Hi Everyone:
Like many others, I have severe Degenerative Disc Disease below my fusion. I was fused T2 – L3 in 1987 with Harrington Rods and Luque wires. My surgeon made a stupid mistake and put the rods on too tight, breaking my top vertebrae. Two weeks later the entire surgery had to be redone. I was left in chronic pain. Ten years later, in 1997, I had all my hardware removed, which was a good choice for me. My fusion is stable, and I have little, if any, flatback.
Two years ago, when I turned 46, the chronic pain in what I assumed was my hips, was diagnosed as lumbar DDD, stenosis, facet hypertrophy, disc bulge, and bone spurs. Since I’m in a MediCal system, treatment has been hard to get. In a year with a pain management practice/physiatry, I’ve only had one epidural, and only the diagnostic portion of a radio ablation treatment. The only Scoliosis surgeon they sent me to was an old guy, not experienced in revision surgery, who told me to “avoid revision surgery as long as possible.” He didn’t even have to tell me that, because I already intended to avoid it.
I want to outrun revision surgery through death. At the very least I want to put it off. I would like to hear from others who are also trying to avoid it. What spinal interventions/day surgeries have you tried for the pain? What less invasive forms of surgery have been offered to you? I am not interested in seeing Scoliosis surgeons, as most of them will want to fuse me to the sacrum. This is the easiest thing for them. But they don’t have to live with the extreme limited mobility, or have problems wiping themselves, or getting into a car, or taking a bath or putting on shoes. I live alone; so all this is doubly difficult.
I am NOT putting down revision surgery, but for me it’s not the right choice. I’m not looking for a permanent fix, just some relief. I have always HATED being fused, and I refuse to have what little spinal movement I have left taken away. I have done much research on the outcomes from fusion to the sacrum surgery, and it seems about half the people are happy, and half are devastated and still in pain. Even the moderator of this forum, (and I appreciated her honesty) commented that although she was glad she had it done, that it was a significant loss of flexibility to have revision surgery.
I would like to hear from anyone who has had Scoliosis surgery and then had ANY surgical treatment other than fusion to the sacrum. Artificial discs, laminectomy, flexible fusion, anything. Yes, these treatments all make the lower vertebrae unstable, but I’m willing to take that risk.
There are many people who read this forum, but few who post. If you have had an artificial disc, or anything else done, PLEASE write in and let me know where!
I will be approaching some spinal neurosurgeons/researchers in Northern California, where I live, as to whether any of them are willing to operate on me with anything other than fusion. If I can’t find any, I’ll go out of state.
Thank you.
Like many others, I have severe Degenerative Disc Disease below my fusion. I was fused T2 – L3 in 1987 with Harrington Rods and Luque wires. My surgeon made a stupid mistake and put the rods on too tight, breaking my top vertebrae. Two weeks later the entire surgery had to be redone. I was left in chronic pain. Ten years later, in 1997, I had all my hardware removed, which was a good choice for me. My fusion is stable, and I have little, if any, flatback.
Two years ago, when I turned 46, the chronic pain in what I assumed was my hips, was diagnosed as lumbar DDD, stenosis, facet hypertrophy, disc bulge, and bone spurs. Since I’m in a MediCal system, treatment has been hard to get. In a year with a pain management practice/physiatry, I’ve only had one epidural, and only the diagnostic portion of a radio ablation treatment. The only Scoliosis surgeon they sent me to was an old guy, not experienced in revision surgery, who told me to “avoid revision surgery as long as possible.” He didn’t even have to tell me that, because I already intended to avoid it.
I want to outrun revision surgery through death. At the very least I want to put it off. I would like to hear from others who are also trying to avoid it. What spinal interventions/day surgeries have you tried for the pain? What less invasive forms of surgery have been offered to you? I am not interested in seeing Scoliosis surgeons, as most of them will want to fuse me to the sacrum. This is the easiest thing for them. But they don’t have to live with the extreme limited mobility, or have problems wiping themselves, or getting into a car, or taking a bath or putting on shoes. I live alone; so all this is doubly difficult.
I am NOT putting down revision surgery, but for me it’s not the right choice. I’m not looking for a permanent fix, just some relief. I have always HATED being fused, and I refuse to have what little spinal movement I have left taken away. I have done much research on the outcomes from fusion to the sacrum surgery, and it seems about half the people are happy, and half are devastated and still in pain. Even the moderator of this forum, (and I appreciated her honesty) commented that although she was glad she had it done, that it was a significant loss of flexibility to have revision surgery.
I would like to hear from anyone who has had Scoliosis surgery and then had ANY surgical treatment other than fusion to the sacrum. Artificial discs, laminectomy, flexible fusion, anything. Yes, these treatments all make the lower vertebrae unstable, but I’m willing to take that risk.
There are many people who read this forum, but few who post. If you have had an artificial disc, or anything else done, PLEASE write in and let me know where!
I will be approaching some spinal neurosurgeons/researchers in Northern California, where I live, as to whether any of them are willing to operate on me with anything other than fusion. If I can’t find any, I’ll go out of state.
Thank you.
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