spinal fusion and laminectomy

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JenJen55

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Hi
My husband (65yrs) had back surgery 2 yrs ago 24/4/2008. He had spinal fusion from T12 to S1 and Laminectomies from T12 to S1. His surgery took just over 9 hrs and he was in hospital for 2 weeks. he had to wear a special back brace for 6 weeks and then the normal corset for 6 months. 6 Months after the operation he had a TURP op, as he had bladder problems, a month after that he ended up in hospital for a week for depression. He doesnt take any pain meRAB. Now if he tries to do a little bit of work his back get terribly sore and he has so much pain. Is this normal? How long should will this go on? He cant really do anything anymore and this has been a very traumatic experience for him and me as well.
Is there anyone who has had the same op or close to his? I would like to hear from you
thanks
Jen
 
Your husband had a few more levels done than me. This is a REALLY HUGE operation; but didn't know the extent of it till I got home. Most people who have this kind of surgery will be on pain meRAB the rest of their lives (this is my opinion;others can chime in here). He neeRAB to go to Pain Management-there he can be given medication and other forms of therapy so that he can move around and do more. I have and suspect your husband has Failed Back Surgery Syndrome. The docs like to call it Failed Laminectomy Syndrome. This is when you come out of this surgery the same or worse than before the surgery. I came out much worse. Some come out the same, and some come out better. You might also want to visit the Pain Management Forum as well. Good Luck!!....janiee
 
Hi,

I am in Connecticut and my husband has failed back syndrome. He has had five surgeries on his back, a spinal cord stimulator implanted, and, lastly, a morphine pump implanted. God have mercy. The pain continues. I am can only wait and hope that the medical community (the neuros and the orthos) can catch up the mess that they have made with so many people. I believe that they will. Any update on your back syndrome. Any improvement? Any new leaRAB on doctors with sucess on revising failed back patients? I am also ways looking. I live in connecticut and have been to doctors from here to NYC. Still waiting. They will figure out why a failed back looks perfectly fused and fine. I just wish that they would hurry up ..... Write back if you want. I am also (or almost always) right by my husband's side. Valicia
 
Hi and thanks for the reply :)
yes it was a HUGE op he and both of us wasnt prepared for the drastic change it made on both of our lives. He is very scared to go back to the surgeon. Pain Management places, I dont know if there is any thing like here in South Africa, well Pietermaritzburg is the closest city, 75 kms away, that is where his op was done. The dr put him on Lyrica 6 weeks ago and that seemed to have helped a little bit, he can now lift his arms above his head which he could never do even before the op. Also the bladder problem he had the first 6 months after surgery didnt help and the dr we went to was usless. Hisi bladder did block and our local dr sent us to another urologist who did the op the following week and that has now sorted itself out. Its just his emotional state, he is on Aropax and Rivotril for depression, also he developed diabetes after the op, he takes pills for that. He was in the theatre for nearly 9 hrs. Very traumatic for us both. He has been an active person all his life, and now suddenly he cant do anything anymore. We farm sheep, well did but sold them all cos of him not being able to work.
To get him to go to a dr is like a no no !
thanks again
 
I am fused from T9-sacrum. So it's much like your husband. I wore a brace for 5 months, was in a rehab facility for a month...and here we are. I lost use of my left leg and had to learn to walk all over again.

My surgeon told me that I will live with some degree of pain the rest of my life. So I take pain pills because if I don't I won't move much because of the pain.But with the pills and therapy I work +40 hours a week and maintain a decent life. Not as active as I was, but it's a different life. But I'm alive and have seen my three grandchildren born. You just learn to count your blessings in different ways.

My suggestion is that your hubby get on some pain meRAB so he can begin to live again. Laying in bed is no life and having horrid pain is no way to live-I know. He can learn to live a decent life..it just takes time and a good doctor to help you through this.
 
Sorry to hear about your husband. Mine too. He has had five surgery on his lower back and still the pain continues. Most days he can only sit up to eat and go to the bathroom with short walks around the apartment. A trip to blockbuster is like taking a plane trip to Europe. Poor baby. My hope is that the medical community will catch up to the failed back community. It is very hard on the wives who watch their loved ones suffer. Write back if you would like. I am in Connecticut, USA.

V.
 
Sorry to hear about your back. My husband too is suffering from failed back syndrome too. Five surgeries, spinal cord stimulator, morphine pump implantation-- however, the pain goes on and on. I am just waiting for the medical community to figure this mess out. They will, but, in the meantime, a person suffering with this condition can loose his or her mind (so too can the spouse watching helplessly while the loved one suffers). Any leaRAB on doctors (neuros or orthos) on the cutting edge of this mess? Write back if you want. I am almost always with my husband, trying to make him as comfortable as possible.

Valicia in CT, USA
 
Hi everone who is suffering or watching someone suffer:

Does anyone have a good referral for a "re-do" surgeon"?

If you have ever spent the majority of your time with a person suffering from failed back syndrome, you know how excrutiating the experience is. When the sugeon who performed the first fusion--you know this guy, the one that was going to make everything better, tells you that there is nothing more that he can do, it then becomes a complete nightmare. Lots of tears. Mostly mine.

I am just looking for a great surgeon who can figure out why such a "perfectly fused" back is more painful to my husband now than the original injury was before the surgery.

I am grateful to any referrals-- I will take my hubby anywhere to get him to a more painfree place.

Thanks in advance,

V in Connecticut
 
It could just be that your husband has developed scar tissue ;perhaps more than most people do. This is one of the problems that I have. If this is the problem, the scar tissue impinges or steps on the nerve root, and boy does that hurt :eek: Nothing you can do about scar tissue. Again, this is just one possibility. Has your husband had recent MRI's done WITH CONTRAST? This is the best way for the surgeon to see what could have gone wrong, if anything. Also, I don't know much about discograms, others will have to chime in here, but I understand that they locate the exact source of your pain....Good Luck!!....janiee:)
 
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