Newbie,,,short notice need answers

[the_aborigine]

just posted this to my thread, figured I'd post it here, I have gotten results with SpineMED, none surgical disc decompression.

all the best,

[PepsiDoodles]

will look at the spinemed link thank you!

The OMM, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, a doctor who specializes in putting your bones into the right place and order, like when the spasms pull my ribs out, she moves them back into place, and same with hips for sciatic nerve and lower and mid back problems all mostly due to the spasms.....about 6 months ago my lower back went out so bad I could not stand or walk nothing, went to ER called her, she is also my GP, and she said when done there to come by her office so I did..good thing to! She worked on my spine for about an hour moving the bones with small movement (wish I knew how to do it on myself) but by the time she was done I could stand and walk, was still tender, but was fine in 3 days back to normal...and why has NO doctor EVER mentioned OMM treatment all these years is beyond me! Ask your GP for a referral to one, I get aligned every 2 weeks weather I need it or not, but when ribs go out a few times a week from spasms, she fits me right in......was odd, the apt before yesterday with her 2 days before Christmas, she said then I will be needing surgery as the spasms were so bad constantly, she said they are never like that unless the nerves are being cut off in a bad way and it usually indicates surgery needs to be done,,told her she was right, and she busted her tail on everything that needed to be done on her end as far as referrals and cardio work up and so on...she is 1 in a million! Am blessed she is my GP for sure! But yes, for anyone with back spine problems I highly recommend talk to your GP about the option of seeing an OMM doc!

[Maria]

I'm used to them being called D.O. doctor of Osteopathic medicine and I worked with at a hospital here that had a large number of them doing clinical hours (about half DOs and half MDs)... and have had several DO's. In fact while I was working there I used to get manipulated on a regular basis each week.. sometimes every day even!

Yeah.. the ones that are really gifted are incredible and then there are those that while they catch the theory aren't good at the practice or nothing to write home about.

I actually had a PT that was the absolute best at manipulation that I've ever encountered.. he was so gifted it was incredible. I credit him for helping me get over a lot of my chronic pain stuff from my failed '92 surgery and also helping me out incredibly during my worst migraine phase (began when I was 47 I think).

Anyway I think we're talking about the same specialty. I didn't really know about DOs either until I got the job at this hospital clinic and that was back in 1990 or so.

[PepsiDoodles]

Yes, a DO is also same specialty but they need to specialize in the (forget the name right now) structure of the bones and spine, yes most do not make that their priority, but the ones who do will have a special OMM certification...yes best ever treatment, I never knew they could do that,,,,if I had would of had a long time ago like in the 90's lol!!! Wish I could marry one lol!!! At home care daily at it's finest lol!!

Been having a rough time getting used to the diluaded , great for the pain, but knocks me out, getting more rest than have in over a year! Bags under eyes almost gone but don't like to stay this way day after day, but think the idea is to keep me from doing much anyway, so will keep on it as missed a dose today and the joy of the pain spiked in full force, crazy how much we live with, and when we get relief, then if you miss a dose, I am like omg how was I living with this day after day with just Tylenol,,,,guess I built up a tolerance to the pain, don't know?

But I did read the worst cases for the most part are where the patient will have mild pain, until later stages

[PepsiDoodles]

for the migraines I used to get botox in 2005, worked great for 4 mo at a time, asked doc about it now, he said wait till after the surgery then might be an option, said they might not be as bad once decompressed, but if I still have them from the srynx, then he would order them, but also know of a few friends on the ASAP.org forum who have my condition and they get them into their spasms and have had great success!

[Maria]

I only had that after my first back surgery when I was hospitalized and yes it made me very tired and I would sleep as was intended when trying to recover enough to leave the hospital. That was back in the day when a person was actually hospitalized an appropriate time for the magnitude of surgery or condition they had and weren't released until they could get about Ok without threat of serious repercussions from said surgery. Remember those days?

Now it's ridiculous that people are hospitalized for such short times after some super involved surgeries only to prematurely released unable to take care of themselves and without adequate home preparation often and return to the hospital shortly thereafter in emergency status due to complications.

Health"CARE" my a**.. should be HealthSCARE

[PepsiDoodles]

I could not agree more, and yes, I do remember the days when you had any invasive surgery, you were there for a while! He said I would be there a week and a half 2 weeks max,,,was surprised he said that long!
Am anxious to get this new opinion over with!
And I am sure the dose is to keep me from doing much, gee if I felt up to it I would clean my house that's for sure! But with all the strange pains, not doing much, lately the sciatic has been bugging me, but also, have the same type of pain running down the arm past 2 days on left side same side as leg, very annoying!

Need to get down to the SSA office and get some information from them, to hard to reach by phone, then home and bed again!

Have my release of information ready to fax to UCD so records can be sent to USCF....will be back later today!

[theBadCormorant]

Originally Posted by PepsiDoodles

Yes, love to cook! Might be my favorite hobby now in fact lol! Just have to pace myself though, like make a pie crust 1 day, then the filling the next then on day 3 it goes to the oven, but so worth it

It is amazing what you can achieve if you pace yourself with just a little bit everyday. I have started to landscape the back garden, seriously, I have started to landscape the garden, I do two or three, twenty minute sessions a day, often just crawling around on the ground (lately I have been more on my feet) It is difficult to tell the difference from day to day if I have achieved anything at all - my wife thinks I am insane, but 4 months in, I have built a fence and a path, I sometimes look at it and think 'surely I couldn't have done that'
Nothing is ever impossible as someone once told me.

Originally Posted by Maria

, a bunch of small little bucket seaters that would kill my back and then a Mercedes C250 and that's what I took even though it's much more $ than I was planning on spending. Sure is a dream to drive though after my Mitsu! So smooth and visibility is great though I don't like being so low .. that feels really weird (I sit up high in the Mitsu).

That is what my wife drives, or at least hers is the C220 diesel - I found it horrendous to sit in for about a year until my ruptured disc last summer, and then totally impossible, however since I have started to recover I now find the car very comfortable - interesting how stuff must move about in the spine and depending on how it is impinging on a nerve either allows or disallows all manner of stuff.

Originally Posted by PepsiDoodles

for the migraines I used to get botox in 2005, worked great for 4 mo at a time, asked doc about it now, he said wait till after the surgery then might be an option, said they might not be as bad once decompressed, but if I still have them from the srynx, then he would order them, but also know of a few friends on the ASAP.org forum who have my condition and they get them into their spasms and have had great success!

How interesting that this decidedly odd and dubious cosmetic medicine has produced such a worthwhile side-effect. Presumably they must still inject it into the muscle, but for headaches where do they inject it ?

Have you / they decided on what operation you will have, is it still the fusion? and any dates yet?

[PepsiDoodles]

Hi, no dates yet, waiting for UCSF to call anytime, just found out it was approved by insurance and I faxed all release info to UCD doc to send them that they have,,just got in the door, had more do do, but bad pain day, sciatic nerve bad all night and today, but have the same pain in arm, if there is such a thing? Feels like sciatic going from shoulder to finger tips along outside part of arm like on leg, can't stand it, just took my med pill, hope it cuts it fast,,,,,went to long today without taking it, hate taking any kind of pain med while trying to get things, legal type things done....

Wish I could crawl on the ground right now my yard is such a mess! Needs it all done, last year before my condition took over in a major way, I trimmed the trees and did it all, love yard work, and tried to grow tomatoes, even though they were the best tasting batch ever, were very hard for me to just get out to water, and the snails sure did like them to! lol You have done allot with your yard it sounds like, it feels so good to be able to accomplish little things anymore!!

After I finished faxing, made the mistake of going into a little consignment shop while waiting for the bus, saw the cutest pair of boots,,,should of tried them on then, great price to and soft leather...was trying to justify spending the money as an early birthday present to myself lol! Might go back there tomorrow, least if the surgery goes well I can look forward to wearing them lol

Have most apts lined up for next week, just waiting on UCSF, on pins and needles as my surgeon is now out of the country! And should anything happen I don't want an emergency surgery done by just anyone nervous, stressed, having anxiety about all of it right now!

Just praying they have a better option and less invasive, or something better to offer me..got the insurance straightened out today finally! So that will free me up in many ways now, was on wrong plan an so on,,,but glad got that done!

Trying to get all my bills set up for auto payment so if am unable to do much after surgery, will not have to worry about any of it....found out I qualify for a new free fancy phone upgrade to a smartphone, will hold off on that till surgery is over as I am not smart enough yet lol

Other than that crazy busy week, yesterday first day this week was able to do nothing much of anything, would like to of done the same today, but no time to hurt right now..to much pressing and no one to help makes it even harder.

Did talk to a friend down south of me in So CA, she has had pretty close to what I am having, she had her c2 to c6 done with 4 complete disc replacements and laminectomy also, but has full range of motion and is doing great! So that gives me hope! And her dysphasia was as bad as mine also...funny,,I never knew she had been through this!!!! Until I mentioned it to her, and she did not mention it until the other day when she called, she said it was a hard recovery she is still recovering from it, almost 2 yr post op, but said to try to see if surgeon will do more total disc replacements vrs fusions so will be able to eat and have full range of motion as well she said the dysphasia will improve also.......she said the benefits outweigh the full fusion for quality of life..and I agree!! So praying this new surgeon has a heart of gold and hands guided by God! Yes I am a firm believer in the power of the big man upstairs!

I looked at the spinemed, it might be something to have done post op, I could see how it could compliment the healing process as long as disc is fully replaced with no hardware, but on another side, I could use it in my T spine and lumbar now or soon as am cleared post op...would like to avoid anymore spinal surgeries at any cost, as it scares me so bad, and this one really has scared me to death!

I have given up on my car situation for the time being, will wait to see if I am alive and able to drive again before doing anything about it at this time...reason is, in the past 2 yrs, had 2 nice BMW's one 530i and a 740il, both newer very nicely loaded and a Mercedes SUV, ALL 3, one after another spaced a few months apart, transmissions went then engine seals, head blown in the 740, and the SUV same problem, so bought a nice used Subaru Forester, loved it! Space of an SUV, easy to drive like a car...then the cat converter went fixed that, drove for maybe 2 days and pistons went, so it is now sitting in the garage collecting dust since October lol!

But the worst part, I spend $5.00 more a month on a bus pass than I spent for gas in a month lol!

Very hard to get around to get food and things as am not to lift anything over a pound and so on till this spine thing is fixed! Makes life difficult right now for sure, but neighbors have helped when they are around! Waiting to get approved for ParaTransit, should know by Monday, then they will pick me up at my door take me to doctors and grocery shopping and assist with bags and all, so praying I am approved, will need it now and after surgery for sure!

Still waiting for pain doc to call, asked if he could lower my dose of diluadid, the 2 mg knocks me out! But tolerating it so far so that is a good thing and better than Tylenol for the pain, but would like to be on the lowest dose can get by with, can handle a little pain, heck been handling tons of it, so a little will be ok, but like to be more "with it" rather than feeling comatosed lol

Back to the phone, will be online later!!!