I guess I'm wondering about recovery. How long before I'd be able to travel - like fly in a plane. We've got a cruise booked end of July, and some other work events that require travel in April.
How long after a fusion would I have to be incapacitated?
Hope you can get an answer. I have asked the same questions and I only hear... Everyone is different, depends on the person. Not what I want to hear? Judy making myself super strong and my mind set that I will be back to normal in no time.
Thought I'd share an update. Went to see another Ortho in the area. They seem to think my pain could be caused by the facet joints at those levels. I'm scheduled for facet joint injections over the next couple of weeks, then a lumbar epidural steroid injection (which the Nero said wouldn't help because I didn't have sciatic pain).. Maybe he's just making sure they show that they've tried everything before fighting insurance for surgery.
I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that these DO give me relief so I can get on with my life.
Best of luck to you, you may get lucky and this will be the magic method that helps you, stay strong, do everything you can. I made it 6 years with a couple if injections and a lot of core strengthening exercises... This Friday I go on for my L4-5 fusion... One more hurdle to get around but I will come back even stronger... Hang in there, more power to you?
Best of luck to you, you may get lucky and this will be the magic method that helps you, stay strong, do everything you can. I made it 6 years with a couple if injections and a lot of core strengthening exercises... This Friday I go on for my L4-5 fusion... One more hurdle to get around but I will come back even stronger... Hang in there, more power to you?
Cthom2, I'm so glad to hear that yours lasted 6 years! Yah!!
I will send up a little prayer this Friday for you that your surgery will be successful. Be strong!
BTW, I'm from Houston (been gone 20 or so years).. but sis lives in Humble area now. It's beautiful up your way.
Re: Lower back, scar tissue or Sacrum? -injection update
Had my first set of injections today. Left facet joints L3,4&5. Different kind of pain. I read that the numbing would give temporary relief if it were those areas. I didn't really feel that..but I'm going to be optimistic and give it more days as they say. I go back for the right side next Friday.
cthom2, hope your surgery went well today. thinking of you.
Surgery went really well. I am up and walking around, going to have to concentrate on taking it slowl but I feel confident I will be in fighting shape within a year! Success
Surgery went really well. I am up and walking around, going to have to concentrate on taking it slowl but I feel confident I will be in fighting shape within a year! Success
That is GREAT NEWS! So happy to hear it! Yes, just take it easy over there in Spring town... ( did I tell you I'm from Texas? Houston area.)
My injections didn't really help, and the pain meds aren't carrying their strength, so I went to see a pain managment doc yesterday. He validated the discogram, and said that he didn't think the facet joint injections would have worked anyway. He suggested a different type of injection: transforaminal epidural... right into the nerve area. I've been trying to get someone to acknowledge that it's the nerves around the tears and he DID, thank GOD! I canceled the other Ortho visit and will work with this new guy. He adjusted my pain meds and put me back on Lyrica. Said he wouldn't do the 3 level fusion either, and that our consideration of Stem Cell transplant is valid.
So... it's almost the weekend Cthom2... continue to rest and take it easy. We are all thinking of you.
Grover --These comments are not specifically directed at your issues. I don't know enough about your situation to say anything specific. I'm not trying to say anything about one specialty being "better" than the other or one making a better diagnosis than the other...I am just making a comment for general consideration.
People in general should try to be aware that pain management doctors and spine surgeons are not necessarily working for the same purpose or outcome. The pain management doc's objectives are not necessarily the same as the spine specialist's.
Keep in mind that the interentional pain management doctor is usually an anesthesiologist who has taken some additional courses in pain management. This specialty does not have the intensive education and experience of dealing with the mechanics and the diseases of the back and neck. Also their objective is to manage the person's pain -- they don't deal with whether the issues in the spine may be causing increased deterioration of the spine if not addressed, and their objective is not necessarily to return the person to functionality.
I guess my point is that with back problems, it isn't really an either or situation. Patients tend to do best when working with a pm doc and a spine surgeon who are working in tandem to ameliorate the person's spine problems.
If one wanted to be cynical about it, it is not really in the PM doc's best interests for someone to have surgery...that is potentially one less patient for him/her to treat. When one is not trying to resolve the issue that is causing the pain, but treating for the pain instead, you can have a patient for life.
Cthom2 ~ Glad to hear your surgery went well and that you are beginning down the path to recovery. I know you have some deadlines in mind by which time you want to be healed...but please learn to listen to your body. You will learn that your body will heal in its own time and that there is little you can do to speed the process along.
Also remember that even though you may show bone growth early, the fusion itself will not be reliably strong until about a year out. The new cells will knit together prior to then, but it takes a good twelve months for the bone to harden and become strong.
Since the L4-L5 carries the brunt of the body's movement, it is really important that you not stress this joint during recovery. Try not to cause a flare of sciatic pain as you gradually increase the amount you walk. It is much easier to prevent this from happening than to get it to quiet back down...so just be mindful of this, too.
Thanks Teteri66 for your comments.. and YES, I totally agree with you. I am not giving up my Neurosurgeon, and in fact, TOLD the PM that we were still seeing him and considering the Stem Cell Transplant. Hubby actually came out and asked the PM doctor did they work in tandem with Nuerosurgeons and he said yes he would. He even joked that although he's heard that triple fusions don't work well, that people who have them tend to become his patients and that's what keeps his children in private school.
He knows I'm there for him to just assist in dealing with the pain, as I'm about to embark on 2 different conferences and needed my pain meds adjusted.
There's no way I'm giving up on my NS, that's for darn sure... I just thought it in my best interest to work with someone other than my primary care doc on managing the pain until I try and decide which avenue I will go in regards surgery/stem cell.
It's amazing how this pain can preoccupy my time and effect my work. Although I have a 10 year IF-4000 Stimulator (reminds me of the old brick cell phones), I was able to purchase a portable TENS unit through Costco and LOVE it!
Thanks again for your thoughts. I respect your comments very much and appreciate it everytime you respond.
Last edited by Administrator; 03-21-2013 at 07:53 AM.
Oh good. I was afraid you would be annoyed by my comments.
And, by the way, I am fused from L3-S1. We tried doing L4-L5 first, and it was "successful" but it never resolved my pain (mainly sciatic pain) issues, although it did take care of my severe stenosis. It took me several years to convince various doctors that I didn't just have permanent nerve damage...and that I was still unstable. Everyone kept wanting me to "try" a spinal cord stimulator. I kept refusing, and kept looking for answers because I knew there was something mechanically wrong that could be addressed.
I'm happy if you've found someone who can help you get by for awhile longer.
The following user gives a hug of support to teteri66: grover771 (03-21-2013)
Hi grover771.....I just wanted to say hello and note that I am glad you are still moving forward with trying to find the best solution to resolve your pain. We communicated early on when you first posted on the board I think.
I was reading all these posts and although I don't have knowledge to share.....I was just thinking about you. Hang in there. It sounds like you are!!
The following user gives a hug of support to Calin: grover771 (03-21-2013)
Hi grover771.....I just wanted to say hello and note that I am glad you are still moving forward with trying to find the best solution to resolve your pain. We communicated early on when you first posted on the board I think.
I was reading all these posts and although I don't have knowledge to share.....I was just thinking about you. Hang in there. It sounds like you are!!
Hi Calin! I saw your name and smiled.. isn't that funny?
Thanks for checking on me. I hope to make the time that you all make to check on others as I begin to feel better. This board has been so supportive. I can't imagine not having all of you around. Hope you are doing well. :-)
Hi grover, I just wamted you to know that i have been following your progress as well & have said a few prayers, we Tx folks have to stick together! Lol So, anytime that you need support or a listening ear or someone that understands & "gets"it i will be checking & sending up a few more prayers for you! God bless you grover, soon the drs will have this figured out & the solution will be found & all back to normal for you!
Thank you so much gmak! I have witnessed the power of prayer with my sister's Leukemia. Had all my Facebook friends storm the heavens. God truly walks with us!
I need to come to grips with the fact that I will have good days and bad days... even though I cant figure out why. I felt pretty good yesterday, but woke up this morning hurting. Maybe I'm sleeping different or something. Who knows.
We leave for New Orleans tomorrow. I have an National Education Conference I'm attending. Looking forward to some good "lousiana" cooking. :-)
The following user gives a hug of support to grover771: Calin (03-22-2013)
Re: Lower back, scar tissue or Sacrum? 
