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Proposed Spinal Fusion T-10 to pelvis

Posted by bassetmom @bassetmom, Mar 20 6:39am

Surgeon at Mayo says he can help me with a spinal fusion of T-10 to the pelvis, a long 7+ hour surgery. I have seen other surgeon elsewhere, orthopedic and neurosurgeons, who advised against surgery saying not to have it unless the pain I am currently experiencing makes me want to die. I am not really having pain, per se, rather, I cannot walk very far at all. This is limiting my retirement plan to travel and I cannot walk my dogs. So I am debating whether to have this surgery. I was also told that this surgery has a 30% morbidity rate, i.e. additional medical issues in the future due to the surgery. I wondered if anyone else has had this extensive a fusion at Mayo and what their experience was. I am a 71 year old female.

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bassetmom | @bassetmom | Apr 8 4:32am
In reply to @petvet5454 "Things I left out of my speech: I was stupid to have my surgery without a..." + (show)
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Things I left out of my speech:
I was stupid to have my surgery without a highly qualified doctor giving me a second opinion at a highly equipped facility. After I awoke from surgery in my local hospital and did not recover as promised, it took months to get an appointment in my town with neurologist, the examination was about ten minutes. My trip to the Mayo Clinic started with a seasoned neurologist who explained that he was going to determine if I could be helped without the need for surgery. After a thorough examination, I felt confident that my trip was not wasted. I advanced to another neurologist and the detailed history, and detailed examination and diagnostic tests from advanced equipment, scanners, EMG blood tests and more, I was overwhelmed by the commitment to leaving “no stone unturned “ and sincere caring were soooo reassuring at Mayo! After my poor surgical outcome in my home town, my greatest worries became, was something missed or overlooked that could change my life? That is not the Mayo Experience. SO, I am impaired, but I feel that this is the hand of cards I’ve been dealt and I need to play my cards the best I can. Life is too short so I try not to waste a minute.

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@petvet5454 But you still have the option of surgery at Mayo IF your pain gets worse, I assume. I'm glad you have overcome the pain and can go ahead and do the things that you can. It is a tough call. One minute I say, no, it's not worth the risk and I can't get the post surgery help I would need at home for months. Then, after I try to walk a bit, I get some pain and say, do I want to do this the rest of my life? It's a tough call. Thanks for your "speech." The more info, the better.

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jlssurplus | @jlssurplus | Apr 9 8:12am
In reply to @bassetmom "@jlssurplus Motorized scooter to walk the dog? Well, that's good to know. I have just recently..." + (show)
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@jlssurplus Motorized scooter to walk the dog? Well, that's good to know. I have just recently hired a woman to walk my Beagle. Problem is, he doesn't want to leave me. He walks 10 steps, sits and turns around looking for me. So now, what we do is, and I kid you not, I get in my car and drive in front of him and the dog walker and they follow me. Then I turn around and come home, and they follow me back. Talk about nuts!! I wondered if there was some vehicle I could ride/drive and walk him with. I'll look into a motorized scooter. I have 2 Bassets and one Beagle. The Beagle is the one who is too fat so he needs to walk. Not sure what MILD procedure is but I'll google it. Thanks for responding and good luck to you, too!

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@bassetmom
That is funny, what we won't do for our pets.
I got my scooter from an auction but there are also usually a bunch on Facebook Marketplace.

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bassetmom | @bassetmom | Apr 9 3:23pm
In reply to @jlssurplus "@bassetmom That is funny, what we won't do for our pets. I got my scooter from..." + (show)
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@bassetmom
That is funny, what we won't do for our pets.
I got my scooter from an auction but there are also usually a bunch on Facebook Marketplace.

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@jlssurplus thank you. I will check. My nieces told me i need to buy something!!

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