spinal fusion- work or no?
Before I receive a lot of answerrs recommending diet and exercise, please note that I injured my back in 1993 and have already done everything. I take the Omega 3 Fish Oils, Glucosamine, Multi’s, etc. Drink lots of water and am in my 3rd go round of Physical Therapy to keep my muscle tone. Already did chiropractor, decompression, massage therapy and even acupuncture and nerve ablasion 5 times. I am not a condidate for disk replacement because I have facet joint probs.
My Dr. wants to fuse lower 4 from tailbone up.
I really need to know if you had fusion and what you feel about it. Or if you know someone and what they feel about it. I am in pain now 24/7 and can only walk for 1 hour tops and that is after I take a pain pill. It sucks! I used to be so energetic but the last 4 months I have gone down hill. I don’t want to up my meds from the current vicodin (norco) and ibuprofen because I have been there and done that and it took me a year to get off (after I found out how horrible they are for you and my doctor told me that if I had surgery while on them; such as emergency surgery if the bad disc actually ruptures, he would be unable to control my pain).
What say all of you? Work or no?
Please add what you are doing for pain management– I take Norco and Ibuprofen. Do you do anything, non opiate, that seems to help? Other than what I have already mentioned?
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Tagged with: 4 months • acupuncture • chiropractor • decompression • drink lots of water • emergency surgery • facet • glucosamine • ibuprofen • massage therapy • meds • muscle tone • nerve • norco • omega 3 fish oils • opiate • pain management • physical therapy • tailbone • vicodin
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Heya Nana – sorry, I hadn’t come accross your question before, so I looked you up to find it.
Disc problems. Ugh! Never easy. I’ve had a few patients with disc problems to date and have had excellent success with acupuncture. Since you’ve already tried that, I won’t go there.
I’ve done some research on vetebral fusions… the stats arent good, I’ll be frank. Those that worked, worked beautifully. Those that didn’t work put people through a lot of pain for little to no gain, unfortunately. It’s a difficult recouperation period either way. If it provides the relief you’re looking for, it will all be worth it though. Right?
Without reading some of your radiology reports and knowing your health history in depth, I really can’t speak to your specific case.
I can suggest maybe looking into TENS (electric impulses) for pain management. There are TENS machines that you can literally wear through the day to manage pain (using a nerve gated system – blocks the transmission of pain messages.) They only last an hour or two after you take ‘em off, but they can buy you some comfort and time while you decide whether the surgery is best for you.
I can only imagine how frustrated you must be and I understand that feeling "I’ve tried everything!" If you have a Naturopathic Doc that you trust, he or she can help you sort through the pro’s and con’s of the surgery for your specific case… and help you prepare for surgery and heal afterward, if you decide it’s the best option for you.
Last thought… have you ever tried homeopathy? Again, when it works it can be miraculous. Homeopathy is a fantastic option for those "tried everything" cases. Because it’s cheap and perfectly safe, it’s a really good option to consider even while you’re waiting for surgery. (And it’s very likely to be part of the plan for preparing for/recovering from surgery, if you go through that route too.)
Wish I could help more! Good luck to you!