Success rates and trade offs – what are your expectations

[KL Aguilar]

I had a three-level CED (minimally invasive surgery) in January of 2000. My hope was that I would be able to regain my life. I did not expect perfection. I wanted to be able to live a normal life and expected some limitations. I was very happy with the results of the surgery. I was told not to lift, carry, push, or pull heavy objects. I was told to have an ergonomic chair and work set-up. For the most part, I followed those instructions. On my own, I gave up running because I believed the constant jarring would not be good for my spine. I thought about risks before I did things that required a lot of physical effort and sometimes did not do them because of those risks. I became less active and gained weight. A few times a year I would suffer bouts of muscle spasms. Other than these limitations and the muscle spasms, my life did return to normal and I was 100% pleased with the choice I had made re CED and the surgeon. I am STILL satisfied with those choices.

However, in the late summer of 2006, I lifted a heavy box over other boxes and turned to lower the box and place it on a cart. I felt an immediate pull, but did not realize what had happened. Over the next few days I felt worse and worse and was soon in the worst pain by far of my entire life. I developed a dropped wrist and a twisted, paralyzed hand that is sometimes referred to as a claw hand. An MRI revealed a new herniation at a fourth cervical level and that the injury had worsened the three discs that had already been operated on (the compressed nerves that caused the claw hand were at the location of the already operated on discs but prior to the box incident I hadn't had any hand problems since the surgery).

Now I am about to undergo spinal surgery once more, but this time it will not be minimally invasive. My hope is to once more regain my life and to get back the use of my hand. But more than that, I realize I HAVE to have surgery because of the severe spinal cord compression. And regardless of my hopes, I do not expect to regain my life even to the extent of a few years ago. I expect that I will be semi-handicapped the rest of my life and that the best I can hope for is that the surgery will be successful enough that I will not need further surgery. I am having a laminectomy in the hope of avoiding a four-level fusion. I am not a good candidate for ADR due to facet problems at my worst level.

So I do not expect perfection. I know I will have limitations.

[fireyangel76]

So well put Dale!

I consider my Dynesys at L5-S1 a success to the extent I am not in bed on ice and drugs for weeks at a time. I still have a great deal of limitations as in work, sports, lifting, bending, ect., but I am so much better than I was. I can again find enjoyment in life that I wondered at times if I ever would again. And to the extent I can leave my house, go on short trips, shop till I drop (although I drop fast) I am so happy with my decision and think of myself as a success story.
If someone else were to have my limitations they might be very disappointed and think of it as a complete failure. Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. success is entirely subjective.

[ans]

I would be incredibly happy if I could work out for tone/endurance, hence light and to do 1 hr. aerobics/day e.g. laps in the pool or handle one aerobics machine like the elliptical.

[fuzzy]

My expectation was as simple as being able to sit in an airplane or go to a movie with my wife with out killing pain and "my feet falling off sensations", burning, numb, ice cold etc creeping up my legs and the inabillity to get up, being in real pain and walking stiff as a board every time I get up. This was at the best of time as of last. I was hoping for relief from the fear of one little "wrong" movement causing a "bada bang!" in my lumbar and severe pain and completely out of service for weeks. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The surgery was sucessfull. No more stiffness, much easier to get up after sitting, longer endurance in car and almost no pain killers. No more badabangs.I still have a lot of the same problems wih my feet, ice cold bad burning tinglings etc and sometimes pain down my right leg. At the same time I could probably start a chainsaw and use it, kick a motorcycle starter and be able to hold motortcycle upright or ride over a bump with no worries. I am not doing these things in part due to the remaining problems but also to not take any more long term chances on that hardeware then nessesary. So, 100%, I an not sure, but even if my other problems were to get resolved with a neck surgery as planned I would still be very happy with the current out come of what seems realistically maybe 50% as the pain got removed but the other problems remain. Still, it is acceptable to me and what I was willing to accept.