Hey Clinic - Another collapse case in an adult

[jrnyc]

what i was questioning was whether i was
looking at one curve or two...
i know what listhesis is...i have it, too...
i never heard a surgeon describe it as dangerous, but maybe it
depends on where in the spine it occurs...

jess...& Sparky

[loves to skate]

Jess,
There are different grades of listhesis, depending how much and where the vertebrae has shifted. If the vertebrae shifts too much, it can pinch off the spinal nerve roots and can cause caudal equina which is definitely dangerous. I remember the day that my vertebrae in the lumbar shifted. I was lifting a very heavy box on saline onto a push-car and I actually felt it slip - no pain whatsoever but I lost an inch that day. It was a few days later that all hell broke loose and I experienced a 10+ on the pain scale and my husband had to take me to the hospital.
Sally

[jrnyc]

hi Sally
that is how i felt when i herniated discs...
i was at work...i lifted a little kindergarten chair...
something i did a hundred times before...
i felt something give in my lower spine...and then the pain
set in...i couldn't walk 2 steps without being in agony...
i stuck it out til the next day....
ended up crying at work, going to my doctor during the work
day...and he showed me the discs on Xray...

as for listhesis, there are times i feel like my spine is collapsing on itself...almost like dominoes...and i never felt that before...

jess

[loves to skate]

Jess.
Do you think that maybe it is time for you to say "yes" to surgery? These spines don't get better by themselves like a cold or the flu. I think the reason that I still have pain after fusion surgery is because I wasn't diagnosed properly in the first place, nor was I referred to a scoliosis specialist, so it was almost beyond the time that I should have had surgery when I finally found Doctor Rand on my own. We are all here to support you, you know.
Sally

[jrnyc]

thanks Sally...
i know how bad my spine has gotten...
i am avoiding the obvious...

i was kinda wondering why you are in pain after your
fusion surgery has healed...
i wish you the best and hope there is something that will
eliminate your pain for you...

jess...& Sparky

[loves to skate]

thanks Sally...
i know how bad my spine has gotten...
i am avoiding the obvious...

i was kinda wondering why you are in pain after your
fusion surgery has healed...
i wish you the best and hope there is something that will
eliminate your pain for you...

jess...& Sparky

Jess,
I think I am still in pain because the nerve roots were pinched and trapped so badly that permanent damage resulted. If a nerve is pinched too long, permanent damage can happen. That is the danger of waiting too long. The fusion stopped the progression and the decompression of the nerves give them more space to hopefully recover from being pinched. If they don't recover in two years then it can be assumed that they are not going to recover. I have had my third SI joint injection. It that doesn't help, then I am going to talk to Dr. Hey about removing the illiac screws. Another possibility that has been presented to me is nerve ablation of the SI joints. Also the spinal cord implants. The increase in the dosage of my Neurontin has helped somewhat and I am thankful for that, but I don't really want to be on Neurontin for the rest of my life.
Sally

[jrnyc]

hey Sally
feel like i am misdirecting this thread...
will PM you...

jess

[Pooka1]

hey Sally
feel like i am misdirecting this thread...
will PM you...

jess

I started the thread and I disagree that it is being misdirected. :-)

You and Sally are still on topic. Topic drift is an imaginary problem... the point of this forum is to help folks.

An example of misdirecting a thread is if someone out of the blue posts a picture of an orphan otter being bottlefed like so...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...e=1&permPage=1

But even then, I would excuse it because it is that cute. :-)

[jrnyc]

thanks, Sharon...
you are so gracious....

that is a really cute pic....so sweet...

jess...& Sparky

[Pooka1]

Jess, you always post on topic.

The only thing that "might" derail a thread is some Lawrence Welk singers doing "One Toke Over the Line". LOL. That one goes out to Ti Ed!

http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress..../unbelievable/

[mariaf]

WHAT A CUTE PHOTO!!!!

And I agree - Jess, we are here to discuss all things related to scoliosis. As Sharon pointed out, topic drift is an imaginary problem anyway :-)