Over 6 months since posterior Fusion surgery.

Hello all, I am still kicking, albeit not as much as I used to! I finally got the "privilege" of a follow up appointment with my surgeon's PA, but that's better than nothing. I continue to have icky pain in the middle of my upper back. He did do X-rays (for the first time!!) when I was there this week, and said everything was "in line". He didn't say if he could tell if everything had fused or not. I guess no news is good news. They are rewriting my physical therapy order so maybe that will help.

Interesting developments..... I think I've mentioned that I have osteoporosis....I just didn't know the numbers til this past week. I had been scheduled for one of the IV osteoporosis meds prior to my fusion in August. My endocrinologist postponed it because she said it would mess with my anaesthesia. Fast forward past everything...I saw her again this week and this time she showed me my numbers. Omg. I have "nearly severe" or "severe" osteoporosis in every place they measured. She wants me to take a med called Forteo which has black box warnings etc. great. She did major lab work on me, and my parathyroid gland is way high. I have had quite a week.

My back pain is (and has been) coupled with pain in my upper stomach. Kind of a burning pain that goes clear through me. It never crossed my mind that this horrible back pain could be originating in my stomach! After suffering with this pain off and on for months now, I finally got the nerve to go to my PCP yesterday. She immediately told me after hearing my symptoms and pushing on my stomach that she's fairly sure I have an ulcer of some type. This will almost be good news because at least there's something they can do.

I have been very down over the daily level of pain I have had since my surgery. The tummy meds I have been taking the last 2 days has actually helped.. Bad news is that if this is coming from my parathyroid gland, that will mean another surgery. I have been absolutely SICK for the last two weeks from this pain going through me. It is so weird when you find out something completely out of left field that could have possibly been making you Sooo sick. Good news is that today is a beautiful day here after a solid two weeks of nasty winter weather. I've missed you guys but have been in a yucky place. I sure hope all is mostly well with you all.

I have made some paragraphs in your post to make it easier to read. Some of our members have tracking problems when reading. Thanks.

Post Edited By Moderator (straydog) : 3/7/2015 9:10:02 AM (GMT-7)

It's great to hear from you! Sorry you've been in such a "yucky place". That happens. Perhaps you are just about to find some reasons for some of your yuckyness. Hope so!

After my fusion my dr was very proud of the x-rays. He would point out how the hardware was exactly where he had left it. Did you clearly see your hardware? He said the "fuzziness" around that was fusion happening. I've been released now and am currently almost 15 months post-op. One nagging constant pain finally ended at 13 months. I can still work myself into some discomfort but I usually know what caused it and can just rest, maybe ice it, and get going again.

We enjoy hearing updates, even if they are not always good. Enjoy that better weather!!

Poplar you may want to go back through some of Taller Now's posts & read about her osteoporosis situation. For some reason I am thinking her surgeon had her hold off on the osteoporosis medications for a while because he said it would interfere with her fusion growth. For whatever reason this thought hit me out of the blue & I wanted to post this so you could check it out. She too has severe osteoporosis.


JaminHealth I have noticed your are posting in several forums pushing supplements & vitamins. Posting this in numerous forums as you have is borderline spamming Healing Well. That is terrific that this seems to work for you, but please keep in mind that one of the rules at Healing Well is being respectful of a members choice of treatment.

Poplar everything you just mentioned above I have been there from ulcers, kidneys stones, h-pyloria the whole nine yards, lol. For the H-pyloria I was put on 2 antibiotics by my gastro, he did labs on me. I was on Decadron injections every 5-6 weeks for 3 1/2 yrs to control pain, it was my wonder drug. It allowed me to continue to work. That was all great until I crashed & spent a week in the hospital with BP so high my GP thought I would stroke out. He flipped when he found out the neurologist had me on Decadron all those years. He picked the phone up & called him & I cannot put here what was said the language is against the rules, we were sitting in his office when he made the call. That is just how he was very old school. All that time on steroids induced severe osteoporosis of my entire spine.

Talk to your GP about getting on a mega dose of vitamin D. If on the correct dose you can help the osteoporosis. A friend of mine see's a gyno that is very much into everything being all natural, all of his osteoporosis patients are on a mega dose of vitamin D. He will not use any of the medications for it, says the potential side effects are far worse than they will help. Most don't realize that most of the scripted stuff may possibly slow the progression down where the Forteo will actually promote bone growth.

You have not received good care post op from what you are saying. Someone thats had spine surgery should be followed along especially right after surgery & have follow up xrays to check the fusion progress. It sounds like all this PA told you was the hardware is in place but no mention of how the fusion looks. That is not acceptable.

Keep us posted.

Hey, don't get down on yourself, you have been doing the right things you just have a body that has other ideas.

Susie, I don't understand...is everyone here supposed to ONLY do their health and healing with pharmacetucal drugs? I don't use them, a couple but that's it...as far as the word spamming, I don't understand that one either. I represent only myself and I'm not a spammer.

Are there rules here that a person who uses alternatives for their healing, can't be a member here? I didn't see that when I read the mission statement, maybe I need to read it again..

Personally, I have ended up in the ER due to a pharma drug and that is when I started changing my "thinking" on my health and healing. My daughter also ended up very very sick and ended up in rehab for many months, so this also pushed me over.

And then the disaster hip replacement, I have a hard time not feeling as I do.

I only share "what works for me" and if this is wrong, then "am I so wrong" with how I choose my healing? Thanks...