neck/back surgery

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Hey Fishy,

My mom had three disks done where they put a metal rod in her lower back and screwed them to the discs. She had a GREAT DOCTOR at Illinois Bone and Spine.

Let me give you some background. My mom is 66 years old, 5 feet tall, over 300 lbs, and diabetic. She was in constant pain whether standing, sitting, or laying down. It got so bad, she could not get much sleep due to the pain. She also had spinal stenosis where the bone grows and starts to pinch the spinal chord. They expected complications during and after surgery due to her age, weight, and diabetes. Two doctors operated on her, one for the spinal stenosis and the other tied three discs in her lower back together with a metal rod and screws. SHE CAME THROUGH WITH NO COMPLICATIONS AND NO MORE BACK PAIN!!!

She was extremely pleased with her doctor and the end results.

She had this done in Chicago. I see you are in central IL. If you would be interested in getting her doctor's name and info, I can call her and ask her for it. The capability of the doctor will determine your outcome. If you would be willing to travel to see him and get his opinion, I think that he could do a good job on you and hopefully you will recover with no complications and no more pain like my mom.
 
krazykuda said:
Hey Fishy,

My mom had three disks done where they put a metal rod in her lower back and screwed them to the discs. She had a GREAT DOCTOR at Illinois Bone and Spine.

Let me give you some background. My mom is 66 years old, 5 feet tall, over 300 lbs, and diabetic. She was in constant pain whether standing, sitting, or laying down. It got so bad, she could not get much sleep due to the pain. She also had spinal stenosis where the bone grows and starts to pinch the spinal chord. They expected complications during and after surgery due to her age, weight, and diabetes. Two doctors operated on her, one for the spinal stenosis and the other tied three discs in her lower back together with a metal rod and screws. SHE CAME THROUGH WITH NO COMPLICATIONS AND NO MORE BACK PAIN!!!

She was extremely pleased with her doctor and the end results.

She had this done in Chicago. I see you are in central IL. If you would be interested in getting her doctor's name and info, I can call her and ask her for it. The capability of the doctor will determine your outcome. If you would be willing to travel to see him and get his opinion, I think that he could do a good job on you and hopefully you will recover with no complications and no more pain like my mom.
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Thanks a bunch for the info Krazykuda. That's great she came out that good! It doesn't sound like mine is as bad as hers (no stenosis) but it's so bad I can barely stand to even sit as a passenger in a car for much over an hour. Don't sleep much either. That kinda makes it bad for trying to go so far away. I much appreciate the offer but I'm about 4 hrs. from Chicago and just don't think I can travel that far. I researched the doctor that I've seen and he has a really good record too so I'm comfortable with him doing it. At the moment I'm still looking into alternative methods other than fusion.
 
I had three vertebrea (sp) fuzed in my neck in 05...I basically traded one set of problems for others although overall I am marginally better than before the surgery. The doctor told me "we can't fix everybody".
 
383Duster said:
I had three vertebrea (sp) fuzed in my neck in 05...I basically traded one set of problems for others although overall I am marginally better than before the surgery. The doctor told me "we can't fix everybody".
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That's a bummer it didn't help more. The Doc told me up front that they can't fix everybody.
 
Tracy, on a side note, you might find that alleviating the back pain could go a long ways to helping with your migraines.

Surprisingly I found a trigger for mine. Just got glasses a few months ago. Last night was the first time I've had the onset of a migraine since. Still on the topomax and aspirin diet as the doctor and I agreed this was for the best. Still have to make sure I break during the day for lunch, which isn't always easy when the shop gets backed up and the deadlines have to be met. But since I got my glasses that constant, dull throb above my right eye has disappeared.

Here's hoping for the best, bud. I know what migraines can do.
 
my father had something similar done with this neck. degenerative bone and spures ruptured disk. he was in a lot of pain lost almost all ability to walk and had no feeling in his hands. after 2 surgeries the doc put in cadaver bones and a plate and screws of some kind and he now walks great and has regained 90% of all his feelings. think the doc makes all the difference. another doc told him months earlier there was nothing to do to help. def get sec or third opinions. good luck wish you the best.
 
ramenth said:
Tracy, on a side note, you might find that alleviating the back pain could go a long ways to helping with your migraines.

Surprisingly I found a trigger for mine. Just got glasses a few months ago. Last night was the first time I've had the onset of a migraine since. Still on the topomax and aspirin diet as the doctor and I agreed this was for the best. Still have to make sure I break during the day for lunch, which isn't always easy when the shop gets backed up and the deadlines have to be met. But since I got my glasses that constant, dull throb above my right eye has disappeared.

Here's hoping for the best, bud. I know what migraines can do.
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Hey Robert, The doc said a lot of people that have the same problem I have suffer with migraines and that surgery helps most people. I am hopeful it will help because nearly every time I start getting a migraine my neck starts hurting right in that area first. The first migraine I had was right around the time my neck first acted up bad so to me that's a good sign that's the problem that triggers them.

That's great you've found some relief! Eye problems sure can cause headaches with a lot of people. I have 3 pair of glasses (just couldn't get used to tri-focals) for what ever I'm doing. I don't think my eyes are the main trigger with my headaches but I can tell that if I don't wear my glasses it sure doesn't help.
 
rigrunner said:
my father had something similar done with this neck. degenerative bone and spures ruptured disk. he was in a lot of pain lost almost all ability to walk and had no feeling in his hands. after 2 surgeries the doc put in cadaver bones and a plate and screws of some kind and he now walks great and has regained 90% of all his feelings. think the doc makes all the difference. another doc told him months earlier there was nothing to do to help. def get sec or third opinions. good luck wish you the best.
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This doctor is actually the 4th Doc I've seen about this problem and he is the first that said he could help. All the others said there was nothing they could do. Glad to hear your Dad is doing so good. Your right, the doctor can make all the diff.
 
Fishy,
Has anyone done a Myelogram on you? I have been fighting back problems for 7 years and I recently started to go to a doctor that did all the tests. The Myelogram ended up showing so much good information that he isn't going to have to do surgery. We learned that everything we had been doing was entirely wrong and that it was increasing my pain. Starting back from scratch with the correct therapy, we hope to overcome my problems. Have they never tried you on a TENS unit? It has offered me a lot of relief. There is also another unit that goes deeper then the TENS unit but I forgot the name of it.

I wish you the best of luck to get your pain under control.
 
Hi Tracy, I hope this gets corrected very soon! Will be praying for YOU! Need to get you back to yacking about car guy stuff! Kevin
 
X2 on the myelogram Dr.s couldn't see all the issues in my back till this test. I'll never have another one lots of pain with mine some people no problems.
 
dusterny said:
X2 on the myelogram Dr.s couldn't see all the issues in my back till this test. I'll never have another one lots of pain with mine some people no problems.
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They had to try a different spot about 1 1/2 inches up the spine because they couldn't get through the first spot. The first spot they couldn't get through is where the damage was found. The first spot was H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E pain but the second spot wasn't very bad. Even with the pain I would do the Myelogram again because it gave us so many answers. Should surgery have been the only route the surgeron would have so much more detailed information to work with so everything gets done right the first time. I would talk to your doctor about doing a Myelogram because it shows the unknown and stops all the guess work.
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
Fishy,
Has anyone done a Myelogram on you? I have been fighting back problems for 7 years and I recently started to go to a doctor that did all the tests. The Myelogram ended up showing so much good information that he isn't going to have to do surgery. We learned that everything we had been doing was entirely wrong and that it was increasing my pain. Starting back from scratch with the correct therapy, we hope to overcome my problems. Have they never tried you on a TENS unit? It has offered me a lot of relief. There is also another unit that goes deeper then the TENS unit but I forgot the name of it.

I wish you the best of luck to get your pain under control.
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I had a Myleogram about 9-10 yrs. ago when it all first started because an MRI didn't show anything. The Myleograom was also inconclusive at that time, but again that was 9-10 yrs. ago. The one thing it did do was put me in the bed for 3 days solid with the worst headache I ever had. I thought my head was going to explode. Even my migraine medicine didn't help much. Since the MRI showed the disc is herniated I'm not sure I want to go through getting a Myleogram again. No, never tried a Tens unit, but would that help with a ruptured disc? Even if it helped I wonder if it'd just mask the pain so I don't feel it and continue to damage the nerve that is impinged?? I'm not a sit around person even when in pain.

Thanks, Tracy
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
We learned that everything we had been doing was entirely wrong and that it was increasing my pain.
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Funny you should mention this. I just seen a psyatrist (sp?) in an attempt to come up with a stretching & exercise program that I can tolerate. Showed him some of the stretches I was told to do by a therapist and he could not believe what I was told to do. A few of the stretches were causing nothing but pain....It is always a good idea to get more than one opinion & to get all testing done before making any decisions.....
 
inkjunkie said:
Funny you should mention this. I just seen a psyatrist (sp?) in an attempt to come up with a stretching & exercise program that I can tolerate. Showed him some of the stretches I was told to do by a therapist and he could not believe what I was told to do. A few of the stretches were causing nothing but pain....It is always a good idea to get more than one opinion & to get all testing done before making any decisions.....
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I too learned this the hard way. I will suffer from all of the tests for all the true and up to date answers. I was afraid that they would miss something and I would be forced in to more than one surgery. I have heard this happening way too many times. I followed the advise of someone and went with a surgeon that does sports injuries. Needles to say the only use the best medical professionals for the athletes.
 
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