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  • #16
    Hi

    Hello, I am currently on the tenz machine... I LOVE IT..... It is a great item to have. Cortizon is bad for you. It is only a temparary sollution to pain. Also try swimming. It help build the weak muscle. I have a harrington rod, placed in 1981 and have tried everything for pain. Hope this helps!!!

    Comment


    • #17
      almost the same exact profile check it out

      cortizone shot's don't do anything for it anyways. Pain Management that was a joke For they tried to make a junky of me. NO. So the pain will be worse I was told since the damage was done there is no fixing me

      Plainejane







      Originally posted by kg5939 View Post
      I went to the pain management doctor today who informed me he is unable to give me epidural shots of cortizone which my doctor prescribed. He said to try acupuncture to see if it helps. He is trying to get approval from my medical insurance for a teuns unit (sp?) which may help with some of the pain.

      My other alternative is to have all my hardware removed which he does not recommend. I won't go for it anyway. It's been there 33 years and it's staying there.

      I never had any idea I would be in so much pain and have so many problems from this surgery. I have spurs on my neck with degenative disks and spinal stenosis in the lower lumbar as well as broken off calcium deposits, arthritis and degenerative disks.

      Comment


      • #18
        My local dr said something to me about Pain Management and for the life of me I cannot see the benefit of that - I know what the pain is from so let's just treat that - fix it or something - don't dope me up so I don't know the difference. Good grief! I'm not a medicine person. And, from my transcription experience I type all the time on these patients who go to Pain Management, pay out the ying yang, and still have the same pain when they're done. Of course, I'm one of those people in severe pain and I, too, am not going to condone to Pain Management. Just my two cents here. I know they mean well, but I don't see the benefit from that myself.
        Rita Thompson
        Age 46
        Milwaukee Brace wearer for 3 years in childhood
        Surgery Mar 1st - 95 degree thoracic curve
        Surgery by Dr. Lenke, St. Louis, MO
        Post-surgery curve 25-30 degree

        Comment


        • #19
          pain management

          Rita, thought the way you did until I had my revision. Another forum suggested a pain doc during my recovery. It was a great help. One is less likely to become addicted because they use other modalities besides narcotics. Also untreated pain is dangerous for the body no matter the cause because it affects the immune system and healing. There are some people who try to game the system and the pain specialist is aware of this. Post-op one is better able to do PT with proper pain relief. On the other hand pain relief is not a substitute for proper treatment.
          Original scoliosis surgery 1956 T-4 to L-2 ~100 degree thoracic (triple)curves at age 14. NO hardware-lost correction.
          Anterior/posterior revision T-4 to Sacrum in 2002, age 60, by Dr. Boachie-Adjei @Hospital for Special Surgery, NY = 50% correction

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          • #20
            Hi Kim
            as i write this, i am in the business office of my nyc hotel...came in to see pain managemnt doctor...cant carry my laptop...too much..hurts just to walk..have not had surgery...yet...am going to consult with dr anand jan 27 in CA..then back to nyc surgeon to see what he thinks about minimal invasive..most of my pain is low lumbar..they want to fuse me to pelvis...so i am holding off...i also have spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, & arthritis in spine...

            about pain management...never got much help from epidurals..facet block & nerve ablation helped me more..also, sacroiliac injections helped...but none help for very long...unfortunately, acupuncture never did much for my back...only helped me with quitting smoking, & still ended up cold turkey...that was 20 yrs ago...but i digress..

            medical marijuana never helped me, as it increases my awareness of my back pain, so i cant use it (darn)...i take oxycontin 30 mg (have other strengths too) & hydrocodone...will probably end up with surgery..but i know that is not a promise either...no one can promise us pain free..least of all the surgeons..they keep telling me i will have "less pain than before surgery"...but that is all...

            i am so sorry that you are suffering...just wanted you to know there are other shots besides epidurals....

            must go to appt now...
            best regards
            jess

            Comment


            • #21
              Interesting posts. I see a pain mgmt doctor (my first ever) on Tuesday. This gives me some idea what to expect. The surgery last April was not in my mind successful - I had the Harrington rod a long time ago and the pain now is about a million times greater than I've ever had. Bummer! Hopefully I learn something helpful on Tuesday. I did try swimming and floating felt good/not great but that was it...so really haven't been swimming since. One can only float on one's back around a pool for so long ( he he)

              Thanks everyone!

              Always Smilin'
              Colleen

              1982 fused T2-L1
              pre op 45 - post op 33 (left thoracic)
              pre op 53 - post op 18 (right thoracic)

              recheck 2006
              right thoracic 57
              lower lumbar 34

              surgical revision April 28,2009
              revision T3-L1; new fusion L1-L4
              unsure of degrees at this point

              Comment


              • #22
                Hi Colleen
                so sorry you are suffering..that is awful that the revision is not helping you! i hope that the pain management doctor can help you & help reduce the pain!
                i will be getting facet block & nerve ablation done on lower back jan 18...havent had it since 2008....& in feb i get botox in upper back again....it takes care of the upper back pain...but botox doesnt work on my lumbar pain...

                best of luck
                jess

                Comment


                • #23
                  The upper back is what worries me most...I can feel the rods and it totally grosses me out. Lower back has hurt for years...not that i like it but at least I'm "used" to the pain of the lower back. Rib pain is terrible too. So, we'll see. Helps to see what has helped others

                  Thanks

                  Always Smilin'
                  Colleen

                  1982 fused T2-L1
                  pre op 45 - post op 33 (left thoracic)
                  pre op 53 - post op 18 (right thoracic)

                  recheck 2006
                  right thoracic 57
                  lower lumbar 34

                  surgical revision April 28,2009
                  revision T3-L1; new fusion L1-L4
                  unsure of degrees at this point

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    I'm so sorry to hear this Colleen, after all you've been through. It's just not fair. Do they know why you're in such pain? Will the pain management doctor try to find out, or just give meds? I hope this can be resolved. Best wishes.
                    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


                    • #25
                      Dr. just told me to gain weight but didn't have any other insights. (The rods are protruding quite a bit - gross) As he said, there's not much that can be done at this point short of going in for another surgery which I know I physically or mentally could not take. So, I need to learn to deal with it - maybe I'll seek another opinion at some point - but am too drained right now to do anything else. It is a bummer that things didn't work out but I guess I knew there were risks...just wishing that it didn't happen that way. What's a girl to do? I highly doubt that gaining weight will help my back much - it's not that I'm UNDERWEIGHT...I'm at a good weight in my mind. And was this weight with my Harrington...so who knows. Thanks for your concern Jennifer.

                      Always Smilin'
                      Colleen

                      1982 fused T2-L1
                      pre op 45 - post op 33 (left thoracic)
                      pre op 53 - post op 18 (right thoracic)

                      recheck 2006
                      right thoracic 57
                      lower lumbar 34

                      surgical revision April 28,2009
                      revision T3-L1; new fusion L1-L4
                      unsure of degrees at this point

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        i guess all the injections are temporary...if they help, it is for a short period of time...i wish acupuncture could help me...it never has...nor has the tens machine...

                        i keep stalling with the surgery...so that is why i stick with the pain doctors for now...sometimes just getting out from under the pain for a little while allows the brain to function more clearly...i think i will probably come around to the surgery...it is just that when i read revision stories, it scares me so...

                        i dont understand why rods cant be removed years later...i thought that by then, the bones are fused so that the rods are not really needed anymore...? i am unclear on this...?

                        jess

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Wouldn't it be nice if there was actually a CURE! I'm glad the injections help you...I'm TERRIFIED to have needles in my back (silly I know after all I've been through)...does it hurt a ton? It'll be interesting to see what the doc says tomorrow

                          Always Smilin'
                          Colleen

                          1982 fused T2-L1
                          pre op 45 - post op 33 (left thoracic)
                          pre op 53 - post op 18 (right thoracic)

                          recheck 2006
                          right thoracic 57
                          lower lumbar 34

                          surgical revision April 28,2009
                          revision T3-L1; new fusion L1-L4
                          unsure of degrees at this point

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Hi Colleen
                            the needles hurt a little....it's not too bad....i grit my teeth & make a face...am laying face down, so doctor cant see it anyway..not that i'd care...i got used to needles for lyme disease antibiotics....lots of injections until you finally give up & they implant a catheter in your chest for the needles to go into!

                            as for the back, you just kinda brace yourself, but try not to get too tense or the muscles just tense up...alot of the injections go in with novacaine with them, so after the first one they sometimes hurt less...it is well worth it to get relief from the chronic unceasing pain! i will get twice the injections next monday as they will first do facet block & then injections for sacroiliac joints...we all wish there was a cure!!

                            good luck with the doctor tomorrow....if it is your first visit, they may just do an evaluation & schedule something for a second visit.....

                            take care...
                            jess

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Yep...it wasn't what I anticipated. More of a psych consult than pain mgmt. Suggested I join a pain mgmt support group in the summer...we'll see. So, for now I learn to deal on my own.

                              Always Smilin'
                              Colleen

                              1982 fused T2-L1
                              pre op 45 - post op 33 (left thoracic)
                              pre op 53 - post op 18 (right thoracic)

                              recheck 2006
                              right thoracic 57
                              lower lumbar 34

                              surgical revision April 28,2009
                              revision T3-L1; new fusion L1-L4
                              unsure of degrees at this point

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                hey, Colleen
                                in my personal opinion...that is nonsense..i would not put up with a doctor like that! when i was sick with lyme disease for a year and a half.. cause no one diagnosed me...they tested for some things, those came out negative, so instead of saying"you are sick but we dont know what is wrong yet"...they said "we tested you for a, b, & c & they came out negative..so YOU ARE NOT SICK"...place the blame on the patient, it is called...after going thru hell & ending up in a wheel chair before one of the smarter idiot doctors figured out to test me for lyme, which came out off the charts positive, i was never really impressed with a doctor again!

                                anyway...i would look for a doctor who believes that pain is real & that scoli can cause alot of pain & that surgeries can cause alot of pain, right away or years later...there are some great pain doctors out there, especially in the big cities, but i bet there are some in small towns too...
                                at any rate, i dont think you should have to deal with the pain all by yourself...whether acupuncture or injections or anything else, there should be something a good doctor can find to at least reduce the pain level!

                                hope you find a helpful doctor! and i am so sorry that you are suffering....

                                jess

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