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Spinal surgery ?

  • Thread starter droseraguy
  • Start date

droseraguy

Illinois
Anyone ever had a spinal fusion or whatever it's called when they put in a fake disk ? My wife is going to have something done but I'd like to hear from anyone that might have gone through this already.
 
spinal fusion and a synthetic disk are two separate types of surgeries....if you have an option go with a synthetic disk....all spinal fusion does is get rid of a short term problem and create a whole new one as the stress is just transferred to the joints immediately above and below the fused and down the road you will likely have to fuse them.....if your older, say over 65, go with the fusion, the surgery is quicker and cheaper and it aint gonna matter anyway, if your closer to 30 than 80 and especially if your active, go with the synthetic disk....problem is, its a more expensive procedure that some insurance companies dont want to cover, and its more invasive and gonna hurt alot more for a bit afterwards but in the long run you will have less pain which matters if your 40, not so much if your over 75....however not all injuries allow for a synthetic disk either so keep that in mind.....with either operation, physical therapy afterwards is EXTREAMLY important.....physical therapists are sadistic individuals but they are in the right 99% of the time....
 
My wife had surgery about 3 years ago..for sciatica. (lumbar)
she had a laminectomy, but the disk was not completely removed, and there was no fusing done.

It was mostly a success..she was MUCH better after the surgery than before it..
(she could barely walk at times before the surgery..it was bad)

things have seemed fine for 3 years..but now the sciatica has returned..same place, probably the same disk.
:( We just heard about this new disk-replacement procedure (We never even heard of it 3 years ago..I think its very new)..We want to learn more about it..it might be the way to go..

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/artificial-disc-replacement

Scot
 
i saw it done on a dog :)
 
she said she dident get it :-))
 
Anyone ever had a spinal fusion or whatever it's called when they put in a fake disk ? My wife is going to have something done but I'd like to hear from anyone that might have gone through this already.

Ratter is right, a spinal fusion and a synthetic disk insertion surgery are different.

My dad had a spinal fusion when I was younger.... like 10 years ago. He had it done after two surgeries to fix a herniated disk failed. I remember that they had to make three incisions: one on the location on the spine, one on the upper pelvis to remove bone, and one in the abdomen. They fused two of his lumbar vertebrae using metal screws and bone fragments from his pelvic bone.

Since I was pretty young I don't remember a whole lot. The recovery period was long and followed by years of physical therapy. At first, his mobility was pretty limited, but he's up and about now and has had no major issues since.

Good luck with your wife going through it. :)
 
OK docs nurse said it will be a trans lumbar interbody fusion, whatever that is. Not looking forward to dragging her to physical therapy after. I suppose we should get through the initial part first though. Thanks for everyones input !
 
as someone that has problems due to two inept surgeons cutting on him i highly suggest you get another opinion or two before any cutting is done.....you cant undo a fusion.....
 
  • #10
There are a couple of choices but from what we've done in research so far this guy seems to be the best in this area. Point taken though. Thanks man. BTW the pic in your paper is one heck of an elk. If I saw that thing 50 yards away I think I'd cr*p my drawers.
 
  • #11
have to admit i had no clue what you were talking about till i went and looked........there are three papers on that link, ive got 2 out of the 3, Wolf Point(The Herald-News) and Culbertson(The Searchlight).....that elk was shot by the son of the owner of the other paper, it was shot down in Colorado it appears aswell.....ive been closer than 50 yards to a bigger one than that.....thing that makes me want to cry is i didnt have a bull tag in my pocket....coulda killed one that size with a rock this year....no bull tag once again.....
 
  • #12
Surgeons get paid for doing surgery. Get objective information from unbiased sources about that particular medical condition, possible alternative treatments, and prospects for the future. A friend of mine was diagnosed by a surgeon to have a back problem requiring surgery. She did research on the internet. Based on that information she decided not to get the surgery, and the problem eventually cured itself. It's probably not the same problem as the one you're talking about, but don't rely only on information from the surgeon.
 
  • #13
Thanks Tropics, I am doing alot of research while I try to keep her down and medicated. (Sounds bad but the alternative is the ER where we spent New Years Eve day !) She did get some shots in the spine w/ steriods but that didn't even touch it.
 
  • #14
Ouch!

Hi Chris,

My sister-in-law had spinal fusion in her lower back, and has been pretty good for the past 8 years or so. She is very active, and is not one to let things stop her. She does get in pain and takes ibuprofen quite a bit, but doesn't seem in bad shape.

It really depends on the condition, as far as the options go. If nothing else, do discuss disk replacement with the doctor, however if your doctor doesn't do those also, he is only going to "sell you what he has/does", as that is where his mind is at. A surgeon recommends surgery (the kind HE does), a psychiatrist recommends therapy and antidepressants, a holistic healer recommends herbs, massage, etc. .... you get the idea. Like someone else said also, surgery is a business.

I have found searching the internet a GREAT value and source of information, and helpful when asking your doctor questions. I know your wife is in a lot of pain, and I do hope she can get the relief she needs. As someone said however, once done, fusion can't be undone.
I myself considered fusion for my own situation 10 years ago, and in my case it was good I didn't have it.... but like I said about my sister-in-law, some people gained their lives back from it.
My advice, do ALL your homework now, and don't give up... but do ALL your research NOW, BEFORE any surgery is begun.
Good luck to you and your wife, & family.

Paul
 
  • #15
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Daren
 
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