Where or where did my fusion go?

[Guest guest]

Has anyone heard of a fusion just going away? Could it be resorbed? But

what about the unilateral bar I was born with? Could it go away as well?

At 11 yo I was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis. Extra bone was

fusing one side of my vertebrae in my lower lumbar area. Shortly after a

fusion was done with bone from my hip to fuse the other side & halt

curve progression. My mother & I remember these details the same way. We

don't remember precisely which vertabrae but both remember L3-L5 being

discussed. Unfortunately records no longer exist, neither with my

parents nor at the hospital. (I called to check.) We are left with just

mine & my mother's memories. However, there is a scar on my back that

would correspond with surgery in that area. We also both remember an

incident after my cast came off where the surgeon looked at my xrays. He

said my vertebrae could slide off each other & thought I would need a

second fusion. After that appt thought, nothing else was ever mentioned.

Last year at age 42, I discovered I could bend over & touch my toes

without bending my knees. In fact I could put my hands on the floor. I

had not been able to do that since I was 9 yo. Wow! I called it my new

super power. lol Then later discovered I was getting shorter. Yuck!

Made an appt at a spine ctr to see if we could find the cause. Xrays, my

first in 25 yrs, showed a significant lateral listhesis. A lumbar

vertebra was sliding a very significant amount sideways off one below.

In spite of my surgeon's warning I was shocked but not worried. Since I

was asymptomatic we'd keep an eye on things. Headed off with

instructions to return in 6-12 mos for follow up.

But wait... wasn't I fused in that area? As an afterthought I called the

doc to ask which vertebra was slipping & where my fusion was. The nurse

returned my call. L3 was slidding off L4, but he could not tell where

the fusion was. What? Was he daft? I decided something must have gotten

lost relaying the info. Was confused but still not worried.

Then my back started hurting with pain radiating up to my neck & down

into my legs. Muscles in my upper back felt like they were working

overtime. Doc ordered 6 wks of PT. Also asked him about a spot I'd seen

on my xrays in the lower thoracic area of my curve. He thought it had

become fused over the years, possibly from bone on bone contact. (Didn't

think to ask about the prior fusion.) PT resolved almost all the upper

back probs but lower back continued to get worse. MRI was ordered. He

gave me a preliminary review immediately after MRI. Said there were a

number of different probs but nothing stood out as the cause. Felt some

trouble could be coming from traction possibly caused by osteophytes.

Felt facet joint injections may help other probs. Prescribed Neurontin.

Here are the highlights of the MRI:

--------------

There is significant levoscoliosis of the thoracolumbar junction of

approximately 40-45 degrees as measured from the bottom of T11 to the

bottom of L3. There is associated 1.5 cm left lateral listhesis of L3

relative to L4. Posterior elements appear solidly fused from

appoximately T12-L3. Degenerative endplate signal changes present at L3-L4.

L3-L4: Degenerative disc bulge with intraforaminal components causes

mild right & moderate left-sided neural foraminal narrowing with the

left lateral listhesis of L3 relative to L4. There is associated left

lateral recess stenosis at this level in conjunction with facet hypertrophy.

L4-L5: Degenerative disc disease with mild circumferential bulge but no

significant central spinal stenosis or neural foraminal narrowing.

L5-S1: Moderate facet hypertrophy & arthrosis but no significant central

spinal stenosis or neural foraminal narrowing.

Impression:

1. Levoscoliosis is approximately 40-45 degrees at the thoracolumbar

junction as detailed above. There is left lateral listhesis of L3

relative to L4 with significant degenerative disc disease at this level.

This causes bilateral neural foraminal narrowing & left-sided lateral

recess stenosis. See above for details.

2. Solid osseous fusion of the posterior elements from approximately

T12-L1 3.

------------------

OK, so where the heck is that lower lumbar fusion from my childhood. My

thought was perhaps my mother & I are crazy. Just misremembering where I

was fused. Could it actually have been that T12-L3 area mentioned fromt

he MRI? Even if my mom & I had just dreamed it up, I've got the scar on

my back that matches our memories. The top of my scar starts at or below

the T12 area & runs down into the sacral area. No way could they have

fused T12 or even L1 in that surgery. It really looks like someone was

working in the lower lumbar area.

How could my fusion just disappear? Anyone got any ideas? (I will ask

the doc at the follow up next visit.)

I am still doing the PT exercises & upper back remains good. Am taking

Neurontin for radiculopathy & paresthesia while we decide what if

anything else will be done. Still secretly hoping the problem will just

go away. In the meantime I can't sit for more than a few minutes &

standing still is getting harder. Walking though remains great & the

only time I am symptom free. I consider myself blessed for that. The

pain is still intermittent & bearable. Things aren't that bad & could

certainly be much worse. I'm lucky.

[Guest guest]

...

Fusion doesn't always " take. " It sounds like that's what happened in

your case.

--

>

> Has anyone heard of a fusion just going away? Could it be resorbed? But

> what about the unilateral bar I was born with? Could it go away as well?

>

> At 11 yo I was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis. Extra bone was

> fusing one side of my vertebrae in my lower lumbar area. Shortly

after a

> fusion was done with bone from my hip to fuse the other side & halt

> curve progression. My mother & I remember these details the same

way. We

> don't remember precisely which vertabrae but both remember L3-L5 being

> discussed. Unfortunately records no longer exist, neither with my

> parents nor at the hospital. (I called to check.) We are left with just

> mine & my mother's memories. However, there is a scar on my back that

> would correspond with surgery in that area. We also both remember an

> incident after my cast came off where the surgeon looked at my

xrays. He

> said my vertebrae could slide off each other & thought I would need a

> second fusion. After that appt thought, nothing else was ever mentioned.

>

> Last year at age 42, I discovered I could bend over & touch my toes

> without bending my knees. In fact I could put my hands on the floor. I

> had not been able to do that since I was 9 yo. Wow! I called it my new

> super power. lol Then later discovered I was getting shorter. Yuck!

> Made an appt at a spine ctr to see if we could find the cause.

Xrays, my

> first in 25 yrs, showed a significant lateral listhesis. A lumbar

> vertebra was sliding a very significant amount sideways off one below.

> In spite of my surgeon's warning I was shocked but not worried. Since I

> was asymptomatic we'd keep an eye on things. Headed off with

> instructions to return in 6-12 mos for follow up.

>

> But wait... wasn't I fused in that area? As an afterthought I called

the

> doc to ask which vertebra was slipping & where my fusion was. The nurse

> returned my call. L3 was slidding off L4, but he could not tell where

> the fusion was. What? Was he daft? I decided something must have gotten

> lost relaying the info. Was confused but still not worried.

>

> Then my back started hurting with pain radiating up to my neck & down

> into my legs. Muscles in my upper back felt like they were working

> overtime. Doc ordered 6 wks of PT. Also asked him about a spot I'd seen

> on my xrays in the lower thoracic area of my curve. He thought it had

> become fused over the years, possibly from bone on bone contact.

(Didn't

> think to ask about the prior fusion.) PT resolved almost all the upper

> back probs but lower back continued to get worse. MRI was ordered. He

> gave me a preliminary review immediately after MRI. Said there were a

> number of different probs but nothing stood out as the cause. Felt some

> trouble could be coming from traction possibly caused by osteophytes.

> Felt facet joint injections may help other probs. Prescribed Neurontin.

>

> Here are the highlights of the MRI:

> --------------

> There is significant levoscoliosis of the thoracolumbar junction of

> approximately 40-45 degrees as measured from the bottom of T11 to the

> bottom of L3. There is associated 1.5 cm left lateral listhesis of L3

> relative to L4. Posterior elements appear solidly fused from

> appoximately T12-L3. Degenerative endplate signal changes present at

L3-L4.

>

> L3-L4: Degenerative disc bulge with intraforaminal components causes

> mild right & moderate left-sided neural foraminal narrowing with the

> left lateral listhesis of L3 relative to L4. There is associated left

> lateral recess stenosis at this level in conjunction with facet

hypertrophy.

> L4-L5: Degenerative disc disease with mild circumferential bulge but no

> significant central spinal stenosis or neural foraminal narrowing.

> L5-S1: Moderate facet hypertrophy & arthrosis but no significant

central

> spinal stenosis or neural foraminal narrowing.

>

> Impression:

> 1. Levoscoliosis is approximately 40-45 degrees at the thoracolumbar

> junction as detailed above. There is left lateral listhesis of L3

> relative to L4 with significant degenerative disc disease at this

level.

> This causes bilateral neural foraminal narrowing & left-sided lateral

> recess stenosis. See above for details.

> 2. Solid osseous fusion of the posterior elements from approximately

> T12-L1 3.

> ------------------

>

> OK, so where the heck is that lower lumbar fusion from my childhood. My

> thought was perhaps my mother & I are crazy. Just misremembering

where I

> was fused. Could it actually have been that T12-L3 area mentioned fromt

> he MRI? Even if my mom & I had just dreamed it up, I've got the scar on

> my back that matches our memories. The top of my scar starts at or

below

> the T12 area & runs down into the sacral area. No way could they have

> fused T12 or even L1 in that surgery. It really looks like someone was

> working in the lower lumbar area.

>

> How could my fusion just disappear? Anyone got any ideas? (I will ask

> the doc at the follow up next visit.)

>

> I am still doing the PT exercises & upper back remains good. Am taking

> Neurontin for radiculopathy & paresthesia while we decide what if

> anything else will be done. Still secretly hoping the problem will just

> go away. In the meantime I can't sit for more than a few minutes &

> standing still is getting harder. Walking though remains great & the

> only time I am symptom free. I consider myself blessed for that. The

> pain is still intermittent & bearable. Things aren't that bad & could

> certainly be much worse. I'm lucky.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Seems logical but would the unilateral bar be resorbed? Guess it's that

part that really stumps me. Doesn't matter I guess since I never grew &

I doubt the curves are much worse. Still VERY strange when follow up

visits over the next couple years had shown the fusion had taken but he

could have been wrong.

Ah well. Thanks for the response.

--- " Racine " <linda@...> wrote:

>

> ...

>

> Fusion doesn't always " take. " It sounds like that's what happened in

> your case.

>

> --

>

[Guest guest]

Not that I've ever heard of.

--

> >

> > ...

> >

> > Fusion doesn't always " take. " It sounds like that's what happened in

> > your case.

> >

> > --

> >

>