runner's surgery blog, L4/5, 2008

treefrog · #1 (**permalink**) 05-13-2009, 03:50 PM

I totally agree that ADR is the way to go (even at L5/S1), and I was very happy when Dr. Bertagnoli told me two level ADR instead of a hybrid. I have a partially lumbarized S1 (which the Germans are calling L6), and I thought there might be a possibility that they might want a fusion there, to account for possible extra movement because of the transitional anatomy.

But like you, I know that fusion is much harder to recover from, and lots of people have problems with the hardware. I want to avoid fusion if at all possible. Which is why I am going all the way to Germany, and spending my own money to have ADR.

I think you are wise to fight to have ADR. I really hope you are able to get insurance to pay. Did they pay for your first surgery?

Maria · #2 (**permalink**) 05-13-2009, 05:10 PM

edited as necessary

runner · #3 (**permalink**) 05-15-2009, 06:16 PM

Cathy,

When I am finished this year, I will look like you, ADR-wise.
We paid for my surgery.
It is a long story.
I still consider myself in a fight with my insurance. I won't stop fighting until they are eliminated from this earth.
They can go sell and administer policies on Mars, for all I care. When i can get different insurance, I will.
They are the worse of the worst.

Maria,

I think you have a good idea going to Dr. B as the surgeons here do not seem to have ADR experience with osteopenia/osteroporosis bone density.

I had a lot of pain before surgery and I know I lost disc height, because, duh, i lost height period. So before the surgery, I had to sign a consent for fusion and went into surgery praying that i got ADR.
I just would NOT surrender to get fusion. I knew the odds of adjacent disc disease and i knew that in the right people, ADR was the way to go. I understand that it is better for certain people to go with fusion (people with stenosis, spondylolethesis, advanced facet hyperthrophy, etc...).

Well, got my tooth fixed yesterday and woke up this morning with right knee pain again. So i was thinking and realized it must have been that two hours in the dentist chair yesterday. I was reclining and put a pillow behind my back but my disc is not a happy camper. I am disappointed because the PM doc said the knee pain should go away.
Like maybe after surgery?
I am laying low, again. At least, surgery is only seven weeks and some days, away.

(was a) runner

Maria · #4 (**permalink**) 05-16-2009, 11:37 PM

Runner,
I guess if screws weren't used I'd feel much better about fusion w/ADR at the level above. I was even told that screws didn't have to be used but I was afraid I might wake up with them in anyway..

The dental chair is bliss for me all the way back with almost a touch of the head being lower than the rest of the body.. then being numbed up.. it's almost sleepy time except when the drilling starts!

runner · #5 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 06:48 AM

Hi Maria,

Yes, we really don't know what we will wake up with because in surgery, if one thing does not work, they'll use or do something else.
I really didn't know if my surgeon would do the ADR. I was prepared to rethink what I was going to do or get a second opinion. I had all my rebuttal questions prepared.

Don't wait so long that you time yourself out from doing an ADR. Are you getting any treatments for the bone density? I have heard, too, that they will do surgery with mild to moderate facet hypertrophy and then i have read that MRIs may not be the best test to determine facet hypertrophy.
It is very controversial.

So if you were told screws did not have to be used, then they would have done an ALIF and just put in cages?

The dentist chair for me was uncomfortable, when I had them put an extra small pillow in the small of my back, it was better. However, it must have really irritated my back. It is funny, I can be laying down and not much seems wrong with my back and i will get up and walk around and start having back pain. The pain has been increasing and I notice it when the pain pills wear off. I walk slowly and carefully because of the back pain. Now, I get pain lying down, too, and not just with sitting and walking.

I am just hanging in there until the surgery date. It is surprising how fast the pain can increase, but I really should have expected this increase of pain post disco because this is what happened last time.

This time, the dentist didn't completely get the tooth numbed, but he tried. All I was thinking, was, "Come on already, get out of my mouth. Don't be such a d@@n perfectionist." I was also thinking how I could have used some nitric oxide or something. I don't know if I am hypersensitive or what but it takes a load of anesthetic to put my teeth to sleep.

I know when i had my last surgery that my surgeon thought my post-op pain levels were on the high-side. But here they cut your abdomen open, move things, scrape out your disc, rough up the endplates, and then cut into your veterbral bone to put the keels in. Yeah, that hurts.

I know you have to consider your father, but is there anyone else to temporarily look out for him while you have surgery? You say that you can function with the pain but you have to look at physiologically, and not just mentally, what the pain does to your body. Pain is not good for us.

runner · #6 (**permalink**) 05-25-2009, 08:59 PM

Memorial Day weekend,

Just about six weeks from surgery.
I was just wondering if anyone had a similar symptom to me. For the past couple of months, I have been experiencing different leg symptoms. I know that my reflexes (patellar and ankle) have decreased but besides the numbness and sciatica, my right ankle has started turning by itself. It happened again today. I was standing talking to someone and I wasn't moving and all of a sudden my right ankle turned out. I was on dirt so I naturally looked down, thinking i had stepped in a hole or an indentation in the dirt and there was nothing. It also happened when i was locking my house door and just standing there. So it has only happened a handful of times but my ankle is sore afterwards because essentially it is like spraining an ankle.
I told my pain doc but not my neuro doc and I am really not concerned about that. I hope it is something that goes away after surgery.
I presume it is from the decreased reflexes.
Someone told me it could be a component of foot drop.
Anybody else out there have this happen to them??

Runner

runner · #7 (**permalink**) 06-01-2009, 10:55 PM

Five weeks and counting.

Oh boy, I am anxious to get things moving.
Not sleeping great. Had a disturbing encounter with some people and my whole family was effected. So I did not sleep that night. Made up some hours with a two-hour nap, however.
Last night, I tried to get to sleep early but got looking at my hs reunion stuff and then I had constipation issues which kept me up. I got to sleep late and had a hard time functioning today.
I have a list of things to do and I am crossing things off that list. Slowly but steadily.
I think June is going to be a busy month.
I need everyone's prayers and good wishes that things look good for the next few weeks. I had a horrible week last week and need things to go my way or at least good things to happen.

Runner