I had sitting pain before and now the three level ADR has made it worse, so something is pressing on something.... I just had another opinion on what to do. I will type it below. I want to see what people have to say. I have had so many opinons varying from posterior fusion at all three lower levels to DSS to this... all so confusing.
Okay, I have one more opinion, but still no focus on my sitting/laying pain. Dr. Scott Leary from California said to do an extraction of the sunken L5S1 level and then fuse. He must do this by going through my stomach and my back. He said a complete fusion cannot happen with just a posterior fusion. This does make sense, I suppose with the way the disc has subsided, plus why did it subside in the first place. Maybe I have some type of early bone condition that cannot be detected during surgery or on a bone density. Dr. Leary is young and has done a couple dozen extractions, but not of a Pro-Disc...this is scary!
I have been told that if a doctor does not know how to remove or is scared, then they will say, "keep it in." If they are removal guys, then they will want to remove it. Much like if you take your car to a muffler place when you are having a problem, magically, it is the muffler.
I have heard such horror stories with extraction and I could be left in a worse place than I am now. Now I can dance around, shop, hike, etc. I have leg pain now, 10 months after the 3-level ADR, but my MAIN issue is that I can't sit down... or lay down w/out having pain in the lowest part of the back that "feels" like tailbone pain... I have buttocks pain and NOW leg pain, which I did not have before, so something is changing in my back.
So, extraction and a fusion could make me worse with the dangers of not fusing or with some ventral issues.
So, I am now thouroughly confused! I could have a posterior fusion at L5S1 and "see" what happens and then do an anterior approach, but I heard this is much harder trying to do it after the fact. Although, this is what Dr. Bertagnoli suggested... he said try posterior first and then anterior. He did not say anterior and remove.
GOD, I WOULD RATHER BE HIKING, SHOPPING,.... ANYTHING NOW BUT FOCUS ON THIS!!!!
Any ideas?
Quote:
Originally Posted by beka
Hi there
I'm new to this particular board, but certainly not so to back pain and associated surgeries/procedures.
My worst pain is also upon sitting and it is just so frustrating and depressing. I don't know that mine has the intensity of yours, but when you struggle to ride in a car etc it limits your life so much. I do not work, and certainly could not manage out of home work. My sitting limit is about 20 - 30 mins, then I struggle to bear it.
What I really wanted to say though, is, has the suggestion been made that it is the vertebrae themselves hurting so much by having the ADR press in so hard when you sit?
The reason I suggest this is because, before my first fusion, I had complete degeneration of the disc at one level, and due to the vertebrae rubbing back and forth across one another, I had developed swelling in the vertabrae, known as Modic changes. This was extremely painful.
Additionally, when a bone is fractured, it is painful. Anyone who's had bone grafted from their hip for use in spinal fusion knows at times it can hurt worse than the fusion itself.
Bone hurts. Just my opinion but I'd be getting that thing out and going for a fusion if it ends up being deemed necessary.
Wishing you the best.
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