Yet Another Newbie

[Guest guest]

My name's . I'm 40, married but no kids (infertile), breed

exotic tropical finches and that's about it. Prior to my back

finally going out on me (I've had back problems since my early

teens), I was a molecular biologist working on various cancers in the

field of Molecular Medicine. Now, I'm about as useless as I feel -

an expensive accessory to the sofa or bed it would seem.

On top of the lower back, I also managed to herniate a disk at T7/T8

which leaves me feeling like someone has kicked me in the side.

Somedays it hurts so badly its hard to breathe. To diagnose that

disk took the doctors FOUR months - I had every abdominal test you

can imagine and a few you just assume not.

I've other issues like fibromyalgia, hashimoto's, phlebitis, chronic

fatigue and several chronic infections I don't think they will ever

get under control - like the uglies that live in my sinuses - despite

repeated surgery to help. I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed with all

this going on and never any clear answers or treatments.

Some days, the only reason I get out of bed is to feed my finches.

I've been pretty much out of work now since Dec 2002 when a slip on

the ice spelled the final doom for my back. I go into work

periodically but it doesn't last long since I just hurt too much.

I've done the whole torture (err I mean physiatry) route including

dozens of needles in my back (to treat both the lumbar and thoracic

herniations), two EMGs (incluclusive), two nucleoplasties (both on

the same disk - which did finally get rid of pain past my hip joints

except on really bad days)and months of physical therapy. I had a

discogram about a month ago (talk about the beauty of pure

unexpurgated pain) which was - get this - inconclusive. They wanted

me to do it again and I said NO!

This past week I've been seeking out surgeons and getting their

opinions. This has only added to the confusion: one says that there

is NOTHING wrong with my spine and wants me to do yet MORE pain

management & physical therapy, one wants to do Anterior double level

fusion and the other wants to do Posterior double level fusion.

There was two things they all agreed upon: 1) Doing another

discogram is insane, 2) I don't need a triple level fusion (which is

what the physiatrist was telling me). I just need a double level

fusion.

I'm currently scheduled for surgery next month but I'm very anxious

about it since I'm getting so many conflicting opinions and varying

procedures (front & back vs. back alone, hip bone vs back bone for

fusion, cages vs no cages, rods and pericle screws vs. just pericle

screws, BMP vs. Bone Marrow Aspirate, single level fusion success

rates vs. double level fusion success -- its enough to make my head

SPIN and I'm used to medical jargon).

I just want whatever is going to give me the most highest probable

successful outcome for the surgery. I don't care how long it takes

me to recover or how much pain I'll be suffering in the short run -

talk to me about how I'll feel six months from now. I've been going

through hell for so long, I can endure it for another six months if I

know at the end of it, there is a silver lining.

I'm to the point where I cannot sit for long periods of time, walk or

stand long, and the pain in my spine never goes away. So long as I

do quite literally nothing, I'm in only moderate pain. But the

second I try to be more active (even driving the car is next to

impossible), I pay for it with days of pain. I refuse to use the

opioid pain killers - not only do they make me dopey but they make me

itch like hell. As a result, I'm on primarly NSAIDS with some

stronger stuff at night and some muscle relaxants. The NSAIDS have

proved useless except Bextra at 40 mg/day - which they didn't want me

on indefinitely. So now I'm on Relafen which is - eh...essentially

useless. I find naproxen works but it destroys my stomach at the

doses I need to be effective. I've tried just about all the rest -

celebrex, vioxx, ibuprofen, tylenol, tylonol 3, percacet and even

oxycodone is pretty useless unless you just want to go to sleep and

itch all over. So I go most days without much in the way of helping

the pain.

I've been in Physical Therapy since Febrary. They got me standing

partially upright again. But my posture is screwed since I have two

spots in my spine where I'm having pain - I just cannot stand

correctly no matter how hard I try. I feel like I'm a neanderthal

knuckle dragger and that is how I think I screwed the thoracic disks -

because I tried to become more active with my lower back still in

agony and in the end, just ended up herniated a disk somehow in the

middle of my back.

I have several back braces I wear when I'm hurting - like now.

Well that's the scoop. I've begged for back surgery since December

2002 and now that I'm staring it down the face, I'm worried where

only it won't work and I'm a failed surgical patient with very few

options left. This is all I've been able to obsess upon since I

learned the rate of surgical success (both successful graft and less

pain in one's life) goes down with double level fusions...