Thought I should say "Hello"!! (long ~ sorry!)

[Lyndsay]

Hi everyone

I thought it was about time I said "hello" on this forum! I've been reading it for a few months now & recognise a few of you from the other forums. What seems to be good on here is the friendly free speech & not suddenly having posts locked, censored or deleted ~ why some people feel the need to do this I have no idea!

I've long wondered about posting on here as many of you know me from the other lists & I sometimes feel you'll get fed up with me posting!! I've completed my signature as best I can which is maybe depressing reading but hey, I can't change the facts!

I'm now 7 months post L5/S1 ADR (Prodisc) & almost regretting having the surgery. I've been trying to organise my 6 month check since the beginning of May but have now given up any hope of that happening. I keep being told the paperwork is being sent off or faxed over (I have my xrays locally as I can't/don't want to travel back down to London ~ did it for first check, BIG mistake!). Anyway, it wasn't a problem to have local xrays & then a phone consult for my previous check so can't see why it should have been this time. My only thoughts are that as everything has gone wrong, I've been pretty much left to get on with things myself. I'm now arranging an appointment with a Neurosurgeon a bit further north from me who specialises in the spine as I'm hoping that he will be able to understand my problems better.

At my last check (3 1/2 months) I gave my concerns to my consultant but they were dismissed & I was told that maybe CBT would help (like talking about it will take the pain away!) & we would review again at 6 months. When my xrays arrived back to me, inside was the Radiographers report that said although the disc was looking ok, there was now exaggerated lordosis (my ADR surgeon never told me this!). I spoke with my physio & we compared all of my xrays & it is quite obvious how much has changed in my spine. I have since been working hard with my physio (who is wonderful!) on not just the usual core stability but the deeper tummy muscles to try to help pull the lordosis back at least some but if anything it seems to be getting worse. I've worked my way through all of the things that are available to help me regards PT but have now hit a dead end. My Physio & GP are both now quite concerned at how much my spine seems to have deteriorated since my ADR & it was both of them who strongly recommended getting a second opinion.

I'm off to see the Pain Specialist tomorrow who has been really quite good but is also understandably concerned in my deterioration. I'm not sure what to expect from tomorrows consult other than to review how things are going but at least he wants to be kept in the loop of things & his input has been a great help to my GP.

Even though things have gone from bad to worse, I really, honestly do try to stay positive although some days it is difficult. I am the proud owner of 5 Border Collies & they are the light's of my life & give me a purpose to get better. I am guilty of having overdone things with them but I have through experience, learnt to pace myself a lot better & listen to my body more.

I have a lot going on in my life right now, I'm going through a divorce (& fighting to keep my insurance), my house is about to go up for sale so I will be looking for a new home though I will only be able to rent & although I now have a wonderful new partner, for the first time, I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed by everything. Some of it is frustration at having lost so much of my life, ie, not being able to do the house work save the washing up, not being able to do the decorating that needs doing, the gardening etc etc but the main thing is the frustration at the constant pain. Don't get me wrong, I don't lie around wallowing but I don't think I'd be normal if I didn't feel at least a little fed up now & again!

Well I think that's me!! I do want to ask on here about anyone else that has had problems post op, in particular, Arachnoiditis but not sure if I should start a new thread? If so then please someone, let me know.

All the best