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im donna i underwent harrington rod surgery in 81 at 14 yo , it ended my gymnastics career, 27 yrs later i had a painful time going from sitting to standing and COULDNOT stand up fully erect.
Tha pain in 06 started gradually getting much worse and i saw a PM dr who gave the usual vicodine soma valium to sleep. NO xrays at that time.
It got so bad that i ended up on a walker and had to be out on co disablitty and went to Nevada spine ctr the surgeon did DT discograms MRIS CAT scans etc and found that my spine had severe DDD and also fixed kyphosis and in abiltiy to stand up .
My spine took the shape of the rods and my spine is growing forward to where im hunched over. The pain is intractable and nothing helps, i wne tback to work after resting 9mos and doing 7 epidurals and a radio ffrequency ablation that was basically electricuting the spine by inserting needles and conducting electricity by needle into the spine and sending waves to kill nerves.
I did this dec 07 and i had to be awake for the procedure and they used 8 idfferent needles and if they got the wrogn spot theyd pull out and re insert. I had to wiggle fingers and toes to make sure i wasnt paralyzed.
Ive never had kids BUT i screamed like i was dying and said id never do it agian. My pain lessened to where i could take perocet 10mg and soma to go back to work but now 09 the effects have worn off and i did 3 more epidurlas, and they want to do another RFA, now they say i can be under anasthesia though.
BOTTOM LINE, if you had harrington rods done up till 1984 you may find it note worthy that the proceudre got banned in the US due to complications that 1000s of us in the US are now sufferign through.
Degenrative disc disease inability to stand erect and intractable pain, plus nerve damage etc.
The corrective surgery is done by about 7 surgeons in the US thats it. THE SURGERY IS CALLED A PEDICLE SUBTRACTION OSTEOTOMY. THEY RESECT THE LUMBAR SPINE AND PUT CADAVOR SPINE IN PLACE AND ITS A 15 OR MORE HR SURGERY WITH ABOUT 30% IMPORVEMENT. WITHOUT INSURANCE I WAS TOLD ITS ABOUT 1/2 MILLION DOLLAR JOB.
I have decided that in a couple of months i will seek out either Dr Larry Lenke at U of St Louis who founded the revision surgery or his assoc DR Bridwell at u of WA.
They will enter through the abdomen and also through the back and its a very rsiky surgery. My current PM dr and surgeon on staff here in Vegas is great but the surgeon hasnt done enough of these procedures to be expert.
Ive heard that with staff infection if you catch one a person can be in the hosiptal for up to a year. So im trying to pay off debt and im alone so im waiting for my old dog to pass so i would have no responsiblities.
meanwhile for pain i now take Percocet 10mg , morphine, soma valium and they are switiching me to dilaudid for break though pain instead of percs. I jsut wnat the surgery if i can afford the time off work so i can get my life back. Ive leived with intractable severe pain with this diagnosis for 3 years now and if i cant have the surgery i don wanna live on pain meds.
All i can do literally is go to work come home take my meds walk the dog, and recline till bed time. I cant walk or shop leisurely all i can manage are the necessities. Thats not a life at 42 yo or any age for that matter,
IF YOU FIND YOU CAN STAND UP ERECT AFTER SITTING A WHILE AND HAD MY TYPE HARRIGNTON ROD JOB DONE PRIOR TO 1984 ID BET YOU HAVE FLATBACK SYNDROM AS I DO AND ITS A PROGRESSIVE THING IF UNTREATED WIHT MORE SURGERY YOU WILL BE ALL THE WAY BENT FORWARD ONE DAY
HOPE THE INFO HELPS
DONNA
Tha pain in 06 started gradually getting much worse and i saw a PM dr who gave the usual vicodine soma valium to sleep. NO xrays at that time.
It got so bad that i ended up on a walker and had to be out on co disablitty and went to Nevada spine ctr the surgeon did DT discograms MRIS CAT scans etc and found that my spine had severe DDD and also fixed kyphosis and in abiltiy to stand up .
My spine took the shape of the rods and my spine is growing forward to where im hunched over. The pain is intractable and nothing helps, i wne tback to work after resting 9mos and doing 7 epidurals and a radio ffrequency ablation that was basically electricuting the spine by inserting needles and conducting electricity by needle into the spine and sending waves to kill nerves.
I did this dec 07 and i had to be awake for the procedure and they used 8 idfferent needles and if they got the wrogn spot theyd pull out and re insert. I had to wiggle fingers and toes to make sure i wasnt paralyzed.
Ive never had kids BUT i screamed like i was dying and said id never do it agian. My pain lessened to where i could take perocet 10mg and soma to go back to work but now 09 the effects have worn off and i did 3 more epidurlas, and they want to do another RFA, now they say i can be under anasthesia though.
BOTTOM LINE, if you had harrington rods done up till 1984 you may find it note worthy that the proceudre got banned in the US due to complications that 1000s of us in the US are now sufferign through.
Degenrative disc disease inability to stand erect and intractable pain, plus nerve damage etc.
The corrective surgery is done by about 7 surgeons in the US thats it. THE SURGERY IS CALLED A PEDICLE SUBTRACTION OSTEOTOMY. THEY RESECT THE LUMBAR SPINE AND PUT CADAVOR SPINE IN PLACE AND ITS A 15 OR MORE HR SURGERY WITH ABOUT 30% IMPORVEMENT. WITHOUT INSURANCE I WAS TOLD ITS ABOUT 1/2 MILLION DOLLAR JOB.
I have decided that in a couple of months i will seek out either Dr Larry Lenke at U of St Louis who founded the revision surgery or his assoc DR Bridwell at u of WA.
They will enter through the abdomen and also through the back and its a very rsiky surgery. My current PM dr and surgeon on staff here in Vegas is great but the surgeon hasnt done enough of these procedures to be expert.
Ive heard that with staff infection if you catch one a person can be in the hosiptal for up to a year. So im trying to pay off debt and im alone so im waiting for my old dog to pass so i would have no responsiblities.
meanwhile for pain i now take Percocet 10mg , morphine, soma valium and they are switiching me to dilaudid for break though pain instead of percs. I jsut wnat the surgery if i can afford the time off work so i can get my life back. Ive leived with intractable severe pain with this diagnosis for 3 years now and if i cant have the surgery i don wanna live on pain meds.
All i can do literally is go to work come home take my meds walk the dog, and recline till bed time. I cant walk or shop leisurely all i can manage are the necessities. Thats not a life at 42 yo or any age for that matter,
IF YOU FIND YOU CAN STAND UP ERECT AFTER SITTING A WHILE AND HAD MY TYPE HARRIGNTON ROD JOB DONE PRIOR TO 1984 ID BET YOU HAVE FLATBACK SYNDROM AS I DO AND ITS A PROGRESSIVE THING IF UNTREATED WIHT MORE SURGERY YOU WILL BE ALL THE WAY BENT FORWARD ONE DAY
HOPE THE INFO HELPS
DONNA
First, Harrington rod surgery was never banned, and is actually still used occasionally in the U.S., and regularly in some foreign countries. With proper implantation, flatback can be avoided.
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