Not what I wanted to hear

I'm sorry you are in such pain. Nerve pain is the worst! As a person who has had 2 fusion surgeries and a total of 23 back surgeries, I can tell you that it is a very serious operation and there are no guarantees. Many of us here have had fusions and "structurally" we would be considered a success, but we are still in a lot of pain. That being said, some people do very well. Are you taking any pain medications? Has your doctor ever suggested a Spinal Cord Stimulator or an Intrathecal Pain Pump? If you have exhausted every other form of conservative treatment, and the root blocks don't give you significant relief, I would discuss these options with him.

I know how hard it is to deal with the limitations put on us by CP. I, too, have to sit to do any household chores, and I get very frustrated that I can't be the kind of wife and mother I once was.

Please don't ever feel like you are whining here. This is the one place that you can come to and vent, cry, scream - whatever you need to do, and we will always here to support you because we truly know what you are going through.

Hang in there,

Lorie

i'm sorry it has taken me so long to reply. bluejet 2 ,i cant imagine that many back surgeries. my heart goes out to you. i got stuck 13 times in a row to try to find a IV place,. that seems minor now after hearing ya'lls surgeries.

Screaming Eagle, I have all fingers crossed that your op will be very successful. the doc did mention a stimulator. i am terrifed of having a stimulator or pain pump.. i was just hoping he would say it could be a minor fix and all would be ok. i did go to a spine pain dr, also. he gave me some injections that didnt help. and tried a few meds that didnt help/. my family doc seems to have a hang up about prescribing meds for pain. he sent me to the spine pain doc. so all i take is tylenol which doesnt help either. i cant take meds that have aspirin because they can cause intestinal bleeding. which would be bad for my crohn's disease.

thanks for your replies. Julie

Diagnosed  Crohn's, 1998..Gangrene Small Bowel,1998..Ostomy Take Down,1999..TPN for 5 1/2 months..Adhesion Removal,1999..Abdominal Hernia Repair,2000..Kidney Artery Bypass,2001..Diabetes,,Sleep Apnea,,Silent Heart Attack,,Blocked Kidney Artery after the Bypass..Bulging Disks, Pinched Nerve..MEDS--,Purinethol,Folic Acid, Fish Oil,Humira,,Bentyl,Anamantle Cream, .and many more. 25 meds..

Hi Pompom,

 

I wanted to jump on here and say hi and throw my two cents in for whatever it is worse, which is usually nothing, lol. Have you considered getting a second opinion or even a third opinion? Have you by chance consulted with a good neurosurgeon about your back? If not, I would urge you to consider this. When dealing with pinched nerves or compressed nerves it is a whole different ballgame. The nerves are such an intricate part of the body. When surgery is done to release pressure off a nerve, nothing is done to the nerve itself in the surgery. The nerve has to heal on its own, the drs work with what is pinching or pressing on the nerve. Once that pressure is off the nerve it will either heal and the pain is lessened a great deal or gone or it can stay the same or be worse. The longer a person waits to have surgery for a pinched nerve, the more prone they are to having permanent nerve damage that is irreversible. This is why I am saying perhaps you need to consult with a very good neurosurgeon. Neurosurgeons have far more knowledge of the nerves in the body than an orthopod, that is their specialty. Your orthopods are schooled more into the bones and structure. I have a very good friend who waited, she was dragging her right leg, it had got to that point. She did have the surgery, the mechanical part was fixed but her nerve damage was permanent, she simply waited too long. Also we have people on here that has had back surgery and those people for whatever reason did not do well after surgery so you will not get a glowing report from how their surgery was great. It they had a good outcome they would not be hanging out on this forum.

 

As far as a PCP giving pain meds they will not do it long term. Usually a week to ten days and they are done. We have a few people on here that their PCP is handling rxing pain meds but those drs are few and far in between. They don't want to get involved with worrying about the DEA coming in and doing an audit to make sure they are doing their paperwork correctly, and many are just plain afraid of them. Also, they don't want to be responsible for a patientn that needs pain meds. Thats where the role of a good pain mgt dr comes in. There are some good ones out there it is a matter of finding one. Many times we have to see several until we find a good one, it is that way with any dr though.

 

I sort of feel like you have resigned yourself to a life of CP with no end in sight and believe me there are other options out there. It is becoming more and more prevalent that patients are having to advocate for their health care regardless off what the problem is. But, with a little work it can be done. Take care.

Hi Julie,

 

Yes, I would be more than glad to discuss the pain pump with you. However, I must ask that you go up to the top of the page here which it says "search" and type in pain pump. You will find a great deal of info there because it has been discussed quite a bit here over time. There are several posts in there from me giving lots of details  on the pump things I learned "after" my pump was put in. Things I wish the dr would have discussed but didn't. Then whatever you else you may want to know ask away, if I can answer it I sure will. By doing the search it cuts down on repeat posting the same stuff over & over. Most folks on this website have no clue the owner is charged per letter (meaning if a word is 5 letters long that is how he is charged) every time a member posts here and we all need to do our part in helping keep his costs down, after all he does provide this to us at no charge.

 

I will tell you the pump is usually for those at the end of the line where there really is nothing out there left for them. Anyway, I will keep an eye out to hear from you.