Hi all,
Four months ago I posted that I saw Dr. Perra of the Twin City spine center. Since then I have been taking a bone building drug called Forteo. He wants me to take this for osteoporosis so it will add bone and I can have a second revision surgery. I believe most of you know my story. If not, it explains it pretty good on my signarture below. I received this news in a letter, so I didn't get to ask any questions of him. Because of all the metal in my spine and left arm(from a break) and because I have excruciating nerve pain on my right buttock down my leg, they can only scan my right wrist. He wrote that my first reading of my radius was 0.440g/cm2, and this one, four months later, after the Forteo, is 0.433. But he did say the the latest one was done in a completly different manner than the first one, and could be why he got a reading of accually bone loss!! I was crushed!! I thought it would be better than that. He examined me this last time(two weeks ago) and I am bent over at a 45% angle, and I am in terrible pain. I can't see anything but the floor. A rod broke near the bottom of my back(L3/4 I believe.) And there's a screw and two or three bones pushing through my skin so tight that they're about to pop right through. (also low back). As you know I was fused from T4 to my pelvis.(twice) by the same surgeon.( Not Dr. Perra.) He wrote in the letter that if we do this now the risk for failure are too high and I could even end up paralyzed. The first two surgeons didn't do anything as far as strengthing my fusion in an anterior way. Dr. Perra plans on doing this in a two part surgery (front and back), if he does surgery at all! I'm so scared that I will be like this the rest of my life. I feel so for my family too. Should I go for another opinion? Am I being too quick to judge this surgeon? I feel in a way he just doesn't want to do me. I didn't think there would ever "not" be any hope. He wants me to be on the drug another three months and then test me again and evaluate the situation. The other surgeons didn't mention osteoporosis.
One more thing. The other surgeons wouldn't go in the front of me cause of all the invasive stomach surgeries I have had. Dr. Perra will go in through the front if he does surgery, cause it's in such a low place in front. But why can't he do a TLIF<don't know about that abbrev.(reinforcment in front~~ from the back incision) if he knows how? His nurse told me he does them--but would prefer not to do one on me. Wouldn't it be better to do one on me? Oh my, I am so sad, because I can't live this way, and I am so scared about the way his letter sounded. Well, sorry this was so long. I am going to an endocronologist(as soon as I can) to see if he can put some insight on this , as it seems as though this drug(Forteo) made from "human parathyroid GLAND" isn't helping (yet anyway). All suggestions and advise would be so appreciated~~~ in this day and age, shouldn't there be something that someone can do? What about Lenke in St Louis? I'v heard he's great. I live in central So. Dak. Stay strong everyone~~I know that I am not alone in my mysery. I don't mean to be a big baby~~ Truley wishing you all the best~~Linda
Four months ago I posted that I saw Dr. Perra of the Twin City spine center. Since then I have been taking a bone building drug called Forteo. He wants me to take this for osteoporosis so it will add bone and I can have a second revision surgery. I believe most of you know my story. If not, it explains it pretty good on my signarture below. I received this news in a letter, so I didn't get to ask any questions of him. Because of all the metal in my spine and left arm(from a break) and because I have excruciating nerve pain on my right buttock down my leg, they can only scan my right wrist. He wrote that my first reading of my radius was 0.440g/cm2, and this one, four months later, after the Forteo, is 0.433. But he did say the the latest one was done in a completly different manner than the first one, and could be why he got a reading of accually bone loss!! I was crushed!! I thought it would be better than that. He examined me this last time(two weeks ago) and I am bent over at a 45% angle, and I am in terrible pain. I can't see anything but the floor. A rod broke near the bottom of my back(L3/4 I believe.) And there's a screw and two or three bones pushing through my skin so tight that they're about to pop right through. (also low back). As you know I was fused from T4 to my pelvis.(twice) by the same surgeon.( Not Dr. Perra.) He wrote in the letter that if we do this now the risk for failure are too high and I could even end up paralyzed. The first two surgeons didn't do anything as far as strengthing my fusion in an anterior way. Dr. Perra plans on doing this in a two part surgery (front and back), if he does surgery at all! I'm so scared that I will be like this the rest of my life. I feel so for my family too. Should I go for another opinion? Am I being too quick to judge this surgeon? I feel in a way he just doesn't want to do me. I didn't think there would ever "not" be any hope. He wants me to be on the drug another three months and then test me again and evaluate the situation. The other surgeons didn't mention osteoporosis.
One more thing. The other surgeons wouldn't go in the front of me cause of all the invasive stomach surgeries I have had. Dr. Perra will go in through the front if he does surgery, cause it's in such a low place in front. But why can't he do a TLIF<don't know about that abbrev.(reinforcment in front~~ from the back incision) if he knows how? His nurse told me he does them--but would prefer not to do one on me. Wouldn't it be better to do one on me? Oh my, I am so sad, because I can't live this way, and I am so scared about the way his letter sounded. Well, sorry this was so long. I am going to an endocronologist(as soon as I can) to see if he can put some insight on this , as it seems as though this drug(Forteo) made from "human parathyroid GLAND" isn't helping (yet anyway). All suggestions and advise would be so appreciated~~~ in this day and age, shouldn't there be something that someone can do? What about Lenke in St Louis? I'v heard he's great. I live in central So. Dak. Stay strong everyone~~I know that I am not alone in my mysery. I don't mean to be a big baby~~ Truley wishing you all the best~~Linda
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