zach88
02-29-2008, 05:23 PM
Hi to all,
I haven't posted on here in about a month, I've actually been very busy with stuff. I want to update you guys, and more importantly, get some questions answered and see how you feel about my overall situation.
About three weeks ago, my spinal surgeon and neurosurgeon were disagreeing over an MRI, and whether I had a recurrent disc herniation at L5-S1. Finally, my spinal surgeon ordered a myelogram (which I have to say is one of the most uncomfortable tests I've ever had to endure, mostly because of the side effects of the dye). The myelogram indeed showed a much cleared picture of my "strategically placed" disc herniation at L5-S1, and both doctors agreed that the best course of action was another, more extensive exploratory discectomy/laminectomy. I was not happy that the doctors were disagreeing, so once a decision was made I was a lot more comfortable about the whole situation.
After a whole bunch of thinking and decision making, we decided that the neurosurgeon would be a good choice to do my second surgery in two months. They both are very reputable doctors, but ultimately I felt that if I'm having the surgery, I might as well try a different doctor that I was comfortable with. Both doctor agreed that although it's my second surgery, a discectomy was still the best course of action because they feel there's enough of a chance of some relief from that, rather than jumping right into a fusion at nineteen years old. Do you think this is the right course of action?
I have surgery on Monday now, and I legitimately am looking forward to it. I've spent too many months waiting around feeling unproductive, mostly because the doctors really weren't sure what was going on. After a month of being on the Duragesic patch unsuccessfully, I finally decided to just go back to Norco until after surgery, because it was the only medication, ahead of Dilaudid, Percocet, Methadone, and Fentanyl that proved to be somewhat effective. I decided to try the brand name Norco, just to see if there was any marked difference, and surprisingly, there is. With the generic Norco, I was inconsistently getting either no relief, or 20-40 minutes, and that's all. With the brand name, I'm finding that the effects of the medication last at least an hour, and it's been much more consistent than the generic.
Do you guys think I'm making the best possible decision? Both doctors told me that with a second surgery, the success rate drops from 90% to 60%, but my feeling is that I'd rather try something with a 60% success rate than sit around and have no chance of getting better.
What I'm concerned with right now is my pain control at the hospital. I've spoken to my surgeon about it, and we tentatively have decided on Morphine in a PCA pump. In September, I had Dilaudid running through the pump, but I was in pain the entire time I was in the hospital. Morphine is still one of the few opiates I have not tried as a pain reliever. I know it is still the gold standard of all pain killers, and even though it is less strong than Dilaudid, it does act differently on different receptors. I'm also finding more relief from hydrocodone than I am from fentanyl. Do you think the Moprhine will work out for me?
I really just felt like updating everyone and sharing my story. Any kind of feedback or insight would be great, I'm sure i'll be checking quite frequently. I hope that all of you have the same opportunities that I do to achieve a more pain-free lifestyle.
God bless,
Zach
I haven't posted on here in about a month, I've actually been very busy with stuff. I want to update you guys, and more importantly, get some questions answered and see how you feel about my overall situation.
About three weeks ago, my spinal surgeon and neurosurgeon were disagreeing over an MRI, and whether I had a recurrent disc herniation at L5-S1. Finally, my spinal surgeon ordered a myelogram (which I have to say is one of the most uncomfortable tests I've ever had to endure, mostly because of the side effects of the dye). The myelogram indeed showed a much cleared picture of my "strategically placed" disc herniation at L5-S1, and both doctors agreed that the best course of action was another, more extensive exploratory discectomy/laminectomy. I was not happy that the doctors were disagreeing, so once a decision was made I was a lot more comfortable about the whole situation.
After a whole bunch of thinking and decision making, we decided that the neurosurgeon would be a good choice to do my second surgery in two months. They both are very reputable doctors, but ultimately I felt that if I'm having the surgery, I might as well try a different doctor that I was comfortable with. Both doctor agreed that although it's my second surgery, a discectomy was still the best course of action because they feel there's enough of a chance of some relief from that, rather than jumping right into a fusion at nineteen years old. Do you think this is the right course of action?
I have surgery on Monday now, and I legitimately am looking forward to it. I've spent too many months waiting around feeling unproductive, mostly because the doctors really weren't sure what was going on. After a month of being on the Duragesic patch unsuccessfully, I finally decided to just go back to Norco until after surgery, because it was the only medication, ahead of Dilaudid, Percocet, Methadone, and Fentanyl that proved to be somewhat effective. I decided to try the brand name Norco, just to see if there was any marked difference, and surprisingly, there is. With the generic Norco, I was inconsistently getting either no relief, or 20-40 minutes, and that's all. With the brand name, I'm finding that the effects of the medication last at least an hour, and it's been much more consistent than the generic.
Do you guys think I'm making the best possible decision? Both doctors told me that with a second surgery, the success rate drops from 90% to 60%, but my feeling is that I'd rather try something with a 60% success rate than sit around and have no chance of getting better.
What I'm concerned with right now is my pain control at the hospital. I've spoken to my surgeon about it, and we tentatively have decided on Morphine in a PCA pump. In September, I had Dilaudid running through the pump, but I was in pain the entire time I was in the hospital. Morphine is still one of the few opiates I have not tried as a pain reliever. I know it is still the gold standard of all pain killers, and even though it is less strong than Dilaudid, it does act differently on different receptors. I'm also finding more relief from hydrocodone than I am from fentanyl. Do you think the Moprhine will work out for me?
I really just felt like updating everyone and sharing my story. Any kind of feedback or insight would be great, I'm sure i'll be checking quite frequently. I hope that all of you have the same opportunities that I do to achieve a more pain-free lifestyle.
God bless,
Zach
Sponsor
brianpain33
02-29-2008, 05:39 PM
Zach:
It is good to see you back on the boards. I don't really have any advice on the surgeries since I have never needed back surgery and hopefully never will. I do have some minor lower back pain but I am managing that and might actually go to a chiropractor for some adjustments. Anyway, I know that it definitely is a tough decision to make concerning the surgery but at least there is a fairly good chance that it will help with your pain. I know that I would be scared to concerning after-operation pain. I think your doctors are pretty knowledgable and will be able to get your pain under control. I will let some others give you advice on the surgeries but I am wishing you good luck.
Brian
It is good to see you back on the boards. I don't really have any advice on the surgeries since I have never needed back surgery and hopefully never will. I do have some minor lower back pain but I am managing that and might actually go to a chiropractor for some adjustments. Anyway, I know that it definitely is a tough decision to make concerning the surgery but at least there is a fairly good chance that it will help with your pain. I know that I would be scared to concerning after-operation pain. I think your doctors are pretty knowledgable and will be able to get your pain under control. I will let some others give you advice on the surgeries but I am wishing you good luck.
Brian
skych
03-01-2008, 12:05 PM
Hi Zach,
Wow what a hard thing to go through when docs do not agree. That must have been scarry.
I am glad to hear they did further testing and finally agreed.
Zach no one but you can make the judgement call of wether surgery is the right thing or not. I know all to well how hard of a decision that it can be as I have had many surgeries in my life especially the last few years.
Being that your a yong person I think that you will have an easier time bouncing back from it as long as your eating good and being a healthy person.
I also understand the concerns about pain control after surgery. I was lucky that I got to stay in the hospiatal after my cervical surgery and they had me on a IV with a small continuous amount of Demerol going in and a PCA pump of Demerol evey 6 minutes which was needed right after surgery. They also had me on muscle relaxers or valium. The doc and hospital did a good job manageing the pain for me. Please just tell the doc and anesthesiologist of your concerns before you go into the surgery. Dont be afraid to ask for what you need. It is important to get adequate pain control after your surgery and be comfortable so that your body can heal well.
One other thing. Surgery is tricky because some folks wake up and are better and never hurt anymore and others have their surgeries only to find that they have more pain. I have to work on patience in that area. Talk with your doctors and try your best to keep a good line of comunication. I keep a pain diary of my symptoms and pain levels as well as levels of my emotions because they do go hand and hand sometimes. The elevated pain levels that can linger around after surgeries does not .necessarily mean that the surgery did not help. TIME TIME TIME. Time is the main deal and I am learning that myself. We get these expectations of going for surgery and then being all better and it just does not realistcally happen that way because every persons body is different and heals at its own pace. We will be there to support you either way. Just try to be open minded about your recovery
I wish you the best of luck and please report back as soon as you can and let us know that your ok.
God Bless...
Chrissy
Wow what a hard thing to go through when docs do not agree. That must have been scarry.
I am glad to hear they did further testing and finally agreed.
Zach no one but you can make the judgement call of wether surgery is the right thing or not. I know all to well how hard of a decision that it can be as I have had many surgeries in my life especially the last few years.
Being that your a yong person I think that you will have an easier time bouncing back from it as long as your eating good and being a healthy person.
I also understand the concerns about pain control after surgery. I was lucky that I got to stay in the hospiatal after my cervical surgery and they had me on a IV with a small continuous amount of Demerol going in and a PCA pump of Demerol evey 6 minutes which was needed right after surgery. They also had me on muscle relaxers or valium. The doc and hospital did a good job manageing the pain for me. Please just tell the doc and anesthesiologist of your concerns before you go into the surgery. Dont be afraid to ask for what you need. It is important to get adequate pain control after your surgery and be comfortable so that your body can heal well.
One other thing. Surgery is tricky because some folks wake up and are better and never hurt anymore and others have their surgeries only to find that they have more pain. I have to work on patience in that area. Talk with your doctors and try your best to keep a good line of comunication. I keep a pain diary of my symptoms and pain levels as well as levels of my emotions because they do go hand and hand sometimes. The elevated pain levels that can linger around after surgeries does not .necessarily mean that the surgery did not help. TIME TIME TIME. Time is the main deal and I am learning that myself. We get these expectations of going for surgery and then being all better and it just does not realistcally happen that way because every persons body is different and heals at its own pace. We will be there to support you either way. Just try to be open minded about your recovery
I wish you the best of luck and please report back as soon as you can and let us know that your ok.
God Bless...
Chrissy