Greetings, folks!

I thought I'd go ahead an introduce myself here, rather than in the general area to people who mostly do not 'get' what we in here all experience and take for granted.

My name is Cameron, and I'm an Adjunct Professor of English (this means officially part-time, contract work from term to term --even if I've been there 7 years--, and low pay --less than minimum wage even though I generally teach a full courseload). After 10 years without insurance, I was finally offered it this year, thanks to some sympathetic administrators, and just in time!

I've had a bad L5-S1 disc for 17 years now, but have avoided surgery. In the past three years, however, I've developed at time excruciating pain in my tailbone, a mid-upper back disc, and my neck (C5-C6), along with all the lovely embarrassing symptoms (including a few the neurologist and neurosurgeon can't explain) a bad spine entails.

Now I'm told I need immediate surgery (ACDF, with artificial disc, if the absolutely *horrible* insurance state health plan grants to members in South Carolina will approve it) or risk the loss of my limbs. Not for the pain in my mid and lower back, as the insurance company still won't authorize MRI's for those, but for the neck where the stenosis is occurring. What can I say, degenerative disc disease is a blast, isn't it?

*admin edit*

So why, then, am I here? I'm hoping to find this a supportive community of others who suffer similar problems and have undergone or face similar surgeries, and who understand the often embarrassing personal symptoms that come with having a bum spine.

I'd like to find support, empathy (my wife does get tired of my 'whining' constantly <grin>), and friends to offer support to in return.

One main reason I feel the need for help at this moment is the anxiety. I know that the surgery is becoming commonplace, but still don't know if my insurance company will cover the artificial disc and my mind is haunted by the ever-present 'what ifs' like paralysis or death resulting from the surgery.

Cameron

Hi Cameron,

Due to your Position, your Posts WILL be scrutinised for spelling and grammar mistakes

As to your issues, I understand. My neck and back have been destroyed by MVAs and arthritis, I am dealing with the pain in my spine and referred pain and numbness in my arms and left leg. My spinal cord is compressed in my neck, probably due to a previous crushed vertebrae injury, I am still waiting on MRI results from Neuro. Surgery is not an option due to heart issues.

Your anxiety over the negative surgical outcomes of paralysis, or even death, have to be weighed against your current pain levels and your perceived deterioration over the next few years. Be honest with yourself, it is a fairly safe gamble. The same type of arguement stands as to whether or not to have the surgery for pain relief reasons.

As for your wife having to listen to you moan, I can guarantee all of us have had the 'eye-roll' from a Loved One at some point. That is the beauty of our Community, we are a non-judgemental buffer between our Members and their families and friends. Use us to moan and vent to - protect your marriage. I'm not saying your wife, or any carer is intolerant, but they deserve a break from us and our issues.

Forgive my presumption, but I note how long you have been suffering these spinal (and other) issues, and I know that Depression walks hand-in-hand with chronic pain, so here:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum37.html

is our Depression Forum, just in case you - or anyone who comes after - feels the need for it.

All that being said, welcome to the Forums, I hope your stay is helpful and informative.

Dave

Thanks Dave.

I likely will mosey over there eventually, as well as the ALS section, as I first suffered depression when I was 8 yrs old when my father died of ALS (as did, later, my mother, who also had 2 relations die of ALS), but figured I'd start with the most relevant and pressing section first.

Cameron

Cameron, I've had my first lower back PAIN at 18 and I'll be 77 soon. I got thru life and plan to get thru the rest without any back surgery. I have a couple MRI's from the last 5 yrs or so and they read like great puzzles.....I know there are good outcomes and there are horrid outcomes with back, hip, knee, etc surgeries. So it's a crapshoot as I see it and I've heard stories, one surgery leads to another etc.

I just talked some sense into my 72 brother a couple months ago as his doc said he "needed" a back surgery....fusion and lam job. He didn't do research, talk to many but heard the word "need" from the surgeon. I gave him a pep talk on good stretches and exercises etc. He's been a golfer all his life and ended up with the golfer's back as many do.

I went thru a hip replacement at 72 and I'll be 77 soon and it's been a nightmare with all the complications I ended up with, never dreamed this would be my outcome.

So I'm burned more than ever on the surgery road...as a PRP and Stem Cell MD I know here in LA and he's on radio every weekend trying to help those thinking of surgery or living with their messes from surgeries, he is forever saying: Do the least invasive of all treatments, surgery is not conservative, very invasive. An emergency is another story.

He talks about patients coming in every day with regrets for doing surgeries...about his own path from UCLA Medical School, his plan was to be a surgeon, but after a messed up shoulder surgery by one of his professors, he changed his path and went into Prolotherapy which for many decades was dextrose prolo and more advanced treatments are PRP and Stem Cells which he does both for joint issues.

I've had dextrose prolo in one shoulder over 6 yrs ago and got 3 yrs relief, no pain for 3 yrs....dextrose is the lowest cost prolo work but not really good enough for really chronic issues, hence the PRP and Stem Cells which so many practioners are now doing.

Sadly, our insurance world does not pay for these OFTEN effective treatments.

I've ended up with messed up worse knee and foot/ankle mess from this hip job, so I deal with it daily, but FOR ME, steer clear of more surgery.

This is my story and how I feel. People have good outcomes and people have not good outcomes....

getprolo.com is a good nationwide info site

Take care and good luck. C

PS: I've had many complications from this hip job, and one was a horrible spinal stenosis in spine...there were times I could hardly sit for 5 min and not about cry. I went thru a lot of acupuncture with this issue and a specialty PT who works on this SS and even did some "internal" work. After all this work I found a few good exercises/stretches from spineuniverse.com and do my work daily to keep my spine so that I can sit for longer than 5 min. A big issue from the hip job is Cutaneous Femoral Nerve Damage I deal with going on 5 yrs...my whole thigh is numb, and I take some nerve pain supps and I'm feeling less tingling now, I think.

Hi Cameron, sorry you have to be here but I'd like to offer a friendly hello
I'm a wee bit worn out too. I only went down the surgical route after all conservative methods had been tried/attempted/discounted.
The neuro surgeons were kind enough to allow 6 months from initial injury for me to progress from being bed bound to emergent surgical need. In which time I was crawling the walls with so much pain I couldn't think straight at all, along with all the associated red flags from nerve compression.
I had surgery, the pain after surgery was different and I was able to stand the following day. It was wonderful and short lived
A year to the day I was back in theatre having a revision surgery due to dropped feet etc etc etc. it was a much bigger surgery and took me 4 years to become relatively functional.
22 years and further nasty injuries later, the most invasive intervention I have had since is steroid injections.
I still have the wonderful side effects of nerve damage, I still have pain but I manage it much better than I used to. At times I have been desperate for someone to just open me up and fix this blooming back and take away the pain. These things will be forever with me, I have to live within limits to acheive maximum potential. After almost losing my life in a road traffic accident the limits were set in stone and I could no longer push through, my injured brain just knocked me out for a few hours! It has been both the best and worst thing to happen to me.
Sorry for rambling! Surgery will probably limit further damage but be prepared for it not being an instant fix.