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  • Originally posted by JenniferG View Post
    Whilst I know your medical situation is very difficult, I am wondering about whether the surgeries in recent times, have helped your pain Melissa? I know you had a few last year and I am wondering if those surgeries gave you relief? I do hope that one by one, they are giving you relief. I always wish I had a magic wand for you when I hear of your continuing/new pain.
    Yes my right hip replacement has given me pain relief. The problem last year was that I broke my right leg femur bone twice. It is now enclosed in metal with screws holding it together. My right hip is basically pain free. By walking correctly on the right side, now the left hip hurts badly.Before my hip surgeon does any more surgery on me, I will make sure that he confers with Dr Bederman. When he did that in October,before my last hip surgery , he found out how to do the replacement hip surgery on me. It then went wonderfully and it has stayed in since the October surgery. The replacement hip has even stayed in when I fell on my garage floor and shattered my femur bone.

    I have some choices to make now regarding surgery. My right knee needs to be replaced as I have nothing between the knee parts. It is all bone on bone which is very painful. My left hip needs to be replaced as well.

    I am having a MRI done on my lower spine for Dr Bederman to look at. I am having much pain in that area.

    Also, my left shoulder hurts lots as well.

    So as to see, I am falling apart. With my having Osteoporosis and Arthritis , I am not in a good place at all.

    Thanks for caring. I really appreciate it
    Melissa

    Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

    April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

    Comment


    • Melissa,
      I think you need to give your body a little more time to recover. If you are taking blood transfusions, they decrease your immune function as well. You are going so rapidly from one surgery to another that you don't even have time to heal from one. Is there any way that they can give you a knee brace for the time being? I think your number one priority right now is that nerve pain. If a nerve is being pinched for too long, it can die. If that happens, you lose function of the leg. If they find that it is being pinched where it comes out of the spine, they can do a very minimal procedure that leaves a quarter inch scar. They go in and basically drill around the nerve to free it from impingement. Has anyone suggested this to you rather than another radical surgery? Just a question here. Why are you seeing a foot doctor for nerve related leg pain?

      I hope you feel better. I would try to space out those surgeries. Your shoulder could be bursitis, tendonitis, arthritis, frozen shoulder, torn rotator cuff, etc... They can treat painful shoulder with a steroid injection to get you by for awhile (that also lowers your immunity if you get too much). That might buy you some more time to work on the more important things. I'm obviously not a doctor.

      I had painful shoulder and had several problems with it. I had some impingement brought on by bursitis (the bursa filled with scar tissue), a torn ligament that caused me to dislocate frequently, and frozen shoulder as a result of the dislocations. They fixed the frozen shoulder and removed the scarred bursa. They left enough scar tissue in my shoulder to leave me with normal range of motion (I'm hyper-flexible) and left the torn ligament. Their hope is that I won't overextend the shoulder and start dislocating again. The doctor said the tendon repair was a difficult open surgery with bone grafting. They said it would take a YEAR to recover from the one I had. It took me about 2-3 months. However, I now have a weather shoulder. It still aches at night sometimes. My pain meds haven't been reduced since then because other things have kicked it up a notch. I'm now likely facing another surgery. I've put off going to the GYN (knowing surgery would be in order for a tumor and endometriosis) because of everything else that's been going on. I now feel that I'm healed enough to do this. With that said, I will NOT take an increase in my meds again for fear that I won't come down again. My lower back injections are wearing off and I'm in a lot of pain with sciatica that goes all the way to the bottom of my foot at times. I'll request that she keep me in-hospital for a day or two of IV pain management, not enough to give me withdrawals but enough to get me through the worst part, and send me home with NO pain Rx. I'll have to deal with what I've got. This surgery will be a little bit bigger than my previous ones, too. I feel like I need two weeks to just disappear and detox all the pain meds out of my system! But I need them, too. Pain is a horrible thing to live with and try to manage. I can't imagine yours!

      I guess the whole point of my story is to give your body some time to heal and recover from the shock of being invaded. I've waited 7 months to even make an appointment for this next one so I could have time to heal from the last one. I also have multiple issues, not like you of course! But surgery is traumatic. You've gone through so much trauma just from the surgeries. I guess I don't know what to say. Leave it to the doctors to know what's safe. But YOU have a say in how often you will have a surgery. You want to be safe about it. I worry a lot about you, that's all. As far as order goes, I would take the most painful thing and have that fixed and so on.

      (((HUGS)))
      Be happy!
      We don't know what tomorrow brings,
      but we are alive today!

      Comment


      • Thanks for the explanation Melissa. I'm glad you've had that success with your right hip. It sounds as though Dr. Bederman's explanation of your spinal situation to your surgeon, made the difference. And likely will do for your left. I know you have a long way to go yet, but I do hope that these successes increase and the end of 2014 has you in a better place than you've been in a long time. I know I'm not alone in wishing you the best.
        Surgery March 3, 2009 at almost 58, now 63.
        Dr. Askin, Brisbane, Australia
        T4-Pelvis, Posterior only
        Osteotomies and Laminectomies
        Was 68 degrees, now 22 and pain free

        Comment


        • I am going to UCI tomorrow for 5 different appointments. I never thought that I would be happy to have 5 doctor appointments in one day but I am. Since we did not go to NJ for the trial, my inlaws flew in last Saturday for a week. My daughter and myself are only people who do any work. At least at UCI, I will be able to relax.


          Melissa
          Melissa

          Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

          April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

          Comment


          • Wow Melissa 5 appts in one day
            Kara
            25
            Brace 4-15-05-5-25-06
            Posterior Spinal Fusion 3-10-10
            T4-L2
            Before 50T
            After 20T

            Comment


            • I am going to UCI tomorrow for 5 different appointments. I never thought that I would be happy to have 5 doctor appointments in one day but I am. Since we did not go to NJ for the trial, my inlaws flew in last Saturday for a week. My daughter and myself are only people who do any work. At least at UCI, I will be able to relax.


              Melissa
              Melissa

              Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

              April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

              Comment


              • Well I went to UCI yesterday and had my appts. To begin, I went to Ross,Dr a foot Doctor, and he said that the EMG test confirmed that I have foot drop. So he sent me to a brace place to get a brace made for my foot. Then I saw Dr Swartskoph, spelling is wrong , but he is my knee/hip Doctor.He gave me a knee injection which seems to have really helped. Then we had lunch . After lunch, we want to have my EMG done. It went well. Now, we headed to my vascular surgeon. He did not like the way the right leg looked. So he wants me to get a machine that will push my leg fluid into the right upper leg. Then I headed to the MRI location. I had taken one valium at 4pm but I felt that it wore off so I took another pill. That was a mistake. I was really out of it. So I took the MRI and did not remember anything about the test. When we left,my friend said I was so out of it . So one pill at a time for me. That was my day.
                Melissa

                Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

                April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

                Comment


                • I have not had panic attacks in many years. However, I have had two in the past 2 weeks. First, I was having a MRI , of which I have had many in my life. I panicked so much that I could not go through with the procedure. So I spoke with my doctor and he prescribed Valium. I took one before the MRI and I was able to go through the test with no problem. Last week ,I had a endoscopy done and I told the tech that I did not want to see the procedure room. He told me that that was possible. So when I was in the room, I had a panic attack. I almost left the table . He finally gave me something so I did not remember anything from that point on.
                  I really do not know what is going on with me.Thanks for listening. I really do not feel that life is worth living. Both of my children have rejected the religion that they were instructed in their entire lives.My husband is Jewish and since I have no family I am so alone that I really do not care whether I live or die. Melissa
                  Melissa

                  Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

                  April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

                  Comment


                  • This is from Dr Bederman

                    Your MRI shows some fluid collection but that may be normal. There is a small chance it is a spinal fluid leak but hard to say.
                    If you are having ongoing back pain and the headaches, I would recommend a ct myelogram. That way, we would be able to tell if the fluid collection connects to your spinal canal or not and if the SI joint looks like it's fusing.
                    Melissa

                    Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

                    April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

                    Comment


                    • dear Melissa
                      i am so sorry that you have been feeling so depressed and hopeless
                      lately....
                      have you been on any medication to help you? if so and the meds
                      have not given you enough help, there are other medications that
                      can be tried...a psycho-pharmacologist, or a good psychiatrist could
                      work with a therapist to try to help you...
                      have you mentioned to Dr Bederman..or any other one of
                      your doctors...how you feel like you do not care if you live or
                      die...?
                      i wonder if they have any idea what your mental state is like...
                      i am concerned that all these surgeries are contributing to
                      depression...anesthesia alone can do that...
                      and you have had alot of personal problems to deal with...they could overwhelm
                      anyone...on top of medical problems....too much for one person to deal with.

                      there are people who care about you Melissa....and who care what
                      happens to you...
                      please...reach out to someone...in your community, in a church or
                      synagogue, to a mental health resource of some kind...
                      if you do not get along with one therapist, you can try another...
                      the same way if one medication doesn't help, another might...

                      there are people who care about you, Melissa...

                      have you talked to Dr Bederman about trying to find a therapist...?
                      i think the panic attacks are trying to tell you something...to get a
                      therapist and tx to help you.

                      jess...and Sparky
                      Last edited by jrnyc; 04-20-2014, 06:29 AM.

                      Comment


                      • I agree Melissa - I am also depressed, "major depressive disorder" that will not relent, so I take meds.

                        My friend, another RN, confided to me that she had started taking anti depressants. She told me= if you had an infection, you would take antibiotics, right? so I took the stupid antidepresant, my doc had prescribed the meds but I fill the script and put it away in the medicine cabinet. so ... all I can share- is try the meds. Try cymbalta ( that was my favorite). wellbutrin? write a list of your favorite things and then try to do one of yoru favorite things. I really enjoy swings - like, children's playground swings. But it had been years since I did it- so I took my dogs to a playground and I sat on the swings and tried- anyway, do something that brings YOU pleasure. Pain is miserable, but for me- distraction helps. I pray you find something to distract you from the pain. <hugs> your friend in pain & depression, Jamie in TX
                        57 years old.
                        thoracic curve 68 degrees
                        lumbar-sacral curve +/- 41 degrees
                        Cspine C3- C7 fusion Nov. 2011 <done! success!!>, then scoli surgery T2- L4 or maybe to sacrum.
                        Discogram/ myelogram pending. Surgery to be scheduled, maybe fall 2015. <scared but I know this is not going to get better>
                        THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR SHARING EXPERIENCES AND KNOWLEDGE!

                        Comment


                        • Melissa,
                          I just wanted you to know that I am thinking about you. I think Jess made excellent suggestions.
                          Karen

                          Surgery-Jan. 5, 2011-Dr. Lenke
                          Fusion T-4-sacrum-2 cages/5 osteotomies
                          70 degree thoracolumbar corrected to 25
                          Rib Hump-GONE!
                          Age-60 at the time of surgery
                          Now 66
                          Avid Golfer & Tap Dancer
                          Retired Kdgn. Teacher

                          See photobucket link for:
                          Video of my 1st Day of Golf Post-Op-3/02/12-Bradenton, FL
                          Before and After Picture of back 1/7/11
                          tap dancing picture at 10 mos. post op 11/11/11-I'm the one on the right.
                          http://s1119.photobucket.com/albums/k630/pottoff2/

                          Comment


                          • I'm with Jess. She covered it beautifully. I also know that sometimes, with depression, panic attacks etc. it's hard to find the motivation and the energy to search out the right doctor or therapist. Do you have a friend who understands, someone who could make appts. for you, drive you, be with you, and talk to you? There are plenty here who care, it's a shame we're all spread too far apart to be of practical help, which is what I feel you need. And with all that's gone on in your life over the last 5 years, it's to be expected that you'd have these problems. I think you're actually very strong but what's happened has been overwhelming.
                            Surgery March 3, 2009 at almost 58, now 63.
                            Dr. Askin, Brisbane, Australia
                            T4-Pelvis, Posterior only
                            Osteotomies and Laminectomies
                            Was 68 degrees, now 22 and pain free

                            Comment


                            • I cannot go on this way any more. There is nothing that interests me. None of my pain pills are helping me at all.
                              Last edited by mabeckoff; 04-21-2014, 12:18 PM.
                              Melissa

                              Fused from C2 - sacrum 7/2011

                              April 21, 2020- another broken rod surgery

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by mabeckoff View Post
                                I have not had panic attacks in many years. However, I have had two in the past 2 weeks. First, I was having a MRI , of which I have had many in my life. I panicked so much that I could not go through with the procedure. So I spoke with my doctor and he prescribed Valium. I took one before the MRI and I was able to go through the test with no problem. Last week ,I had a endoscopy done and I told the tech that I did not want to see the procedure room. He told me that that was possible. So when I was in the room, I had a panic attack. I almost left the table . He finally gave me something so I did not remember anything from that point on.
                                I really do not know what is going on with me.Thanks for listening. I really do not feel that life is worth living. Both of my children have rejected the religion that they were instructed in their entire lives.My husband is Jewish and since I have no family I am so alone that I really do not care whether I live or die. Melissa
                                Melissa,
                                You have been through a ton of medical procedures lately. You are probably starting to associate the hospital with extreme pain, thus the panic attack over small procedures (not small in your brain - you see medical equipment and your brain doesn't differentiate).

                                Having your children leave your religion is a BIG deal to many people. (Sorry to get off on a religious tangent, Linda, but it's important here so please don't delete this. I'm not pushing any doctrine here.). I'm going to make the assumption that you believe that God gave us free will. If God was willing to give free will, YOU have to be willing to do the same. You have to allow them to explore possibilities that exist outside of your religion as hard as that may be. Just as you have peace with what you believe, they need to have peace with what they believe. Not all faith is blind and I'm not saying that yours is. But we have faith that the sun will rise each morning, yet it hasn't happened for tomorrow even though we know it will. This kind of faith is built on fact. Let them find that same peace that you feel you have. If they aren't finding it in your religion, TRY to respect that. If you truly have faith in your religion, then your religion should bring you comfort. If it doesn't, then maybe you need to re-evaluate what kind of "faith" you have and discern whether it is factual or non-factual. The reason I'm talking about this so much is because it can be and is a HUGE issue for some parents and I happen to have some experience here. It was hard for me, too. But my kids have to prove for themselves, even if they get hurt in the process. Try, please, to take comfort in letting your kids look for and find peace. If your husband is Jewish and you are not, you managed to resolve the same conflict there. What makes this any different? You married out of your faith, so what do you expect from your kids? They need to find out for themselves. As parents of adult children, we have no control over their decisions about anything. We had 18 (sometimes less) years to guide, teach, and protect. Now the ball is in their court. Please try to let this one go. Religion or no religion is THEIR choice because they have free will and will have to live with the consequences of their own choices, good or bad . YOU need to have peace and be well. You can't base your happiness on what other people do or believe. Your happiness has to come from within.

                                If you really don't care if you live, why do you keep having these procedures done? That tells me that you DO want to live. But it also tells me that you want a better quality of life. Maybe you should take a break from the medical community, if you can, so that you can get back in touch with yourself. Don't ignore the big, life-threatening stuff, but do you really HAVE to have these BIG surgeries right away? Can they manage your pain for awhile to give you a break? I'm really worried about you, and like others have mentioned, I'm too far away to come sit by your side and give you comfort. There ARE people that care. I care and I know others on the forum care. Please consider seeing a therapist. They can give you helpful advice. If there truly is a medical psychiatric problem, they can test you for that and treat it. Some of the newer antidepressants also treat pain.

                                We care. Life is worth living.

                                (((HUGS)))
                                Rohrer01
                                Be happy!
                                We don't know what tomorrow brings,
                                but we are alive today!

                                Comment

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