I had two discs herniate on me. I continued on with my job in construction as I really had little choice; taking Vicodin and Soma. THis worked for about 4 years. Then I was on a really heavy job (actually I wasn't so good, the herniations wore through the sciatic nerve and I vomited at around 2:00 P.M. most days) and I ruptured the discs.

The Surgeon didn't believe what I told him, did not prepare properly, went in on the wrong side and found two major blow outs on the right inside. Total FUBAR.

The next doc spent 6 hrs just cleaning up the scar tissue and another 5 doing a fusion. The hospital screwed up and put me in tiny leg circulating sheaths and ignored my screams of pain all night. The next morning the doc wanted to remove both legs at the knee.

I was left with some weird stuff; now reflexes in my legs and never ending pain in my back which leads to sciatic pain and chronic muscle spasms.

Somewhere a nerve or set of nerves is being stimulated.

As far as I can tell there are limited solutions. List: No more than 1 hour in any fixed position, If you are thin a lace up corset helps a lot. A healthy dose (HIGH) of opiates and a good synergetic drug and perhaps a benzo diazapin. When the spasms hit stand up and put your hands on a wall, support and stretch gently.

In my state (WA) they are cutting off or down most pain med RX. The magic limit is 1/2 what makes my retired life 40% of normal. At 1/2 I'm in bed.

This is what it is. Doctors hate it because it's soft tissue damage and it's hard to document. The good/bad news is that with chronic pain you no longer "get high" when you take the meds. The doctors still act as if you do, but you don't and the therapists are hip.

Have you had any weight gain with the injury? Not using the back muscles or giving them extra work can exacerbate the spasms. They can't do what's asked and so they spasm.

They wanted to TAKE YOUR LEGS OFF??!!
Oh my Lord!

I'm so sorry reading what you've been thru!

I sure comprehend what you mean about the pain meds. It's unbelievable to me how high my tolerance is to the pain meds I take! It would lay a 'normal' person flat!
My aunt broke her arm/shoulder in 3 places and I saw the 'pain' meds she was taking - only a drop in the bucket of what I have to take to stay above the wreck that I've become!

I wear a lumbar belt, which does indeed help some. I've been told not to become too 'dependent' upon tho, as it will only serve to weaken my back muscles all the more.
....I like the 'corset' thought! Wish they were still in fashion ...... not that I give a cr@p about fashion anymore.....but it's hard to find an actual 'corset' in the mall........... guess I could take a gander of the online shopping, of which I've never really done.

Oh, forgot to ask this....

A couple folks have commented on this - in terms of surgical....
but I was wondering more in terms of the NONsurgical spinal decompression....

There are a few spine specialists in my area who use this 'machine'-thing (DXR 9000, or something like that?) Has anyone heard of this?
I don't know much about spinal decompression.

I wonder if there are many discussions on non-surgical spinal decompression.
I ought to take advantage of the 'search' feature at top of page and see.
I will do just that.......

In the meantime, if anyone has any input on this, I'd be very grateful...

Cheers
Rae

Well, a very dear friend of ours who is a Chiropractor, gave it a go in a joint practice started up with a colleague of his and he had both positive and negatives to say about it. End result, he and his colleague abandonded the joint effort and went back to their individual Chiro practices.

You can achieve similar effects MUCH more cheaply if you have access to a Physio place with a warm therapy pool. Go there. Under the watchful care of the physiotherapist, use the pool with a Cervical Collar floatation device and weights on your ankles. Swim down to the deep end and just hang there for as long as the physiotherapist recommends, and you will have similar results.

Prayin for your solution,
Mark56z

Hi Rae,

Google says it's: DRX 9000
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...4193987246237#
(as in Dr. X) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_X_(film)
Great flick, BTW, as is The Return of Dr X - Humphrey Bogart's only horror film (it's a hoot), but it is NOT a sequel to the above! (or to anything else!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_of_Dr._X

And the DRX 9000 isn't related to either movie (nor to the HAL 9000, Banana Jr. 9000, BFG 9000, et al.)

Doc (with a lifetime of useless [but occasionally useful] knowledge!)

Doc-

You are equipped with an interesting sense of humor to help all of us through these times! Boy, with you Lost in Space, and Rae pulling things out of her left pocket, we could get into a real !

Yup,
Mark56

.....and ya better watchout! I'm gonna order us EACH a corset from Vic Secret,....so we can have matching corsets to wear to church on Easter Sunday yes?
Now THERE's a 'visual' for ya!

I remember all TOO WELL the rigid polymer corset with velcro and ties and such I had to wear after deep back surgeries. Now that was one UNCOMFORTABLE getup and I had to wear it for many weeks. One of those keep the fusion from failing too early type garments. Believe you me, IF you wind up talking fusion with a board certified spine surgeon you will wind up wearing one of those. Kinda hard to find them at Victoria's Secret.

Ouch,
Mark56

....or to the next Rocky Horror Picture Show....

It is approved as a traction device by the FDA. I have seen ads where you can sign a 2 or 3 month contract with a DRX9000 practioner for $5000+ (cash out of pocket - insurance typically does not cover this when it is called spinal decomression therapy and illegal for the doc to call it traction just to get paid)

or...

you can get the same thing (IMO) without all of the fancy lights attached to it at a PT or conventional chiropractic office for about $35 per visit, usually reimbursable by insurance (plan permitting).