Just out of curiosity

[injured betty]

I have been reading these boards for quite awhile now and am noticing trends. I would be curious to know just how many people had a different back operation before they ended up with fusion and why they had to have fusion. It seems to me like there are a good number of people who have discectomies and end up with fusion down the line. I wonder why doctors don't just do fusion first? I realize that fusion is the last resort, but with so many people ending up there, why not start out there?

Has anyone here had fusion for anything less than an unstable spine?

Also, what is the success rate for those here with fusion? How many here are pain free???? Like, absolutely, no residual pain.

Has anyone's doctors told them that they could cure the pain?

[aikidoka96]

Hi ,
My very first surgery was a fusion from L4-S1. It was done back in the '80s. My 2 other surgeriess were decompression lamis for removal of scar tissue. I just recently found out that the fusion NEVER took on the right side. An orthopedic spine specialist said that he could put in pedicle screws but there would be no guarantee that this would help with the pain that I have been experiencing. He did say an anterior/posterior approach could be done or I may want to consider a SCS or implantable morphine pump. I decided on the SCS with a PM doc who is also an anesthesiologist. So far, I am VERY satisfied with this course of treatment.

Marianne

[tammys]

Injured Betty....I had a diskectomy/lamenectomy in Aug 2001 and did great afterwards and probably would not have had to have the fusion (in April 2002) had I not taken a bad fall and messed things up in my back. After I had my diskectomy/lamenectomy I was fully recovered and back doing all the things I did prior to having surgery. I was off of all pain pills and back at work full time. Then I fell in March 2002 and had the fusion a month later. Since I had my fusion, I have not done so well. I am on more pain medication than I ever wanted to be (tylox, lodine and ultram plus zanaflex and flexeril for muscle spasms). I just had another MRI done on Wednesday and waiting to see what the doctor thinks we should do from here. Unlike many here, I have never been sent to PT or PM. I used a swimming pool for aqua therapy on my own, but was never sent by my surgeon. My original surgeon kept me pretty much immobile for the first month after my surgery and then x-rays were done and I was taken out of the irratating back brace and put into a back cast that I wore for what seemed like an eternity. I now have a different doctor and hope that she will be more aggressive at trying to find and fix the problem instead of "just treating the pain." I have several friends that have had diskectomy/lamenectomy surgery and have never had any other problems since then. My uncle had diskectomy/lamenectomy 10 years ago and he has no pain and no problems. I guess there are the few out there that get lucky and then the rest of us that are doomed backwise. As I have said before, different people respond differently to treatments.
Did this answer any of your questions?...........Good Luck!!! Keep Smiling!!!

Tammy

[Jessie1]

I had a discectomy in March 2004. It would have been very successful for me if I hadn't been in a head-on car accident 3 weeks after surgery. I finally had my fusion done 8 weeks ago because of increasing instability and risk of permanent nerve damage. I seem to have been lucky and escaped that one, thank goodness. Before my surgery, my surgeon told me I could have one of 3 results: better, worse, or the same (in terms of pain). He could give me no guarantee of being totally pain free. However, for me it was worth taking the risk- I'm only 24 and I wanted my life back. So far, 8 weeks post-op, I am almost totally pain free, with only the occasional spasm or sharp pain. I saw my doc on Tuesday and he told me that with the results I've had so far, he expects those to go away as long as I follow his orders. Let me know if I can clarify anything for you!

[Rhonni]

I had a lami/discectomy 14 months prior to my fusion. It was about 8 months into it when it was determined (by a new doctor) that I should do the fusion. The first doctor told me I'd need a fusion, but wanted to see if lami/disc would help first. Doctor #2 told me that Doctor #1 didn't do a thorough enough job, but as I recall, the decision was mine to make with doctor #1.

I'm painfree. You included residual pain and while I have pain when I wake up due to muscles tensing all throughout my back, and this is somewhat surgery related, I don't see it as residual pain. And the foot pain I have (zingers) will go away... it's only natural that a nerve would be affected having been exposed for 6 hours. It will heal eventually.

Bottom line, though, is that I feel as though the surgery was a success and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.