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What are people's experiences with spinal fusion surgery?
Spine Health | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (246)Comment receiving replies
Hello. I'm scheduled for ALIF Anterior 2 disc replacement L4-L5 with fusion S1-L2 and Posterior fusion L3-L5. My condition comes from a burst fracture of the L4 and L3 with slippage from a fall. Prior to the fall, I have a history of Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in certain parts of the spine. It is being managed by a Rheumatologist. I do have a very good surgeon who has done his homework about me through testing, records, consulting all of my other doctors and other spine specialists in the country. I will also have a very good vascular surgeon who will initiate the Anterior access and work with the spinal surgeon throughout.
Now with two burst fracture vertebrae (severe type of spinal fracture where a vertebra breaks into multiple pieces from a high-energy impact. It's considered more severe than a compression fracture because it can cause shards of bone to penetrate surrounding tissues and even the spinal canal, potentially leading to neurological damage) I would greatly appreciate anyone sharing their experience with me that may pertain to what I'm about to have done and what I may be able to do to help assist in my own recovery. I just joined this site today. I really needed to find some other people who understand. Have a beautiful Saturday!
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I understand what you are facing. I'm facing a similar surgery for severe spinal stenosis. I'm reluctant to actually do the surgery. I don't have a burst fracture but if I did I wouldn't be so reluctant.
My question is what medications are you taking for ankylosing spondylitis? I have a type of inflammatory arthritis that is in the "spondylitis family." My type is called reactive arthritis.
I'm reluctant to do surgery because several years ago I had sudden onset of extreme pain with neurological changes. EMG/NCS revealed nerve damage and the need for "emergency surgery." A spine surgeon reviewed my medical history and said I was a poor candidate because of all the Prednisone I was taking. The surgeon wanted to remove all the extra bone which was called "bad bone." The surgeon was reluctant to do the surgery because he didn't think I would have enough "good dense bone" to hold all the hardware that was needed to fuse my entire lumbar spine.
I'm a better surgical candidate now because I'm off Prednisone. My autoimmune symptoms are controlled by a biologic instead of Prednisone. The biologic doesn't present too many difficulties for the surgeon except that I would need to stop the biologic for the month before and the month after surgery.
Presently my spine is relatively stable and not causing much pain. Surgery is pending because nobody wants to rock the boat when the pain is controlled.