Going in for another surgery Thurs. 3/25
 

Would appreciate your prayers as I'm going in for another cervical fusion. They'll be redoing the previous one at C6-7 as it didn't heal right and they think it's moving, and will also be doing a fusion at C7-T1. So, if away for a while you'll understand why.

Will be interesting to see after the recovery time has passed if I still need the cervical SCS. Will still have to use my lumbar SCS but hoping to be able to go down to one and do away with the "twins".

Biggest problem I've been running into is not being able to get an MRI. Therfore my surgeon doesn't have as good of an idea of what he's going to find when he goes in to do the surgery. They did a cervical myelogram but he says they don't show as much detail as an MRI. I think that if the day ever comes when both cervical and lumbar SCS's are not needed anymore I will have them removed, simply so I can get future MRI's.

Thanks for your prayers! :hug:

Dear Fiona
 

Always and ever do you have our prayers. May all be well, all be well, may all manner of things be well.

Our Lord reigns,
Mark56:hug:

I don't "Do" prayers as such, but I will send positivitity. The reason our Doctor's in the Uk are loath to do fusions is that they invariably lead to you having another one.

tell me about it
in the last two months
things have been not right
something is going on
mechanically
pain specialist doesn't
want to subject me
to any radiation than
needed
he too fears it

we'll see

for now the meds are doing
what they should
temporally take pain away
take more
wait
take more
take poop softener
take more meds
get the vomit feeling
in waves throughout the day
but all in all going as usual

someone who cares
sorry to hear
you didn't heal
i will hope and pray
all will be well

Eva,

Your description of meds , etc., pretty much describes much of my day.
But am happy to hear the meds are working as intended..... less pain.....


Gerry

Fionab,

Praying all goes well with your fusions.

I have had lumbar fusion; but do not have an SCS. Because of fusion; still am unable to have MRI's. Not sure I would try to have fusion removed or even if possible.

A year or two post fusion, did see a different orthopaedic doctor who, after myleogram, thought the doctor who performed fusion should remove one of the screws that was close to a vein. Original doctor, didn't feel it was necessary to remove. That was a few years ago.

Praying as well for a speedy recovery.

Gerry

I had to have a cervical revision around 15 years ago. Like yourself, the first one didn't heal properly. The revision was a total success. The area now has some predictable arthritic changes which give me a little weather related trouble but it is nothing that several applications of thera gesic rub doesn't fix. Hugs and prayers.

Spine :hug:

Dear fionab
 

Have hope your next fusion works. I had two also, and the second one set me right. Much much better....Hope it gets better for you too. ginnie:hug:

And....
 

Another dose of prayer.
Uh huh,
:hug:

Thanks everyone! Go in to see dr. today to discuss post-surgery pain mgmt. Yipee...get to look forward to the constipation and other issues the much need pain meds. will bring. Fortunately he does give me something to take along with them for the nausea, so that helps a lot. See you on the other side...

Fiona

Thinking of you my friend.....
Sending prayers your way :hug:

Caring Always,
Rae
:grouphug:

Surgery got cancelled
 

Well, I made it into the surgery prepping area, got the IV hook up, talked to the anesthesia guy and five minutes before I was to go in for surgery my neurosurgeon came in to talk to me. He said he had thought it through and that he didn't think that the risk was worth taking as he couldn't give me better than a 50/50 chance of it helping my pain. So I was unhooked from the IV, got dressed and was escorted to an empty patient room where my husband and I sat, waiting for my neurosurgeon.

When he came in he suggested that I wear a hard collar for a month and if I found it helped then we could proceed with surgery as it would be an more positive indicator that movement of the old fusion and a pinched nerve was really the cause of my pain. Since we both had time to kill (he had set aside 3 hrs. for the surgery), he had someone bring in a hard collar and we tried it on.

Unfortunately the person putting it on was in a hurry and I ended up with it around my neck in a very uncomfortable position. Therefore I could not tell him that, yes, the collar was helping as it was very uncomfortable and actually making my pain worse. The person with the collar left and the surgeon said that he was glad he didn't do the surgery as he would have permanently locked my neck into the position that the neck brace had me in. He made a comment about my neck's "neutral" position not being like most people and that he possibly could have permanently put my neck into a more painful position. So he said goodbye and that was that. No mention of where to go from here.

Looking back I don't know what to think now. I'm sooooo confused :eek::eek:

Hi fionab
 

Would you post your MRI again? I sure would like to know what your surgeon was thinking. I reversed the curve of my spine and am fused 3.7. He put it BACK into a natural position. I have good mobility. So I am not sure why they put you through all of that, only to dismiss you right before surgery. You can also get a copy of his notes regarding the situation. Maybe you want to go see a neuro surgeon for another opinion since it got that close to surgery. Also not sure what the hard collar is suppose to do if your neck is not in aleignment. I am as :eek: feeling as you are. Most of these surgeries have multipal doctors look at things before proceeding. I wish I understood too fionab. This was unusual, and highly stressful for you as well. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Ginnie:hug::grouphug::(

Didn't have an MRI, ginnie
 

due to having SCS's in me. I only had cervical myelogram to go by which showed no disk problems. I had also undergone diagnostic nerve blocks at the suspected area and got great relief with it, which caused neurosurgeon to advise surgery as it confirmed pinched nerve. And then on the CT, they saw that the previous fusion I'd had at C6-7 hadn't healed right. So with those diagnostic tools in hand the neurosurgeon made the decision was made to go ahead with surgery. Then, right before surgery, wham...get dressed, have changed my mind. Still in a state of confusion :(:(

Hi fionab
 

Sorry you had to go through the myleogram. I sure hope you get a copy of the notes. I would think he would tell you what that means that C6-7 didn't heal right. I would be as confused as you are. I healed OK from C6-7, but the ones above didn't hold out. Wish I knew something to help you. Maybe get those notes and go for another opinion. Heck with more tests, you have been through enough already. You are in my thoughts. ginnie:hug:

ginnie
 

the technical term for what happened at my C6-7 fusion is cervical psudeoarthrosis. In the CT scan you can see the screws/hardware and then there's a big gap where it didn't heal in properly. He said that he thought that area may be moving some and contributing to my problems, even though the hardware was still in place, so that's why he was going to stabalize it better with the hardware he would have used when he did fusion at C7-T1.

Going to try to find a hard cervical collar on my own to see if wearing it will help. Called the neurosurgeon's office today and he won't prescribe one as he believes that trying on the one at the hospital which didn't help means no cervical collar will help. Think that's odd as there's more than one type of cervical collar on the market. I think that if I could work with someone who helps fit people with them, at my own pace and I could tell them how it's feeling (rather than it just getting jammed on me at the hospital and making me hurt worse), then the outcome would be different. But he's saying no collar at all and he now wants to see me in a few weeks. For what reason, I'm not sure. And so the confusion continues....:confused::confused:

Hi fionab
 

I looked up psudeoarthrosis. Apparantly you didn't fuse correctly and a new joint or bone fomation happened. What I want to know is why that can't be fixed?. I sure would question why that occured. In the web pages it said it mostly happened after fractures. What happens to the verterbre above and below this site of non healing? That would be a question I would ask if it were me. If he wants to see you, and now recommends no collar, why is that? The hardware you had in tobegin with was suppose to stabilize the area. Mine stayed stable, but above the fusion failed. ( I wasn't told I had further problems) Also there are bone growth simulators, for cases that they worry about fusion occuring. Do you have osteoarthritis, DJD, DDD? Is your doctor giving you any clue as to what will happen? If this continues to rock or move, won't that cause instability in general to the whole cervical neck? I am just throwing this out to you fionab, not to make you scared, but to question what I would do in similar circumstances. Wearing a hard collar for life doesn't sound like an option. In fact the people who first fitted you with it, didn't really sound like they did a good job to begin with.
I guess I have some left over issue, with regard to what happened to me, and not being told all that was wrong, leading to a bigger fusion. I know that if I had to do it over again, I would not have accepted my doctors word for it, but researched exactly what happened to me. Sometimes they omit real important bits of information. I don't want that to happen to you. I spent an extra 6 years in real agony, because I didn't ask those quesitons or get my medical records. Ticked me off something fierce when I found out the truth.
I sure hope that your situation has some resolution, to where you are not in a pain that hasn't a good prognosis. I hope you question the heck out of him. He works for you..... and I did fire my first neurologist! I actually waved bye bye.
I think you can tell I have a bit of a tude about this stuff, as I know the pain of cervical problems intimately. I don't wish it on anyone!!!!!! I hope your doctor is straight up and honest and can offer you a solution that is acceptable to you, and reduces your pain. I wish you the best in what ever you decide fionab. I just hate to hear when things don't go right for folks. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. ginnie:hug::hug:

You asked "Do you have osteoarthritis, DJD, DDD?"...no, not that I'm aware of. I've ordered a hard cervical collar and I'm going to wear it when I'm doing certain movements that I know really get my neck hurting, but will not wear it all the time as don't want my muscles to atrophy. Seems like I have to take care of myself at this point because I don't know what my neurosurgeon is thinking and won't see him until the 18th.

When he talked to me originally about my pseudoarthrosis he said he believed that even though it hadn't healed properly that the hardware was holding it in place adequately. But then the next time he brought up that maybe it was moving and causing some problems and that if it became a problem he could go in an do a revision.

I don't know if it's that he is so busy that he doesn't remember what he said to me in a prior office visit or if he just changes his mind and doesn't communicate things to me very well. It's a bummer really, as he is a very well thought of neurosurgeon in my area.

Thanks so much for your prayers:hug::hug:

i am so so sorry
i have so much i want to say
for i am so sorry

someone who cares

Oh, dear Fiona
 

Reading this most recent turn of events, I am sad to learn of your HALT to the procedure. I hope in the long run it was a good decision on the part of Doc, and the use of the collar you have ordered may be of help.

I know in healing from cervical fusion using my collar, a hard device and also fairly comfortable, was helpful in the overall healing process from surgery. The fusion took, the nerves have very much settled on the left side, while on the right, although quite a bit of therapy was indicated and used, the right side has been settling down as well.

These miraculous bodies of ours, God designed though I do believe, are still quite the mystery to the medical folk..... maybe that is why there working in the medical arts is refered to as PRACTICE because no one ever corners the market on perfection..... So, I hope and pray all will be well.

On the notion of the cervical collar, I know mine with its velcro strap enclosures on the sides, I was able to gain reasonable fit for my neck. The hard device was intended to restrict harmful movements, and NOT to hold the head. Too many users have tightened the device so snugly as to become dependent upon the collar as their muscles gave way to the artifice of plastic, foam, and velcro.

Mine had a little centered turn dial on the thoracic front of the device. The dial could be turned either clockwise or counterclockwise to attain best comfort in using the collar. Sleeptime, since I was post surgical, was mandated as a collar use event as well. I obeyed. The collar was find, a little less comfortable than just my head on a pillow, but it was survivable using two pillows rather than my usual one for the head.

That is about it. May your body do the miraculous and heal, and may you know comfort that many of us pray for your wellbeing.
Prayin now, :hug: :grouphug:

if i may add
my doctor is someone
with a following a great
neurosurgeon
some at my job have
had his services
meeting a patient at my
breast reconstructive doctor
i do not trust any doctor
and get all your paper work
from all picture taking
x-rays blood work results
in your possession
that is important
as it was in my case
because fionab you mention
he seems to forget what transpired
on the last visit my eyebrows are
raised my doctor behaved in that manner
and begun to wonder what does he write
in our files i see him writing

be on guard
this was my experience
hope it isn't your case

much love and care

that someone who cares

Good idea to get copies of any and all treatments and tests. Things get miss filed and lost and then what do you do.

Sandy Kay