Guest guest Posted October 6, 2002 Report Share Posted October 6, 2002 Lois have you had any testing for autoimmune problems? A lot of low thyroiders also have autoimmune... can your dr. test for ANA etc? xoxo Kitty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 , I am interested in knowing a little more about when you had your hardware removed and what did it involve as far as recovery time. There is a lot of difference in our age and I am not sure if I want to tackle that. My son said to me the other day, " What makes you feel better, Mother? " My reply was when I do nothing. Of course, he said that is what I should do but that is not good and daily I do something even if it is not much. My biggest joy which is almost daily is to drive to the school and take my granddaughters home then the 14 year old works three days a week at our grocery store so I wait for her and take her to work. This brightens my day with hearing of the latest and her folks tell me that they tell me more than them. LOL I have digressed but I still would like to know your situation at that time. I worked with nurses in a Nursing Home as an Activity Coordinator for twenty years and became such good friends with some of them as we had to do care plans etc. , just a question for now. What is going on with you at this time as I have not written for awhile. By the way, the weather has been mostly cloudy, and lots of rain. The temps have been getting down in to the 30 " s but tomorrow we will have sun and about 70 then it will change back again on the weekend. The furnace feels good and I am doing slightly better. All for now, Lois On 9/30/09, Babbitt <tpowell1977@...> wrote: > Lois, > > I am sorry you you are hurting also. I too am having a rough evening. I'm > finally not hurting, but the narcotics keep me from being able to sleep. > It's midnight here and I have to get up at 6 am. I was soooooo exhausted > when I got home from work today. Then the pain started creeping up as soon > as I sat down. The pressure here is down pretty low. I bought a weather > station two years ago when my pain was still really bad. I use it to tell > when the pain is going to be bad due to the barometric pressure so I can > take an anti-inflammatory and whatever else I need. Getting on top of it > before it gets bad is really key. > > I pray you get sleep tonight and relief from your pain > --- Babbitt > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Lois Churchill <mickyk13@...> > spinal problems > Sent: Wed, September 30, 2009 11:16:18 PM > Subject: Re: Lois > > > and , I am in such pain that I don't feel like writing > much but hopefully will be able to tomorrow night. We are going to > have rain, wind and a definite downturn in the weather so maybe that > has something to do with it. > > , I do want to talk more about the hardware etc. Missy, I had my > surgery by an orthopedic Dr. but do not remember the diagnosis. I > have called and requested my records back but first she has to have me > send her signed release so it might be a few days. > > All for now, Lois > > On 9/29/09, Babbitt <tpowell1977> wrote: >> Lois, >> >> I just wanted to tell you that in all liklihood, your continued back pain >> was caused by the hardware used in the fusion. I too had the RFL on my >> nerves and the doc could not access the reaaly painful areas because of >> the >> fusion hardware. Since I was at the end of my options (I refused the SCS) >> I >> went back to my spine surgeon to inquire about having my hardware >> removed. That visit changed my life. He told me that the hardware itself >> can >> cause a LOT of pain as it is a foreign body. At any time, wether shortly >> after surgery or years later, your body can 'reject' the hardware and >> cause >> tremendous pain and inflammation. Again, all my pain was located in my >> back. >> I had absolutely NO leg pain. I had the surgery and felt an >> immediate difference . Within a week my pain was reduced by 70%! I am now >> largely pain free and I only take Ultram ER everyday. Nothing else. A >> percocet every now and then for a tough day. Considering I have had six >> surgeries, I >> think that is amazing! >> --- Babbitt >> >> >> >> >> ____________ _________ _________ __ >> From: Missy <m_hintoshhotmail (DOT) com> >> spinedisorderssuppo rtgroup@gro ups.com >> Sent: Mon, September 28, 2009 8:35:15 AM >> Subject: Re: I'm Confused so Confused (Lois) >> >> >> Hi Lois- >> >> Thank you very much for writing to me. I've been through a lot of >> different >> options so far, I've done PT and that didn't help, I've had a cat scan >> done >> not too long ago, I've had 3 injections done but that was mostly done to >> help with the pain in my leg. I have heard about that radio frequency, is >> that similar to an EMG? >> >> Did you have a neurologist do your surgery or an orthopedic. Some of the >> research I've done everyone seems to say they would see a neurologist for >> back surgery but the surgeon I see has specialized in spine and >> spondylolisthesis which is what I have. I was told I have neuropathy but >> then after they found out all of my back problem they said it's from my >> spine issue not neuropathy. >> >> Last week when I was at work I resulted to using pain meds and the only >> reason is because I had the lap-band surgery done and I'm not allowed to >> take any anti-inflammatory drugs due to my stomach so it's just icing it >> for >> now and to try to calm it down. >> >> Yesterday I got up and it hurt to move so bad and I had to go over to my >> parents (they live about 15 mins. from me) to let their dogs out and it >> hurt >> even to sit and drive. When I left their house getting in the car hurt so >> bad I didn't even want to drive home. >> >> This morning it seems a little better so far. The surgeon I saw in May >> isn't >> pushing surgery since I'm still not at the weight I want to be and if I >> lose >> more weight it will help surgery and the recovery period. >> >> I still feel most of my pain in my tailbone which is where the problem is. >> I'm not ready for surgery but I need to find something so I can deal with >> siting (I'm a secretary) all day long wihtout having too much pain. >> >> Thank you again for writing. >> >> >> >> >>> >>> , I had back surgery ten years ago which was done after the >>> usual epidurals, injections, MRI and cat scans etc. Then I made the >>> decision to have the surgery. I have lots of fusion, plates and >>> screws. I continued to have back pain so had physical therapy for >>> over a year. I decided to have radio frequency on the recommendation >>> of a neurologist. I had been to three neurologists and by this time >>> which was about three years I was diagnosed with neuropathy in my back >>> and some in one arm. The radio frequency helped some with the pain in >>> my back but he said that I had so much fusion that he could not get to >>> certain nerves. This brings me up to this year. Of course, I had >>> pain meds, and pain patches. I decided to join this group and have >>> learned so much. I had a spinal cord stimulator put in on Sept. 14th >>> and taken out on the 16th. There are some cases it does not work for >>> and I was one of them. The only reason I wrote so much was to >>> describe what I have done over a period of ten years. I worked for >>> two of those years and had to give it up. The only advice I would >>> give anyone is to have several opinions before surgery and try out >>> everything first. It is not always the answer. If you were to see a >>> neurosurgeon that does not mean you have to have surgery but you will >>> get good advice. >>> >>> I do have a special made brace but it is getting worn although I still >>> always have one handy as it does help to get a meal fixed or light >>> housekeeping done. I do feel it helps me but it was recommended to me >>> not to wear them all of the time. >>> >>> I wish you luck in getting some relief from your pain. >>> >>> Lois >>> >>> > ____________ _________ _________ __ >>> > From: Missy <m_hintosh@. ..> >>> > spinedisorderssuppo rtgroup@gro ups.com >>> > Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 1:39:47 PM >>> > Subject: I'm Confused so Confused >>> > >>> > >>> > I introduced myself not too long ago but for those who didn't get a >>> > chance >>> > to read it I've placed it below this message. >>> > My last appt with the chiro. was on Wed. Sept. 16th. I tried to talk >>> > with >>> > chiro. about this not helping my back pain and he understood but wanted >>> > to >>> > see me again this week and I didn't schedule anymore appts because it's >>> > not >>> > helping and I need to something that will help or something. >>> > >>> > So I called the surgeons office asking if I should maybe try wearing a >>> > brace >>> > from now or something like that and I told them the chiro isn't helping >>> > anymore nor did phyiscal therapy when I did that and I told her that I >>> > wasn't ready for surgery yet either. >>> > >>> > The surgeons office called me back and said that the surgeon would like >>> > to >>> > see me again. >>> > >>> > I'm thinking why I'm not ready to have surgery yet. >>> > >>> > My husband thinks its silly to go see a surgeon if I'm not going to >>> > have >>> > surgery. >>> > >>> > I don't know if I should go back to my family doctor and see if he has >>> > any >>> > suggestions as to where I should go next or what I should do. >>> > >>> > I'm tired of waking up though in pain and not being able to do things >>> > because of the pain. >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > Hi All, >>> > >>> > My name is and I'm 29 years old. I've been living with pain >>> > from >>> > my >>> > back and my nerve pain down my right leg for about 3 years now. The >>> > nerve >>> > pain >>> > has actually gotten a lot better since I've >>> > lost about 61 lbs now since March of this year and in late May I >>> > started >>> > seeing >>> > a Chiropractor so that helped my nerve pain. >>> > >>> > Jan. 08 I had x-ray done due to the pain in my back and nerve >>> > pain in my leg. Once the x-ray was done it showed that I had >>> > spondlolisthesis so they sent me for MRI of my back. >>> > >>> > Here are the results from my MRI in Jan. 08: >>> > >>> > Grade 2 spondylolisthesis of L5 on S1 associated with a posterior >>> > spondylosis. >>> > >>> > There is estimated 7 mm anterolisthesis with significant to severe >>> > right and to a lesser extent left foraminal stenosis at L5-S1. >>> > >>> > Mild right central disc herniation of L4-L5 with a small, extruded >>> > fragment creating a moderate localized impact upon the right L5 nerve >>> > root. >>> > >>> > Minimal broad-based disc bulge at L3-L4 of doubtful clinical >>> > significance. >>> > >>> > I had a CT Scan done on 2/6/09 and this is what they said: There is a >>> > mild >>> > change of Degenerative Disc Disease with small vertebral body >>> > osteophytes. >>> > There is disc space narrowing at L4-L5. There is evidence of bilateral >>> > spondylolsis of L5 with Grade 1 to 2 Spondylolisthesis of L5 on S1. No >>> > vertebral >>> > compression deformities are identified. The sacrobiliac joints appear >>> > intact. >>> > Slight spurring is seen along the supermedial margins of both iliac >>> > bones. >>> > >>> > I've seen a pain management doctor and he did three steriod injections >>> > and >>> > the >>> > third one didn't take so they told me they could no longer help me with >>> > the >>> > back >>> > pain and I needed to set up an appt. to see the surgeon. >>> > >>> > I set up an appt. for May 15, 2009 to see the surgeon and my husband >>> > and >>> > I >>> > went >>> > to the appt. and he told us everything that he would do and the >>> > recovery >>> > time >>> > was about 2-3 months. Right away after being off for surgery in March I >>> > couldn't >>> > take off that much time from work and I was still able to stand and do >>> > things so >>> > we decided it would be best to wait until after I've lost all the >>> > weight >>> > I >>> > want >>> > to and see where we are at then. >>> > >>> > The surgeon said he had no problem doing the surgery on me because my >>> > back >>> > can >>> > only be fixed with surgery but I may want to hold off as long as I can >>> > because >>> > my L2 and L3 are already showing signs of Degenerative Disc Disease and >>> > he >>> > said >>> > that when I fix my L4 and L5 that will put pressure on my upper spine >>> > and in >>> > about 10 years or so I'd need another back surgery to replace that. >>> > >>> > The chiropractor guy I've been seeing has been helping with my nerve >>> > pain >>> > but >>> > just 2 weekends ago I must of done too much lifting and now I'm still >>> > paying >>> > for >>> > it. On Saturday, Sept. 5th I was lifting probably 4 - 5 gallon buckets >>> > of >>> > water >>> > and putting them in the fish tanks and I was also doing some other >>> > lifting >>> > as >>> > well. Then on Monday, since I was off from work my mom and I went back >>> > to >>> > visit >>> > my Grandfather, he lives about 1 hr. and 45 mins. away and on Monday >>> > evening, my >>> > back felt sore but it wasn't too bad. On Tuesday, Sept. 8th I woke up >>> > and I >>> > had >>> > the worst back pain, I've ever had. I could barely walk and sitting at >>> > work >>> > hurt >>> > so badly. >>> > >>> > I ended up leaving work at 2 p.m. on Tuesday because I couldn't take >>> > the >>> > pain >>> > anymore and I called my chiropractor to see if I needed to see the pain >>> > management doctor or who I should go and see and they told me to keep >>> > my >>> > appt. >>> > with the chiropractor and when I went in on Wed. Sept. 9th and the >>> > started >>> > me >>> > off with the Tens unit and I had to sit up for it because I couldn't >>> > lie >>> > down. >>> > >>> > When the chiropractor came in he told me I had a lot of inflammation >>> > and >>> > my >>> > back >>> > felt really warm. >>> > >>> > He told me to keep ice on my back and he wanted to see me on Friday. He >>> > did >>> > a >>> > few adjustments on Wed. Then Friday came and I was walking better but >>> > the >>> > pain >>> > was still there and he told me to rest over the weekend and that he >>> > wanted >>> > to >>> > see me back on Mon., Tues., or Wed. so I have a follow-up appt. on Wed. >>> > with >>> > him >>> > and I think this time I'm going to talk with him about what I can do or >>> > who >>> > I >>> > should see or what not. >>> > >>> > Last night I was running the vacuum cleaner and I got this pinching and >>> > pain >>> > in >>> > my back and this morning I'm super sore again and I don't know if a >>> > back >>> > brace >>> > would help with certain things or what but sometimes just sitting here >>> > at >>> > work >>> > and trying to move my spine really hurts. >>> > >>> > I'm sorry this is super long I'm just having so much pain lately and I >>> > don't >>> > know what else to do for it. >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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