Re: Low back pain........

[Guest guest]

Dear Bert,

I had scoliosis repair in 1981; when I was 11.

I am now 37 and have the same pain you described, although probably not to the

same degree.

My doctor has diagnosed me with degenerative disk disease also and has me on

Ultram twice a day and the muscle relaxer Flexeril at bedtime. My doctor is

really not ready to deal with my increasing pain because of my age; I have a

friend near my age, who has an epidural, and wears a pain pack.

I, too, have 2 rods, one longer than the other and took only one operation.

I also have bone spurs at my lower rod fusion site.

I had no idea the different ways one can have scoliosis. I sincerely pray your

condition improves and your doctors can find a way to help you be more at ease.

Know you'll be in my thoughts every time I have to take my medicine too.

Please send us an update regarding your upcoming appointment.

Sorry I wasn't much help, but as I said I'll be praying for relief for your

pain.

McNeil-Hatmaker

La Follette, TN USA

Bert Jippes <bertj1@...> wrote:

Hi,

I am living in the Netherlands and have been operated in 1978 at the

Maartenskliniek at Nijmegen. I had a kyphosis as a result of

spine-tuberculosis. Born in 1942 I was infected by a neighbour after

the liberation of the war. The poor man came back with open

tuberculosis from a concentration camp in Germany.

The operation in two steps succeeded very well. At first they operated

me at the frontside of my spine along my lungs. With the second

operation they put two Harrington rods, one on each side of my spine.

Now I am 64 years old and I have a terrible lowback pain every morning

when I wake up. After walking around in my living room and taking

Paracetamol tablets, I can stand it.

On the X-ray you can see a thinner discus between two vertebras just

under the spondylodesis.

I have already made an appointment with the Maartenskliniek again and

will be there next month for a first consult.

My question is, has someone of you experience with this problem after

so many years? Can they treat that with good result. To live with so

many pain every morning and taking painkillers every day is not a

prospect I want to have for the rest of my life.

I am known with the fact that a spondylodesis can give more arthosis at

the lower back parts.

Greetings,

Bert Jippes

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Wow. I joined this group to find out about options for just this very

problem. I too have a difficult time in the morning and can tolerate the pain

with exercise and pain medication. My surgery was in 1963....a long, long time

ago. I still have vivid memories of the entire ordeal and will do anything

to avoid ever being operated on again. I am thrilled that certain exercises

and medication will allow me to live a resonably normal life and I don't care

at all about addiciton. If I am addicted to the medication....so be it. I

thank God that I have it and can take something that will make it all okay. I

am trying to hold off until some amazing procedure is created to help those

of us with just this type of lower back problems resulting from Scoliosis

surgeries...that will eliminate the need for any cutting. I have a long scar

down my spine and 2 rather messy ones on my hips. I am told that they used my

bones to fuse my spine. There were no rods around that long ago. I am

pleased to see that there are others who are experiencing the exact same issues

that I am after so many years. The one great thing about this group is

finding that we are not alone with our Scoliosis problems or treatments. If

there

is any information available on new procedures that do not involve actual

surgery, I would love to hear about them...who and where. Until then, I will

continue to take my pain medicine whenever I need it, exercise, stretch etc. so

I can get going each day and wait. Love to all. Carol

[Guest guest]

Hi Bert...

Disc problems below a long fusion are relatively common. I have one

myself. I have yet to have surgery to add the additional vertebra to

be fusion, but I understand from others that it's a relatively easy

surgery.

Regards,

>

> Hi,

>

> I am living in the Netherlands and have been operated in 1978 at the

> Maartenskliniek at Nijmegen. I had a kyphosis as a result of

> spine-tuberculosis. Born in 1942 I was infected by a neighbour after

> the liberation of the war. The poor man came back with open

> tuberculosis from a concentration camp in Germany.

> The operation in two steps succeeded very well. At first they operated

> me at the frontside of my spine along my lungs. With the second

> operation they put two Harrington rods, one on each side of my spine.

> Now I am 64 years old and I have a terrible lowback pain every morning

> when I wake up. After walking around in my living room and taking

> Paracetamol tablets, I can stand it.

> On the X-ray you can see a thinner discus between two vertebras just

> under the spondylodesis.

> I have already made an appointment with the Maartenskliniek again and

> will be there next month for a first consult.

> My question is, has someone of you experience with this problem after

> so many years? Can they treat that with good result. To live with so

> many pain every morning and taking painkillers every day is not a

> prospect I want to have for the rest of my life.

> I am known with the fact that a spondylodesis can give more arthosis at

> the lower back parts.

>

> Greetings,

> Bert Jippes

[Guest guest]

HI Cyn,

You said that your doctor is not ready to deal with your pain because of your

age. Could you explain that? You say you are 37. Many people in this group

who are your age, and much older, too, have had revision surgery many years

after Harrington Rod surgery because of problems such as yours.

Bonnie

Re: Low back pain........

Dear Bert,

I had scoliosis repair in 1981; when I was 11.

I am now 37 and have the same pain you described, although probably not to the

same degree.

My doctor has diagnosed me with degenerative disk disease also and has me on

Ultram twice a day and the muscle relaxer Flexeril at bedtime. My doctor is

really not ready to deal with my increasing pain because of my age; I have a

friend near my age, who has an epidural, and wears a pain pack.

I, too, have 2 rods, one longer than the other and took only one operation.

I also have bone spurs at my lower rod fusion site.

I had no idea the different ways one can have scoliosis. I sincerely pray your

condition improves and your doctors can find a way to help you be more at ease.

Know you'll be in my thoughts every time I have to take my medicine too.

Please send us an update regarding your upcoming appointment.

Sorry I wasn't much help, but as I said I'll be praying for relief for your

pain.

McNeil-Hatmaker

La Follette, TN USA

Bert Jippes <bertj1@...> wrote:

Hi,

I am living in the Netherlands and have been operated in 1978 at the

Maartenskliniek at Nijmegen. I had a kyphosis as a result of

spine-tuberculosis. Born in 1942 I was infected by a neighbour after

the liberation of the war. The poor man came back with open

tuberculosis from a concentration camp in Germany.

The operation in two steps succeeded very well. At first they operated

me at the frontside of my spine along my lungs. With the second

operation they put two Harrington rods, one on each side of my spine.

Now I am 64 years old and I have a terrible lowback pain every morning

when I wake up. After walking around in my living room and taking

Paracetamol tablets, I can stand it.

On the X-ray you can see a thinner discus between two vertebras just

under the spondylodesis.

I have already made an appointment with the Maartenskliniek again and

will be there next month for a first consult.

My question is, has someone of you experience with this problem after

so many years? Can they treat that with good result. To live with so

many pain every morning and taking painkillers every day is not a

prospect I want to have for the rest of my life.

I am known with the fact that a spondylodesis can give more arthosis at

the lower back parts.

Greetings,

Bert Jippes

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Carol,

I AM WITH YOU GIRL ...EVERYONE I AM SURE KNOWS HOW I FEEL ABOUT PAIN AND

SCOLIOSIS!!

best of luck to you,

gina

alabama

somuchwhining@... wrote: Wow. I joined this group to find out about options

for just this very

problem. I too have a difficult time in the morning and can tolerate the pain

with exercise and pain medication. My surgery was in 1963....a long, long time

ago. I still have vivid memories of the entire ordeal and will do anything

to avoid ever being operated on again. I am thrilled that certain exercises

and medication will allow me to live a resonably normal life and I don't care

at all about addiciton. If I am addicted to the medication....so be it. I

thank God that I have it and can take something that will make it all okay. I

am trying to hold off until some amazing procedure is created to help those

of us with just this type of lower back problems resulting from Scoliosis

surgeries...that will eliminate the need for any cutting. I have a long scar

down my spine and 2 rather messy ones on my hips. I am told that they used my

bones to fuse my spine. There were no rods around that long ago. I am

pleased to see that there are others who are experiencing the exact same issues

that I am after so many years. The one great thing about this group is

finding that we are not alone with our Scoliosis problems or treatments. If

there

is any information available on new procedures that do not involve actual

surgery, I would love to hear about them...who and where. Until then, I will

continue to take my pain medicine whenever I need it, exercise, stretch etc. so

I can get going each day and wait. Love to all. Carol

[Guest guest]

:

Thank you so much. I love the compassion of writing here. I don't know

exactly how you feel but I get the idea....loud and clear. People in this

group

UNDERSTAND much better than many doctors and certainly most pharmacists.

After awhile, they are hesitant to fill my prescriptions which makes my stomach

knot. Usually the younger pharmacists...probably doctor wanna-bes that

think they know everything. So I go somewhere else and start over. I'm

praying

that research will provide the answer so many of us want that involves NO

MORE CUTTING into my back. NO MORE. I will then do whatever I have to do to

get off the medication....it can be done!! Thank you for your support .

It is much appreciated. Carol

[Guest guest]

Bonnie,

I really don't know what to say, except...

This is a really small town; and our family doctor has so many patients he can

sometimes barely keep his head above water. There's not that many other doctors

here in town and for me traveling to another county or 2 to get to a family

doctor isn't practical.

My orthopedist is, for all niceties aside...and asshole. Sorry if some of you

remember his name, I mentioned him before.

He assisted the main ortho doc with my surgery in 81, this doc is now retired.

When I went to my after surgery follow ups he really did a number on my

self-esteem. My parents didn't know this; as we didn't know I have a

panic/anxiety disorder...wasn't diagnosed until about 5 years ago but can trace

it back to before I had my surgery.

When I was in my brace, I started puberty....we couldn't afford another $1000

to redo my cast...so the weight I gained came out under the brace that stopped

around my natural waist line, so in essence, I have 2 bellys....fun huh? I wear

women's granny panties to support myself because the muscles have broken down

*wow this is embarrassing*.

His little barbs about me getting " fat " and the next visit he wanted a " skinny

minnie " in HIS office....wasn't just cute bedside manner, they were mean and as

soon as I got my brace off; I begged mom never to take me back and our family

doc at the time monitored me and found someone else *who is no longer in

practice*; when that family doc died we were transferred to the family doc we

have now. He does the best he can.

When I worked at a university hospital in the 90s....I had a horrible,

terrible run in with the asshole doctor....he didn't know I was his patient at

one time. He cussed me out over a consult I was calling in for one of the docs

in my practice.......I spent 45 mins in the restroom crying over this because it

brought back all the hard memories of him....and to think this idiot saved my

life. I was caught between grateful and hatred.

I live in a small rural town as I said, my family doc does the best he can

because he knows that I now am the only one who can drive because my husband and

mother medically can no longer. I'm the one that does the errands, shopping,

etc.

I think he is worried that if I was on stronger medicines...what would happen to

the 3 of us. We moved in with my folks in late 2000 to help each other, my dad

had emphysema...he passed Christmas Eve 2005.

I hope this helps, I do what I can for the pain. Aspercreme helps or if it's

really bad I get the little generic heat packs for my back cause I accidentally

put one on my long back rod and heated it up; I never was so sick in my life!

*haha on me*

If anyone has suggestions...I welcome them. We have NO aqua exercises in

town....the gyms have no pool, there's no city pool.....there's no YWCA.

The farthest I have to go for any kinda of aqua-therapy is 100 mile round trip

and the trip alone would make the therapy null and void...if I drive too much it

really makes me wanna rip my hair out with pain from the jostling around in the

car.

I hope this helps explain...I hope I wrote well enough to give you a look at

why my doctor is worried about upping my pain meds; he's, in a way, looking out

for me too. If it gets bad he does up my meds for awhile but I'm also put to

bed while I'm on the stronger meds.

Anyway sorry to ramble, thanks for all the help....I have been in the

background for awhile but had to respond to the gentleman's letter about pain.

Love and thanks to all,

Cyn

Bonnie <bonnie@...> wrote:

HI Cyn,

You said that your doctor is not ready to deal with your pain because of your

age. Could you explain that? You say you are 37. Many people in this group who

are your age, and much older, too, have had revision surgery many years after

Harrington Rod surgery because of problems such as yours.

Bonnie

Re: Low back pain........

Dear Bert,

I had scoliosis repair in 1981; when I was 11.

I am now 37 and have the same pain you described, although probably not to the

same degree.

My doctor has diagnosed me with degenerative disk disease also and has me on

Ultram twice a day and the muscle relaxer Flexeril at bedtime. My doctor is

really not ready to deal with my increasing pain because of my age; I have a

friend near my age, who has an epidural, and wears a pain pack.

I, too, have 2 rods, one longer than the other and took only one operation.

I also have bone spurs at my lower rod fusion site.

I had no idea the different ways one can have scoliosis. I sincerely pray your

condition improves and your doctors can find a way to help you be more at ease.

Know you'll be in my thoughts every time I have to take my medicine too.

Please send us an update regarding your upcoming appointment.

Sorry I wasn't much help, but as I said I'll be praying for relief for your

pain.

McNeil-Hatmaker

La Follette, TN USA

Bert Jippes <bertj1@...> wrote:

Hi,

I am living in the Netherlands and have been operated in 1978 at the

Maartenskliniek at Nijmegen. I had a kyphosis as a result of

spine-tuberculosis. Born in 1942 I was infected by a neighbour after

the liberation of the war. The poor man came back with open

tuberculosis from a concentration camp in Germany.

The operation in two steps succeeded very well. At first they operated

me at the frontside of my spine along my lungs. With the second

operation they put two Harrington rods, one on each side of my spine.

Now I am 64 years old and I have a terrible lowback pain every morning

when I wake up. After walking around in my living room and taking

Paracetamol tablets, I can stand it.

On the X-ray you can see a thinner discus between two vertebras just

under the spondylodesis.

I have already made an appointment with the Maartenskliniek again and

will be there next month for a first consult.

My question is, has someone of you experience with this problem after

so many years? Can they treat that with good result. To live with so

many pain every morning and taking painkillers every day is not a

prospect I want to have for the rest of my life.

I am known with the fact that a spondylodesis can give more arthosis at

the lower back parts.

Greetings,

Bert Jippes

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Dear Cyn,

Have you tried a good physical therapist for pain relief? They know so much

more about the dynamics of our muscles than doctors. A good P.T. can teach

you ways to relieve pain. It takes commitment on your part though. A good

massage therapist just requires you to relax-that too may be helpful. Jolene