Calling all Spinal Fusion TW members

Only one had any issues, felt like it sat on a nerve ending for a week. Barely noticed them getting removed.

 

WTF

 

Not as substantial as y'all, but here is the Coflex in place.

 

Looks like I’ll be moving forward with my bilateral si fusion. See the neurosurgeon on Wednesday. Ugh!!!

 

I was looking back over this thread, and I feel your pain Jay, I watched my mother suffer for 20 years, from 3 fusion surgeries that didn't work out at all. Her back muscles would tighten up in huge knots that I would try and massage to loosen them up. At night I would find her asleep in her bed, with a bible on her lap, and dried tears on her face. We lost her to COPD. She was heavily addicted to Opioids.Never could get her to stop smoking, and in the end, her lungs just couldn't work anymore.

 

Well my Bilateral SI fusion is scheduled for June 8th. I’m so ready to get this done.

 

Doctors
Practice makes.....

 

I hope that everything goes well for you.

 

Thank you

 

Surgery was completed and on Tuesday and went extremely well. Neurosurgeon was very pleased with results. This morning I’m am feeling good while a bit sore I’m just taking Tylenol.

 

That's good to hear. Now I'll give you some advice. I've had 4 spinal fusion surgeries. Don't do anything but walk, you can do it on the road or in a pool. The pool will make you feel weightless, which is really cool. When the Doctor tells you to resume normal activities, ignore that advice, and just keep walking, and walking and walking. don't do any heavy lifting or physical activity. I'd just do the walking and maybe some PT for the first year. You would think that I'd have learned my lesson by now, but you become so bored with being able to do nothing, that when he tells you everything is okay, and resume normal activities again, you forget to be cautious, and that's when your most likely to injure yourself again. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

Funny you say that. In all the post op instructions it says just that “ just walk” keep moving there is plenty of time to wait to exercise.walking is the best thing to do. Thanks. I’m very lucky in that I have time to heal no need to get back to work I’ve been very blessed so that’s exactly what im gonna do let my body tell me what it’s ready and not rush anything. Simple little walks.

 

I was up to 3.5 miles last September. Had 3 surgeries on my hand done all at once. Completely screwed up my walking routine for about 6-8 weeks. Then last winter, I think arthritis set in really bad in my lower back, or I over did things, and screwed something up. Haven't been doing all that well. Going to try to start a walking routine again, starting our slow and easy. So just remember when the Doc says your fine, resume normal activities, don't listen to him, mark on a calendar 1 year from your surgery date, and try to stick with the plan of just walking. Good luck and I seriously mean that. Pain is a horrible companion to live with every day.

 

I wen to the Pain Clinic yesterday to see my licensed drug dealer. My lower back and leg pain has returned which really sucks. I'm scheduled to do another spine injection on 8-2-22 to get some relief. It gets really old, really fast dealing with chronic pain on a day to day basis. I'm sure there are many of us that deal with chronic pain on a daily basis. If this works, I might try another nerve burn. I actually got about 8 months of really good pain relief when I did this several years ago. We'll see how it goes.

 

We’ll it’s been 1 yr post surgery and what a blessing it has been. All I can say I’m glad I did it. While I’ll never be 100% it’s taken away 90% of my pain. Here’s the pic of what they did and good luck OP.

 

that's some scary looking shit. almost as bad as mine. I wish you all the luck, and hope your pain relief last longer than mine did.

 

Kinda a scattered story but here ya go you beautifully epic humans. Never give up hope. Good luck to you all.

I shattered my t12 into 3 separate pieces in 2010. Was haulin the mail doin 70mph on a flat, fresh dry lake bed(Soda lake bed of Zyzzx rd In Ca), riding with one hand, while looking off into the oasis thinking this is why I ride... the bliss, the freedom and the beauty of the desert. We were on our way back from what would have been a 120 mile loop that day, 4.11.2010 around 1pm.

A buddy and I were pre running Barstow to Baker for a big trip we had planned to Vegas, all in the dirt no paved roads... (Ride from Glendora, Ca to Vegas. Pull up at the hard rock hotel, see NOFX then the supercross finals the next day) I sure did fuck that plan up lol.

So, I grabbed the handle bar at the last second now doing 67 mph as I let off the throttle prior to the impact right before I hit the 1ft tall bump from a rain river thingy... stock wr250x(with 4" tall knobby tires) stock suspension... I was catapulted off the bike as I pressed the eject button as I knew that that was going to happen...(within a millisecond, which seemed like 5 minutes, my 3 only options went through my head and it was too fast and close to hit the brakes; 1. click down a gear and jump the sob? nope, not on this bike, maybe my crf450 with dialed suspension and exhaust..., 2.bail to the side? nope that would've rag dolled me, probably. 3 .So pushing off with both hands ready for the launch was what happened. The bike indo'ed and went 6'oclock 12 o'clock. I flew about 70ft off the bike towards the direction I was traveling. I scorpioned when I went to tuck and roll, front of my full face helmet caught the dry lake bed (mud underneath the dry crust of the surface) my butt hit me in the back of the head... The light went black as if you flicked the light switch on/off real fast in a room... softball sized lump on my spine... I walked into the er basically, with no medivac in Barstow. Blessed. Zero paralysis. Doctors entered my room every 15 minutes waiting for me to "finish the job" and be like superman in a wheel chair. There's a lot more to this crazy story. Feel free to ask.

The serrated broken bones severed my spinal cord membrane 100% which were then compressing my raw spinal cord 40%... serrated bones on each side. My t12 is wired, screwed and fused with live bone marrow from my right hip packed in around the t12... I've got 2, 10" metal rods in my back and about 8 screws I think, along with the wire. 1 bottle of Norco after surgery and zero meds since. Basically keeping my body moving, not a garage diet, swimming pool exercise , and strengthening my back muscles by walking everyday is what kept the pain away, if I was in pain id walk with my walker, however I could.

Great thread OP, thank you. Looking forward to reading all the posts here. Thanks for reading, stay positive everyone, get outside, go into nature as much as possible, lifes short as hell sometimes and any day could be our last so love the ones we have. PS- don't haul the mail over uncharted grounds... =) If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.

Some days I get depressed, when I forget what I need to do and im not making my self be accountable for my movement/actions. Or maybe its my ex-wife lol. Much love ya'll. I probably should goto sleep now.... lol

 

You got me beat with the hardware! The only time I've had pain was when I didn't walk., I set my pedometer to walk 1/4 mile farther everyday and to progress. I did all my own research, no pt... I also had no insurance...I tested what I researched and when I stopped walking I immediately had pain. Started my walks and pain went aways. Tested it out again and like clockwork, no walking equaled pain. When you don't move, the inflammation builds which causes the pain, in most cases for sciatic pain. Im no doctor, obviously. I do maybe 5-10 minutes of yoga almost every day and melt in the sauna while also stretching(yoga) in there. Its the only thing that's worked for me.

 

@TacoZmtn Brother your one very lucky or blessed human being. Walking into a hospital with that injury is nothing less than a miracle. Scary looking X-rays, but so glad your doing better and things worked out for you. Keep up the walking, no matter what and keep all us crippled old men up to date.

 

Absolutely I will. I don't walk as much these days as my back has gotten stronger the first few years after surgery (12 years ago) but definitely do the stretches at least 5 minutes a day to prevent calcium build up and stay loose. I make up too many excuses and have been lazy... getting back into the weekly cardio and sauna sessions these past few weeks and it feels amazing, mentally and physically. I did walk into the hospital the day of accident while bear hugging my buddies shoulders, taking tiny half inch steps to get to the rescue vehicle then rescue vehicle to inside of hospital ... aside from many blessings and luck I also like to think I was one BAMF at the time haha. (and a dumbass) but maybe I would've been treated different by a medivac? maybe they could've jolted me to finish the job? The doctor that gave me my mri's said I would've broken im half like a Popsicle stick if I wasnt doing what I did at the gym prior to my accident...