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← Return to Chronic Back Pain for Years
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I'm amazingly frustrated right now, I have had all kinds of back issues and broken shoulders and surgery after surgery on it, but I recently decided I was just going to get off pain medication because I wanted to see where I was that and if I could do it without it. It seemed like it was getting better but my neck was hurting and I've had a headache since I stopped all the medication. It's been over a month now and the headache is gotten worse. I'm basically bedbound by it.
Thank goodness one of my doctors did an MRI of my cervical spine which I got the results back from today. I can't even rename all the problems but basically my neck is a mess, no wonder I have headaches and neck pain. After I got the MRI results, I called my m pain management doctors. I deal with one of them that gave me narcotics, the other one does not and my internal medicine doctor. All everybody could tell me was that no one was willing to give me anything for pain relief other than in the NSIDs and few muscle relaxers. Those didn't do anything. I've been living on ice in bed.
They're only suggestion was for me to immediately get in to see a neurosurgeon, last thing I wanted to do or here. Fortunately I got into someone good within the next couple days. All of a sudden I'm afraid again, and my pain management doctor said he was not going to give me any more pain medication ever, I was tough and I could handle it. He was so proud of me for getting off of all meds, he would not put me back on anything no matter what. Wow did I shoot myself in the foot. Now I'm faced with neck surgery, or some other therapy I have no idea about, or living with unworkable pain.
I know as I go on for the next few months if I stay off any medication the pain is supposed to diminish as the number of pain receptors I have diminishes. I truly don't think that's going to make the problems in my neck any better.
I am now afraid everyone's gonna leave me without any alternative if my neck can't be fixed or it looks like surgery and all I know about our neck surgery or back surgery it that most fail. Would sure love to hear from somebody that has had positive cervical surgery. All I ever seem to hear here are the failures of all spinal surgery. I'd love to hear from someone that had a positive outcome. Thank you for listening, Jennifer
Replies to "I'm amazingly frustrated right now, I have had all kinds of back issues and broken shoulders..."
Maxiesmom: Are you going to have another surgery? I am Marield65 and had 1 fusion and 4 more back surgeries and now he wants to do another fusion. Doesn't a fusion weaken the other discs which is why once you have a fusion you will always have to have another one? I wish I knew then what I know now, but when you are in excruciating pain you do anything at the time to get relief. There seems like there's no right way to do this. Does the Doctor really know what the best thing is for you? Marield65 Why was your last lumbar surgery a mess? What did you go in for, what kind of surgery? And what happened?
Marield65: I had my first back surgery 32 years ago. I had a bulging disc and one icy day I slipped, didn't fall but twisted my spine in such a way that two vertebrae nipped off a chunk of disc and it got tangled in nerves. No CT scans or MRIs back then! After months of excruciating pain and useless treatments I finally connected with a great neurosurgeon who did a Myelogram and when he saw how bad it was he did the surgery the next day at 6 am so he could still be best man in his partner's wedding at noon. Such excitement...it all happened so fast I didn't have time to be afraid of my first surgery. After 30 years of no back pain, it got bad again because so much scar tissue and bone growth occurs that my spinal canal was packed in and crushing my spinal cord. The surgery to correct it went well but I did need two fusions. I had no pain for 6 months but then it got progressively worse until now I'm pretty disabled. The pain Dr calls it failed back surgery but so far tests show my spine looks ok, I'm thinking it's a trapped nerve and may end up at Mayo.
I have also had two cervical spine surgeries, two fusions with the first one and one fusion with the second one. I was told at the time that the second surgery was necessary because of additional stress on my spine from the first surgery. Again, I had a fantastic surgeon which I believe makes all the difference. I also faithfully did neck strengthening exercises with a great physical therapist. I think if you have faith in your surgeon, you should have the fusion.done. To just let it go would cause more damage over time. Good luck! Let me know what you decide. Fran (Maxiesmom). fyi: Maxie is Maximillion, my white long-haired chihuahua.
Can I ask you how old you are? I will be 72 next week and when I wake up that day I will be free of pain. Well that is my birthday wish. A girl can dream,right? This is to @maxiesmom from @marield65.
To @maxiesmom from @marield65 the above email.
Hi Marield 65, I'm 75. My husband, my sister and I live together in Florida. My pain started about 1 1/2 years ago but I had them to help out so I could sit in my special chair or just stay in bed. Since then my husband has had three eye surgeries and is now totally blind. The gastroenterologist suspects he has liver cancer....will find out more on Friday. My sister had a stent put in and has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. We are all walking-wounded! Our daughter and granddaughter have been coming weekly to help out but it's over an hour drive for each of them and they have full-time jobs and their own health issues. My sister and I had planned to sell the house because paying others for all the yard upkeep plus a housecleaner and handyman is getting really hard, but with my husband's failing health plus the blindness I worry a move will be too big an adjustment for him. It's so hard to know what to do. Hugs, Fran
After hearing all you are going through, I shouldn't complain at all. God Bless you and may He grant you the strength to endure.
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@jenapower, I've had two cervical surgeries, with a total of three fusions by two different surgeons, and my results were great. It's been 20 years with no neck pain, but I am very careful about how I do anything that might injure it. My good fortune is having had the very best surgeon I could find. The first time I lived in Grand Rapids MI where medical care is fantastic. The second time was in a small hospital in FL where I lucked into a surgeon who had worked in Grand Rapids. That surgery took seven hours because new bone growth from the first fusion had grown about 8 inches down into the spinal canal and had to be removed slowly and carefully. Unfortunately that surgeon moved to MN, and my last lumbar surgery was a mess, is now considered failed back surgery and the reason for severe chronic pain. The surgeon makes all the difference! If you can't go to someone in a big city with a great reputation, you'll probably end up with after-surgery problems.