Second opinion appt.

[SpineTime]

Good luck making your decision. Are you going to other doctors?

I don't know. I've thought about it. Dr. Bederman sounds amazing. I'm glad you found him. I wouldn't mind seeing him, but he's not covered by my insurance. There is a 3rd surgeon my insurance covers, who's in San Diego, and he's on the SRS list. I could see him. Dr. Pashman and Dr. Kropf at Cedar Sinai were recommened, if I wanted to get another opinion. I think Dr. Pashman is the one who will do a second opinion through his website. I don't think there's much question about my surgery though. It's pretty straightforward what needs to be done.

[SpineTime]

hi Lisa
i have been putting off needed surgery..either T4-sacrum or T11-sacrum....for years...
there is no guarantee of pain relief after surgery...
i wojld only consider minimally invasive surgery if/when i do decide...

the surgeons i consulted with all said they thought i would get pain relief....but they could not guarantee it...
the only shots that have helped me are botox in thoracic area and sacroiliac joint injections in lumbar area....
jess

Jess,

I know, I wish they could guarantee pain relief after surgery. That would make the decision much easier! It's hard to see how it wouldn't give pain relief. Straightening the spine and making the muscles more balanced, it seems like it would have to help with all the muscle strain and spasms from one side always working harder than the other, and the pinched nerves being freed up and given more room.

I know there's no guarantee, but to continue on like I have, I know it's going to get worse over time. There's no way it won't, just with normal aging changes of the spine. It won't even just stay as bad as it is now, it WILL get worse. At least with surgery, there is a chance of it being better. No surgery, no chance of it getting better. At least that's how I'm looking at it.

Oh, I don't know if you remember, but I had posted that my pain mgmt dr. hadn't mentioned Botox. You said I should ask him, and I did when I saw him in Sept. He said Botox hasn't been "approved" for use in the lower back. It's only approved for the neck (and maybe upper back?), so most insurance co. won't pay for lower back injections with Botox. He said he'd do Botox if I wanted to find out if my insurance would cover it, or if I wanted to pay for it out of pocket, there was someone in his office I could ask about the cost. I should look into it.

[jrnyc]

i had botox shots in lower spine, and it didn't help me....
i also had botox injected for sciatica pain down left side, and it seemed to make that pain worse..
but i first heard about botox for pain from a colleague at work who had the injections for hip pain,
and the shots helped her....so i do not know if it is case specific, or what....

i hope you find relief for your pain...
i am so grateful to have found the SI joint injections...
they relieve the pain that started when i herniated discs...that awful pain that spreads out from
the center of the mid spine to the hips and below...
i handled scoliosis really well until i herniated discs while at work...
i went to the gym 3-4 times a week before that happened...
but it was downhill from there....
the surgeon who has followed me for years said, on my last visit, that it looks like my curves
have stabilized for now at T42, L61, but my discs are getting worse....

i hope you find a tx that relieves your pain for now, while you decide on surgery...

jess

[golfnut]

I don't think any surgeon can make a guarantee for any type of procedure or malpractice insurance would be off the charts. I think at some point you have to just know that the odds are in your favor for a better future with the surgery as long as you hav e researched your options and have one of the best scoliosis surgeons.