Thanks all for your support and suggestions. I finally found a new Dr. who accepted my case. My previous Dr. was reluctant to release my Medical Records so my new Dr.'s did new MRI's & X-Rays...Low and Behold it was discovered that my bone fusion had never took & rotted out in my back. Despite my previous Surgeon who advised me that fusion was all well & progressing fine, quitting smoking, drinking & potassium for over 1 year & then my Pain Mgmt Dr. also continued to advise me that all my hardware, screws & fusion were all in good order over 4 times this year he examined MRI's. I thank God for the new doctors and the diagnosis. I'm currently quitting smoking which I picked up again after I was released & advised I was good to return to work after extensive rehab - approx. 2 yrs after surgery (L4-L5 Fusion w/ Hardware & bone fusion at disc removed). I get my Prognosis from my New Doctor at the end of Feb. and Pray they have a solution like a synthetic disc or something to put in where the fusion was supposed to take as my next disc up is now bulging and about to rupture and God forbid I don't want to go thru all the Pain I experienced the first time. If anyone has any suggestions or has been thru a Disc Replacement Surgery I would like to hear from you do discuss the details and outcome regarding pain and resumption of physical activity - as I am currently house bound and unable to drive or ride over 1 hour without extreme pain that last over 1 - 3 days in bed. I'm currently at 2.75 mg morphine at 10% concentration, taking 20 mg valium daily, 450 mg Wellbutran and 225 mg Lyrica to stop smoking. I would welcome any suggestions regarding my medications or course of treatment for a failed fusion just over 10 yrs w/ major disc bulging where the hardware connects to the next vertebrae above the failed fusion.
Thanks Again for All your Support, Feedback and Help.
Gary In Pain
Personally, I'm not so sure the failed fusion is a bad thing. What doctors don't tell you is that wherever it's fused, in about 10 years it is so encased in arthritis that you end up with non-stop nerve pain anyway where the arthritis is pushing on nerves. So, if the fusion didn't take, maybe you have an option to avoid all this BS. I had fusion about 11 years ago, had the hardware out after two, because I started having extreme pain, then it was o.k. for about another year, and then all hell started. The pain gets worse every year as more arthritis grows in there and they cannot remove it. Doctors say it would grow back within a year twice as bad. I know one thing, I'd see a lot of doctors and get a lot of info before jumping into any surgery. I know that I will shoot myself in the head before I ever go thru another one. I had 3 ruptured discs removed and fusion and it is horrible now.
Thanks so much for the advice. I appreciate all your experience you shared and wish you the best...if you're in as much pain as I am...I don't see much of a future unless something changes real fast. Currently my next disc is budging from the stress of the failed fusion and hardware attached to the vertebrae above - I had l4-l5 fusion w/ hardware & doctors never told me my fusion didn't take. I've been experiencing horrible Pain that seems to be Increasing, cannot sit, ride or bend over without extreme pain. My muscles lock up so tight I'm bent over like a 90 yr old and every muscle in my body is fully flexed...Valium is the only thing that I know which helps resolve this condition but does not help with the lower back pain ongoing. My new pain mgmt doctor advises the recalled Medtroincs 8637l18 (which is on recall FDA Level 1 for Motor Failure) MUST come out; and has me on Wellbutran to boost the effects of the Morphine & supposed to increase appetite & give me energy and Symbolta to help stop smoking which I must do prior to any surgery. Considering Synthetic Disc Implant where the failed fusion is and hopefully the next disc up won't rupture. I have a meeting with my main doctor to see what the Neuro Surgeon recommends and the Morphine pump doctor's recommendation regarding replacing the pump. I'm on pins & needles w/ no income, unable to work and just filed for SSI disab. & learned it takes 14 to 18 months to get approved or turned down. Have never given up but getting real tired & very upset & disappointed my previous surgeon released me to work and my pain mgmt specialist he recommended never told me I had a failed fusion which was causing my lower back pain...which is getting worse by the day & even told my parents that everything was fine w/ the fusion & hardware & pump & that if it were up to him he would have me committed...very disappointing as it alienated me from my family which I relied on for help w/ food and getting to doctors appts.. I thank God for my new doctor who was the only doctor in Texas that would take me on as I had complications and it is Workers' Comp.. He was a blessing from God and I pray I can stop or possibly eliminate some of the pain...all would be great but I realize I have damage to the spine which is irreversible and will never heal & I have accepted that.
If anyone else has a suggestion or advice pertaining to my case I would greatly appreciate your input & advice.
Sincerely,
GaryInPain
That's a bad deal. I feel for you, but I don't know if surgery always helps. I have another site for you to check out that is extremely helpful. My handle is Mouse on that forum. You read some of those stories and you'll really have something to think about. From everything I know, it appears to be better to just have the disc removed and leave it at that. ALthough you cannot do a lot of things you want too, the extreme pain is not near as bad. I take lortab 4 to 5 times a day for my pain and that really helps like crazy - until it wears off. I am mad as hell about all of this because I had went to several doctors and surgeons before surgery years ago and they all implied if I wanted to keep riding my beautiful black stallion and garden, blah, blah, blah, this was the surgery for me. Lying dogs is what they were. Back then the surgery was over 30 thousand, it's all about the money in many cases I think. Anyway, here is that link - check it out, it's awesome! Marion
http://www.spine-health.com/forum/pain/chronic-pain
Dear Marion:
Thanks for all the information and link to the other site. My girlfriend also linked to that site under the screen name maryrob1 garyinpain. I'm wondering if you had a synthetic disc replacement or the fusion? I'm unable to take oral medications and that's why I have the morphine pump - in addition to the extreemely large dosages - my pump dosage is 2.75 mg daily at the site at 10% concentration - equilivant to approximately 150 mg of oral morphine daily...if I took that kind of dosage I would blow a kidney or liver within 5 years; thus the morphine pump works best for me. However with the failed fusion my next disc up is buldging and about to go out...if I have the synthetic disc it will take of the pressure on the buldging disc and thus save me from another disc surgery, fusion or synthetic disc replacement in addition to the existing bad fusion where there is no disc. So that's my situation. I'm so upset my surgeon & pain mgmt doctos lied to me after I questioned them at length over the last 10 years about my fusion and hardware; trying to find the source of my pain. They told me my fusion had taken & was looking great and all my hardware was in great shape with no screws loose...lol...sometimes they have to cut the screw heads off if they are causing a problem. Over the last year I have had 3 MRI's and X-rays and everyone told me my fusion and hardware looked great & there was no direct explanation for the cause of my pain - Never telling me of the Morphine Pump Recall or signs or symptoms to watch for when the pump malfunctions...even going as far as telling my parents they might want to consider having me committed to a mental hospital to help deal with my pain issues...which I cannot tell you how this has alienated me from my family prior to my 2nd opinion Neuro Surgeon who advised me & showed me on my X-Rays & MRI's my failed bone fusion and the gap where bone should have grown in where the disc was and how this is creating pressure on the next disc up which is causing a buldging disc. I appreciate all your help and input. I will check out the other site and create a password & screen name in my name so I can read the information you reccomended. Thanks so much again and let me know what you had done, fusion or synthetic disc implants?
I think I had what you had it sounds like. They put in cadaver bones to save the disk space after they removed them, then took bone from my hips and grafted it around and then screwed it all into place. No synthetic discs, cadaver bone. Maybe they did that on yours, maybe not. It all sucks. They don't tell you that everywhere that is fused (I have 3 in a row) it gets unGodly arthritis that pushes on nerves. Stenosis develops because of the arthritis pushing on everything and it just sucks! Sorry I took so long to respond, I tried and tried before I left for my trip but it would not take for some reason. Not sure this will either but I'm trying again!!