Surgery after surgery??

[felix999]

WaterPixie,

What are you planning to do with the fact that your curve is increasing even though you have been fused? I am in a similar situation had the hardware out and I feel it is increasing aswell. Surgeon I saw said it won't increase too much more but sometimes I think what do they know I was told years ago I wouldnt need a fusion and eventually I did.
My course of action is to start pilates next year and then after about 6 months of that if I dont feel better then I am going to another surgeon for a second opinion.

Amanda

[MOB]

Hi Augmac,

I had my first surgery in July 1981 when I was 15 for (AIS lumbar)I am fused approx from T10 to L4/L5. When I came home from the hospital I couldn't straighten up i had diffuclty standing upright.
Second surgery in November 1981 was for rod replacement
the rod started to bend at the top and hook came out of place.
Third surgery was in Feb 82 for Rod Removal.
May 82 i started with disc problems below fusion.
10 years later i had facet joint problems below fusion.
Had lots of probs after with lower back and leg pain.
Two years ago I had an MRI i have a break in the fusion, stenosis and spondylolisthesis. I had an epidural steroid injection over a year ago I am pain free at the moment, i was told that i would eventually need to have fusion extended to sacrum. I do pilates also were MBT shoes which really help.

[rainbow2010]

Augemac-
My fusion grew on its own from L5 to S1. Even after they removed part of it 6 years ago, it has been growing again! My rod only had a hook on the top and one on the bottom. Certain things would make it vibrate and that could have stimulated the bone growth. It could have grown while I was pregnant, they just don't know how or why it decided to grow. I am having problems with arthritis and disc degeneration above my fusion. I have had 4 nerve ablation and am going in 2 weeks to get 4 more done.

[sasha]

Augemac-
I am having problems with arthritis and disc degeneration above my fusion. I have had 4 nerve ablation and am going in 2 weeks to get 4 more done.

Hi, I have some similar problems but haven't heard about nerve ablations (I will go and google them) but wonder if you could give some details of your experience with them if you don't mind? Do they stop the pain? Are they permanent? Risks?
Thank you.

[txmarinemom]

my RF nerve ablation/rhizotomy fun ...

Hi, I have some similar problems but haven't heard about nerve ablations (I will go and google them) but wonder if you could give some details of your experience with them if you don't mind? Do they stop the pain? Are they permanent? Risks?
Thank you.

I had 4 rhizotomies (you can Google as that and also "RF ablation") pre-op (during the years I was seeing a pain mgmt doc).

While they can be very effective for some, they didn't work for me ... well, at least not in all the areas he tried to hit.

The easiest way to explain it is you have nerves coming off the sides of your spine (the medial branch nerves). They carry pain impulses. In theory, if they can zap these nerves, the pain is blocked.

The nerves do sometimes regenerate and have to be burned again. My anesthesiologist/pain mgmt doc told me he'd never had to burn a single area on someone more than twice, but of course, my cervical area needed a 3rd time - and STILL tried to regenerate.

The attempt at zapping the nerves in the thoracic area (at about T9 ... my curve apex) wasn't successful. First off, with the rotation of my spine, he had to go under the left side to hit the right side nerves. Ultimately, he only achieved a *partial* burn ... which is, IMO, worse than NO burn. It leaves the nerves hella pissed.

There is some risk involved (outside regular anesthesia risk ... and it's that they burn the wrong place), but they do minimize it by constant monitoring (via a portable flouroscope or some other machine) as the canulas are placed. You're not completely under (at least I wasn't) during the procedure ... they just generally put you in a light twilight sleep because they may need your feedback during surgery to ensure they aren't in the wrong spot.

I don't recall pain during the procedure, per se ... just a bit of discomfort. And it seems I was just a little sore for a day or two afterwards. BTW, it's a day surgery procedure.

Hope this helps - and I hope it's of benefit to you if you try it.

Regards,
Pam

[rainbow2010]

Sasha -
The procedure isn't bad. My doctor gives me a happy pill to relax me(they offered me heavy duty pain medicine but I refused. I didn't need it). Then they clean the back, put something on it to ground me and then using a flouroscope he inserts a needle and stimulates the nerve. He asks if I can feel it and if it is in the right area. Then he uses radio frequency to heat the needle and burns the nerve. This creates scar tissue. You can have relief from 6 months to forever. It depends on how much they zap it and how fast your nerve tries to grow back. In my T8 -T12 area, I have had it done twice and I think just one needs a third time. I am having my T4 -T8 area done next week. I hope to get permanent relief from these treatments. My doctor said it could take three times to make it premanent. I was a little sore when I got home so I went to bed with my heating pad and slept a few hours. I had a burning feeling around the area for about a week then it went away and I had relief from the pain. I have a hard time taking a deep breath because of the pain around my ribs and this has given me relief. The risks depend on the area and they do use an xray machine, but I think it is worth it. Anything that lessen the need for pain medicine is worth it. I have a 1 1/2 hour drive in bad traffic to get to this doctor (I should say my husband drives me).

[augemac]

I have learned so much here. thank you to all. I didn't realize there was so many options for pain control! I usually just sat here at home suffering, trying to get massages, and medicine.

I guess I should be more open with my doctors. Now that I have gotten older I don't like to go because I tell myself "what can they do for me? Another surgery?" & I don't want that.

I have high pain tolerance but my body still reacts to what is going on in many different ways even though I can tolerate the pain to some degree. I get many other symptoms.

My appointment with the Dr for the results of the MRI is next week on Nov. 6th and I am curious.

[sasha]

Thanks for all that info! I have never been offered ablation treatment and yet I have had chronic pain for some years now. I have read up a bit on the Web as well and may ask the doctor about it when I go there next.

Must be better than always taking meds........

Thanks very much.