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Severe spinal stenosis: Would you do surgery?
Spine Health | Last Active: Feb 22, 2023 | Replies (186)Comment receiving replies
psii
I'm mgv48 and I've dealt with Stenosis for 40 years. I started having problems when I got out of the Navy and held off as long as I could. In 2012 I finally underwent my first spinal surgery, and it was a catastrophe. The screws holding my fusion of L5/S1 started working their way out of the bone. After 7 months I went under the knife again to fix the problem but I ended up worse as the doctor took out the fusion hardware. I started complaining about the pain and he keeps telling me he doesn't know why. I finally went to Cleveland Clinic and had another surgery within 30 days. Thought this will end my pain, NO it did not. It actually got worse. Now I've already had 3 surgeries and it looks like I'm going in for my 4th surgery. My problem keeps getting worse and every 10 to 12 months causing additional surgeries. On January 15 of 2021 I had my 8th surgery. This was my worse recovery coming out of all my surgeries. The surgeon had to go back in to fix where they clipped my spinal cord because he didn't sew it up correctly. This 9th surgery was 12 days after my last surgery. Since then I've had quite a few complications. From my complications I now have Pulmonary Fibrosis. Now this doesn't mean you will have the same experience as me. I 've heard of successful surgeries and then again, I've heard of surgeries like mine. My recommendation is to be really sure who you pick for a surgeon. Check out the hospital's comments and recommendations to be sure they give excellent after surgery care. Cleveland Clinic sucks.
Replies to "psii I'm mgv48 and I've dealt with Stenosis for 40 years. I started having problems when..."
@mgv48 I wanted to welcome you to Connect. I am sorry your journey with spine surgery has not had an outcome that you had hoped for. Lumbar spine surgery is a more involved problem that cervical spine surgery because you have the pressure of most of your body weight bearing down on the hardware. L5S1 is the most difficult level to fuse for this reason, and any twisting or bending also increases pressure on the spine. The pedicle screws need to be placed precisely and at the correct angle into good quality bone, or they can pull out. I am a cervical spine surgery patient, and I have watched a lot of online surgeons presentations where this information was discussed.
I agree that choosing an excellent surgeon is a precursor to a good outcome. Of course the patient also brings any other health complications to that experience. We all have to do the best we can in weighing the risks vs the rewards, and surgery is always a compromise. Surgeons don't promise to relieve pain; instead they restore function as best they can.
In my search to choose a surgeon, I looked at their published medical literature and area of interests, and to see how they were judged in their own field by their peers. Are they teaching at conferences or have won awards at conferences for their papers?
I don't give patient reviews a lot of credibility. Patients can complain for any number of reasons, and may not understand the explanation of their issues or they may not ask enough questions. There can be personality conflicts with their providers or unrealistic expectations. I look at sources like Becker's Spine Review to see who's who and what are the current trends in spine care. They have a list of surgeons to know that they publish each year as well as information on hospitals. There is also the ratings form US News and World Report. The insurance companies know who the good surgeons are because they are approving treatment and paying their bills, so they review medical cases. That would be another suggestion to call and ask your insurance provider who their A list surgeons are within the plan.
I hope things get better for you in time. Scar tissue from surgery creates tightness and can cause pain. One suggestion I can give you when you are healed enough to be able to do it would be myofascial release therapy with a qualified physical therapist. I have done a lot of this and it really helps me.
MFR — Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/.
Have you looked into Myofascial Release Therapy?
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sorry to hear all this--my condition is like a mild sprain by comparison. Good luck !