Back surgery- fusions

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I had a laminectomy in Nov. for sciatica and it made things about 100% worse. I had left leg pain but nothing like I have now. I had another MRI done and everything is worse and I'm now seeing a neurosurgeon instead of an orthopedic surgeon. He has me scheduled for a fusion, and said something about putting a cage in there, and cadaver bone. I just called again ( my surgeon is 2 hrs away) and said I was confused about what is going to be done. His PA said she would send me a booklet about the surgery,

Did you have this done or do you know anyone who has had this done? How successful is it and how long of a recovery is it?

[lauraellen80 855]

My mom had a spinal fusion several years ago. It is a major surgery--hers was about 8 hours long, though that may depend on how many vertebrae have to be fused. She had a bone graft, but they harvested bone from her hip for it. She doesn't have a cage, just a lot of screws and rods in there. After surgery, she had to be in a special custom-fitted molded plastic brace that went from her breast bone to her pubic bone. She had to wear that for several months for everything but sleeping. Then she transitioned to a more corset-like brace for a few more months. I don't remember how long she was off work, but it was several weeks at least. She was still working as a floor nurse at the time (which is why she had to have surgery in the first place), and had to be on desk duty for a while after she went back.

I also have a friend who had a more invasive spinal fusion done a couple years ago, and I don't think he had to be in a special brace at all--I don't know if the procedure changed in the 6 or 7 years between when my mom had surgery and when he did, or if it was based on where on the spine the surgery was, or what.

My friend's surgery hasn't been that successful, but he has an underlying chronic condition that results in a continued deterioration of the spine--he's a 40-year-old with the spine of a 90-year-old, basically.

My mom's, on the other hand, has been very successful. She's almost ten years out, and only occasionally has pain--more a feeling that her back is "tired" than anything. She will sometimes have an ache where they took the bone graft out of her hip. But she can go horseback riding, kayaking, and even water-skiing.

[Bandista 7,466]

My husband has PEEK cages -- saved his life. Polyetheretherketone is the material and it is packed with bone material which hardens over time. Titanium screws. They went in through his belly. This was a third surgery in the same region -- L4 L5 S1 -- over a 20-year period during which he had so much pain and immobility. Thank god he is walking today and healthier than he's been in years. Takes no drugs. I can even get him out on the dance floor now.

[woo woo 872]

@@Bandista how wonderful that your husband has had so much success with his surgery.

I went to see my doc yesterday, he wants to try back injections.

Has anyone else had these?

[lauraellen80 855]

@@Bandista how wonderful that your husband has had so much success with his surgery.

I went to see my doc yesterday, he wants to try back injections.

Has anyone else had these?

I had 3 steroid injections over a few months last summer/fall--one in my S/I joint, one in my facet joints, and one epidural. I know a lot of people find relief with the injections, but they didn't make a difference with my pain. However, I think that my weight (and the fact that most of it it in my gut) has been causing most of my back issues--at over 40 lbs down now, my back is not bothering me nearly as much.

The injections themselves are not a big deal. My doc did put me under to do them, but they only take about 10 minutes each. I couldn't drive the rest of that day, and slept most of it anyway. I did end up taking the following day off as well, because often you have increased pain for a few days immediately after the injection.

[Djmohr 6,965]

@@Oregondaisy

I have had a lot of experience in this area. I had spondylothesis in my lower lumbar. My disc was almost completely worn away and my L5 had actually fallen creating an unstable lumbar. The nerve was actually trapped caused severe nerve pain. In 2001 I had a lumbar fusion of my l5/S1.

Lumbar is a huge surgery and takes a very long time to recover. I was left with nerve damage that ran down my right leg. It almost ended my career because we could not get the pain under control. Many many epidural injections, physical therapy and narcotics and I was still in severe pain but my spine was stable.

I wanted a non narcotic solution and finally learned about an internal neuro stimulator. We tested it externally and immediately when we turned it on the pain down my leg improved so significantly I began to cry. Two weeks later I had it installed surgically. That Neurostimulatoe gave me my life back! That was in 2005. I went so many years in severe pain before I found a solution.

I have recently had a 3 level spinal fusion in my cervical spine. This too was a huge surgery. Because of the years of recovery needed for lumbar fusion I was terrified to have another fusion and waited until the problem became required due to cord compression. Cervical fusion although painful is definately not as bad as lumbar fusion.

Before I had my lumbar fusion a neurosurgeon told me that if I was his wife, mother or daughter he would recommend that I wait until it was absolutely required to survive before having lumbar fusion. One fusion can change everything about how your spine operates causing more damage down the road. He warned me that this is such a long recovery and if you think you know pain now, you definately will after.

I really wish I would have listened to him because he was right.

I would try every single alternative more than once before moving forward. I wish I had know about the neurostimulator first, it would have made my pain so much more comfortable that I would have been able to live with it without lumbar fusion. I ended up having that lumbar fusion and then a revision before I found a tolerable solution.

I have done a ton of research on this subject. I truly believe that my whole spine has been effected by my decision to move forward with lumbar fusion. I now have severe arthritis in my T vertebraes as well as the deterioration of my cervical spine. I still have lower lumbar pain every day but that neurostimulator finally broke through that nerve pain in my leg.

Lastly I would say, epidural injections are definately worth it as long as you get results. I used them for 12 years to control my cervical spine pain and when the wear got too bad they stopped working, that is when I knew it was time to think about fusion in my neck.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do. Just make sure you manage your expectations. Just because they are doing surgery, does not mean that nerve pain will go away. You may have to find other solutions.

I choose not to live on narcotics and have learned there are many more options out there to deal with my pain. I was living on narcotics for over 10 years and honestly they didn't even really help. I know I will live with back pain for the rest of my life, I also know that the more I exercise the better I feel. I no longer let it rule me. I definately did at one point in my life.

I will say a prayer that everything works out great for you in whatever you decide. My post is not meant to scare you, but More to make sure you research like crazy before deciding,

Best of luck and feel free to reach out directly with questions.

[woo woo 872]

@@Djmohr thank you for sharing your experiences, it was really good info and food for thought.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

This whole thing has me so freaked out. I don't see how I can live with the way things are, but the chance that things could be worse is horrifying. I have 100% coverage right now, because of my laminectomy surgery. I feel like if this is what I have to do, I should at least do it while it's paid for.

It's L4 & L5 that are the problem. he said I have spondylothesis too. His office is supposed to send me a booklet that will tell me more about it. He said he's going to put a cage in there and cadaver bone. It's just so horrifying to think that I could go through all this with a long recovery and not be out of pain in the end.

[perk4756 259]

I've had a fusion that failed. Also 4 others that have failed. A crushed sciatica too. Leg pain and on a cane. But since I started this, I have a new outlook. After my exercise class I've decided to start them now and it's helping me physically. Failed back surgeries is what has caused my weight gain, but not gonna let it anymore. I do get epidural injection every 6 months in rounds of 3. They aren't a fix, but a little help. Getting Facet's on wed's. Had them after one of my surgeries and they helped before

[perk4756 259]

My mom had a spinal fusion several years ago. It is a major surgery--hers was about 8 hours long, though that may depend on how many vertebrae have to be fused. She had a bone graft, but they harvested bone from her hip for it. She doesn't have a cage, just a lot of screws and rods in there. After surgery, she had to be in a special custom-fitted molded plastic brace that went from her breast bone to her pubic bone. She had to wear that for several months for everything but sleeping. Then she transitioned to a more corset-like brace for a few more months. I don't remember how long she was off work, but it was several weeks at least. She was still working as a floor nurse at the time (which is why she had to have surgery in the first place), and had to be on desk duty for a while after she went back.

I also have a friend who had a more invasive spinal fusion done a couple years ago, and I don't think he had to be in a special brace at all--I don't know if the procedure changed in the 6 or 7 years between when my mom had surgery and when he did, or if it was based on where on the spine the surgery was, or what.

My friend's surgery hasn't been that successful, but he has an underlying chronic condition that results in a continued deterioration of the spine--he's a 40-year-old with the spine of a 90-year-old, basically.

My mom's, on the other hand, has been very successful. She's almost ten years out, and only occasionally has pain--more a feeling that her back is "tired" than anything. She will sometimes have an ache where they took the bone graft out of her hip. But she can go horseback riding, kayaking, and even water-skiing.

I had the fusion too. They used another's bone for me, but I have the cage . big mess they made of me too. Lot's of deteriation. Been disabled every since.