was diagnosed with spondylolithis/spondlyosis a little over 3 months ago. I also have somthing called PARS defect. i have many stress fractures in the L5 area on the PARS bone,and there are 2 bulging dics, one of them is between L3-L4 area, and the other is between the L4-L5 area. Right now i am in a brace to heal the fractures i have been in this for a little over 2 motnhs now, i go back for more CT's and MRI's at the end of them month. the doc says i should be in this brace for 3-6 months(this is the alternative to surgery) he then says i will go into physical therapy when i'm out of the brace. is there any more information u could tell me about your son Texmom and his back that could help me? it would be greatly appreciated! i am about to die, i have to get back out on that ball field.. atleast by spring!!!


thanks-jamie

[This message has been edited by jamieleigh308 (edited 09-11-2003).]
 
To Texmom:

This is in response to your message dated 09/11/03, 2:13 PM. Can you please give me the name and phone nuraber of the surgeon that used a device to "click" your son's spine back in place. Thanks for the help.
 
Texmom:
Where are you located? Are you in California? I want to seek a second opinion, and make sure the surgery went as it was supposed to.

I am so glad your son had a successful surgery. When I was 15 I don't think I ever thought about my spine. It is sad that some kiRAB need to worry about this. I am just thanking God right now that I read one happy successful outcome, specially for a young person.

Lemmie know...
Raiza
 
Dear Texmom,

Can you please give me the name and phone nuraber of the surgeon who "clicked" your son's spine back into place? Thanks for the help.

Bob46
 
Lanae

I too am a military spouse, I have had my problems with military doctors! When Tricare started I did not apply for it, but ended up going off of base (three years of unreadable paps) for a pap that turned out to be Dysplaysia of my vulva and had 3/4 removed because it when so far. In 2004 I had an X-Ray of my back and was sent to PT (this was on base) no relief (I have had back problems since 1975, but the lurabar problem, to the best of my memmory started around 1997, and yes I complained, to no avail! My husband retired in Septeraber 2006 and the first doctor I went to when we moved to NY ignored my complaints, and within 6 months March 2007 I had been taking care of my Mother-in-law (stoke patient) for a few mouths and it was getting worse. Well in March of 2008 I switched Primary Care Doctors and she listened and ordered a MRI, called me and said that my problem sometimes can be fixed by PT or something else. She sent me to a DO, which is An MD who specialized in Spinal problems. I went to PT and had a Facet injection and then had Surgery.... Tricare policy is to go though this. The doctor sent me to PT, when I went back to him, he said something to the effect that PT didn't help (gave me the impression that he knew it would not help), Then set me up for a Facet injection.....which you would need to have so the Dr knows exactly where the problem is. I walked out of the hospital dancing, I was pain free of course that was the nurabing part of the injection, they found the location....Also when they injected the first shot that hurt more then I realized it would, so keep that in mind, I screamed. Then the pain slowly came back, but it was not a bad as it had been, then the pain disappeared, then the pain started to come back, but still it was not as bad. Then three weeks to the day of the injection I woke up at about 4 AM and COULD NOT MOVE! It was back and I had severe back in the small of my back and pain down my legs, and my hips hurt all of this like I have never felt....My pain level for most of 6 to 7 years years was probably a 5 to 7, this was a 10 plus and I have a high threshhold for pain!
I had Surgery on Sept 9 for Spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc and Arthritis, it was a 4 1/2 surgery and after 3 1/2 months after the surgery I am still recovering, I am off of the oxycodone and oxycotin (you can only be on for 3 months) and you do go through withdrawal. I still have my nerved in my legs doing weird thing which the Gabapentin helps, this is because of the pinch nerves and the nerves not knowing what to do yet (that is what I was told)
Ok so what I am saying is you need a MRI and a referral to a DO, I assume you have Tricare Prime and you are near a decent size Base so you can get med's for nothing, I know Point Magu is good sized. So the cost should be not to bad. PT should be the most, but you can go on base for that.
Hope this helps, I know it is long, sorry but I thought it was important, any questions please ask.
 
Back
Top