Connect
← Return to Severe spinal stenosis: Would you do surgery?
Discussion
Severe spinal stenosis: Would you do surgery?
Spine Health | Last Active: Jul 27 8:04pm | Replies (207)Comment receiving replies
@bidcd I was in a position of going from surgeon to surgeon and none would help me because they misunderstood my condition and were afraid of an inflammatory problem like MS. That went on for 2 years before I found a good surgeon at Mayo who helped me. It is worth getting multiple opinions and you may want to research surgeons you would want to consult and read their publications and look a their training, etc. It also helps to work with a physical therapist. My PT bought me some time and helped with the pain by doing electrical stimulation along the nerve roots in my cervical spine. I got some relief for about a week. I know it's difficult, and you need to have a plan for when something doesn't work out on who you will consult next. There is always a wait for the good ones. Ask to be put on a cancellation list wherever you are asking to b seen.
Is your primary care offering pain medication to help?
Replies to "@bidcd I was in a position of going from surgeon to surgeon and none would help..."
"I was in a position of going from surgeon to surgeon and none would help me because they misunderstood my condition and were afraid of an inflammatory problem like MS."
---------------------
What was the inflammatory problem if it wasn't MS?
I'm not in a rush to have a lumbar fusion done. The surgeons I have seen aren't in a rush to do surgery because of the medications I take to control my inflammatory conditions. They were concerned about infections, delayed healing and osteoporosis from long term prednisone use.
I'm off Prednisone now and on a biologic. Now a surgeon is ready to do the fusion when I'm ready. My inflammatory pain is well controlled but I would have to pause the biologic I take to control inflammation. I might be ready to do surgery but first I need to overcome my fear that the inflammation will resume on top of surgical pain.
At one time, I was told to never have surgery again. Being advised to never have surgery was because of heterotopic ossification (HO) after knee replacements. My understanding of heterotopic ossification is that it is abnormal healing because of excessive and dysregulated inflammation. What of the chances of developing heterotopic ossification after a lumbar fusion?
Connect
Primary care physician is clueless Take Tylenol that's it
Difficult to find that information on a surgeon I have had to rely on word of mouth That's what brought me to Mayo I do have backup plan but things change I wish they just had an area where you could get a 2nd opinion quickly by looking at the images and asking a few questions online
When I see a doctor it's usually 15 minutes and done but hours of traveling, scheduling, etc