runner's surgery blog, L4/5, 2008

[runner]

Exercise and spasms
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Runners,

Do you raise your legs when you lay down? I sat in the "wrong" chair a a car dealership yesterday morning and paid for it all day. After about an hour of light gardening I laid down and propped my legs at the knees. Within 1/2 an hour no spasms and was up and about again. I continue to core train at home and did it last night. I feel bad when I do not exercise. I hate pain meds and avoid them for as long as I can tolerate the pain. Now I notice a gin and tonic are helpful sometimes too!!

Paul
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MVA on 20AUG07 at work
L4/L5 Annular Tear
One failed epidural 12OCT08
Discogram 10FEB08
ADR Prodisc L 10JUN08

[runner]

Hi Guys,

I had a "good" day today after having an awful day the day before. Go figure. Paul, interesting story.
Back when I had my discogram, I wasn't aware of everything that involved it. So don't beat yourself up for not having L5/S1 tested, although you should have. It wasn't your fault.
I am like you Paul, I want to get things going. I exercised today to see how my back and legs would react and they did ok. I think when I exercise, I get the euphoric feeling and it blocks out a lot of back pain but I still felt some pain but it wasn't that bad.
I will see how I feel tomorrow and when i go to physical therapy.

So you are already getting a discogram while I wait. No I am not jealous but I have had to go through four injections since January and I am feeling a little needle phobic. I will probably end up having a discogram again if these symptoms persist.

I don't have a doctor appointment until the end of the month and then my surgeon appt in early April so I have a break from being poked and proded.

Well, Paul can you live with the pain? That is not such an unusual question as I read that, he is asking if the pain is not so bad that you don't want to pursue different avenues like surgery and the pain is liveable. Meaning it is not intractable pain.

As for failed back syndrome, my understanding is that if another disc degenerates near the repaired level, that is called FBS..
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[runner]

Runner,

Sorry to hear the injections didn't work. Mine didn't either. Does it look like you'll have to have another surgery?

As for failed back surgery syndrome, it was explained to me that the surgery didn't reduce the pain significantly (regardless of the procedure). I guess it's a catch all term so the surgeon won't have to shrug his shoulders.

I hope your discogram sheds some positive light on your pain source.

Bob
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04/06 L5/S1 Rupture
05/06 MRI shows DDD @ L2-S1
06/06 Diskectomy/ Laminotomy L5/S1
04/07 Recurrent Disc L5/S1
3 Ortho and 1 Neuro Surgeon, 3 MRIs, 1 EGM, 1 Myleogram & 9 EDIs later:
03/27/09 L4/5 & L5/S1 Maverick disc at Stenum
03/27/09 Thanking God for giving Dr. Ritter-Lang his great skills

[runner]

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Bob and Phylly and Paul,

I don't know if the ESI didn't work because I have had two days of relatively low back pain. Sorry about my last post, I was falling asleep and not making sense and mis-spelling words galore. Later, I tried to go edit spelling but learned I have to edit within 60 minutes of a post.
Oh well.
I don't have a discogram scheduled but I am pretty sure I might go that route. Currently, I am enjoying not taking narcotics during the day and subsisting on tylenol and my gabapentin and flexeril. For two whole days!
This might last a week or less or more, who knows?
I am hoping that it lasts through my trip next week with my oldest daughter to go to the Supernatural convention. She got me turned on Supernatural (WB on Thursdays) when I was recovering from my surgery. Now, I am taking a trip with her for the three day convention. I almost like Supernatural as much as my beloved ER--which is ending this year.
I would like to get off of or decrease my gabapetin dose but I don't know the likelihood of that since I still have numbness in my legs and feet and sciatica. I might try reducing myself if I was adventurous but that would probably be foolish.

I am thinking of going to a movie today and sitting. Something I wouldn't have done 1-2 weeks ago.
My other daughter has begged me to take her to the movies. She can be tireless in any pursuit she undertakes.

Paul, you have to tell me the results of your discogram when you get it done. Your spine doc does not do them, does he? Do you have the radiculopathy and sciatica like I have?
Or just plain ole back pain?
Your doctor certainly is interesting. From my take, he seems like he does not deal with the "failures" as well as the "successes". I would be offended if a doctor asked me, "How much pain can I live with?" Come to think of it, I think one ortho surgeon did. I think he was trying to sway me away from fusion. I would come right back, explain my pain and ask him, if that was you, could you live with the pain? Doctors are interesting, I think I really admire some that I know and despise others. You have got to remember they are human and they do make mistakes. Some are arrogant and others can be quite humble.

I almost became one if not for my sub-par grades in my original stint at college. I was deadset on premed when i was a senior in high school. That was my dream, but alas it was not meant to be.
Paul, I would be really frustrated with him. At least, you got him to agree to a discogram. I don't know how you reacted to your last discogram but with me, the pain got worse after the discogram.


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[runner]

After a few good days and some moderate ones, I kind of crashed today and had a lot of back pain and sciatica tonight.
I just wish the insurance companies (the bad ones such as the Blues, and United) would start covering ADRs and listen to the results with patients. But I know they do not care for anything but their bottom line.
They sure do like covering fusions, but they are in the dark age when it comes to the newer spinal surgeries.

I am getting ready to go out of town--to the big city of Los Angeles, and am making the list in my head of what I need to be comfortable or relatively comfortable at the convention I am going to. My ice pad, my meds, my muscle stim unit, my Lidocaine pads, and the list continues.
I am hoping nothing gets significantly worse but I am realistic that things don't look particularly good. I just want to enjoy the weekend and went to the store and got my little supply of candy and was shocked how much the Sweet Factory raised its prices.
I felt like I was robbed as I didn't notice that they changed the way they priced their candy and we came up on the short side. So what was $18 for the whole family candy stash back in Dec., was twice as much now.

Then I see on TV that candy sales are up because of our economy.
I have to concentrate on other things so I don't go crazy with worries about my back. And I have been distracted plenty by car problems and money seemingly going out faster than it should.
I feel we are lucky because we have a house and can pay the mortgage, but like everyone we are one or two steps from disaster and especially since I am not working.

Thankfully, we have forums where we can bitch and moan or share great news and feel like we are not alone.
Well, that's it for now.
got to hit the hay,

[runner]

a supernatural day

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Well guys I am at the convention.
Steel, I am in your neck of the woods (being Los Angeles).

The sitting has been tough although I got up and took breaks as much as possible. The sciatica continues to be a bear, just like if someone was knifing my glutes or hamstrings. Luckily, I can take pain meds as I don't need to drive anywhere for the next few days and I will probably have my daughter drive home.

My daughter is surprised on how obsessed some of the Supernatural fans are. But there are plenty of normal fans too. I am really enjoying listening to actors talk and being around a large amount of people. Being a former reporter, I just like hearing people's stories and just finding out tidbits about people.

I am not happy that I look so fat with this protruding stomach but I try not to think about it too much. Since I am busy with stuff since late afternoon, I am less concentrated on pain and my problems.
Might be actually enjoying myself--what a concept.

Listening to the planes take off and land at LAX. We are on the 15th floor of our hotel. Looking forward to drifting off to sleep as the biggie pain med (percocet) is taking effect. I tell you, I am getting more back pain but also the Gabapentin does not seem to be holding the sciatica in check.
At home, I was looking at my journal about back pain and realized my pain levels were higher than what the doctor noted at my discogram in 2007 prior to surgery. My L4/5 was 8-9 and my L5/S1 was 7-8. My old pain rehab doc had my lower disc at 5/10. It pays to write things down after appointments and treatments. And no, I wouldn't have gotten this incorrect because I was not put out for the test and nurses don't mess up pain levels.

The world is paved with "if onlys". Now, I guess that the next step will be to find out exactly what is wrong with the disc. Next week, at my appt, I hope my pain doc does not mention spinal stimmulator. I would like to throw the PA, who spoke to me about that at the last appt, under a bus.

Well, that's it for now. Lately, been having more difficulty concentrating and remembering things, especially since started back on percocets.

Tomorrow is another day.



Oh by the way, Oprah last week on her Dr. Oz episode, had Montel Williams on the show, speaking about Multiple Sclerosis and the pain he has with it. Sounded kind of familiar about how he has nerve pain and how it effects him. It is worth a listen (go to Oprah.com - Live Your Best Life - Oprah.com) as how he has dealt with it and how he tries not to let it get the better of him.
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[runner]

wasted day
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Update of sorts:

I traveled up the road a bit to see my pain doctor in his other office (appt was changed) and I consider it a wasted trip.
It was on April fool's day, btw.
Anyway, turns out the doctor was not there again although I checked when I made the appt, apparently that is not always foolproof, and I ended up speaking to the P.A. again. Mostly, she told me that I should see what my neurosurgeon says. She gave me a new script for Percocet (refill) and wanted me to try Flector patches (antiinflammatory).
She told me I am at my max of ESIs. Not very informative here
So at the end of the appt, she informed me the Dr. was not in. Well, I kind of told her that I was upset at this happening again and that I wanted to see him, not her and "I did not trust her".
She replied that she was not in on Tuesday's at the office closer to me and that I should make my appts then.
She then said to see my surgeon and then see pain doc in one month.
I think she is not in touch with back pain (back pain patients) because why the heck would I want to wait one month? How stupid can you get? I am having a whole lot of pain, but why would I want to wait three weeks after I speak to my surgeon? Hey, i am not getting any better here.

I got an appt next week. I really want to talk to the pain doc before I see surgeon (next week also).
But what I really want to do is stop seeing docs and getting back to normal, but that does not seem to be happening.

I am at a conference to keep up my skills (thinking ability) and although I love this conference although I missed it last year because of my back, I am having a lot of trouble with the back pain.
So this conference is not the best thing for my back but kind of reinforces the idea that things are not right in that department.
I have had some extreme back pain after yesterday's session and that has increased my worries but I am trying to remain calm and not freak out. i need to have a clear head for the upcoming doc appts and do some more research so I am more informed and prepared.

Until next week...

On a side note, more protests against the insurance companies, who want to force us (Americans) to sign up for mandatory health insurance and tax our employee health benefits. Rally set on Monday, April 6th