Re: Waiting for lots of pain before commiting surgery

[Guest guest]

I forgot to add that Dr.T will do a complete osteotomy, remove rods,

replace them with segmented/moldable one(s?), add wedges/fuse lower

lumbar and upper thorasic. " Head and shoulders over hips " with

correct lordosis and and kyphosis.

Anterior/posterior all in one surgery. It'll be a long day.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner for my family. A short snooze for me.

Jeri

> > >

> > > -Thanks for encouragement. It's good to hear from others who

> have

> > had him for a

> > > doctor...I would appreciate any tips or information you can

give

> > me.....I'm excited that I

> > > will be able to have a better quality of life, but afraid of

the

> > surgery....but the quality of life

> > > wins out and I know it will be a huge relief!

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I forgot to add that Dr.T will do a complete osteotomy, remove rods,

replace them with segmented/moldable one(s?), add wedges/fuse lower

lumbar and upper thorasic. " Head and shoulders over hips " with

correct lordosis and and kyphosis.

Anterior/posterior all in one surgery. It'll be a long day.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner for my family. A short snooze for me.

Jeri

> > >

> > > -Thanks for encouragement. It's good to hear from others who

> have

> > had him for a

> > > doctor...I would appreciate any tips or information you can

give

> > me.....I'm excited that I

> > > will be able to have a better quality of life, but afraid of

the

> > surgery....but the quality of life

> > > wins out and I know it will be a huge relief!

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Jeri,

I hope that after all this is in the past you will have greater luck

securing the job you wish. I can't help but wonder, after your

description of your physical degeneration, if you have not been

subjected to a small amount of job discrimination? At the least,

employers may have been looking at you and thinking that you might

become a liability to the insurance plan and/or need more days off

work in sick leave than a 25 year old. I am guessing it would be

illegal for them to ask you directly for health information at an

employment interview, but that would have left them drawing the worst

conclusions. I am betting that after you are upright and moving about

better you will be able to give one less reason for your potential

employer to NOT consider your stellar attributes!

I know that there has to have been some positive theraputic effect

of writing down all the clear reasons why you have chosen to go ahead

with surgery. When you write it out so clearly and concisely it seems

like the only logical conclusion, doesn't it?

Are you still listening to the Successful Surgery CD?

Take Care, Cam

[Guest guest]

for me, I was having pretty much constant sciatica pain when I first

joined the flatback forum. I was very bent over and could not stand

up straight at all. I could not stand for more than 20 seconds

without pain, and I could not lay on an air mattress in the pool

without pain. I was walking with a cane and some days it was a

challenge to walk around WalMart even with leaning on a cart.

Five years later, I could not even lie down without pain. Forget

sitting or standing, everything hurt. I did epidural/facet/ SI joint

injections for a couple of years and that did help for a couple of

months at a time. My pain management doctor said my spine was

continuing to deteriorate and reversed his earlier opinion that I

should try to avoid surgery (probably because he sees a lot of

patients who have had some form of back surgery but are still in

pain). By then, I had decided that I wanted to see Dr Bridwell and

was going through the insurance process. I had my pain management

doctor do my myelogram and CT scans (he is a radiologist), and then

he definitely agreed that surgery might help. I should stop by his

office some day and let him see how well I am doing!

It is really amazing how much better I feel. I stopped by a former

professor's office while I was on campus yesterday, and she didn't

recognize me. She was also amazed at how much younger and healthier

I look now.

I also found it much easier to change jobs. When it was time to

report back to work, I really didn't want to go because I worked in

a pretty rough high school and had filed workman's comp claims 3 of

the 4 years I worked there. We got a new building and it is so big

that the vice principals encourage kids to run to get to class on

time! I was very fortunate to be reading the classifieds in the free

weekly ad circular while eating one day (I love to read while I eat),

and found my new job teaching high school online. I was a little

worried about sitting at a desk all day, but I get up often enough

that it has not been a problem.

I even have a new part-time job teaching a community college class!

I need to take a couple of college courses to be certified to teach

in all the states I need certification for, so I went to the

community college to enroll in calculus 2 and ended up with a job

teaching an intermediate math class! I doubt that would have happened

a year ago!

[Guest guest]

ne, thanks for sharing that encouraging story of your job change! Go sign up for a class and come out with a teaching job; how cool is that!

My big accomplishment today was installing a new toilet in our house. Hubby helped a little with the grunt work, but the rest was all me! I have no intention of pursuing a career as a plumber, but it just feels so good to be able to do this sort of grubby work just 15 months post-op. Good thing my massage therapy is tomorrow!

Sharon

[Guest guest]

Read this please.

[ ] Re: Waiting for lots of pain before commiting surgery

for me, I was having pretty much constant sciatica pain when I first joined the flatback forum. I was very bent over and could not stand up straight at all. I could not stand for more than 20 seconds without pain, and I could not lay on an air mattress in the pool without pain. I was walking with a cane and some days it was a challenge to walk around WalMart even with leaning on a cart. Five years later, I could not even lie down without pain. Forget sitting or standing, everything hurt. I did epidural/facet/ SI joint injections for a couple of years and that did help for a couple of months at a time. My pain management doctor said my spine was continuing to deteriorate and reversed his earlier opinion that I should try to avoid surgery (probably because he sees a lot of patients who have had some form of back surgery but are still in pain). By then, I had decided that I wanted to see Dr Bridwell and was going through the insurance process. I had my pain management doctor do my myelogram and CT scans (he is a radiologist), and then he definitely agreed that surgery might help. I should stop by his office some day and let him see how well I am doing!It is really amazing how much better I feel. I stopped by a former professor's office while I was on campus yesterday, and she didn't recognize me. She was also amazed at how much younger and healthier I look now.I also found it much easier to change jobs. When it was time to report back to work, I really didn't want to go because I worked in a pretty rough high school and had filed workman's comp claims 3 of the 4 years I worked there. We got a new building and it is so big that the vice principals encourage kids to run to get to class on time! I was very fortunate to be reading the classifieds in the free weekly ad circular while eating one day (I love to read while I eat), and found my new job teaching high school online. I was a little worried about sitting at a desk all day, but I get up often enough that it has not been a problem. I even have a new part-time job teaching a community college class! I need to take a couple of college courses to be certified to teach in all the states I need certification for, so I went to the community college to enroll in calculus 2 and ended up with a job teaching an intermediate math class! I doubt that would have happened a year ago!

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Where you were at before your revision is where I'm at now. I'm sending my films and records to Dr. Bridwell and Lenke. I hate and dread having surgery again, but I'd give my teeth to be able to stand up straight without pain again.

Thanks for sharing.

Pat E. from Texas

[ ] Re: Waiting for lots of pain before commiting surgery

for me, I was having pretty much constant sciatica pain when I first joined the flatback forum. I was very bent over and could not stand up straight at all. I could not stand for more than 20 seconds without pain, and I could not lay on an air mattress in the pool without pain. I was walking with a cane and some days it was a challenge to walk around WalMart even with leaning on a cart. Five years later, I could not even lie down without pain. Forget sitting or standing, everything hurt. I did epidural/facet/ SI joint injections for a couple of years and that did help for a couple of months at a time. My pain management doctor said my spine was continuing to deteriorate and reversed his earlier opinion that I should try to avoid surgery (probably because he sees a lot of patients who have had some form of back surgery but are still in pain). By then, I had decided that I wanted to see Dr Bridwell and was going through the insurance process. I had my pain management doctor do my myelogram and CT scans (he is a radiologist), and then he definitely agreed that surgery might help. I should stop by his office some day and let him see how well I am doing!It is really amazing how much better I feel. I stopped by a former professor's office while I was on campus yesterday, and she didn't recognize me. She was also amazed at how much younger and healthier I look now.I also found it much easier to change jobs. When it was time to report back to work, I really didn't want to go because I worked in a pretty rough high school and had filed workman's comp claims 3 of the 4 years I worked there. We got a new building and it is so big that the vice principals encourage kids to run to get to class on time! I was very fortunate to be reading the classifieds in the free weekly ad circular while eating one day (I love to read while I eat), and found my new job teaching high school online. I was a little worried about sitting at a desk all day, but I get up often enough that it has not been a problem. I even have a new part-time job teaching a community college class! I need to take a couple of college courses to be certified to teach in all the states I need certification for, so I went to the community college to enroll in calculus 2 and ended up with a job teaching an intermediate math class! I doubt that would have happened a year ago!

[Guest guest]

Dear Jeri, I had an Anterior/Posterior Fusion with Harrington Rods in

1985. ( how I got Ftbk!) I had it done for Spondylolisthesis. ( it

was not a Spinal Revision ) I did not have Flatback then. I was in a

Stryker Frame for 3 days. I was not allowed out of bed during those

3 days. The nurses would come in every 2 hrs & flip me over. I could

be wrong, but I don't think anyone in the group was in a Stryker

Frame after their Revision. I also never heard of anyone being kept

off their feet for 7 wks. Usually you are gotten up in a day or 2.

Yrs ago they kept you in bed for long periods of time but nowadays

they like to get you up to avoid blood clots.

After my Revision, they used a tilt table the 1st time they got me

up. I didn't walk that day. PT came put me on it, raised it till I

was erect, let me stay like that for about 10 minutes, then put me

back to bed. Thats all the experience I've had with Stryker Frames &

tilt tables.

Diane B

In , " bocce_fun " <bocce@...> wrote:

>

> I forgot to add that Dr.T will do a complete osteotomy, remove

rods,

> replace them with segmented/moldable one(s?), add wedges/fuse lower

> lumbar and upper thorasic. " Head and shoulders over hips " with

> correct lordosis and and kyphosis.

>

> Anterior/posterior all in one surgery. It'll be a long day.

> Breakfast, lunch and dinner for my family. A short snooze for me.

> Jeri

>

>

> > > >

> > > > -Thanks for encouragement. It's good to hear from others who

> > have

> > > had him for a

> > > > doctor...I would appreciate any tips or information you can

> give

> > > me.....I'm excited that I

> > > > will be able to have a better quality of life, but afraid of

> the

> > > surgery....but the quality of life

> > > > wins out and I know it will be a huge relief!

> > > >

> > >

> >

>