Debbie, I just wrote you and a private email, but..........

August 9, 2007

your came back with inactive adress shown on email address????

It was a 25 minute typed email asking for you to give me a

detailed " timeline " of your ordeal with the fusion surg amd ALL the

details leading UP to surgery, surg itself, and post-surgery....how

londg before surgery you HAD to wait to be sceduled....pain meds

before fusion...CHOICE????fusion odr disectomy....recovery

time///hardships///Physical Therapy///all details you can think

of....I have SAME symptoms in legs w/ DDD. radiculopathy, spondylitis.

etc....painful to walk...bad pain in heel...EMG nerve test today,,,doc

said he thinks disk compression on sciatic nerve...MRI next week.

Please detail your experience for me....wish thjis board was more

ACTIVE...surely there's LOTS of bad backs out there!!!!

Is there a more active site(board) that I should go to? Thanks for a

detailed reply. Shybasset

August 10, 2007

At 10:15 PM 8/9/07, you wrote:

>Please detail your experience for me....wish thjis board was more

>ACTIVE...surely there's LOTS of bad backs out there!!!!

>Is there a more active site(board) that I should go to? Thanks for a

>detailed reply. Shybasset

>Could be summer time causing less repsonse, or sometimes it's

>'s list service problems. This board can and usually is very

>active. Please give it sometime. I encourage you to keep all

>responses public, that way we can all help you. But private emails

>are also an option. We have close to 300 members.

Dear Member's if you can find the time please answer Shybasset's

question and show Her/Him just how active this community can

be! Thanks, Dave

August 10, 2007

Hey! Sorry it took me so long to answer; having internet issues.

It's probably from all the heat. I live in eastern North Carolina

and our temps this week have been 104-106 with the heat indexes in

the 115 & up range. Whew, it is HOT!!!!!!! Now to answer all of

your questions. I first hurt my back in July of 2005. I herniated

my L5 with bulging at L4. I also learned from my MRI that I had DDD,

facet joint disease and stenosis. With exercies I got better and

returned to school in August on time. I was never 100% but could

manage the pain with the help of ibuprofen and occasionally, a

darvocet. In January of this year, I started having more problems

and started to lose the use of my right leg and my back was

screaming! I couldn't stand for more than a 10-15 minute period and

my foot was dragging. I also told my husband that I could feel what

seemed to be bones rubbing together in my back. On April 9, we were

going out to eat and on my way to the car stepped on a sweet gum

ball. (They fall off of the trees; they are round and spikey) It

didn't make me fall but threw me off balance. I felt something pull

in my back and slept the rest of the week in the recliner because I

couldn't stretch out in bed. I was also having excrutiating pain in

my butt and down my legs. Could not walk without assistance. I went

back to my neuro and he scheduled an MRI. It showed that the bottom 3

vertebrae had slipped over top of one another and everything had

landed on my central nerve zone. I did not want to have the surgery

but felt I had no choice. This was on April 27th and my surgery was

scheduled for May 11. It took 7 1/2 hours to perform the surgery.

Most of my pain is gone but I still had problems and continue to have

problems with my right leg & foot. He thinks it will get better over

time because the nerves were deeply compressed in that area. I have

been released to go back to work on August 20; it should be

interesting. It is a very long and tough recovery and it will

require you to have lots and lots of help. I am a very religious

person and there were times when I got through the really rough spots

with my faith. I had restless legs and feet after I came home but

that does get better. Walking helps tremendously, believe it or

not. I still have rough days and will probably see him again because

of the nervy stuff in my foot still. I had xrays done 3 weeks ago

and everything was fine, in place and doing what it's supposed too.

I was not in a brace and the only PT I had was in the hospital, which

I was in there for 4 days. If you would like to email me at home it

is debbie930@.... Just put Pain in the neck in the

message line. I'll be glad to answer any more question or just chat

with you at anytime. Please take care and know that I care because

honey, I've been there! Love, Debbie

>

> your came back with inactive adress shown on email

address????

> It was a 25 minute typed email asking for you to give me a

> detailed " timeline " of your ordeal with the fusion surg amd ALL the

> details leading UP to surgery, surg itself, and post-surgery....how

> londg before surgery you HAD to wait to be sceduled....pain meds

> before fusion...CHOICE????fusion odr disectomy....recovery

> time///hardships///Physical Therapy///all details you can think

> of....I have SAME symptoms in legs w/ DDD. radiculopathy,

spondylitis.

> etc....painful to walk...bad pain in heel...EMG nerve test

today,,,doc

> said he thinks disk compression on sciatic nerve...MRI next week.

> Please detail your experience for me....wish thjis board was more

> ACTIVE...surely there's LOTS of bad backs out there!!!!

> Is there a more active site(board) that I should go to? Thanks for

a

> detailed reply. Shybasset

>

August 10, 2007