Thoracic Options-Considering

Shebo · #1 (**permalink**) 02-13-2011, 01:19 AM

JSewell:

You are too funny. The problem with the MVA's is that it was nothing I could change. In all of them, I was sitting in traffic on the highway and someone not paying attention ran right into me.

Anyway, no I haven't had a discogram. I hear it is not fun. My MRI is a year old and prior to the laminectomy. I am assuming that any doctor I send my info to would want something more current. I see my PM doctor in 2 weeks. I was going to ask her for a new MRI and a discogram. My guess is that she won't go for it and I'm not sure what to do from there.

I know how upsetting it is to have your surgery canceled. My neck surgery was canceled the day before. It is hard to get your brain all ready for it and then have to start all over.

Are you out of pain now? I hope so.

jsewell · #2 (**permalink**) 02-13-2011, 03:01 AM

I had my spine surgeon get a doctor he liked for doing discography. That is why my pm doc fired me, he wanted to earn the money from that test. Some how he blamed it on me trying to get meds early!!! Yes by one day because i was flying out of town .
Anyway the discography is no picnic, but it does go by fast. I remember what seemed like a minute later i was outside with the doc and my husband. His car was parked close to ours and i did not want to scratch the paint. I didn;t know whose it was at the time. He told my husband just to put me on the roof racks. So i guess my screaming did not kill his eardrums!! Actually i was only moaning.
I am still recovering from my long osteotomies (2 in thoracic spine , 1 in neck). I also have one fracture in my lower back, just not sure what level it is at. Possibly T11-12 or T12-l1 But with all the recovering i am still in pretty good shape. I don't need to take pain meds every 4 hours any more. Maybe twice a day. The fracture in the lower back is hopefully the pain generator to my hip. My right hip is replaced, but there is a recall on the cup. Not good news there.
Anyway i am very lucky, i made it through those 2 really tough surgeries and am doing relatively well.
I hope you get your info to a good doctor and get some answers and move on getting rid of this pain. I just knew mine was from thoracic and would be shown by discography.
And i have an excellent doctor that always liistenes to me.
judy

Maria · #3 (**permalink**) 02-13-2011, 05:31 PM

Shebo,
Not sure if you're going to have a discogram ordered though just want to state I've had 3 and they certainly weren't as bad as the after math of myelograms "for me."

The pain of the discogram was very sudden and quick and went away quickly. The first discogram I had I had pain for about 3 days afterward like a flare up really. The 2nd one I had the doctor injected Marcaine into the levels after the procedure so it numbed it sort of and I experienced about one day of down time. The 3rd discogram I had a lumbar Epidural after it so again about 1 day downtime.

For me they weren't any big deal except how nervous I was before each one. And then I decided to not have more surgery anyway even though based on all discograms and all opinions more surgery was recommended.

I was wondering about something you stated which sounds like you take Percocet for pain. Is that all that you take? The reason I ask is could it be that there might be another pain medication that would be of greater assistance to you than Percocet? Maybe that's too short acting and just doesn't quite "get it" in terms of helping much. Just wondering...

I too was a shut in re pain once upon a time though it's been a good while since then. It's good to have hope.. things can definately get better as many people have written about here either with surgery or without or with some kind of intervention. Stay hopeful!

Shebo · #4 (**permalink**) 02-16-2011, 01:28 AM

No I have not had a discogram done yet. I will ask my PM about it. I am taking percocet for pain. The PM won't give me anything else. I have tried cymbalta and lyrica but the side effects were to bad to stay on them. Even on the percocets, she keeps trying to give me less every time I see her. As it is, I spend most days in the recliner.

Thanks for your encourangement.

Maria · #5 (**permalink**) 02-16-2011, 11:15 AM

Hmm .. medicine is relatively cheap and implants are relatively expensive or at least a good amount of $ is generated for person implanting them I believe over prescribing medication. I would think a different longer acting pain med would be tried or several before making recommedation for trial for more invasive pain management modalities UNLESS there's a problem with taking medicine for any reason.

Again I don't know your case specifically so I can only speak with regard to my own but I was pretty much bed bound until I started low dose opiod pain medication and ESIs. The opioid pain medication while I don't like the side effect or the physiologic dependency has allowed me a much greater ability to function.

I realize that thoracic disc pain is probably more difficult to treat and perhaps there is less known to the general population of practitioners in terms of treatment however it would seem that offering you a trial on a different medication might be a possibility unless for specific reasons you cannot or it provides no help for thoracic level related pain (which might be a possibility).

Glad you're staying hopeful and please continue to research and seek other opinions/options. Wishing you the best and a life outside the recliner!