NSAIDs and spinal fusion

I am post-op from June 3rd this year. I am still worried though about taking any drug that might interfere with the bone fusion because I had a fusion at same level (L3-4) in July 2008 that absolutely did not take at all. I spent months trying to convince my surgeon, who I trusted absolutely from a 2000 surgery with fusion at L4-5, that something was wrong. I couldn't do the physical therapy at the appointed time as I had been able to do in the past. I even went to a neuro @ Johns Hopkins. They did MRI, CT and Myleogram and told me there was nothing wrong with my back. I finally found another group of surgeons to look at case. They all agreed that I was not fused at L3-4 and that there were problems with the fusion at the old level from 2000. When the doctors operated on me they found the screws that had been placed in my back in July 2008 were wobbling and my entire lower back was unstable.

That sounds pretty scary.  Do they know of any reason why you wouldn't fuse?  I've read that these days they add some bone growth stimulants and sometimes use electrical stim to help do that.  So - what did the JOhns Hopkins folks do when they found it was unstable?   How are you coping with all of this?

They have no explanation of why it did not fuse. I wasn't told, however, until this last fusion that taking NSAIDS was detrimental to the bone grafting together. Yes, this surgeon did use bone growth stimulants as well as the usual bone pieces. Hopkins has not been made aware of their screw-up. I am contemplating my options as far as they and my old surgeon (who didn't listen to me) are concerned. I don't believe in suing doctors in general. I am doing better this time around because my back is now stable. I have completed P.T. and still take pain meds. I just started Lyrica for the nerve pain and surprisingly it is helping! God is good!!

I'm glad to hear that something is working. I don't know if sueing would help or not - when I had my surgery (and also when I was contemplating wrist fusion) they made it clear that there is always the possibility of non-fusion.  But it wouldn't hurt to let them know; they probably should be made aware so that they don't count you in their records as a "success."  That failure, along with others (there must be others) would be a reason for continuing review of their procedures - and - if they don't know, how can they respond?

Just my thoughts, they may not be yours...The term "screw-up" is kind of ironic in this instance, don't you think, with screws, coming unscrewed....

I must have had a Freudian moment when I was talking about Johns Hopkins. I actually did not have the surgery there. I went to their neuro dept. for a second opinion after my surgeon told me that they did not see anything wrong with my back. Neuro Dr. @ JH ordered CT, MRI and Myleogram. All of these tests were read by radiologists @ JH. They also saw nothing wrong. I used same films, scans, Etc. to show to my last surgeon and his colleagues. They (3) agreed from careful examination of the films that I was not fused at L3-4, probably not at L4-5 and I had a clear fracture that wasn't adddresed either by JH.