R L5 screw pressing on nerve

[susancook]

Susan, This is good news.


I knew right away after I stood up that things were good. (Like an on off pain switch)


Did you get to keep your screw? You can use it for jewelry or hang from the Christmas tree....He he


Ed

No, but I have enough hardware for a windchime. Thanks for your thoughtfulness in responding. Here's hoping that the benefit is long term.

I will have a second cervical MBB in about a month. Dr. Hart said to wait a month for any back procedure. Am planning on doing just conservative medical treatments for my collapsing cervical vertebrae.

Susan

[Marianne]

Glad to hear everything went well for you Susan. 3 hr ride home is not much fun, I know all about it.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Marianne

[KathyInIowa]

Dr. Hart only removed my L5 screw. So far I have not had any discomfort in my R leg. Here's hoping that it lasts. Will be in Swedish Hospital until tomorrow when they will pull the drain and I can dope up before my 3+ hour ride home. Pain is phenomenally better than any of my previous surgeries.
Susan,

Hi, Susan.

I'm so glad that your major pain went away almost immediately. Let's hope that it stays that way for you! I live 5 hours from my surgeon, the rides home can be brutal. We drive a vehicle where we can make me a bed in the back. It was a bit tricky getting in and out though..... being short was an advantage :-)

Hang in there!

Kathy

[susancook]

Hi, Susan.

I'm so glad that your major pain went away almost immediately. Let's hope that it stays that way for you! I live 5 hours from my surgeon, the rides home can be brutal. We drive a vehicle where we can make me a bed in the back. It was a bit tricky getting in and out though..... being short was an advantage :-)

Hang in there!

Kathy

Kathy, after my first surgery at UCSF, we bought a foam mattress for the car. The hospital is 12 hours from our home in Oregon, so I stayed at my son's home 30 minutes away in Oakland for 6 weeks and then took 2 days to drive home. The mattress in the back sounded like a great idea until, like you said, getting into the back to lay down on the mattress was a challenge. The best summary of the experience was...."it wasn't pretty".

Susan

[susancook]

Some of my preop burning discomfort has returned, but not to the preop degree. I took Hydrocodone for 3 days in the hospital and 2 days after discharge and have been fine since then. For some reason, the spine fellow closed the incision with staples which are very painful to lay on. Yikes! Not a happy camper!
Susan

[TwinmomTN]

Thanks Linda and Ed for your comments. Revision surgery is a slippery slope. The more surgery that you have, the more adhesions or nerve damage are possibilities. Also, the degeneration in my thoracic and lumbar vertebrae are now affecting my cervical vertebrae. Yikes! I am hoping that I can continue without more surgery. I had numerous cervical injections with Xylocaine and steroid and have a medial branch block scheduled. I have a great physiatrist who can see the relationship of bone, nerves, and muscles and has ideas on what might help. The last 2 physiatrists that I went to basically said, "Live with it, we don't know what is causing your problem".
I am the poster woman for post-op problems: total ventral/incisional hernia, spinal cord injury, instrumentation infection, and pulmonary embolism. Since I broke 4 rods, my surgeon rigged 5 rods that support each other.
Despite all that has happened and my subsequent disability ( I use crutches and a wheelchair) I am happy that I have a great spine surgeon who has "put Susan back together again".
Life is a balancing of risk and benefit. I am in a better place than I was before my first surgery.
Susan

Susan,

i'm so sorry for all that you've been through. it sure is a very, very rocky road that we travel post op. Those who make it through with no residual pain do not know how very lucky they are!
I wish that i could find a good dr that would actually help me, i've seen countless drs that simply say the very same that you just quoted..."cant find a problem, just live with the pain", I can't help but feel that if they were in my shoes for even one day they would have a completely different outlook.

Best to you!

Pam

[titaniumed]

Pam, Have you tried any CBD products?

CV Sciences is the only CBD company with a GRAS certificate. (Generally regarded as a safe) They have a higher or highest quality control program.

Their products are made from hemp, not weed.

https://pluscbdoil.com/

https://pluscbdoil.com/cbd-benefits/

I personally have not tried but I have had a few people mention that they are very pleased with the results of CBD products for pain.

Ed

[TwinmomTN]

Hi Ed,

I tried to send you a PM. Maybe it didn’t go thru.

I have tried a form of CBD sold from my local pharmacy. Tried that and some balm
but my pain mgt had a problem with it since their “ test” picked up a trace of THC,
I was told their test couldn’t differentiate between CBD oil and the THC
in pot, so I was told not to use it.

Sure wish I could find some relief since I’m now bedridden with unbearable pain. Would really like to see my
two high school seniors graduate, go on to college, and how their careers, life, etc
turn out.

Thanks and best to you.

Pam

[titaniumed]

Pam

I didn't know you were seeing a pain management doctor. If you are not getting relief, what are they saying?

Since you have seen quite a few scoliosis surgeons with nothing conclusive, you have to wonder what is happening.

Unbearable pain is what Jackie is going through with Arachnoiditis. Its basically scar tissue and inflammation in the spinal cord. It's ok to be aware.
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/...formation-page

The PM did not come through. I did clear up some room, so if you want to send one, go ahead.

Ed

[susancook]

I have tried a form of CBD sold from my local pharmacy. Tried that and some balm
but my pain mgt had a problem with it since their “ test” picked up a trace of THC,
I was told their test couldn’t differentiate between CBD oil and the THC
in pot, so I was told not to use it.

Sure wish I could find some relief since I’m now bedridden with unbearable pain. Would really like to see my
two high school seniors graduate, go on to college, and how their careers, life, etc
turn out.

Hi Pam, Sorry that your pain is so limiting. Where do you live? Is there another pain management doctor that you can see? You, Linda, Jackie, and I are the poster patients for surviving problematic scoliosis surgical outcomes. Many of the folks in the spinal cord injury groups use CBD for pain management. Sorry that it did not work for you.

I am 72, so just found out that I have severe arthritis in my R shoulder. Sucks. Just started PT for my shoulder. Embarrassing to be on a first name basis at PT. I use Canadian-forearm crutches and a wheelchair. I am going back to Pain Management on Monday for R leg pain/weakness and cervical pain. I have a progressing lucency in my T1 screw, but challenging to sort out the back pains and figure out if it is really a problem.

I will send you a PM.

Gentle Hugs,
Susan

[titaniumed]

CVS selling cannabis based "topical"products in 8 states

New news for pain sufferers....

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/20/cvs-...-8-states.html

Alabama
California
Colorado
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Maryland
Tennessee

Ed

[TwinmomTN]

But.....

New news for pain sufferers....

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/20/cvs-...-8-states.html

Alabama
California
Colorado
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Maryland
Tennessee

Ed

If you are unfortunate enough to be in pain management, they won't allow you to use any CBD products. At least in Tennessee they will not.

[titaniumed]

If you are unfortunate enough to be in pain management, they won't allow you to use any CBD products. At least in Tennessee they will not.

It's such a shame "if" you have something that works, and the stop sign is still in place due to legalities, or lack of scientific proof, or approval.

How long do we really have to wait while in pain?

I think about my dad when he had ALS. He wanted to try some weed, and I couldn't get it for him to try. Now, its legal in my state. He had a huge bottle of liquid morphine, but it was too strong for him and he hated the Fentanyl patch. Again, too strong. He just wanted to get comfortable, not knocked out. Now, they are using weed these days in the ALS community.

CBD is non psychoactive. CBD from hemp is legal on a federal level now....The Farm bill was passed in December.

I took Celebrex and Bextra many years ago before it was blacklisted. It worked great for (MAJOR) pain in my case.......Now, things have changed and relaxed with these medications. One day its safe, the next day it isn't, and the day after it is....
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...iller-celebrex

I am not pro weed, but I am pro choice. When scoliosis patients have tried everything under the stars, its nice to have that extra option.

Pam, Nobody knows if CBD or weed will help you. The only way to find out is to try it in a legal state.

Ed

[Pooka1]

I hope the science is coming along on CBD.

But what is really coming along is the weeds stocks. Ahead of Canada legalizing pot, pot companies saw huge gains in their stock prices. We caught some of that wave. But you have to get in and out at the right times and pick your companies well. The big player, Tilray, may have capacity issues so we like the smaller companies at this time. And Tilray will likely buy them out at some point.

[titaniumed]

Recently, in the "hardway" weed bet sector I have been trading CVSI, GTBIF, CURLF These are risky ventures, but the financial "growth" projections are mind boggling....GROWTH....and HYPE, take on a new meaning....There is never any guarantee of profits, and yes, you can lose money. Never gamble with money you cant afford to lose.

Right now, the general markets are hairy with bear reports happening frequently and bad or questionable global news. The easy no brainer tech days are over (10 year bull run) so you have to pay attention now. You have to weigh risk, have discipline, and weigh time. Sounds a lot like scoliosis.

There is a CBD wave happening right now. Many people are saying they like it, it lowers arthritis pain. Weed also has anti-inflammatory properties which is also interesting.

For the mind, weed is good for anxiety. I personally do not know how weed would help with acute pain. Our acute adult degenerative pains can be especially difficult to deal with. NSAID's and rest can work well with slow walking. Hot water soaks and swimming also are good things.

If anyone does any of these products, please don't drive, stay at home. From a legal standpoint, you can get charged with impairment laws which covers the whole gamut. If you don't "feel" good enough to drive, you are guilty. Its also more important for us because car accidents can send us into serious surgeries.

Walgreens has stated yesterday they will sell CBD products through 1500 stores. Last week it was CVS pharmacy with 800 stores. Topical products only in select states.

The fastest growing age group for marijuana products now is the age 65 and older group. 7 fold in 10 years. 62% of the general population in the US is in favor.


Ed