Gotta brag a little spine wise

Maria · #1 (**permalink**) 06-07-2013, 06:04 PM

Ok for most who've had great lumbar improvement thru ADR and/or whatever surgeries this will seem like no biggy tho to any of those who know me or have read my low back chronic pain endeavors maybe you'll get what this means to me:

Tuesday I had an appt. that involved 4 hours of sitting w/an occasional getting up and moving to another room.

Believe it or not I sat nearly the whole time, without fidgeting, without standing up even 10 minutes and lastly and without pain pretty much!

When I left I was a bit stiff and came home and took a walk. The next day I didn't have any increased pain or much pain to speak of at all.

There was time when something like this would have been impossible and even if I did do it my back would have gone out for a few weeks either that same day or the next.

I am so hoping that my L4 area will autofuse even if it's just the facets. I don't think that's happened yet tho that has happened at L5 and made a big diff for me in the last few years.

I don't recommend that anyone NOT have surgery based on what I'm saying just it's pretty damn nice to finally be able to sit for some length of time even if it was just one day after 30 years of back pain and sitting being one of my number one "can't do" activities!

mmglobal · #2 (**permalink**) 06-07-2013, 09:41 PM

That's pretty amazing... especially considering your recent activities. Maybe you can fly in a single seat now?

Mark

Maria · #3 (**permalink**) 06-08-2013, 12:50 AM

Hey Mark,
For a 2 hour flight probably tho something like a 5 hour plus flight with the packing and lugging luggage, going thru security, waiting and then sitting to fly.. nah.. I don't want to take chances. If possible I'd rather lie down and have fun when I get wherever I'm going. Then again I'm not going anywhere anytime soon that I know! Also I find bouncy bus seats and such still bother me, probably so would some crappy coach plane seats!

Thankfully I don't have to go back and forth to Fla now tho if I do travel any distance anytime soon and want to have a good time.. I'd probably still get the 3 seats. That's "if" I travel. SF or somewhere like that ~ just one will do

Jim M2 · #4 (**permalink**) 06-08-2013, 03:19 AM

Maria, I am so glad for you. I recall you fought for years to get approval for an ADR. I guess the delays turned out to be not such a bad thing after all.

Maria · #5 (**permalink**) 06-08-2013, 03:49 PM

Hi Jim,
Since my 2nd back surgery failed so badly and took so long to get relief from I've said "better the devil I know than the devil I don't."

Since about 2006 I've had less probs than for years before. That's about when the hybrid surgery was authorized for me (ADR L4 and fusion at L5S1). Even tho I'm still taking a low dose opioid medicine I figured at least I've been on the same dose now for 12 years and not getting worse, at least the way I feel.

Who knows what my actual films would show because WC doesn't auth anything for me anymore except my cheapo pain med and routine PM and Ortho visits each year. And yet I'm thankful for that much even considering WC.

Yeah.. I'm happy to be feeling this good. I've had other things that bothered me if not as much as my back maybe more even so I guess I've learned "art of patience."

Thankfully I don't work. I'd not be singing the same tune if I did and would have had the 3rd surgery long ago most likely to try and preserve that ability.

How're you doing btw? well I hope!