In Pain:
I just thought I would take a moment to tell you how unreal the "Pain Specialist" field is getting, thanks in part to people who abuse opiates (Narcotics). I am so tired literally and figurativly about my Chronic Spine Pain. I have had 22- YES ...spine surgeries that where ALL needed. I must tell you though, surgery is NOT always the answer. Always get a Orthopaedic surgeon and Neurosurgeons opinion and More. If two agree and explain it to you well, then do what you think is right. I have the luxury or not for knowing to much since I worked in Orthopaedic Spinal Surgery Research and as a Professional Pharmaceutical Representitive before I came disabled in 1994 officially. My College degree is in Pharmacology and Biology. Now you understand when I see a physician I ask questions and sometimes ALL I do is make matters worst. They really do NOT want you to understand everything, I do NOT care what they say. I've been down this road SO MANY times I want to shoot the terrible physicians that have NO compassion. Who made it this way is mostly do to addicts going to the E.R. and faking back problems! Dr. Augusta White wrote in his book "Oh My Aching Back" that the worst place for someone in spine pain is the E.R. (BOY was he right!).
Well, I can no longer sit anymore and really give any more information, but I will try later when I feel better. Hope All of you hang in there and Keep a sense of Humor.
Sincerely, IN CHRONIC PAIN, ELLIOT
Elliot, I read with interest and common experience your posting. I have too much experience as a patient who had a degree prior to being disabled that depended on researching for a living. I now find myelf going into my fourth year of severe lower back pain (discogram 11/08) revealing degenerative discs and osteoarthritis stage one. I am 52, i use to love to exercise, garden etc., my life has become for me a personal isolationist cage. I live remotely due to husband's job on top of it. I had a car accident that tore my main ligaments in lower back and along right side of spine; and the major/minor psoas muscles. Everything I was sent to caused me more pain; i did not make progress i went backward until i could not stand upright. Three years after the accident the discogram happened, now I am trying to find out if there is any hope of a)surgical procedure 2)hyroluanic acid injections as help or 3)looking at a wheelchair in my future? Do you know about how to approach a neurosurgeon, appropriately, I have a second appointment with one April 30th, 09. Do you know about this h.acid injections to relieve pain? I read that it lasts about 6 months for knee patients, but can't find anything about spine. Hope today is your better day...survivor4life
To give you the best Medical Advice from all that I have learned is 1. The Synvist(?) injections you brought up are for the knee and NOT for the spine. (PERIOD). or if they tell you otherwise, It's NOT worth the BIG shot in the spine, find out the "Problem" and fix it. If you follow my personal advice below.
2. The best advice I could tell you is to find a Neurosurgeon and a Orthopaedic Surgeon and get MRI SCANS, CT Scans, and if NEEDED get a Myelogram = If THEY bring it up!!! Do NOT ask for the tests straight out. Always let them have the POWER they love, but remember it is your body and your only spine. So ask questions to them and try to "suggest" --"Do you think if we had better films from a MRI or CT scan would it help you and I figure out what is causing ALL my pain in my spine?
If they get good MRI scans they can see SOFT TISSUE best and your nerve roots, cord etc...The CT Scan is great for showing the BONES or vertebrae and any other bone in your spinal area that is causing the MOST pain.. If you get those two test and they can plainly see if it is a disk that is bulging, or has herniated. You know SOME of your pain might be disk related. Or you can have the CT Scan show you and the MRI Scan show you if it is your actual facet joints (your joints that wear out the cartilage and get large or Hypertrophied)- like my last surgery. My nerve root's were being pressed upon by large facet joints to the point that after two years that nerve roots was causing ALL kinds of problems and PAIN for Elliot. I looked with my Orthpaedic Surgeon and at my MRI SCAN and we both saw the problem as soon as he moved the computer image of my MRI Scan to the Lumbar AREA= L3-L4. "SURGERY AGAIN FOR ELLIOT"=which was MY CHOICE.
My Orthpaedic Surgeon gave me options, but the anwser was to do surgery and decompress that nerve roots and open up any other bone (Neuroforamina) The hole where your nerve roots exit from the spinal cord. The can go in there and open the bone which is called: A foraminotomy or Neural Foraminotomy. This is bone and nerve surgery, and I have had it done many times. It will help if your nerve root's (?) is causing MOTOR FUNCTION problems, like foot drop or trouble walking due to pain and foot not doing what it is supposed to due. TIME for Surgery if your motor functions are being that bad. I know I gave you a lot of medical = orthopaedic terms that they use, but get on this web and do your homework and LEARN what I have discussed for you. I hope I helped you. If not e-mail me at e.herzel@yahoo.com and I will try to better explain your problem, when you get some scans or x-rays to see what is really going on back there.
REMEMBER: once they do surgery ON your, it will never be the same. BUT sometimes that is the answer!
When you know what is going on after any type scan and the doctor says lets do surgery, ask him or her if he would show you on the films what is wrong and what they plan to do. If they are rude and do NOT want you to see your own scan then go take them from him/her (ask for your films and leave) and tell them GOODBYE. Time to find a surgeon that is willing to show you what is going on and what they plan on doing to try to give you better relief.
My last words of wisdom, and from my personal Spinal problems, would be to ask as many people you know and get on the internet or do whatever to find a great surgeon! in your area. If you think you will need spinal surgery, ask them if they are going to put you on a PCA machine for post-op PAIN. The PCA stands for : Patient Controlled Analgesia. Its a external pump with a button that gives you a constant flow of pain medicine, The button is to let the patient give themselves a bolus of medicine or basically a little more of the pump medicine. This way the doctor and the Anesthesiologist can see if you are getting enough medicine. You want a constant flow, because you will actually use less pain medicine if the anesthesiologist who usually do them, but Not always, see's how many times you pushed the button or you tell the nurse this is not helping my post-op pain. Tell the Nurse who will have some ability or role in how much of the pain pump medicine you are receiving. Plus she / or he can call the doctor to tell them you need more or a more potent opiate or narcotic pain medicine.
Take care, and I have to get off this computer because I can NO longer sit!
I have NO pain medicine till my 5th visit to my "NEW" pain specialist who will hopefully put me back on Opiate-Therapy for Chronic Spine Pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am miserable.
Good- luck and let me know if you e-mail me that I was the one that responded to your question and wrote you a book!
There is SO much that people need to learn and I am practicing medicine on the internet. So to cover me I wll leave this legal note: " THE ABOVE INFORMATION WAS IN MY OPINION ONLY" Feel Better and hang in there! and I hope I anwsered your question in this long reply? Elliot N. Herzel, Birmingham, Alabama.
Oh, I see you, too, comment on the way so many people in medicine want to feel power! I wrote about that in my book, too, but of course it is something which is "just not said"!
Thank you so much for that!
Madeleine