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Does anyone have DISH and/or OPLL?
Spine Health | Last Active: Mar 10 1:10pm | Replies (72)Comment receiving replies
Does anybody know about OPLL? My partner had it when he was only 28 and they performed surgery on spine. This is something that affects mostly people from ages 60 and up or people who were in an accident. Not him, he's young and he never went through any sort of accident. They took things out from his spine and replaced them with rods--there's a scar from his nape to the top of his back. I'm not finding much literature online. Please help? I can't help but be scared for knowing so little. He's 33 now and I'm terrified of losing him. Does anybody have any idea what I need to watch out for? God, or if this even has a specific life expectancy?
Replies to "Does anybody know about OPLL? My partner had it when he was only 28 and they..."
Hi,
I am sorry to hear that your partner has OPLL. Was he also diagnosed with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperotosis also called DISH in short. It is uncommon for someone so young to develop OPLL. Do not fear because he is young and age plays an important part in recovery of all surgery.It is a rare genetic degenerative condition of the spine mostly common in the elderly.It is called the Japanese disease and is also common in Asians.A person with OPLL in the cervical spine can present with neurological symptoms in the arms, hands or legs.Some could also present with bladder and bowel dysfunction
due to compression of the cervical spine. OPLL can be local, segmental or continuous.I do not know where on his spine he present with the OPLL.Could you tell me what his signs and symptoms are.Did he see a surgeon.Did he have an xray, bloods and MRI.
Im not sure whether he had his surgery as yet.If he did i would like to know how he is doing.
Good luck!
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Dear raileht,
As you can see from the dates of my previous posts from 2011, my interaction with OPLL and DISH happened awhile back. Don't know if I can help you, but you are right that there is very little info out there to use for education. After my 5 level fusion in 2011, I have healed well and gone on to an Advil-free life. Before the fusion, I lived on ibuprofen and heat wraps for my neck. I do not anticipate further issue with my neck, but I do worry about the rods and pins in my neck wearing out before I die. BTW, this is the same surgery that Peyton Manning had on his neck and he just won the 50th Super Bowl yesterday! He had 4 procedures and more than one fusion per procedure. This condition can be corrected, but for a young person, there will always be concern about a fall and break. I have NO issues at all, and my case was 'one for the ages' or so my doctor told me at the time. I must have an xray every year to check on my titanium rods and screws, but that is all my follow-up requires. Hope this helps. OPLL just means that there is an abnormally great amount of bone overgrowth near the spine. Sometimes no action is taken, sometimes you have a surgery to fix it. I am fine and with continuing care by a doctor, your partner should be great too.