Back Surgery - Update

[buzzstpoint]

Talked with the surgeon yesterday..

He says I have Lumbar Scheuermann’s disease (Juvenile Disc degeneration). Opposed to the Disc Degenerative disease.
Said he can tell that because of the way every disk joint in my Lumber region has pits in it. Probably started when i was a teen and never noticed it till now.

So I have 3 options.
Push through the pain until the disk is completely degenerated, Once that happens there will be no more pain. (No time table on how fast that will happen)

Spinal fusion, he scrapes out the disc material, pins and plate and let the bone fuse. Less evasive, Downside, with the degeneration starting in the next disc up, probably a 40% chance that I will be in again to have that one fused. (No time table on that, hopefully when I'm in my 60's 70's) recovery time 4-12 weeks.

Spinal disc replacement.
Said we don't do them much here in the US, so not a lot of data to see. Also said insurance companies don't like to pay for this. But he said if there was ever a perfect patient for one of these I would be it. Said we could get a someone from the "Disc people, for get what they were called, to poke the insurance company. Downside, not much data here in the US about complete disc replacement.
Oh,, he's never done one either. But said it's the same as the fusion except he goes in from the stomach. Recovery time. Almost immediately, back to work in 2-3 weeks.

[IamOld]

Wow...whatever your decision, I wish you all the best - sounds like your third option may be the "best..."

[keepsmiling]

Good luck and keep us posted.
BUT-- I'd go to someone who's actually done the surgery before. Went thru this once with dh, totally dif procedure, the guy "read about it in a book". Never again.

[GoingDown]

Option one-- push through the pain until there is no more pain sounds like the best one to me.

The less surgery you have to have, the better.

[AngelinaCat]

Hi buzzstpoint:

I responded to your original post in your other thread, but I do not think you saw it. So I am copying and pasting the post here along with the link to the other thread:

I had 'spondylolisthesis', wherein vertebrae L4 (and everything above it), was moving forward out of alignment with L5. I had had this condition for years as the result of a childhood accident, but never it was not caught and treated at the time. By 1996, I was in such pain, and distress after trying all the homeopathic, chiropractic, and other remedies, that I went to a surgeon at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX where we were living at the time. When the x-rays came back, the surgeon greeted me NOT with "Hello, how are you", but "YOU ARE IN TROUBLE!"

My spine from L4 and up, was 75% off the rest of the stack, with the result that if I did not do something quickly, I was going to be paralyzed.

I had a two stage spinal fusion surgery beginning on Nov. 7, 1996, and the second stage was done Nov. 12. This realigned my spine and I was fused from L3 through S1. I have two titanium rods and nine bolts in my back.

I can say that when I woke up from surgery #1, I had very little pain other than the usual surgery wounds, etc. Even the anesthesiologists fussed at me because I was not using the morphine pump at the level that they expected. I had no pain, relatively speaking.

This is now 15 years later, and I can say that I have been 99% healed. I still have a little 'annoyance' now and again at my hip where they harvested the bone for the fusion graft, and every now and then I feel the weather. But I can walk, run, bicycle, and do whatever I want. I can do physical work like working in the garden, or tinkering with a car--even to climbing the rigging of a Tall Ship.

The key is getting a surgeon that you are confident in. Good luck to you and you have my prayers going with you!

The link to the thread:

http://www.bkforum.com/showthread.ph...9-Back-Surgery.

[buzzstpoint]

Cat, yeah I did miss that one.
Sounds like you had it rough.. Glad you are doing well.

We now have to think about what we should do..
the fusion seems to be proven and we basically know what to expect.
Replacement sounds like the better option. But the final data just isn't there. And getting the insurance company to pay for it may be a challenge.. As the surgeon said, They don't like putting something in to a person that costs as much as a luxury car. So that option may be out..

But we aren't ruling anything out. We have some family decisions we may have to make (kind of makes me fell better not signing the reaffirm for the house right about now) as I was expecting to have surgery on my back. But not so soon. I assumed a lot more time.

Goingdown.
As of right now, I don't think I can push through the pain for a long time.. For example, today.. After work moderate pain. The wife and I went to wal-mart and I walked around for 30-40 minutes before we left. At this point my back is hurting me.. The pain will travel to the butt cheeks then down the leg. plus the muscle spasms in the back. Any more I need help getting out of the car.. Now if we had an estimate on the time table of the degeneration, then maybe. 1 year, 2 years.. perhaps 3. But if it takes 10 years, i don't think I can take the pain that long.

As for the surgeon, he's done the fusions. That's his specialty, Spinal surgery. He just hasn't ever done the replacement.. He seems confident.. And usually I like to help people out and be the guinea pig, but with something is major, I'm not sure I wan't to step in. before we do anything, we will be talking with other surgeons.

[GoingDown]

It's a big thing to be the guinea pig on.

I'm just thinking about what has happened to people in my own family who had back surgery and then regretted it later on.

You think you have pain now, but if the surgery does not go well, your pain may be much worse after the surgery.

[hkdaisy]

Wow, that sounds very painful. Hope you feel better.

[buzzstpoint]

So it seems the tables have turned a bit..

I'm now back doctorless.... (yeah I know not a word)
Had another appt with my doc at the bone and joint clinic and it seems he doesn't take to kindly to asking for a referral to another surgeon. He referred me to the surgeon I mentioned above. but with something like this I don't want to jump in the water. I would like to speak with another surgeon.
His response to that was "Surgeons cut you open and operate, that's what they do. So this other surgeon will do the same thing, but you have to be happy with the guy.."
I was taken a back a bit but the appt continued and we spoke about a few other things. At the end of the appt, the nurse comes in and tells me that I need to ween off my medication and since we are going to be referred to this other surgeon then he will need to fill any medications. I asked if my doc wanted me to make another appt and she said no.

Walked out of the office feeling like I just got the boot. Guess it's the wrong thing to do when you would like to speak with another surgeon.

As for waiting, I'm in a spot of "should we or should we not" have the surgery. I hear things like Goingdown says, but I'm at the point if I have a hard days work, I'm taking 2 days off to recuperate. So it's at the point were it's affecting my work and personal life.

Only issue I have now is from what they have said, expect 12 weeks off of work. Will I have a job after this? One gal that worked with us for 6 years had bypass surgery on her heart came back, only to be pushed out. (citing that she was not able to fulfill her duties of her job). Not sure how we will live money wise during this time. I was worried about losing the house in BK and crossed that hurdle. Now it's starting to stress me out again that we may have to give up the house after all. Disability (ssi) doesn't sound like an option. My current/old doc said if I was lucky I would only get 7% disability. Probably more like 3%-5%. Now I don't know what any of that means, but it doesn't sound like I can help support my family with that.

[betterdays12]

Wow, it sounds like that doctor took it personally just because you wanted a 2nd opinion. To he!! with him. Your back and your mobility are much too important to trust to someone before you can check out all the available resources and options. I have back problems, too. I don't have the money to do anything about it right now, but I'm afraid surgery may be in my future. I'd like to avoid it if possible, though. My uncle had back surgery and he was never the same after that; he had more problems and more pain after it.