Hello All! :wave:
Here I am again... more disappointing news, I suppose that is why I have come to the best place on earth, to find support, and advice from my fellow back pain friends!
I have been undergoing accupuncture, and, not like it is a surprise, it has not helped. I am not contimplating going for the big ole fusion. Advise would be greatly appreciated!
~M~

Hi,i too dont want fusion.Where are you from?Do you have DDD?im in pain all day every day.I live in the UK,would prefere artificial disc,i have DDD L4/L5.I had a course of 6 acupunture sessions,performed by a chinese doctor a while ago.It helped greatly so i shall have another course.The pain was greatly reduced for about 4 months.
I sympathise with you.i know what pain is like.I have purchased an inversion table which helps,take glumsmine sulphate and just started taking MSM(ORGANIC SULPHUR),which hope kicks in when ive taken it long enough.Ill try anything to get rid of this pain.
IMm here if you need to talk to someone,take care,Tracey.

Hello All! :wave:
Here I am again... more disappointing news, I suppose that is why I have come to the best place on earth, to find support, and advice from my fellow back pain friends!
I have been undergoing accupuncture, and, not like it is a surprise, it has not helped. I am not contimplating going for the big ole fusion. Advise would be greatly appreciated!
~M~


Hi,

Don't recall your specifics, but have you spoken with your doctor regarding possibly doing ADR instead of fusion? It's good to check out all options, but in the end if you go so long with pain from compressed nerves you may sustain permanent damage and not recover from the pain, numbness and or tingling.

I had great relief from my fusions and were I not so active a person and have other health problems then most likely I would not have had additional problems. Still, even though I had such a massive fusion in December, I am now not suffering with extreme pain and I am once again able to begin enjoying life. Didn't want fusions, but ADR's were not a possibility for me and I certainly did not want to be paralyzed without control of my lower body functions.

Hope you will discuss options with your doctor and perhaps seek opinions from more than one spine specialist. Best wishes.

I just realized that I accidentially wrote that I don't want to have the fusion... I meant I am NOW thinking about it... Sorry! To answer some of the questions, I am from New York. I was in a car accident in November of 03 and was diagnosed with two herniations at L4-5, L5-S1. I also have ddd at both levels. I was given the option of having a lami/micro or fusion, I chose the 1st, and unfortunately it has failed. My neurosurgeon stated that he was able to correct the hernitaions, but because my ddd was so bad the discs are now together even more. My accupuncture sessions have proved useless. I enjoy going, but it hasn't reduced my pain at all. I am please to hear that it has helped you Tracey!!

I had spoken to my neuroseurgeon about doing ADR instead of the fusion. He feels that there is not enough of information yet on the ADR, he said that he know's the fusion works. He's confident that I have an 80% success rate.
~M~

~M~....Wow....Goody has DDD in same discs as you for over 17 years. :eek: The pain increased to level 10 2 weeks ago where I could barely walk...have pain every single day in 3-4 level which I consider tolerable. Dr. had me on celebrex but this time it didn't do much. A week ago he put me on Feldene(piroxicam) and a muscle relaxant chlorzoxazone and within three days of being on them I was pain free :bouncing: This is day#5 and I do have some aching but I am able to touch my toes and put my socks on adn do other things I haven't been able to do since i was in my 20's. Thought I would share that news with you.....people were also praying and I consider this my miracle because of how good I feel. Thought I would share the "Good News" with somebody else that is in Goody's 2 shoes :D ......Goody :wave:

PS ~ Goody is a New Yorker too!!

Hey Goody!
It must be the water here in NY.. ha ha

I'm 26 years old, am married with a 2 year old daughter, and I don't think there is a singal day that passes that I don't 1. complain to my husband about how bad my back hurts, 2. tell my poor daughter I can't carry her where she wants to be carried.

~M~

M, my dr said the EXACT same thing as yours regarding fusion versus ADR. I had DDD and bulges at L4-S1 too and I came to the conclusion that they would NEVER get better, you can't reverse DDD so for me the fusion was my answer. I knew I had a much better chance of having a 1/2 normal life and that I could probably do the traveling and school with it done. Of course, I have the neck issue too, so that is currently worrying me, but I am done worrying with my back for now. I of course know that I have high chances of L3-4 going bad some day, but if I really care for my back, hopefully that will be way down the road.
I wish you well and if you need anything, let me know!

oh, and remember I am only one year older than you. And given the fact we are young, that gives us an even better chance of healing well, as long as we do what our good 'ole drs tell us!

Hey Mel!
Thanks for getting back to me! How are YOU? How long post op are you now? Sorry I forgot.
I go this Wendsday to talk to my Dr again about fusion. I am thinking of saying Screw it and just scheduling the fusion for the end of may beginning of june. How long was it before you were able to function for yourself?
I have so many questions, but I just don't know where to begin! My Mom is going to help me with my daughter - but how long will it be before I can get my own life back? What about the summer - will I be screwed into being home all the time? Since we are so very close in age I am hoping that you can answer some of my questions.... Thanks in advance!!
~M~

Goody: your posts confuse me. Do you talk in the third person form???? :confused:

Goody: your posts confuse me. Do you talk in the third person form???? :confused:

Sorry for the confusion, Betty...yes I guess you could say that it's my (Goody's) style on the boards to speak in 3rd person form using my username in place of "I" or "my" or "me" or anything in the possessive sense. Just a little twist in my posting style not meant to confuse anybody :D

Goody hopes it didn't confuse you too much or cause you unnecessary stress....there's enough of that going around on these boards :confused: ....Goody :wave:

Just my 2 cents on ADR versues fusion. I choose not to do ADR (apply for it) because it is so new. I am afraid that in the course of medical innovation there are a lot of items that seemed better than sliced bread until 10 years passed. I was not willing to take the risk that the artifical discs may not have a long shelf life. THere is no gurantee how long it will hold up in the body under constant use. I have spoken with a lot of people who don't care, but I was also given fairly good odds for this surgery to work. It really is up to each of us to evaluate our individual situaitons but I thought I would let you know why I decided against it.

Hey You Guys...
It's that CrAzy New York sense of humor..... : )
~M~

~M~.....Goody's glad to have a fellow NY'er to help her out in her time of need. :bouncing: How are you feeling lately??? Goody hopes that you get relief from the fusion. Mel seems to be doing well with hers and you're right about her helping you through this since you are so close in age. Goody's back does interfere with quality of life when if goes out chronically a few times a year....other than that it is a matter of adjusting my lifestyle in order to prevent it from going out. Not bad enough yet to go for surgery. I hope things go ok with your meeting with the doc on Wednesday. Keep this NY'er posted.....and Goody wishes you the best.......Goody :wave:

Sorry for the confusion, Betty...yes I guess you could say that it's my (Goody's) style on the boards to speak in 3rd person form using my username in place of "I" or "my" or "me" or anything in the possessive sense. Just a little twist in my posting style not meant to confuse anybody :D

Goody hopes it didn't confuse you too much or cause you unnecessary stress....there's enough of that going around on these boards :confused: ....Goody :wave:


Not to say that you do, but it is a proven fact that people who speak of themselved in the third person, have low self esteem. You might want to think about this.

:confused:

Mlachowicz, I'm sorry to hear you are having more problems. I'm a little over 12 weeks out from my 2 level (L4-L5-S1) fusion, and I'm doing great. I had a fusion instead of ADR for similar reasons to the others who have posted. My doctor also told me I wasn't a candidate because of the instability in my spine- he didn't think it was only a disc issue and he turned out to be right. During surgery he discovered a fracture that hadn't shown up on any of the pre-op testing. Making the decision to have a fusion was one of the best decisions I've ever made. At 24, I wanted to get my life back and that's what the fusion has allowed me to do. I'm now back working full-time, and doing pretty much whatever I need to do. I am still on some restrictions, but I think those will be lifted at my 3rd follow-up next week. I'll have to be careful about my back for the rest of my life, but it's worth it. Good luck, and please let me know if I can be of any help to you!

Jessie

Not to say that you do, but it is a proven fact that people who speak of themselved in the third person, have low self esteem. You might want to think about this.

:confused:

Hmmmmm.....Betty, that's the first time Goody has heard that one :D If you ask my hubby he can certainly vouch how full of myself I can be :p If I didn't know any better I would venture to guess that you have a teaching background to have picked out the "third personess" of my post. Notice how I have changed to first person in order to leave you in a less confused state??? I guess I will address you in such a manner in future posts so as not to confuse you or worry you in regard to my possible self esteem issues :D

PeachJam ~ Goody must say that I agree with your decision to not consider ADR at this point in time. The FDA seems to have just approved this surgery in the US and we certainly don't want to be in the guinea pig stages of having it perfected. Goody just spoke to her doctor about ADR's & he agreed that while they may be the thing of the future for those with disc problems...it is still too early to know the long term success of this type of surgery.

~M~.....Goody hopes that you are doing okay. The drinking water although the best tasting her in NY...may very well be the culprit ;) Please keep us posted as to how your doctor's appointment goes on Wednesday. Goody had a relapse of pain when the doctor tried to wean me off of the muscle relaxant so we upped it again and right now the back is feeling ok. We just have to realize that although the meds sometimes mask the pain, we have to still make sure we don't overdo things or we are back to square one. Right now my feeling, as well as my doctor's, is that if the meds can help me with a good quality of life with some limitations, I am far better off with them than surgery at this point in time. I wish it were that way for you and others here. There may come a time that Goody will have to contemplate surgery, but for now I'm just happy to have the pain under contol :D

Hope everyone here is having a good day......Goody :wave:

I have to start by saying that each of you are truly the BEST!! Your honesty is something that I always appreciate! Thank you!!

Goody: Thank you for asking... I've been feeling like total crap lately to be perfectly honest, but my 2 year old definetly keeps me on my toes!! :p which is good in a sense, I don't have much time to feel bad for myself! I will keep you posted... thanks again for your concern!

Jessie: I'm so happy to hear that you're doing SO well!! It makes for an easier decision to hear the good sides to the surgery! : ) So, you are post op 3 months and are already back at work?! That makes me feel good, because with my 2 year old I hate depending on people.... You are young too..... gosh, as crazy as it sounds it is so nice to know that I am not the only 20-something year old who has a back of an 90 year old! :D

Warm Hugs and Pain free day wishes being sent to each of you!
~M~

Hope everyone is well...
Went to Dr today, need to head out for another MRI.... he said there is a noticiable difference with symptoms in legs. He said that I need to drop some weight - which will make for an easier recovery ... I'm not overly heavy, he said 20 pounds would be great. Any suggestions? Especially since any type of excercise tends to be painful?
Thanks everyone!
~M~

M:

your comment caught my attention Re: needing to loose 20lbs or so. I am that way not obese but a little over the norm and after 40 it's true the extra goes to your abdomen & hips the exact place not helpful to LBP.
I managed to do this by drinking like a million gallons of water, CUT OUT ALL of my nightly "snacks" my elavil gives me a powerful sweet tooth :p so now I take it not at bedtime but roll over and take it right when I'm about to doze off - loosing weight is horribly difficult when we can barely do the basics of daily life and most days our only desire is to get off our feet on the couch or in bed. I can do no excercise 'per se due to my situation, I can walk short but frequently if even in the house any little bit that we can cut out of our caloric intake or burn up by walking that one time to do or get something instead of putting it off til later ... even if we would rather not move - all will add up and 20lbs is nothing compared to what some need to conquer.

Good Luck
you can do this!!!!
I wish you well
BW

Hey BW!
Thanks for the insight. I made the awful mistake that I'm sure so many of us do in gaining too much weight when I was pregnant with my daughter. Now I am paying for it. At only 26 I can already tell how much my matabolism has slowed... UGH!

I've begun a garden which I enjoy so that has been filling my days up with some excercise & of course being out of the house & kitchen will be beneficial too I assume. Of course after a day of being bent over I'm in more pain then ever, but I find myself TOO lazy, & too painful to venture off the couch for a snack while watching tv. :D

I've noticed, however, that due to my gardening, I'm having more leg pain, which has caught my attention... especially while using the toilet, my feet seem to be getting pins & needles in them more often then not. I suppose it's the price you pay.........

I've also tried to limit my intake of my #1 love... CARBS... pasta, rice & so on. It is a killer, but I'm trying to be extra careful. Sunday is my day to indulge a but more, as it is usually pasta day, but I will be careful not to go overboard.

Monday I'll be calling to set up my appointment for yet another MRI, feels like that wonderful tube is my home away from home......

Wishing you all a pain free day
~M~

Goody: I didn't mean it as an insult, at all. Most people don't even realize that they are doing it. I have a brother who does it. It is like being in the teacher's room and hearing other teachers shhing each other. It is not a concious act.

I work with regular kids as well as kids who have special needs. I am taking a workshop right now, Oppositional/Defiant Disorder and Kids Who Just Don't Care and that is one of the symptoms. That is why it caught my eye. Sorry.

It just caught me off guard.

mlachowicz: Gardening, although a great calorie burner and a great stress reducer is the downfall of many a back. It is hard on the back, knees and legs according to my spine doc. I had to give it up. Unless you start out in great shape and garden in the proper position for years, it is bad to take it up now. I learned the hard way.

As for losing weight, I just took off the twenty pounds that crept up on me. I cut out all sugar, food after seven at night, ate healthy breakfasts, and learned that it is okay to graze in front of the kids. At first, I felt bad, but hey, I have to eat and drink water. Teaching is one of the hardest things on the body. We are not allowed breaks except for every three or four hours. So, I call in aides and leave for potty breaks and graze as I teach. I never eat take out. And, I walk five miles a day. I may walk slowly, but I walk.

Menopause and middle age tends to put weight on a lot of women. But, my grandmother is still 110 at 100, so I have to keep up with her. I sure miss my chocolate though.

If you garden on your hands and knees, you put stress on your lower back and your knees. If you garden standing up, you put it on your upper back, lower back, and your legs. You can't win. I buy my fresh fruits and veggies from the farmers' market. I feel bad for the people who work the fields, but at least it is not me.

take care,

Injured Betty:
Thanks for your advice! I will take it into consideration... However I would rather deal with the ache in my lb after gardening, then the sharp shooting one down my leg after I walk....
Hugs
~M~

Injured Betty:
Thanks for your advice! I will take it into consideration... However I would rather deal with the ache in my lb after gardening, then the sharp shooting one down my leg after I walk....
Hugs
~M~


~M~ The sharp shooting pain may be indicative of some swelling/inflammation around the nerve. Do be careful to not do anything to further aggravate that...it is something difficult to get down. (that's what Goody has been working on for the past 3 weeks :eek: ) So I would take it easy. I'm looking for a way to get myself off these muscle relaxants that have me going looney.

Injured Betty ~ No offense taken by Goody :D ...Goody :wave:

I'll be careful... Thank You!!
I need something to do, so I don't bang my head into the wall!! :D