To have surgery or not to have surgery!!

[Back2lyfe]

This is a work comp case which makes it difficult for me to get the right medical care. The way the workcomp didnt come to me until 8 months after my accident. I wasnt aware of the nerves getting impinged longer than 6 months. I saw a doctor and he had the same injury i did and he ended up having a micro-D which didnt work out for him so he told me not to do it which made me not go for physical therapy and now the pain is not manageable withour pills. I only saw one PTP and he is a bad doctor he ended up dropping me. I was wondering since you have to be referred to a specialist such as a nuerology or spine specialist doctor. WHat type of PTP doctor should i pick from the MPN list.

[mmglobal]

Hello Back2Lyfe... Welcome to the forum!

I'm sorry that you find yourself in this situation. It's impossible to have an opinion about what you might do based on the description here. If things aren't going in the right direction and have not been for so long, if you are a good candidate for surgery, then that may be your best option. WC gets in the way.

Be careful... the same surgery performed by different doctors can be VERY different from one doc to the next. Do your homework... make informed decisions.

Goog luck! please keep us posted.

All the best,

Mark

[Maria]

My case has always been WC re my low back (since early 80's). It wasn't such a struggle then to get things authorized as it is now but it wasn't easy either. Now it's nearly impossible.

My PTP has been the same Orthopedic Spine Surgeon since '98. He hasn't done any spine surgery on me although I had picked him to manage my care and was considering having surgery done w/him but then sought other opinions.

Before him I had a medical doctor as my PTP who referred me to the Neurosurgeon who did my first discectomy. I think the only reason I decided to utlilize someone else was distance in terms of driving.

I was told that PTP and surgeon aren't usually the same person because the surgeon stops treating at a certain point (after releasing one from care) and the PTP continues to manage your care. Whether that still holds true or not I don't know however I have used the OSS as my PTP to order my ESIs, refer me to PM, and overall do the paperwork involved in my WC case (keep it straight). I didn't want to switch doctors as WC is such a pain in the arse it's good to have at least one doctor that knew my case and legalities involved. Don't get someone who isn't familiar w/WC as they won't know how to write the reports and can screw things up further for you.

I saw a really good Neurosurgeon for consultation in San Diego and also several extremely reputable Orthopedic Spine surgeons in the LA area for opinions. My PTP is in the city I live in. I don't know if there have been legislative changes re picking PTPs, how easy it is to switch PTPs and all that. It's best to familiarize yourself with the WC legislation in your state.

[cherylstewart67]

Dear B2L, So ask yourself and your doctor, have we done we we can? If the answer is yes, then most likely surgery is the next step. As you know from reading the posts on here, it does NOT always solve all of your pain or mobility issues. My first surgery was due to spinal cord involvement, so no choice. If it's only one level I highly suggest you look into ADR artificial disc replacement rather than fusion. Fusion can lead to more problems later on. Read about Wolf's Law. God bless and keep us updated. Cheryl

[Maria]

I don't know what state you're in regarding your WC legislation. In CA it's getting very difficult to have anything authorized anymore re WC although I'm sure a persistant surgeon w/the right information can eventually manage that.

Your PTP should be familiar w/WC IMHO. Your PTP should be willing to make necessary referrals to surgeons and PM and any other necessary referrals needed re your spine. Your PTP should be familiar w/WC because how the reports are written can facilitate and expedite your care/case.

It is very important you get someone that will work with you and not against you. Good luck.

[dridobits]

I so understand how your feeling. I used to be a dancer and a runner and it's so hard to be in pain. Do you feel you are getting adequate relief from the painkillers? Maybe you need something longer acting as well as what you are taking now.

As for waiting for surgery, I waited for over ten years. I had surgery last year. I am glad I did. While I still have problems, I don't have the nerve issues I did. After exhaustive research I found out that for my condition people who had surgery were much better off. I don't think because you've waited that you should be discouraged from pursuing surgery.

[nikfavors08]

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[sarahbryan11]

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