hello all!!
i think this thread is amazing. its so hard to find any information & speak to people & hear their experiences on having spinal fusion done.
i'd like to give mike & abbygirl a massive amount of credit as they have been brilliant with all their posts & replies, not to mention the encouragement & positive vibes being zapped through their computers & into anyone's who've read this thread.
i also like reading the posts from batfish as she is quite funny!!!
i'm 27, from ireland & i have spina bifida, i was pretty active up until about 2 years ago & have had bad back pain since, its worse when sitting & bending & have been seeing my doc during this time trying all the usual procedures to cure/find problem for the recent back pain. the lowest disc is damaged & is not performing at all, like it was intended to, so it needs to be taken out.
this wasnt as a result from an incident or an injury, but from general wear, gradual deterioration, because of the spina bifida, thats why i have big fears with regards to the state i'll be in after, because that whole area will gradually get worse over time anyway, nevermind goin in & altering the natural from its in at the mo & having the surgery. but i've come to accept this as i've had plenty of time to get to terms with it!!
it looks as if i will prob be having the spinal fusion done at l5-s1. not for a few months though. i am worried because the doctor told me that because of the spina bifida, that whole area around the base of my spine is alot more delicate than normal, and so i'm worried that the pain will be alot worse afterwards, and even risk losing feeling in my legs.
he said he needs to discuss the op. with his colleages to see what the best way to do it would be, because i have scar tissue on the back (operation when i was 1 for spina bifida) & the front (appendix) already - i personally though this was kinda funny!!!! what are the odds!!!!!
i think hearing about the risks & the percentages are the worst part, because its impossible not to think about them, its only natural!!!
i'm a very positive person & have coped really well with the pain so far, i'm currently out of work for nearly 2 years now, because i cant sit with any comfort at all (desk job)...so it has heavily impacted my life...this is the main reason that i want to have the surgery. theres no way i could go on like this. even if after its worse, i dont think i'd regret it, because you have to take a shot at things like this & at least give yourself a chance at feeling better (even if its just a little bit!!!). you should never think "what if?"
i would be greatful if anyone has any info/knowledge or even know someone who has spina bifida & had the surgery?? it would be great to hear from you.
even if not, its still great to talk to anyone who has had/thinking about having this surgery, as no one can really understand unless they've gone through the same thing.
stay positive everyone !!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by kiwimike
Firstly i just wanted to post this to encourage all those out there that are thinking of having spinal surgery because there are good success stories out there. Before i went through mine i had read alot on the internet about peoples horror stories and it almost put me off having it. but the constant thoughts of suicide were annoying me and i didn't want those things in my head anymore and i thought it surely can't get any worse than it is now. So i had a L4-S1 posterolateral fusion with instrumentation and now 3 months later i am pain free. Please be encouraged , these guys can get it right, sure there are horror stories out there and i know that those people to can be fixed, just hang in there (thats you Pam  ). And to those who are thinking about it please go for it, because you don't want to carry on as you are with pain and always think to yourself, "i wonder if the surgery would have fixed it ?" , i waited 10 years before i finally had the courage to go through with it and i wish i had done it years ago.
This was briefly my situation somedays my pain was bearable , other days I could hardly bend over or climb stairs, (the day I was to have the op in hospital I felt great , always the way though isn’t it! , but I still went through with it)
Heres a few tips if you do decide to go through with it.
1. Firstly ask around about surgeons, find a good one ,ring around as many medical places as you can and ask “who’s the best spinal surgeon?” I managed to speak with a patient of one surgeon who raved about her op and how good this guy was (she had the same problems as me and had the 2 level fusion done to fix it and never regretted it) so I went with him in the end.
2. If you have the op TAKE IT EASY !!!!, no running, jumping , lifting for at least the first 3 months, this was hard for me as i am an active person, but fight the urge!, the best thing you can do is walk, just a little to start with , then go further and further each day.Listen to your body, it will let you know if you over do it (i had this happen twice) I have only just started light running after 3 months but will continue to not do much up until month 6. There is still lots of healing going on inside you, even though you may feel great, TAKE IT EASY PLEASE! , i can not stress that enough. This is major surgery and your body needs lots of time to heal , don't stress it out by thinking that you feel great after 2 months and can do whatever you like. I laid out on the couch for the first 3 weeks and just watched movies, the only thing i did was my walk each day and i believe this aided big time in a successful recovery.
Well that's all for now, if anyone has any questions, please ask me!! and please all those who still have issues from things that have gone wrong , hang in there! and all those considering this type of surgery , as long as you have exhausted all other options (ie physio, chiropractic, orthopaedic methods just as i did as surgery is the last option) then go for it and i wish you the best!
Cheers
Mike 
PS Don't expect to end up so your as good as you were when you were 18 cause i'm def. not! , but i'm active again without pain and i'm happy with no more suicide thoughts at all.My goal is to beable to play soccer again, i am aiming to play my first game on the 1 year anniversary of my operation. |