[Maria]

It's Morphine Sulfate extended dose. I prefer the term physiologically dependent.

Getting relief on one Tramadol is pretty good and perhaps you should try a medicine such as ans has mentioned. I suffered for YEARS until starting low dose Methadone which I'm sure you know what that is and yes one can become physiologically dependent on it and I have. I take 12mg/once daily and have been on the same dose for 8 years. My level of relief is good and I can function pretty well albeit as I've mentioned I'm not working.

I'm sorry to hear about the situation you're in and hope that it can be resolved in a manner that does allow for maximal function for you and less to no pain.

I know first hand the frustration of high expectations for a surgery and failure for whatever reason however I didn't pay for my surgery, WC did and yet I was just as angry and dejected and felt my life ruined as well.

One of the reasons I didn't want to do ADR here in the states was because no one was doing vertebroplasty (sp) with and I had osteopenia so I had wanted to wait and go abroad but in the time of waiting my pain levels got much better and then I thought "better the devil I know than the devil I don't" and after living thru such awful hell with that post 2nd surgery type of pain I chose PM for now and until my spine just craps the heck out totally I think. Oh yes, now I have osteoporosis in my lumbar spine and facets at L4 and L5S1 are degenerated probably too much for ADR (so I waited too long it looks like for that surgery thus making fusion which I originally did not want my only option now for more surgery).

Don't beat yourself up for your decision. You did your homework, you made your decision.

As to the surgeon I don't know what to say. My personal opinion is every surgeon has a reason why he or she does their procedure his or her way and maybe he didn't look at the films before hand tho our own bodies react in ways no one can predict when it comes to spine surgery.

Someone might be at the top of his or her game and I still think there's no quarantees with spine surgery. If there was I would have had a 3rd one by now.