I just thought I would start a thread on failed fusion's today .
Curious how many people have these. My surgeon tell's me I'm fused and a worker's comp doctor say's there is very little fusion mass more on the right then the left. This really bites big time.

How many non-fusion folks are out there and how many times is it necessary to try to fuse ? Personally I want to have bone helping the hardware for the rest of my life , not to worry about breaking them AGAIN.
Any input would be helpful.

Mamakitkat I feel for you , 4 failed fusion attemps ,,,jeesh !

Shawley :wave:

Shawley - I'm SO sorry you're having problems with your fusion. I can't relate, as I fused like a bandit without using any bone (let's hear it for not having to go through the bone harvesting post-op pain!). Like you, I can't imagine mamakitkat going through it 4 times. I can't offer much but my sympathy and hope they figure out a way for you to fuse.

Mary
:wave:

I have not had fusion surgery but do have a retired neurosurgeon as a neighbor. One thing I have picked up is that surgeons tend to be biased. They tend to think fusion means cured. To me cured means free from pain. He said 94% of surgeries eventually fuse. The neurosurgeon I consulted with as a patient said that he felt reasonably sure he could fuse my L5-S1 but said there was a zero percent chance of getting off narcotic pain meds.

Here-here! I agree totally. Neurosurgeons DO think that if you fuse you're cured. I guess it makes sense, as their job is to make sure your spine is stabilized. The pain is just a side factor, and since it's not on their radar (really), if you're left with pain it doesn't enter into their 'view' of your condition. My neurosurgeon told the attorney handling my case that he considered my prognosis 'excellent'. What he didn't explain (until later) is that he was talking simply about the spine stabilization, and not about the chronic pain or irreversible nerve damage. Neurosurgeons have a narrow, narrow view when doing fusions, and I guess they have to, as by the time they get a patient there has been so much pain and suffering that they can't be considered miracle workers. My surgeon never told me I would be pain free after my surgery, just that my spine would be stabilized (and it is).

Hi Shawley!
I wanted to stop in and say HI! I kinda wont be arond that much because its my busyies season right now during the summer here, b ut i wondered how you are doing?
xoxoxoxo,
IZZY'SMOM

Guys, a little of my input here...:)
Do you know that term Failed Back Surgery Syndrome means not only if you did not fuse?? There are a lot of other symptoms included in this term!

Since no tests can prove 100% if you fused or not (only if they open you up again) my non fusion situation is not confirmed yet, but my Failed Surgery syndrome confirmed based on my pain, on bunch of different symptoms i got, on damaged nerves involved, not be able to walk, etc....
I read about this on Internet also, they name a lot of conditions which can contrubute to the diagnoses of Failed surgery..
Good luck to all of you:wave:

Hi Shawley,
Hi to everyone else too. Thanks Shawley for the kind words. I am so sorry to see so many failed ones on here. They say it's not that common and I guess we are on here because it did fail. I imagine there are thousands out there that never ended up here so we are the minority, so they say. I'm waiting for hte day they can do spinal transplants, I will the first in line for that one!! although I"m sure it will be hundreds of yrs from now. Oh well, just as long as we keep going everyday we will make it thru this, together.

God Bless

Carol

Moldova, you are so right! How can they be sure you didn't fuse, if they can't say 100% that you did??????
Rustysgurl, we must be seeing the same surgeon. LOL. My surgeon thinks my surgery went very well. The hardware is straight and the screws appear in place and it appears that I fused. With his new technique he even managed to do a bone harvest with no after pain. Never mine that I have severe nerve pain 24/7 over the entire lower body and legs. The insurance company declared it a Failed spinal surgery. Shawley, did they show you on a x-ray or what that the bone graft didn't fuse???

My Doctor started to tell me from the first month he sees a fusion (from regular ex-rays). Only later on when i searched and saw other Doctors I find out the truth: nobody can tell from ex-ray if i fused or not.

When i confronted my Doctor and told him what i know now, he was kind of uncomfortable saying: yes, sometimes it shows, sometimes it does not ??? What is that suppose to mean? :confused: But why am i suprised with him? He still keep saying that my permanent nerve damage in a foot/leg/toes which was confirmed by 3 Doctors include neurosurgeon, neurologist and EMG test is misdiagnosed. He said he does not believe that this happened after surgery, i may had this before... did you ever? LOL
I was able to walk, excericise, i did not use a cane and my EMG did not show that damage before... Frastruating how he covers his... i bet he had couple of law s-s on his hands with other patients and he is afraid now. Have no idea.:confused:

Moldova--My w/c Dr. told me the same thing , you will onlt know if they open you back up , dig away the soft tissue around the bone and try to pull the hardware loose. But by looking at my hardware on xray you can clearly see I have no bone growth around the pedical screw's or behind my hardware itself , I do have some inbetween the vertebra but very little. My surgeon told me yesterday he would not remove my hardware , I think he know's I'm not fused , because he told me on my last visit he thought I did have enough fusion to remove it , but he must have thought harder about it because now he's not. He think's my stim will take away some pain from my back. Personally I want it out and he know's it. I'm thinking he's waiting a little longer for it to fuse since he added protien and bone to it last July and comp would have a fit if he did another bone graph so soon on me ??

Shawley

Sorry, Shawley... so frastruating that Work comp has to decide what needs to be done to YOUR body.
I know how it feels when you have a thousands questions in your head and you can't find the answers.
I hope that stim will help you with your pain and than go from there...
Good luck on 18th!

Moldova-- Thank's for the encouraging thoughts. I'm sure the implant will go great. Our church sent us $40.00 for gas to my appointment , I told them I didn't need it that we would manage but they sent it anyway saying they wanted me to have it . So nice huh ?

Sorry about this titled thread , I should have started it by people with
Non-unions .

Thank's again to you .

Shawley.

PS. what course of action are you taking with your back problem's ?

Moldova-- Thank's for the encouraging thoughts. I'm sure the implant will go great. Our church sent us $40.00 for gas to my appointment , I told them I didn't need it that we would manage but they sent it anyway saying they wanted me to have it . So nice huh ?

Sorry about this titled thread , I should have started it by people with
Non-unions .

Thank's again to you .

Shawley.

PS. what course of action are you taking with your back problem's ?

I have the whole day of app at HSS in NYC on June 11th. It will be MRI with contrast, CT with contrast, different kind of ex-rays where they stretch your body in a different positions, neurologist, EMG test done also.
And only after he goes thru all the results, i guess, he will call me or i will have to go back and see him for the verdict. So far i know nothing.

this is so nice that they helped you with gasoline... it is nice when somebody thinks about helping people - i love that thought.

Moldova you make sure you come on here and give the verdict.

Yes it is nice my church has a program like that . Plus I just got into a heated arguement with my attorney about comp not paying for my mileage to my appointments , my attorney said send him every appointment I had with him since 2005 and he will ask them to pay up or face the comp judge.:D
It's about time they pay. That's going to be a huge amount also because I seen my surgeon 60-70 times since I been going to him and its a 240 mile round trip so I'm guessing $155.00 a trip.

That money would help us so much .:wave: