Stenoman

I do know what the Nazca Lines are....but I am curious what your business is, how the name ties in.  It would be very funny if your business were flying hot air balloons or planes over the Nazca Lines for viewings!

Anyway, I am going to try responding to things without having your original post in front of me, so forgive me if I forget to answer something.

I definitely remember the feeling that my head was going to fall off after the c-spine surgery!  But, again, the pain was nothing compared to what it was prior to surgery.  Once I found the sweet spot I was good to go until I had to get up out of that position! 

It is sad that our spines are such a mess.  It sure wasn't encouraging to hear that once this one level was fixed it was going to put more stress on the ones above and below....there isn't an end until your entire spine is fused.  I've pictured my outcome the same as you, but you put a better name to it by calling it scaffolding!  I am very reluctant to have another spine surgery just because of the last outcome, as a matter of fact, and I think I've said this before, I have told my doctor I don't even want another MRI to see what is going on, maybe the less I know the better.  I'm sure with being transferred to a new doctor in February he is going to want to do one just to cover his arse for treating me and I will have to do it in order to be treated.  Them knowing the results is not going to change my course of action...I do not want another back surgery.  At the time of my lumbar surgery the 60% reduction in pain to my leg sounded pretty good, but I am also paying for it with amplified back pain....plus it never made the pain in my leg go away.  They haven't said anything to me about it being sciatica, only that it stems from the lumbar spine radiculopathy, but who knows what is in the chart.

I do not view your posts as "whining" they are informational, had we not shared our whining we would have never found out we have almost identical problems.  I will definitely get back with you if I ever find something even close to curative, even something that dulls the pain better, and I know you will get back with me if you ever find anything.  Aside from the pain and limitations, the feeling of isolation is second runner up.  Please forgive me for asking this, and don't answer if it offends you, but since we are so much alike I was wondering how you handle the "husbandly duties" with your wife.  I always feel horrible when I have to tell my husband that I hurt to badly to perform.  I know he has got to be sick of hearing it because I am sick of saying it.  Sometimes he says "take an extra pill and get back with me in 1/2 hour."  Even that doesn't help sometimes.

I think you had asked something about MS IR 15 mg, what it was or something.  Anyway, it is morphine sulfate immediate release, I was taking the ER (extended release) 3 times a day and the IR (immediate release) was for breakthrough pain.  It worked okay, but I was trying to play wonder woman in the months after the surgery and told my doctor I wanted to wean down...I was able to wean the IR over to Norco 10/325 mg (name brand for hydrocodone, like Lortab with less Tylenol in it), and I was tired of taking pills, so she switched me to the fentanyl patch for the long acting medicine.

Well, that is all I remember from your original post so if I forgot something ask again!