Do you think I should be so worried?

[ShannoninPDX]

I'm trying hard to not worry about this, but common sense is telling me I'm living with a ticking bomb in me. Please let me know what you think.

Have a look at my x-rays I have attached. See the break at T11? You can see the broken rods in the picture, but you cannot see that I also have vertebrae slippage because of the break.

Isn't it very possible that if I had a major jolt, such as getting in a car crash, the rods and/or vertebrae could really move around in there and possibly cause some major trauma, such as the rods poking out of my back or puncturing an organ??? Common sense tells me this could happen and I'm scared. At the same time, I've seen two orthopedic surgeons about it and neither one of them immediately put me in a brace or scheduled surgery to fix the breaks. I am having an MRI in 2 weeks and the doc will probably determine at that time if I should have surgery or not. 2 weeks is an awfully long time to worry about this. I don't even want to risk driving anywhere, but as a single mother of a 12 year old, I do have a part-time job as a chauffer.

I asked the doctor I saw yesterday if I should be concerned. He didn't really give me a straight answer. He said, "I don't like my patients to worry". I pressed him further and asked him if I should be taking any precautions, and he thought about it for a moment and said, "I don't think so".

I do believe I have a great doctor. I'm sure he knows what he is doing. However, I know from experience to never blindly follow any doctor. I have tremendous respect for doctors in general, but I also know that they do sometimes make mistakes and that there are many unknowns in medicine.

I don't want to seem overly paranoid and I don't want to be a pain in the butt, but I'm just so worried. Every move I make causes loud cracking noises in my back. I was sort of hoping that the doctor I saw yesterday would want to do surgery asap, or at least put me in a brace. Your thoughts?

History:
Car accident in 1978 resulting in T4/5 paraplegia. Limited feeling below injury level.
1983 - Harrington rod surgery
About 10 months ago - started hearing cracking noises in my back. These noises have become more and more frequent as time passes.
Found out about the broken rods just a few weeks ago.

[hdugger]

Hi Shannon,

I don't have a very informed opinion, but would it be possible to wear something brace-like that would make you feel less worried? It wouldn't have to be a formal hard brace - just something fairly substantial that you could wear around your lower chest to make you feel more secure. I know there are fabric braces that people wear around the lumbar region for support - something like these http://www.braceshop.com/productcart...BRACES-c20.htm

I know there are some people on the forum with broken rods - they should be able to offer a more informed opinion.

[loves to skate]

Hi Shannon,

As a older person, I would offer this advice. Try not to borrow trouble. Really, what are the chances that you or I or any one of us could be in a terrible car crash? I see you have a history with a car accident so I understand where you are coming from. If it happened once, It could happen again, but try not to think the worse and chances are it won't happen again.

Just be careful and don't do anything crazy like I did this weekend. I slipped on leaves in my yard and fell down on my bum. It really hurt a lot since I don't have those discs in my lower back to cushion my fall. It would not be good to do that with broken rods.

That fabric brace sounds like a pretty good idea. My heart goes out to you and I'm sure the Doctor will get you in for surgery just as soon as he can. Don't forget, he probably has many other patients with very serious problems as well.

Best to you, Sally

[LindaRacine]

Hi Shannon...

I agree with Sally in terms of not borrowing trouble. I'm fairly certain there's not much to worry about. If the surgeon you saw thought you were in danger, I'm sure he'd do something, as he would fear a lawsuit if anything happened to you.

The xrays are a little difficult to read, but it appears that your slippage is pretty minor. As you'll see from the link below, the slippage can get much worse:

http://www.spineacademia.com/images/...sis_grades.jpg

Be sure you find a surgeon who has a lot of experience in treating patients with prior fusions.

Good luck!

Regards,
Linda

[ShannoninPDX]

Thanks so much for the support. I was having a little freak out when I wrote, but I'm much better now! I'm still worried of course, but it isn't constantly on my mind anymore and I'm not putting my life on hold. Between the two doctors I saw, I'm sure if it was really bad, one of them would have said I needed to do something right away.

Off topic, but is scoliosis hereditary? I've seen quite a few signatures here that indicate both the parent and child have it. I admit, I don't know a whole lot about scoliosis. I think that's because I've mainly had to deal with my more serious issue which is paraplegia. My daughter is 12 years old now and I'm wondering if she is at increased risk. My mother doesn't have problems, but my grandmother was very hunched over.

[LindaRacine]

Off topic, but is scoliosis hereditary? I've seen quite a few signatures here that indicate both the parent and child have it. I admit, I don't know a whole lot about scoliosis. I think that's because I've mainly had to deal with my more serious issue which is paraplegia. My daughter is 12 years old now and I'm wondering if she is at increased risk. My mother doesn't have problems, but my grandmother was very hunched over.

Hi Shannon...

The jury is still out in terms of heredity. I personally think they'll find that some idiopathic scoliosis is inherited and some isn't.

Your daughter is definitely at risk. You should be on the lookout for things like rib protrusions, uneven shoulders and hips, etc. At 12, however, she's almost past the point of being at risk.

Regards,
Linda

[fierceliketiger]

I just had surgery to fix my broken rods. I can't say that I ever thought about that. I would assume that because it is not loose in there, since you are wired above and below the break the two ends can move a little, but not a ton. Mine moved, I could feel it, but probably not anywhere near enough to be thrust out of the back, much less from back to front and into an organ.