Hey y'all;
Gosh, I hear myself in all your posts. My story started 4 yrs ago. Took 6 months and a surgery I didn't need to get diagnosis. DDD. Got my first anterior fusion 3 levels/bone bank and 2 screws fell out which I found out a year later. Some bad Xray techs there. Onto Columbus Ohio, nice doc took me on and did a posterior 345 fusion. Had to leave front garbage in. He gave me 10 yrs. Mind you, my first neuro was close to retirment and didn't believe in narcotics (could liability have some issue here
) I made 45 emergency room visits for any kind of pain relief. He sliced me and sent me home w/ Darvocet. Thank God the second neuro was HUMANE! Unfortunately, the 10 yrs only lasted about two. Third time is a charm, right? Actually newest neuro thought it was only a nerve decompression. I have been traveling the 3.5 hours to the big clinic in Ohio.Well, third surgery 7 hours later and I was fused C3 through T1. Mind you, I am skipping endless nights (years) of crying, cursing and not being too happy about this deal. I am told I am not a candidate for any new technology. Bummer! Well, I went to the big clinic so I could get the BEST. Now, I told him I was extremely allergic to nickel but had been skin allergy tested for all the titanium I was already blinging! I had NICKEL ALLERGY on my little wrist and in my chart. I told him, I was allegic to nickel prior to my third big day. Well, he took out all the old posterior stuff and put in some shiny new stuff but he put in stainless steel wiring. Now, I know stainless has nickel because I was allergic to it and knew it had about a 20% composition. For some reason, I asked Mr Neuro what he had done and what he had put in. Mainly because I am itching like crazy and there is some new fixture wiring in my neck unlike the first two. Now, he is normally very quiet and only if you ask point blank does he offer answers. Like when I woke up and had a paralyzed left hand that I hadn't had before! The c8 nerve isn't happy and my typing gets awful but it's nothing he did. Just one of those things that will take 6 to 12 months to regenerate, Okay, I said and why did you put stainless steel in my ( this was after I got him to actually explain what he did for 7 hours) neck when I'm allergic to nickel. Now, this is one of the big 5 clinic. He looked like one of those deer in the headlights, ya know. And he said it's stainless steel and not a whole lot. So I had to enlighten him that stainless is composed of approx 15 to 20% nickel. I asked him for the instrumentation he used and my file is still being compiled after 3.5 months now as I gimpily type this. So, he said let's wait and see. Now I have a nice attorney girlfriend who gets upset sometimes and told me to get to an allergist but he is not forthcoming in exactly ALL he put in but some of it is stainless. So, here I am now gimpy left hand and itching w/ pain down the second 6 inch scar. Did I mention the first neuro sent me home with 30 Darvocet after my first fusion. Nice guy, he was, but I am told to forgive him. Now I ponder, am I going to have to have this thing re-opened? Did any of you have allergies? I'm not terribly happy about this third $200,000 surgery. Especially since I seem to have more problems. This diatribe may sound light but people I have spent more WEEKS than I can count in 4 years curled up in pain because no one prescribes drugs because they think we're all druggies. And I probavly know WAY too much medical stuff than I really want to know. Any help, advice or similar experience would be helpful. And God Bless You All. I can hear your pain literally. Know that you aren't the only one! Maybe YOU can benefit from some new stuff. They won't touch me. One day at a time. Becky