Lumbar laminectomy/fusion patients with osteopororis?

I wouldn’t wait so long to see a urologist to evaluate your urinary symptoms

I've been seeing a urologist for the past two years. He diagnosed a mild bladder problem (i.e., urgency, nocturia) which may or may not have neurogenic origins. Urodynamics testing can uncover evidence of such issues, but rarely does it explain the cause.

Either way, the problem's been reasonably well managed by medication. And the urologist is definitely tracking my condition.

But yes, you're correct: if the stenosis gets worse, that could indeed translate into deteriorating bladder functioning, assuming (in my case) there's a casual link between the conditions. I guess time will tell.

I recently intereviewed a doctor for similar surgery only, mine would involve fusion from t-10 to s1. I do not have osteoporosis but have a very low reading of osteopenia in one area of my spine. The Doctor would not proceed with surgery until I went on Tymlos for 3 months then annother bone building medication for six more. If I had osteoporosis, I would have given pause to the Tymlos treatment plan. The most common failure with spinal fusion is screws pulling out. It would be better for you to get on a treatment plan as soon as possible because it takes six months to a year for bene density to improve.
My decision to not go on the Tymlos treatment plan was because my density readings didn't merit any medication and this doctor was the only one who was pushing for it.
The bladder issues may or may not be related to the disc degeneration, your surgeon should be able to connect the dots on that. Good Luck!

Greetings to everyone.

Over the past year, I've posted about my severe lumbar stenosis and osteoporosis. My prior comments explain the basics about my situation.

Anyway, in March, my neurosurgeon recommended that I finally get my lumbar laminectomy, after I'd been experiencing symptoms for roughly a decade.

It appears that the surgery turned out quite well. My symptoms from the lumbar area downward through the hips and legs have almost completely disappeared.

When I first consulted this surgeon a year ago, he advised I'd need a triple level fusion, including inserting hardware (i.e., instrumentation). Naturally, because of my osteoporosis, I was quite worried about the potential for hardware failure.

Later, the surgeon changed plans and decided to do a double level fusion with in-situ fusion. That completely eliminated the need to use hardware. Lucky me!

The operation was completed in less than an hour. After a few hours of observation, the doctors decided to let me go home, as I was doing well and I happen to live across the street from a hospital.

For the next two weeks, I was on some kind of pain killer (I don't remember which one), so I never felt any pain. I didn't experience any neurologic problems either.

These days, I almost feel as if I never had lumbar stenosis at all. The agonizing pain and loss of mobility I struggled are just fading memories now. It's amazing.

I no longer need to take any pain killers for any reason. Previously I had been on those meds, to one degree or another, for a decade.

On the other hand, I sort of sense that my lumbar region is still fragile, as I am still unable to attempt light physical therapy without triggering a resurgence of pain. The pain's light - only a 1 or 2 on a 10 point scale, but that's just enough to make me stop the PT early. Same thing happens if I carry a three pound bag of groceries for half mile or so.

It's possible that I won't be able to resume PT for another five or six months. But that's a small price to pay to preserve the positive effects of the operation. Let's see how things turn out.

On the osteoporosis front, I just completed my 12 month Evenity treatment. My Dexa scan's scheduled for next month. I'll report the results.

My endocrinologist is now starting Alendronate (70 mg tabs), to lock in the gains achieved by Evenity.

I'm very fortunate in that I live in Boston, as that enabled me to find an exceptionally experienced neurosurgeon at a top ranked Boston hospital. I count my blessings in life.

I'd report more of the specifics except that, at this moment, I've got to be somewhere and don't have time to write. But I encourage people to ask any - and as many - questions as they want. I'll check my medical records and give you substantive answers.

Hope springs eternal.

Greetings to everyone.

Over the past year, I've posted about my severe lumbar stenosis and osteoporosis. My prior comments explain the basics about my situation.

Anyway, in March, my neurosurgeon recommended that I finally get my lumbar laminectomy, after I'd been experiencing symptoms for roughly a decade.

It appears that the surgery turned out quite well. My symptoms from the lumbar area downward through the hips and legs have almost completely disappeared.

When I first consulted this surgeon a year ago, he advised I'd need a triple level fusion, including inserting hardware (i.e., instrumentation). Naturally, because of my osteoporosis, I was quite worried about the potential for hardware failure.

Later, the surgeon changed plans and decided to do a double level fusion with in-situ fusion. That completely eliminated the need to use hardware. Lucky me!

The operation was completed in less than an hour. After a few hours of observation, the doctors decided to let me go home, as I was doing well and I happen to live across the street from a hospital.

For the next two weeks, I was on some kind of pain killer (I don't remember which one), so I never felt any pain. I didn't experience any neurologic problems either.

These days, I almost feel as if I never had lumbar stenosis at all. The agonizing pain and loss of mobility I struggled are just fading memories now. It's amazing.

I no longer need to take any pain killers for any reason. Previously I had been on those meds, to one degree or another, for a decade.

On the other hand, I sort of sense that my lumbar region is still fragile, as I am still unable to attempt light physical therapy without triggering a resurgence of pain. The pain's light - only a 1 or 2 on a 10 point scale, but that's just enough to make me stop the PT early. Same thing happens if I carry a three pound bag of groceries for half mile or so.

It's possible that I won't be able to resume PT for another five or six months. But that's a small price to pay to preserve the positive effects of the operation. Let's see how things turn out.

On the osteoporosis front, I just completed my 12 month Evenity treatment. My Dexa scan's scheduled for next month. I'll report the results.

My endocrinologist is now starting Alendronate (70 mg tabs), to lock in the gains achieved by Evenity.

I'm very fortunate in that I live in Boston, as that enabled me to find an exceptionally experienced neurosurgeon at a top ranked Boston hospital. I count my blessings in life.

I'd report more of the specifics except that, at this moment, I've got to be somewhere and don't have time to write. But I encourage people to ask any - and as many - questions as they want. I'll check my medical records and give you substantive answers.

Hope springs eternal.

@pyates hi, I live in Massachusetts outside of Boston and I am looking for an expert in osteoporosis. I am afraid to just pick one without an excellent recommendation. Does anyone know a trustworthy doctor.