ARANGER
04-12-2005, 02:05 PM
A few days ago I came to this board asking for some advise on people that have had the l5/S1 Fusion. Mine was for spondylthesis (Sp), DDD, and two discs compressing on the nerves. During my post-op time, I kinda "over did it" and admitted this to my doctor. So instead of having a flat scar, mine was a little puffy from where an inside suture had ripped open.
Well on last friday evening 04/08/05, I called the nurse Practioner whom I'm suppose to call if there are any problems. On my discharge instrucition, it said it I began to feel pain dowm my one of my legs or calf area, then to call him immediately. If you read my last post you will see that he treated me like crap, told me to take more meds, and come see him on Monday. I was ticked becasue I pay the NP $300.00 a vistit not including his fees in the surgery, I didn't want meds just to mask the pain, I was hoping maybe he would send me for an X-ray, beacuase I can hardly walk. He told me, "Most peope are progressing at this stage, you're going backwards. This is why I', calling!!
Anyway, I received a lot of responses from this board some of which were to fire him, and some of were to wait it out. Well......On Saturday, I still could not harldy walk. I was doing everything the NP said to do. Well now its saturday night almost sunday morning. My wife had already gone to bed. I was sitting on the couch. Suddenly, I felt horrific pain in the incision area which was about 6-7 inches long. I stood up to look in the mirror to make sure everything was ok. I heard about 4-5 loud pops and watched the incision grow away from my back 3-4 inches, it grew 5 inches wide and 7-9 inches long. I'm yelling in pain and crawl into my room where my wife is sleeping. She wakes up and see's this and about freaks out. She grabs the discharge instructrions and calls the Nurse Practioner who tells her "What do you want me to do at 1:30 am" He then tells her its just a muscle spasm and he'll see me on Monday, there is nothing he can do. By this time I'm going into shock due to the pain. My wife rushes me to the closest hospital. The ER doctor there tries to call my Nuerosurgeon, however the Nurse Practioner calls back for him. I can hear the ER Doctor yelling at the NP that this IS NOT a muscle spasm and he'd better respond immediately. By this time I had received five injections of Dilaudid and am in complete shoc. I barely remember having a CT scan and an xray and them being rushed to another hopsital by amubulance to meet with the Nuerosurgeon. By the time I got there I was in one of the patients rooms, when the nuerosurgeon. The incision had grown so large the he starts surgery right there! No anesthesia, nothing. I hear him say something about a large blood clot and a broken artery. He then quickly assemblems a surgery team and I'm wheeled off. Thats the last I remember. I just got out of the hospital, and needless to say the Nurse Practioner came in to send his apologies and say that he really didn't understand what my wife was telling him.
I'm not really sure what to do next with this place. I'm thinking about getting a new NS at another office. I think if this problem would have been taken care of on Friday, I may have not had to have this emergency surgery on Saturday night.. Not sure, any suggestions. Thanks all
Well on last friday evening 04/08/05, I called the nurse Practioner whom I'm suppose to call if there are any problems. On my discharge instrucition, it said it I began to feel pain dowm my one of my legs or calf area, then to call him immediately. If you read my last post you will see that he treated me like crap, told me to take more meds, and come see him on Monday. I was ticked becasue I pay the NP $300.00 a vistit not including his fees in the surgery, I didn't want meds just to mask the pain, I was hoping maybe he would send me for an X-ray, beacuase I can hardly walk. He told me, "Most peope are progressing at this stage, you're going backwards. This is why I', calling!!
Anyway, I received a lot of responses from this board some of which were to fire him, and some of were to wait it out. Well......On Saturday, I still could not harldy walk. I was doing everything the NP said to do. Well now its saturday night almost sunday morning. My wife had already gone to bed. I was sitting on the couch. Suddenly, I felt horrific pain in the incision area which was about 6-7 inches long. I stood up to look in the mirror to make sure everything was ok. I heard about 4-5 loud pops and watched the incision grow away from my back 3-4 inches, it grew 5 inches wide and 7-9 inches long. I'm yelling in pain and crawl into my room where my wife is sleeping. She wakes up and see's this and about freaks out. She grabs the discharge instructrions and calls the Nurse Practioner who tells her "What do you want me to do at 1:30 am" He then tells her its just a muscle spasm and he'll see me on Monday, there is nothing he can do. By this time I'm going into shock due to the pain. My wife rushes me to the closest hospital. The ER doctor there tries to call my Nuerosurgeon, however the Nurse Practioner calls back for him. I can hear the ER Doctor yelling at the NP that this IS NOT a muscle spasm and he'd better respond immediately. By this time I had received five injections of Dilaudid and am in complete shoc. I barely remember having a CT scan and an xray and them being rushed to another hopsital by amubulance to meet with the Nuerosurgeon. By the time I got there I was in one of the patients rooms, when the nuerosurgeon. The incision had grown so large the he starts surgery right there! No anesthesia, nothing. I hear him say something about a large blood clot and a broken artery. He then quickly assemblems a surgery team and I'm wheeled off. Thats the last I remember. I just got out of the hospital, and needless to say the Nurse Practioner came in to send his apologies and say that he really didn't understand what my wife was telling him.
I'm not really sure what to do next with this place. I'm thinking about getting a new NS at another office. I think if this problem would have been taken care of on Friday, I may have not had to have this emergency surgery on Saturday night.. Not sure, any suggestions. Thanks all