19 Year Old Male. Scoliosis Progressing.

[LindaRacine]

Yes, that is what he told me about. I don't know about getting another cortisone shot in my spine though, I don't want that to be in my system at such a young age. And it's in my spine too, out of all the places. Plus, the injection is very hard to get perfect, people tell me it was to be super super accurate to give you any relief. Judging by only getting 1-1.5 weeks relief off the first cortisone, it wasn't the right place.

If you got relief, the injection was in the right place.

There are plenty of long-term studies of spinal injections that show that they are safe.

--Linda

[mgs]

I've never minded the 2 hr wait (I've come to expect that, at Dr. Tribus sppointments). . .I just remind myself that I have actually waited just as long for an oil change at Wal-Mart.

[Pooka1]

I try to get the first appointment of the day to cut down on waiting.

[JDM555]

If you got relief, the injection was in the right place.

There are plenty of long-term studies of spinal injections that show that they are safe.

--Linda

Well, define relief? Is it suppose to give you almost 100% relief and no sign of the previous pain? If so, then it wasn't in the right place. Because I still had pain, it just minimized it slightly. And from what I hear, cortisone usually is suppose to last from 3-6 months, mine lasted 1.5 weeks. I just hope the new cortisone hits the spot that is hurting me and I can finally get some relief. I'll set up a date for the CT scan and Injection asap.
John

[LindaRacine]

Well, define relief? Is it suppose to give you almost 100% relief and no sign of the previous pain? If so, then it wasn't in the right place. Because I still had pain, it just minimized it slightly. And from what I hear, cortisone usually is suppose to last from 3-6 months, mine lasted 1.5 weeks. I just hope the new cortisone hits the spot that is hurting me and I can finally get some relief. I'll set up a date for the CT scan and Injection asap.
John

John...

If you read other threads about injections, you'll find that they work anywhere between a few days and forever. My first injections lasted a month, my second not at all, and my third lasted about a week.

I'm not sure what to say about your getting a little relief. Are we talking about leg pain or back pain? I don't think injections typically give relief of back pain, but I could be wrong. My injections didn't do a thing for my back pain.

--Linda

[JDM555]

John...

If you read other threads about injections, you'll find that they work anywhere between a few days and forever. My first injections lasted a month, my second not at all, and my third lasted about a week.

I'm not sure what to say about your getting a little relief. Are we talking about leg pain or back pain? I don't think injections typically give relief of back pain, but I could be wrong. My injections didn't do a thing for my back pain.

--Linda

I searched some YouTube vids about people getting injections every 3 months for relief in their lumbar area. And my doctor said it lasts anywhere from 2-6 months. So when I got 1.5 weeks of minor relief, I was disappointed. If it's usual for it to last a few days, it makes sense.

I'm talking about back pain, I thought if I'm getting an injection in my back, at the place where there seems to be a trigger point, it would give me some relief of that pain, correct? That seems like it makes the most sense to me. I don't really have leg pain, just very bad lower/mid back pain.
John

[jrnyc]

yes, relief of back pain!
i do not know why, but the best shots for my back pain relief (lumbar) has been sacroiliac joint injections...did them for second time last week....amazing relief...makes no sense, but there you go! i'll take it! most of the pain docs cannot make sense of why those shots in that spot (both sides) helps...but they agree to do them based on my (joyful) report!

however, many shots gave me no relief, & a few gave me 3 weeks relief of some of my back pain

you have my sympathy, John...
i have a lot of the pain you describe (plus others) but then i haven't had any spinal surgery...
it seems so wrong to be in that kind of pain after healing from scoli surgery!
i'm sorry you are hurting!


jess

[JDM555]

Well. I plan on doing the CT scan and maybe the injection, but before I go any further, say another surgery, I was thinking of getting another opinion.

But this time, going to the best. Maybe it's time to visit Twin Cities Spine Center. I always thought, it's not that extreme to the point where I'll fly out of state for it, but if I won't fly out of state to get the best treatment for my back now, when else will I do it?

I'm sure I can send X-rays and the CT scan digitally or in a CD by mail, but the more opinions, the better don't you think?
John

[jrnyc]

i think you should get as many opinions as you feel comfortable getting...
& i think you will know when you are with the right surgeon for you...
it is your body, & you will live with the results...
if you do need a revision, you will want the most revision experienced surgeon, and one you feel comfortable with, the one you trust the most...

wishing you the best always...
jess

[LindaRacine]

Well. I plan on doing the CT scan and maybe the injection, but before I go any further, say another surgery, I was thinking of getting another opinion.

But this time, going to the best. Maybe it's time to visit Twin Cities Spine Center. I always thought, it's not that extreme to the point where I'll fly out of state for it, but if I won't fly out of state to get the best treatment for my back now, when else will I do it?

I'm sure I can send X-rays and the CT scan digitally or in a CD by mail, but the more opinions, the better don't you think?
John

Hi John...

I'm guessing that your revision surgery, if you need one, won't be very complicated. So, I'm not sure how much value there is in leaving the area. And, only you know whether you could withstand having surgery out of town, with the possibility that you'd have to be there by yourself.

The vast majority of the surgeries that Dr. Berven does are revision surgeries, for patients sent to him by other physicians. So, if you're looking for someone with the most experience, the only place to find surgeons who do more, is probably St. Louis.

Regards,
Linda

[JDM555]

Hi John...

I'm guessing that your revision surgery, if you need one, won't be very complicated. So, I'm not sure how much value there is in leaving the area. And, only you know whether you could withstand having surgery out of town, with the possibility that you'd have to be there by yourself.

The vast majority of the surgeries that Dr. Berven does are revision surgeries, for patients sent to him by other physicians. So, if you're looking for someone with the most experience, the only place to find surgeons who do more, is probably St. Louis.

Regards,
Linda

I understand. Hopefully it isn't complicated and everything goes according to plan. I don't really remember much on people that visited me, but I wasn't in a mood to talk to a lot of people lol. I just wanted to rest. So I don't mind that. And most likely Berven will do my revision, because he does have a good reputation for revision surgeries, which is what I want. I just wanted another opinion before getting another cortisone shot to see if there are other possibilities that might be causing my pain.

I don't want to jump into another surgery head first, I want to double and triple check everything again and again to make sure I don't need a third surgery down the line. I'm only 21 and I feel like I'm 50 with my limited mobility and daily pain I'm in. I really want to get rid of this the quickest way possible.

[LindaRacine]

I understand. Hopefully it isn't complicated and everything goes according to plan. I don't really remember much on people that visited me, but I wasn't in a mood to talk to a lot of people lol. I just wanted to rest. So I don't mind that. And most likely Berven will do my revision, because he does have a good reputation for revision surgeries, which is what I want. I just wanted another opinion before getting another cortisone shot to see if there are other possibilities that might be causing my pain.

I don't want to jump into another surgery head first, I want to double and triple check everything again and again to make sure I don't need a third surgery down the line. I'm only 21 and I feel like I'm 50 with my limited mobility and daily pain I'm in. I really want to get rid of this the quickest way possible.

If you only want other opinions regarding injections, you should be able to find other professionals in the Bay Area. Look at Stanford for physiatrists or interventional pain specialists.

--Linda

[jrnyc]

i understand that anyone would want to do the least necessary....
it is the old joke about not needing a machine gun to kill an ant...something like that...

it makes sense that you want to be sure surgery is what is necessary....
and you want to be sure that if you have revision, it will address what is causing your pain now, so you won't be looking at surgery number 3 or 4 for something they might have missed...
i would think that getting the opinion of at least one more SRS top guy for revisions would be comforting, if that surgeon agrees with what the first surgeon you consulted proposed is needed to address the current pain...something reassuring when top doctors propose the same plan of action...

best of luck whatever you decide...
jess

[JDM555]

If you only want other opinions regarding injections, you should be able to find other professionals in the Bay Area. Look at Stanford for physiatrists or interventional pain specialists.

--Linda

I had cortisone and lidocaine injections by a physiatrist at Stanford. But I wanted to get an opinion of another Scoliosis Surgeon to see if the injection can cause the pain I'm in or if there is another possibility. I don't want to keep taking injections, I stay away from pain meds and suffer in pain rather than take the easy way out and be addicted to pain meds. And I don't want to keep getting injections either.

I'll talk to my physiatrist and see what he says, but most likely he'll say sure, sounds like a plan. And Cheng is still undecided on what's next. He doesn't know what to do about my pain. He kept repeating everything is OK and my hardware looks good. So I don't know what I'll say to him.

I'm currently trying to get the doctors request for a CT scan or something like that so I can get that done with. Then I will see what's next from Berven or Cheng taking a look at the CT scan. If it points to a possibility of what Berven said regarding L3-L4, I'll get the injection and hopefully it'll be the end of my "journey" with a quick revisional surgery, but knowing my luck, that won't be the case.

[rich1752]

John,

I also had my fusion stopped at L5. I have one disc left and doctor said he wasn't sure how long it would last. I didn't want to lose the flexibility. I am also beginning to feel the pain. I'm back on pain meds on the bad days. I try not to take them everyday, cause it was tough trying to kick them. I also stopped working out. My doctor just sent me back to an ortho, who specializes in pain management . I hope this works, because by mid afternoon, I am very edgy. I take it out on my wife, so it makes it hard for both of us. I just want to be normal again. It feels like my spine is crushing on itself at times.

rich