SCS - Horrible Pain Everything went wrong!

[kajari]

I find it hard to even think about another surgery right now but when you are in this much pain (radiating in both legs..right worse than left, lower back pain, middle back pain and the pain radiating around my chest) you would do anything to have the pain go away. Just like most sureons, my current surgeon wont say too much as far as implicating the previous surgeon who did this all to me. Everyone is afraid of being caught up in a lawsuit. All I want to know is what happened and what can be done to fix this whole mess. My whole life has been turned upside down and the pain is taking over my life. I just want to get a little relief and be able to concentrate on something other than the pain or how I am going to get from one point to another. Sometimes I think I would be better off paralyzed so I would not feel all of this pain.

Greg

[mmglobal]

Kajari, I'm so sorry to hear that your troubles continue. I seems so odd that they can continue to stonewall you and not say what occurred in the surgery.

While compensation won't improve your life much, I hope you are able to get some... any lawyers interested in taking the case?

Mark

[Maria]

Kajari,
If we're talking about US surgeons not saying anything that seems perfectly normal to me, unfortunately. As you state one doesn't want to say too much that might involve perhaps himself getting into the midst of a lawsuit w/he said she said... sadly.

I know that feeling of just wanting to know what was done/what went wrong. I felt the same way after my failed 2nd spine surgery but then like you I also just wanted relief as the constant horrific pain (no extremities giving out) I wished was mind numbing but it was mind screaming/bending!

I do wish you some relief however it happens and perhaps it's time to talk to an attorney if you've not. Compensation may not be much if any relief however it may be one way to squeeze some answers out of somebody (supoena for the surgical records).

[jsewell]

Kajari,
I am so sad reading your plight. I am not surprised that the surgeon gave you no answers. During a VATS surgery, my right phrenic nerve was damaged (i know only do to my investigating) and i am left with 50 % lung capacity. The surgeon claimed nothing happened, yet in the surgical report it states they had problems with my lung and oxygenation. That was after T7-8 was operated on. Everything fine before that point. This was with DrJohn Regan , who is supposed to be one of the best . He never admitted anything or helped with anything either. I know it was an accident, yet if i had been helped last year, it could have been repaired. Now i am told there is too much scar tissue in there to attempt to free the nerve.

I had the surgery for the relief of some horrible thoracic pain so i feel i have experienced some of what you are going through , just not all at once. I just had lumbar/thoracic surgery last week and am suffering from the horrible nerve/leg/buttock pain at this moment.

I pray you get some relief and this gets figured out, but don';t be surprised if you are the one who has to do it. Not that nerve pain is easily fixed, but i tried in my case. My case was more clear cut to me , but not to the doctors!!!
WE have not talked about pain management. Are you under someone's care? You sure need to be, it really can help. When i was at one of my worst periods pain management was a life saver.
Sorry you find yourself in this position
judy

[Hooch]

Just wanted to say Hi and offer some support, what a fkin disaster of a situation for you.

[kajari]

Thank you for all the thoughful and caring response. To answer some of the questions. Yes, I am under the care of PM docs as well. I have been with PM docs for over three years now and have been through the ringer with medications. I am on a mixture of nerve medications (Neurotin and Lyrica - both being used because of a study that was performed at a hospital in Colorado Springs, CO), pain medications and meds to help me fall alseep. I usually only get a total of 2 to 3 hours of sleep at night due to the extreme pain in my back and hypersensivity of my nerves when something touches the banding pain around my chest. I was seen by my ortho two days ago and I am getting the same answers as I usually do. They are telling me I have spinal cord and nerve root damage along with scar tissue build up. Even though my right leg is going paralyzed more frequently my ortho thinks this not out of the ordinary considering the damage that has been done. I cannot get a straight answer about what actually caused this damage because he does not want to get caught up in what the previous surgeon did to me. He is afraid to offer any surgical or medical treatments due to the severity of the damage and I am told I need to wait a few more months to see if things get worse before he will recommend anything. I cannot lay on my back due to the severe pain so I will need to be anesthesized to have any further MRI's or CT scans. This has turned into an absolute nightmare. I really am grasping at any hope but cannot seem to get any relief or help with the pain and severe symptoms. I am stuck in a very bad situation and cannot seem to get any straight answers because these surgeons do not want to implicate the previous surgeon and face being caught up in a lawsuit. It is sad in the USA that it has come to this and every doc is afraid of being caught up in a malpractice suit. I know I have a pretty good case against the previous surgeon but if I even start a malpractive lawsuit there is not another Ortho or Neurosurgeon in the USA who will see me due to their fear of being caught up in a lawsuit. So I lay on the couch an pray for some relief and hope that something magical will happen to make this all go away or at least 25 percent of it. I deal with the leg pain, back pain, sciatic nerve pain, thoracic pain, the banding pain around my chest and the hypersensisvity to any touch around my mid section and t-spine. It is almost more than a person can take.... I would not wish this on my worst enemy. Thank You again for all the thoughtful and caring response. Take Care.......Greg

[dshobbies]

Greg,

My heart breaks as I read about your circumstances. I don't even know what to say -

However, if you decide you do indeed want to bring a lawsuit against your doctor, you can find a good attorney and he can then either recommend doctors for you to see and/or subpoena records. I'm sure this is the not the first time doctors have been reluctant to 'get involved'.

I am truly, truly sorry. This is absolutely horrendous-

Dale