Calling all Spinal Fusion TW members

Prayers and thoughts are going out for you brother.
Right now I'm waiting on my BIL to get a milogram on his neck.
And next week I'm going in to get a epidural for my back.
Nothing compared to you.
Keep us posted and keep your head up, and keep in mind that this is going to get better.

 

Well from one David to Another, thanks for the prayers and the positive vibes.

 

Tomorrow is the day I get my epidural shot and hopefully it works.

 

Got my shot took 3.5 hrs there and back. Now to see if it works.

 

I hope it give you a worlds difference in pain relief. And I sincerely mean that.The Alternatives are not pleasant.

I'm facing my 6th fusion surgery sometime soon. Not looking forward to this procedure at all. They are going to remove and rebuild all of the hardware in my lower spine, to fix 2 broken titanium rods. Oh What Fun

 

Lots of side effects happening the list is crazy. Hiccups, insomnia, appetite increase, headaches, urination increase, upset stomach/heartburn. I'm on day 2 after shot hopefully some of the side effects lessen/go away.
Slept better last night so that's better.

 

I just found out Yesterday Afternoon that they can't get an operating room until February 16. I can't believe how difficult is has become for Doctors to get their schedules worked out so that some poor smuck like me can get operated on. I still have a video conference with my Surgeon on January 15th and hopefully the gas man will be there or I'll have to schedule an a time to meet with him at a later date. Right now my Neurosurgeon is telling me a minimum of 10 hours under the gas to rebuild the complete lower back.So for those of you who believe in the power of Prayer, please put me on your list, and leave me your name and I'll do the same for you. I just don't understand why titanium rods ad bolts that are stronger than steel keep breaking. It's not like I'm lifting small block chevy engines as part of my rehab. And I'm still requesting a small piece of broken hardware to attach to my keyring as a parting gift for all the pain I've been through.

 

Take every improvement as a positive on the checklist. Good Luck and God Bless

 

well i have discovered a version of Hell on Earth. It's waiting 30 days to get an operation that would have been scheduled in 2 weeks maximum 3 years ago. I've never had to wait more than 10 days for any of my previous back surgeries. Today I have to ride in my truck for about 2 hours there and back for the Pre-surgery visit, Plastic surgeon visit that specializes in wound closures, one other visit I'm unsure of. I'm sure I'll feel like total "#**^^#^#&( when I finally get back home and still have 16 more days of hell. Most of my local big box pharmacies are having problems getting the drugs the doctors currently have me on, but the hospital pharmacy is able to get them somehow. But I get a feeling they're going to cut me off the hospital pharmacies customer list and through me to the wolves. Some of the big name pharmacies won't even tell me if they can even get the drugs I need. I'm going through a very painful and frustrating period of time right now. And to add insult to injury, neither of my "Wonderful" daughters have even bothered to call me or come and visit me to see how I'm doing. I think it's time for a major Will Revision, I'll leave everything I own to the "NAGR" or maybe "Wounded Warriors". That would really frost their assess. My lower back pain is so bad I can barely get out of bed and stand with a walker, so for Today's outing it's wheelchair day for me. This Country has really screwed its citizens by making us dependent on "China" and other foreign nations for our drug supplies. There's not better feeling than going down to the pharmacy to pick up pain meds that will barely get you by only to be told by the girl beind the counter, Oh, I'm sorry sir, we're out of those and won't have any in stock for at least a week or two. Then try calling your doctor to send in another prescription to another Pharmacy if you can find one that has the drugs you need. America has turned into another 3rd world banana republic, where only the Elite are actually taken care of and the rest of us our left on our own. At that's how I've been feeling these last 36 days.

 

I'm sorry you're going through this. I understand my 83 year old mother needs prescriptions that the pharmacy preferred to use always makes her come back because we don't have your drug today. But we called her to tell her the prescription is ready. Arrived we only have 5 days of it and you will need to come back for the rest.
I had that epidural 3 weeks ago and am having some relief. Called the Dr office the day of the shot, now have called and sent messages thru the portal and no response for either. Today I have PT and plan a trip to the Dr office to set up an appointment.
Kinda in the same boat you are driving to town is a 30 minutes drive for me and that's just to town not getting anywhere.
You keep popping those Tylenol and keep ice on your back.
When you have your operation ask for MEDS TO BEDS. The hospital pharmacy will bring you your pain medicine to your room before you discharge. DON'T LEAVE BEFORE YOU GET YOUR PAIN MEDICINE FROM THE HOSPITAL.
Did this with the wife's knee replacement surgery.
Keep us posted

 

Sorry to hear how things are going David. 1 day at a time. 1 hour at a time. you'll get there. You're getting there. Relief is coming.
Wait until you're feeling better before actually doing any will stuff. Clear head & less grounds to contest it.
You're not alone as other David said. We're all feeling the screw in some way. My new insurance has screwed up my meds every time for the last year. Most recently switched me from brand name to generic. Okay. Next time RX didn't go through because script was for 90 days but had to be a 30 day. Okay, fixed after a week. Next time 30 day was declined had to be for 90 days - WTF? Get that fixed. Then I get a letter notifying me I was now approved for brand name. Told Doc & next script was for brand name. Get to pharmacy & my covered brand name meds came with a bill for $1,200. I declined. Guess they were partially approved. JFC. Can't wait to see what surprise they have next time. Fortunately I managed to build a stock pile during the pandemic, always have reserves (well until now as I dwindle it).

On a seperate note, after 2 weeks, I finally managed to pay my parents primary medical bills. Even paying medicals bills is hard. i won't really know until Friday if it actually worked & the balances are paid off.

Anyway, know you're not alone - we're all getting screwed. Hang in there.

 

you're doing better than I am. I'm only getting 10-14 days of meds at a time. The insurance companies won't work with you in any way shape or form. I wanted them to fill my 30mg ER Oxycontin today so my brother wouldn't have to make two trips about 40 miles one way. the Script runs out on Saturday but the pharmacy at the hospital is closed on the weekends. So he'll have to make a return trip on Monday wether we like it or not. I did like you did, for several years I squirreled away what I could. That way if anything happens to the "China" Supply Chain, then at least I have something to get me by for a while. I have to admit, waiting on the 16th is getting harder each day I went to see the Pre-Op people and the Plastic Surgeon who's going to close the wound. He told me the truth, that it would take him at least two hours to cut out enough scar tissue, and he'll have to cut and fold muscle's over and back and forth several ways for this to heal properly. He looked me square in the eye and told me there would be 2 drain hoses and I'd be in the room for at least 5-7 days minimum.After surgery they will access how well I'm doing which will determine wether I get to go home, or to a nursing home or a rehab center. I told Him I was voting for home, but like he said it's not up to him. I think the pain clinic is going to cut me off Oxycontin one the hospital releases me and put me on one of these new man made fake opioids. I told the as long as it works, I don't care.Anyway trying to keep a positive attitude that everything is going to work out okay, and I've alread got about 4 people in the OR going to say a prayer for me that Jesus will guide the surgeons hand's and the Wound Closure, the gas man and everyone that's involved in my operation that everything will work out okay, and Brothers and Sisters, that's good enough for me. It's just dealing with the day to day pain of getting out of bed that makes it so hard. God Bless All of you, and thanks for the prayers.

 

9 days and counting. Really wanting this to be over. The pain running down my left side is like being electrocuted every time I get out of bed or wake up from a nap. 9 more days of this hell will be enough for any one human being to have to deal with on a daily basis. I've been doing some research on a good Rehab center but haven't found one close to home with too good of ratings. So I might have to leave this up to the Doctors after my surgery is over. It truly is amazing how much pain the human body can put up with each day and still survive. I keep trying to remind God that he isn't supposed to give me more than I can handle. So I guess my Tolerance levels must be pretty darn high.

 

Keep the faith and your head high. 9 days and you can start with your healing.
Seems like my epidural has worked somewhat. So on my side I feel like things are moving forward and getting a little better. Going to give it another month and see if the nerve is still healing.
Keep your head and your faith get through these next 9 days David it's gonna get better.

 

Well it's going to be a bit worse before it gets better. My pain clinic just called and took one of my 30 mg oxycontin away from my daily routine. So Now I've had to sit down and rewrite my med schedule, and what a pain that is, but I think I have it worked out the best I can. I've always said my prayer to out Savior right before each surgery just asking him to guide the surgeons hands and the gas man, and all those involved. I see no need to change up my routine for this 6th spinal surgery. Yes this is going to be the worst, but if the Lord still has something for me to do, then I'll come through okay on the other side. But these Doctors constantly changing up my meds doesn't help my pain control all that well, but all I can do is ask the lord to do his part and for me to wake up in the recovery room, lord willing.

 

Well I'm home from Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, and the surgery is behind me. Now all I have to do is let my body heal, and hopefully things will get better. 12 hours on the table, and I can tell. Surgery was on 2/16/24 and my brain still feels like it's lost in a fog bank.I have several Dr. appointments coming up this month and hopefully on the 6th the plastic surgeon will take the last of 4 drain bags out. I have to admit, that my back feels really good considering that the Neurosurgeon removed and replaced every piece of hardware in my back fro S1-T8. He tells me everything looks good and I should feel like a different person in 45-60 days. Starting my at home PT tomorrow might check out a couple of places I found online. I'm so ready for the last drainage bag to be gone so I can start my walking outside. Thanks to everyone who sent prayers my way, I truly appreciate it. So it down the recovery road of Spinal surgery #6.

 

Well all right! Glad to see you here. Hope you heal quickly and get back to your normal routine soon.
On my side the last epidural seems to have done some good, I won't see the surgeon until May sometime. Hopefully I get more nerve regeneration by then and can start looking for a job.
Man am glad for you. Keep us posted.

 

@CrippledOldMan I hope you are feeling and doing better.

 

Thank you sir, just taking it one day at a time. The only downside right now is the Dr. cut my pain meds by 1/3 which so far has been hard to adjust too. I wish they would have put me on a 20mg pill 3 times a day, which would still have reduced my pain meds by 1/3, but I think it would have been easier to tolerate. But I'll get by.

 

@CrippledOldMan how's it going David? My last epidural has started to work, probably getting another one in May and hopefully it gets even better.
I sure hope you are getting better and moving along.