SI Joint Dysfunction: Anyone had their SI joints fused?

@sbtheplumber1 I wish you could come to Ucsd and see Dr. Zlomeslic. He does everyone’s revisions and he’s so wonderful and caring. A lot of people drive the whole day to come see him and he gives them all of his time. They have such an amazing team. I don’t believe you can’t qualify for another surgery, unless someone like him or to tell you that. He’s a magician. I’m really glad you are getting some pain relief, but be careful of all of that medication. It is all really heavy duty stuff.
The methyl prednisone they prescribed. I hope that will just be short term for you because long-term. It is not healthy. Many people have detrimental consequences from the prednisone or Cortizone especially on their bones. Short term it’s great it can take down inflammation or swelling like nothing else.
May I suggest that you stay aware of the medicines and take the least amount that relieves your pain. Everyone’s surprised that I’m not addicted to the Percocet after 25 years, but I always took the lowest dose to knock out the pain and no more. Last week I was SUPER sick with a Gastro intestinal virus. I was so sick I didn’t take any pain medicine for three days! It was bad that I was so sick, but it was good to be able to test myself. All the nerve medication’s they tried to put me on (the Lyrica, the Cymbalta, and I forgot the name of the other one. ) they would make me feel like I had pins being stuck in my head. It was such a horrible feeling I said no thank you. The muscle relaxers (parentheses the Flexeril, the roboxin and I forgot the other one) they were would make my body feel like Jell-O and I couldn’t do anything. Before narcotics became an issue I had a great doctor and we tried a whole host of narcotics, but none of them worked for me they just made me feel edgy and high. The only thing that worked was the Percocet.(oxycodone). The low-dose allows me to exercise, get up and go when otherwise would feel like sitting all day and have an active life. I don’t know what life has in store for me, but we’ll just take it as it comes. It sounds like you have a good attitude now that you’re getting better help.! I’m excited to hear about your cervical MRI results. You can always message me in private if it’s easier to find me. I get lost trying to come back to these message threads sometimes.
My cervical surgeries were not as successful as they should’ve been because my C5 fell apart. And the screws moved where they placed them so with the second surgery came a loss of mobility. I can still have pain in my neck because my surgeon didn’t go up one more notch and he didn’t realize the arthritis was so bad. It would’ve immobilized me even more. So it was a trade-off. But without the surgery I would’ve been in screaming pain, trying to make the bed or follow my passion which is painting and art. So it is one of those things that I just accept that my life is not going to be free of the pain and I’m not gonna be free of the pain medicine but I can do what I love. Makes sense? I hope you get very good care. You deserve it!!!

@denisejones00 - I believe my pain is caused by the SI joint, but after diagnostic tests and one steroid injection, I was skeptical. My pain is a dull ache in my right buttock that can stop me from walking around the block (and I'm an athlete; tennis, fly fishing, basketball).
I started doing a regimen of PT daily for the last 13 days and I'm feeling a lot of relief! My docs in my area, so far, have offered to explore my lower lumbar with an MRI after I complained that the SI joint injection was of no help. But I'm going to continue to strengthen and stretch with PT until it doesn't help me! I would say I am 70% better due to PT.
Thanks for your encouragement with the PT!

@bart12mike
I am assuming that SI means sacral-ileac?. I dont know what i have, but, after severe pain from overuse in the buttock area and going to physiotherapy for weeks I started chiropractic at the same clinic. That helped the most. Now at the 1st sign of pain or injury I go immediately to the chiropractor (gentle). He also gives me stretches to compliment his gentle adjustments, which I faithfully do.

@sbtheplumber1 I wish you could come to Ucsd and see Dr. Zlomeslic. He does everyone’s revisions and he’s so wonderful and caring. A lot of people drive the whole day to come see him and he gives them all of his time. They have such an amazing team. I don’t believe you can’t qualify for another surgery, unless someone like him or to tell you that. He’s a magician. I’m really glad you are getting some pain relief, but be careful of all of that medication. It is all really heavy duty stuff.
The methyl prednisone they prescribed. I hope that will just be short term for you because long-term. It is not healthy. Many people have detrimental consequences from the prednisone or Cortizone especially on their bones. Short term it’s great it can take down inflammation or swelling like nothing else.
May I suggest that you stay aware of the medicines and take the least amount that relieves your pain. Everyone’s surprised that I’m not addicted to the Percocet after 25 years, but I always took the lowest dose to knock out the pain and no more. Last week I was SUPER sick with a Gastro intestinal virus. I was so sick I didn’t take any pain medicine for three days! It was bad that I was so sick, but it was good to be able to test myself. All the nerve medication’s they tried to put me on (the Lyrica, the Cymbalta, and I forgot the name of the other one. ) they would make me feel like I had pins being stuck in my head. It was such a horrible feeling I said no thank you. The muscle relaxers (parentheses the Flexeril, the roboxin and I forgot the other one) they were would make my body feel like Jell-O and I couldn’t do anything. Before narcotics became an issue I had a great doctor and we tried a whole host of narcotics, but none of them worked for me they just made me feel edgy and high. The only thing that worked was the Percocet.(oxycodone). The low-dose allows me to exercise, get up and go when otherwise would feel like sitting all day and have an active life. I don’t know what life has in store for me, but we’ll just take it as it comes. It sounds like you have a good attitude now that you’re getting better help.! I’m excited to hear about your cervical MRI results. You can always message me in private if it’s easier to find me. I get lost trying to come back to these message threads sometimes.
My cervical surgeries were not as successful as they should’ve been because my C5 fell apart. And the screws moved where they placed them so with the second surgery came a loss of mobility. I can still have pain in my neck because my surgeon didn’t go up one more notch and he didn’t realize the arthritis was so bad. It would’ve immobilized me even more. So it was a trade-off. But without the surgery I would’ve been in screaming pain, trying to make the bed or follow my passion which is painting and art. So it is one of those things that I just accept that my life is not going to be free of the pain and I’m not gonna be free of the pain medicine but I can do what I love. Makes sense? I hope you get very good care. You deserve it!!!

@loriesco I’m going to Cleveland next week to see a Neurosurgeon and a Pa-C for urology since I can’t feel my bladder sensations! I was hospitalized last weekend for right side stroke symptoms- pounding headache ache, blood pressure dropped, head, neck and hand numbness luckily it was no Brain stroke but I came home and googled the inflammation in Thoracic after Stimulator paddles were removed and it mentioned Spine Strokes ( I’ve never heard of them before) so I’m anxious to see what the Doctor figures out

@sbtheplumber1 i’ve never heard of Spine strokes either, and it didn’t come up when I looked for it online. Maybe it’s just a way to say that your circulation got cut off. Sending prayers that you have a productive visit and ask them if you need to see an orthopedic thoracic doctor as well. The reason I say that is because the neurosurgeon I saw would’ve never solved any of my problems. It was the orthopedic surgeon who solved all of my thoracic and lumbar problems.

@loriesco Thank you for mentioning the Orthopedic, unfortunately when I called out there the first time Orthpedic said they had nothing to offer go see Neurosurgeon whom said they suggested a pain pump and I said NO I want answers so I got to see a Pa-C whom then got me in with the Neurosurgeon and a pain Clinic to discuss Ketamine injections! I called yesterday and added on Urologist for Bladder sensation and I called today and got Rheumatologist added for Sjögren’s so it will be a busy week

@sbtheplumber1 did the Ortho docs see your spine in an xray? if not, get referred when you go to the Neurologist. My lame neurosurgeon wouldn't let go of me until he said there was nothing more he could do for me after 20 years. I replied: okay, I'll go home and just take the opioids. Lo and behold, I got to the Orthosurgeon post haste! The Orthosurgeon said I needed immediate surgery! I said DO IT. 😉