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Getting your first appointment
Visiting Mayo Clinic | Last Active: Mar 21, 2023 | Replies (110)Comment receiving replies
Last January, I started to have really excruciating pain in my upper right leg (10 on a scale of 1-10). I went to the local ER and doctors thought it was muscle cramps caused by a statin I was taking for cholesterol. They prescribed a painkiller and steroids but those didn't really help. I was in a wheelchair for close to six weeks. Finally I was diagnosed with a herniated disc in my lower back that was hitting a nerve and referred to a local orthopedic surgeon who told me I would need spinal surgery immediately and yelled at me because the MRI images he received were not complete. In despair, I called the Mayo Clinic in Rochester without being referred by any doctor. I did have to gather my medical records (MRIs, X-Rays, etc) but I did get an appointment with the Orthopedics Dept. scheduled for a date six weeks after I made the initial call. Everyone at the Mayo Clinic treated me with compassion and respect. My diagnosis: severe spinal arthritis, spinal stenosis, and scoliosis and I will eventually need to have a spinal fusion surgery. I cannot imagine going anywhere else but the Mayo Clinic to have the surgery. Physical therapy helped immensely.
Replies to "Last January, I started to have really excruciating pain in my upper right leg (10 on..."
Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect @bernese53. Thank you for your reply!
Your kind words and testimony to Mayo will help others who are considering care at Mayo Clinic.
I'm glad to hear physical therapy has helped you so much.
On Connect you will be able to talk with other members who have also had spinal fusion surgery. Here is a conversation taking place on Spinal surgery https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-to-expect/
My husband and two of my other family members have recently had extensive fusion surgery all done by our Spine Center care team at Mayo. All three of them have had excellent care from the time of diagnosis all the way through post surgical follow up to Physical therapy. We all feel blessed to have access to such wonderful healthcare.
Did your physician say how long it would be before you would need to have your surgery done?
I have two herniated discs, one impinging on a nerve. Dr. Nassr at Mayo wants to do the surgery sooner rather than later...I am 63 years old and he thinks recovery time will be shorter. I am in graduate school now and I would like to finish my degree before the surgery.
Love that you are 63 and in graduate school. I also was a non-traditional student. Got my Masters when I was 50. Perhaps you could work around it. I did a lot of summer courses because I had a job and could not spare the time during the year -- I kind of spaced things out, Good luck to you in your degree and especially in your surgery.
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Thank you for your reply. I know the pain of arthritis and nerve damage. I wish you well when you go for your spinal fusion surgery.