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Somehow that did not inspire confidence


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I have a spinal injury, fractured L1.  I fell on my butt May 19, left the hospital with prescriptions for vitamins and blood pressure and a suggested to use Tylenol 2 500 mg tabs for pain and a referral to a dr. Dr referred me to NH Neurospine where they are all somehow involved with, guess what, spines.

 

Doc at NH Neuro suggested kypoplasty which is inserting cement into the fracture to stabilize the bone.  As events happened, kypoplasty did not take place.

 

fast forward to VA referral to NH Neurospine and I see another spine dr.  He said kypoplasty would not have worked but what he said (twice) that ruffled my feathers was “and I am a specialist”.  That did not inspire confidence.

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I can relate MMH. about a decade plus ago I blew out L5-S1 disc. After many, many, many visits and referrals it was decided that a fusion was the best course.

Well, it didn't take. Not sure why but 10 months later the pain was getting worse. They had to go back in and this time used rods and screws. This time it fused, but because of the time delay I now have 24/7 level 5 pain. If the last doctor I saw had been my first I think I would be in much better shape.

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I fractured T6. Back in 2013 I coughed so hard (bronchitis) that I passed out and straight back. Landed hard and flat on my ceramic tile floor. Fractured vertebra!

 

Over the years I have had 3 specialists look at it. They all said to “Leave it alone unless it becomes too bothersome. By the way that fracture shrunk you a half an inch”

 

It used to bother me something awful. After my bike crash and rib plating surgery in 2019 it hasn’t bothered me nearly as much. The rib plating was done right next to T6. The surgeon said he didn’t touch it but since then it hasn’t bothered me as much. 
 

Marshal, I hope you can get that taken care of. It’s a meddlesome pain that affects your mood and living in general. 

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There are no guarantees with spinal surgery. Here are my spinal ex rays and I still have plenty of pain.BBBB27CB-9EC5-4458-825B-6CE713C72566.thumb.jpeg.8d158458c2e80cb4e1e750b4abc282ae.jpeg6D832B78-791E-446C-B3C6-2572C7D1BC86.thumb.jpeg.70c05e44aa886e03af409ba28f75f7b8.jpeg4F30EB1C-C775-4004-9C06-1C4A03A1025C.thumb.jpeg.e7e765598fbbe3f4003fb2273d80489a.jpeg

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I’ve had three spinal surgeries! The first was in December of 2005!  I had fractured vertebrae on more than one occasion and abnormal bone growth had resulted, causing stenosis, which pinched down on my spinal cord in two places so severely that during my second Milogram, they had to inject in three places to get the dye into all of my spinal cord. My entire lumbar section is fused and there’s a titanium erector set screwed into the vertebrae.

 

I went from absolute crippling pain to complete relief as a result of that surgery. 
 

I later developed a cyst on my sciatic nerve to the left leg which required a scope job to remove a pea sized growth.

 

My latest spinal surgery was during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holidays, 2019-2020. I contracted MRSA and it settled in my neck, attacking the C4-C6 discs.  They went in and replaced the two discs with titanium and installed clamping devices to stabilize the vertebrae. I never had any pain there, but I damn near died from sepsis before they located the site of the infection and went in and removed/repaired it.  Took a month in intensive care followed by a month in intensive rehab to recover from that one!!

 

 

GETTING OLD SUCKS!!  It takes a lot of work to do it, but that beats the HELL out of the alternative!! :o :lol:
 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said:

Medicine is part science and part judgment. The same situation can get three different diagnoses and treatments from three doctors. 

And 50% of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class... yet are still called "doctor".
Two of my daughters are RNs, and they confirm this.

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I forgot to mention that the doctor who diagnosed the stenosis and performed the first surgery said, in his office after the first milogram and the MRI, “You’re a remarkable young man and we will get you to where you can walk again and without pain!”

 

He DID!!

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I've got wedge shaped disc between L-5 and S-1 that I've been babying for years. With my last set of x-rays this summer, I've been informed that my right hip joint is showing excessive wear. Gee, maybe that's why it hurts at times:blink::rolleyes:. Problems with statin drugs haven't helped me much either, Lipitor REALLY screwed me up. Don't trust my legs hardly at all anymore.:(:blush:

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I had surgery for a herniated disc in May of  2020. Last February I fell off a truck on the train tracks at work and messed myself up. My back was giving me fits but my surgeon doesn't take workers comp. I met the doctor  that would evaluate my lower back and decided that my back felt just fine....even though it did not. I would let that hack cut a cheap piece of steak, let alone my spine. I saw my surgeon yesterday to get  shot in my left hip. I have bursitis. Anyway, he asked how my back was doing and I told him just fine as long as I sleep with my legs elevated. He  reminded me if the disc issue in my lower back returns that I will need fusion surgery. It pretty much has returned. I am sure that I re-herniated the disc he repaired before when I fell off that darn truck. But, I'll be darned if I have another surgery before retiring. Doing my own PT and  sleeping with legs elevated is doing wonders. I  will stick with that.

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I have my neck done 3 times in 4 years. Dr. Wants do L5 soon. Went to pain management dr for my refill and h said can't be that bad let's get an MRI. He took one look and said oh sh.....

Now he planning injections again see if it will help. Never did before a d still haven't started treatment for L5.

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when it comes to messin with my spine and some major joints id rather not and will endure a lot to prevent it , ive broken bones and all that but ive always hoped not to have anything more serious , arthritis is setting in and although not anything like what is being discussed it has had a toll on my norm , 

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19 hours ago, Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 said:

I used to tell my patients, who inquired about back surgery, that it was the 40-40-20 rule. 40% got better; 40% got worse; 20% no change. I still stand by that.

My doctor said pretty much the same thing when he and I were discussing my back.

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