Hey all,

Brief history here:
I have been suffering with back problems for a long time but really badly for the past 5 years. I had my first fusion this past February. It turned out to be a much more intense surgery than planned. There were many more problems than anticipated and the problems that were anticipated were way worse than originally expected. After about the first month of recovery I was having a lot of pain to make a long story short they figured out that I had a broken screw and therefore I required another surgery. I am now 4 weeks post op from my secong surgery. This one was 10 hours. They went in through my back found 2 broken screws, took out all the existing hardware and the bone. THen they went in through my tummy and did a disc replacement and put in a cadaver plate and also all new hardware for my new fusion.

My question is...I was feeling pretty good for the first couple of weeks, minus of course the post op pain. But now I feel a lot of pain in my lower back, what concerns me most is that it feels a lot like it did pre-op. I was always told and or led to believe that after surgery I should have pain but it should be different and I should not feel the same pain as I did prior to surgery.

I know that every body is different and time will tell but I just want to hear what others have to say. Have some of you experienced the same thing and then the pain has gone away with time or have you needed more surgeries and if so what and why?

I have spoken to my surgeon's secretary and I will be seeing my surgeon but not for a few weeks. So, I am hoping to hear from you guys on this one.

Thanks for listening. Take care. Beachgirl. :confused:

Dear Beachgirl,

It appears that the pain you are experiencing is due to the healing process of bost anterior(front) and posterior(back) surgical intervention. This could take a bit longer to heal. If you are taking pain medication, you may just need a stronger dose at this point. Remember that you had a broken screw in your body, which probably did some additional damage.

On December 1st, it will be my 4th month post op since my l5-s1 lumbar fusion with instrumentation (posterior). I am still in pain but I chalk it up as the beginnings of the fusion process. There is foreign material in my body and this is nature's way of constantly reminding me.

Try and remain optimistic; you will be seeing the doctor before you know it. If it ever gets out of control, go to the emergency room at once.

Take care and God Bless. Love and Peace. For the masses only.

I agree with the others. Also, The first two weeks were fantastic for me as well, and have heard that same song from quite a few of us now. I am beginning to think that the numbing agent they put in there during the surgery really works quite well and that our pain level increases once it wears off, and we are feeling the true healing pains from the serious surgery we just underwent.

You spoke with his secretary?? Unless she's a PA or his nurse.. I am not sure I would have any comfort in just dealing with a secretary for this serious surgery. You really should have access to a medical professional to bounce your questions or concerns to over the phone when needed. Not a secretary.

I don't think your pain level is out of the ordinary, but if you are having concerns it's good that you called to get them addressed. But again.. I would be very cautious having a secretary making decisions in regards to your care. If she didnt even run your issues by the medical staff, she has no way of knowing if you need to be seen immediately or not.

I am not downing secretaries.. I am a paralegal, which in essence.. is pretty much the same thing. But I would not give legal advice, that's the attorney's job.

I do hope your pain lessens and probably will improve over the next 4 weeks. I noticed a huge change around 6 weeks and it got better and better from there. The changes are quite noticeable. Hang in there.

Tammy:wave:

Thanks for your replies.

Tammy - The secretary that I am referring to is a specialist. I cannot remember her exact title but she is very qualified. However she also does a lot of his appts, paperwork etc. I guess that is why I reffered to her as a secretary. Trust me though, I would certainly not refere to just a secretary for info and advise following such a serious surgery. She had helped me more than I can say. She is fabilous and I am greatfull to have her around to assist me so much. I do appreciate your advise and concern. You are right for sure. But I know that I do have someone that is very qualified. Thank you for your reply, it is greatly appreciated.

Anyone else that has anything to offer, I would greatly appreciate it as well. Take care all. Beachgirl. ;)

Beachgirl,

I also have 2 or 3 broken screws and the dr's want to perform the same anterior and posterior approach you underwent.

Questions...

#1-Were they able to do the procedures in one shot or did they have to cut you on different days? I have been told it's 50/50 whether they can do it in one day.

#2-Just how awful was the procedure? I have had 6 prior lumbar surgeries and I swore I was done but, the pain is almost more than I can bear and I am considering relenting and having the operation.

#3-How long did they tell you you would be off work. I have a great job (six figures) and wouldn't want to miss too much work.

Thanks for all your help!!!

Hi Steve,

How are you today? I will let you know anything and everything that you need/want to know in regards to this procedure.

My surgery was done all in one shot. It was a total of 10 and a half hours.

They started by opening the existing incision on my back. I was told that they took out all of the existing hardware. They originally thought that there was only one broken screw but once they opened me up they found 2 broken screws. Anyhow, they took out all the existing hardware. They then took out the bone that was suppose to be fusing but wasn't. They then re-did the fusion. They used stronger and bigger titanium screws and rods. My surgeon also got rid of the scar tissue that was there. They then flipped me over and made an incision on my tummy. It's very, very low. As low as it can be really. It goes the opposite way as the incision on my back. The one on my back is about a 7inch vertical incision and the one on my tummy is a horizontal incision that is about 4 inches.

Once they got into my tummy they did a disc replacement for L5 S1. Also they put in a cadaver plate. I also had a bunch of squished nerves that they worked on.

The procedure itself, well I guess it's the recovery that you really want to know about. It was, well not easy. I had only had one lumbar surgery prior to this one and this one was a biggie. It's so tough because you have an incision on your back and your tummy. That of course makes it incredibly difficult to be comfortable in bed and eventually sitting etc.

I was in the hospital a total of 5 days. I went in at 5am on Froday and I went home on Tuesday afternoon. The first few days home are always the worst. I'm always so anxious to get home so I really push it. But you really don't realize how much you need to have at least one person around you to help you out. I have someone with me for about a week and a half pretty much 24/7. That was huge help. I'm 4 weeks post op and I have a lot of pain.

Because of the way my surgery went last time, my surgeon wants me to take this recovery really slow. He wants me to pretty much just do bed rest for the next 6 weeks or so. At that time I will see him and we will discuss whether or not I am ready to start PT. I was told it will take at least a year to recover. I'm not too sure how long it will be until I return to work. It's really hard to estimate, everyone is different and you want to make sure that you take your recovery as slow as possible, You don't wantto have to go through this twice.

I hope I helped you out a bit, please send me a post if you have more questions or concerns. When is your surgery? Take care. Beachgirl.

Beachgirl,

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions. As to my surgery date, I have not agreed to scheduled it. I recently got my 3rd opinion from the head of spine surgery at UCLA and he was the 3rd doctor to reccommend the very same anterior/posterior 3 level fusion.

For me it boils down to how much pain I can take. I have resisted this procedure for a couple of years now and I don't know how much longer I can take it. I suppose I will try to continue to put it off as long as I don't feel like blowing my brains out and as long as I can still fulfill all my duties as a husband and father.

Thanks again for your advise and I wish you a speedy recovery.

Steve

Hi Steve,
Please excuse me butting into this thread, I would like to caution you on waiting too long for the surgery. I had been misdiagnosed several times over several years before they even figured out what was wrong, then went thru the whole injections, PT, etc. Then surgery, well I was at a grade 2-3 spondy by that time. Now after 4 fusions none of them fused I am at a grade 2-3 spondy with screws, rods & cages to keep things from moving any more, they removed enough a bone that it will not be compressing any nerves but I have severe permanent nerve damage now and am permanantly disabled at age 45.

Please don't wait too long to decide, bearing the pain as long as you can stand it may not be the best decision all the time. If you are having any nerve compression, which is usually the reason for the pain, you dont' want to cause any perm. damage. I hope you understand that I'm not pushing for surgery, and I know you have to be the one making the ultimate decision, I just want to caution you on the possible result of waiting too too long.

I hope you can find relief soon, God Bless

Carol

Steve, I have to agree with what Carol is telling you. I put off my surgery for a year (anterior/postterior 3 level fusion, rods, pins, screws, etc etc). I paid for it also. You may think that you are just trying to make sure that your family is ok etc etc etc. But you may be doing permanent damage that you will not ever recover from.

I had a 3 level fusion surgery. My back broke at the disc above the last fused one. This happened when they got me out of bed after surgery. The staff got me up twice a day to walk for a week-with a broken back. My surgeon was out of town and his replacement didn't listen to my issues. I ended up with a 2nd 5.5 hour surgery and am now fused from T9-sacrum. My point is that a year earlier I only needed a 2 level fusion, not 3. I will always wonder what I could have prevented by not waiting that extra year.

As my friend the nurse says, "You don't get a medal for pain."

Mamakitkat and Ibake&pray,

Thank you for your advise. I truly appreciate you both taking the time to share your stories and suggestions. I will take them to heart. The real problem I have is that after 6 surgeries, I hurt more than ever. I am just not convinced that another, more complicated procedure will do the trick.

I have much to lose if I agree to the procedure and then can't work for an extended period of time. My wife does not work outside of the home and I am the sole source of income. Fortunately, I make a good deal of money and my family's lifestyle is built around this. I feel selfish putting that all at risk simply so that I can not be in so much pain. I'm not trying to be a matyr either. It is simply the fianacial facts of life.

Chances are I will have to gamble that I am not doing too much further damage to my spine and that somewhere down the road researchers will find a solution to our problems that doesn't require months away from work.

Thanks again to both of you and I hope you have many pain free days ahead of you.

Steve