Ugh!!!

[mary.mary]

OK!!

I can't lie to you when I say I am having HEART FAILURE!! I went and saw my surgeon today and he is NOT happy with all that has gone on. He can't believe the incompetence of some people, his words exactly!! LOL!

Anyways, he has made the decision that he will do surgery. I nearly passed out when I heard him say that. I was like already, shouldn't I try this, try that etc etc..He was like NOPE, you have done physio and it didn't help, you had the ESI which caused a whole new world of problems. I believe this is the best option out there for you.

I have to make the decision and let his office know then they will book me back in and go over the WHOLE thing with me. He mentioned that he was going to perform a decompression, levels L4/5, L5/S1??? Does that sound right??

I NEED YOUR HELP!! ADVICE!! I don't know what the heck is going on....what I am to expect etc...

Thanks!!
Mary

[Maria]

Hi Mary,
Guess that wasn't what you expected to hear?
I can't tell you if the surgery recommended sounds right however all the symptoms you've written about here lately sounded pretty intense so it doesn't surprise me that something was recommended surgically.

Do you plan on getting a 2nd surgical opinion?

[mary.mary]

Maria-

You are right, I didn't really know what I was expecting today when I went to see him. EVERYTHING lately has been so overwhelming that I don't really know if I am coming or going.

I guess a 2nd opinion would be the first thing to do, the ONLY problem here is I will more than likely have to wait 6 months before I can even get a date for another surgeon, the wait times here in Canada are CRAZY!!

Honestly, I don't really know what it is that I am suppose to be doing. All I know is that I would like to be able to get back to some form of normalcy for Amiah's sake. I have the BEST daughter in the world, she has been SO GOOD with everything I have been through the last month, I am so greatful for that.

So, I guess as it stands, I will have to try and figure out what my next move is going to be and go from there.

Thanks for your help!!
Mary

[fuzzy]

Yes it does sound right but we here do believe you really should get a second opinion, its very important. I wish Mark (our site boss) could help out as he is good with arranging second opinions remotely but it depends a little on how quickly you really need to act. Can you live with it a little while longer? Meds? Are there issues on your mRI scans that suggest you should do something quick? Then you might not have much time to decide. Decompression seems to indicate that your discs still look ok but are pushing on something causing the pain which can be addressed by this surgery but again, second opinions are very wise.

[Katie]

Mary, I've been in your spot for several years now, but hopefully am coming to the end with surgery in sight soon.

I understand how frightening all this is, and how overwhelmed you are right now. Our medical system in Canada, Ontario especially, makes it almost impossible to get treatment.

I think/hope I can give you an awful lot of help if you would like to talk personally about it. If you like, let me know, and I'll PM my contact information.

In the end, someone on this board convinced me to send my MRIs to Dr. Bitan in New York City. He is the most kind, empathetic and knowledgeable doctor I've seen in my life. He saw me on a Monday, after getting my MRIs and calling me on the previous Friday. Unheard of in Canada! He made time for me, cleared his afternoon actually, to see me because he was so worried about my situation. I'm just a few hours east of you, so that would not be an impossible option for you.

I'll watch for your post and look forward to chatting.

[Katie]

I wanted to add that this battle would have been so much easier if I had known of this board when I first started my fight to get treatment.

[Maria]

Mary,
Because my back injury was Worker's Comp related the 2nd opinion process could take a while as well (usually 2-6 mo) so I took it upon myself to get my first 2nd opinion from Dr.Bertagnoli and then used that to sort of "push off" the ADR idea here in the states when they were still in trials.

I ended up getting a number of opinions (utilizing Mark's services) and ulitmately the 2nd surgical opinion rendered by WC was years later but the important thing is to at least get a highly reputable opinion that may help you with your more immediate decision I would think.

If you're able to spend a bit of $ to send your films and information to doctors elsewhere you can get an opinion without being seen.

Good luck~ I'm sorry that you're going thru this and esp. with Amiah needing you tho it sounds like you definately have your reason to pursue getting *better*.

Wishing you the best

[runner]

Mary,

You nearly gave me HEART FAILURE when you said you had heart failure. I thought you were serious for a second or two.
Yes, it is a shock when you get the surgery verdict.
A second opinion by Dr. Bitan might be good.
Your daughter will survive this--my four-year-old survived my surgery but I needed help with him.
A decompression can destabilize the spine as I understand it. But backs are so complicated a second opinion by a experienced doc could help.
I will be praying for you. You have really had a hard time with the recent events.

runner

[dshobbies]

Mary,

Ditto on the 2nd opinion. Unfortunately, different doctors differ in their opinions of the best surgery for your circumstances. If 2 or 3 doctors, well versed in ALL spine surgeries are of the same opinion, then you have your answer. If not, more investigation is needed. Logic doesn't always win but it usually makes sense.

Dale