t6-7 laminectomy/discectomy

[rosyrivets]

Hi, I am new to the site so here I go with my story. I am still very confused, but I am trying to educate myself.

I am a middle aged female in very good physical condition and use to doing physical labor.

Jan. 2011 I unloaded and repacked 200 18# rotors (3600#total) for shipping overseas. This required bending into a large wire basket, turning and bending over and repacking into a shipping container on the floor. On the way home that night, (1 hour drive) I was extremely uncomfortable and when I got out of the car, I was in pain walking in. Went right to bed, woke up 6 hours later in extreme pain. Pain was in my low back, right buttock and right leg. My first thought was I had pulled a muscle and it would get better, just suck it up and deal with it.

The leg pain quickly passed the other symptoms and intensified over the next 9 months. I went to family doctor, pain doctor for shots, chiropractor and had numerous scans of my lumbar. During this 9 month period I went to over 50 doctor visits. The official diagnosis was a lumbar sprain/strain. All the while, the right leg pain was becoming unbearable and much worse at night.

Then in Aug. 2011, I had unintentional weight loss, going from a size 8 to a size 4 in 30 days. The base of my buttocks became numb, (they ordered another Lumbar MRI) Over the next 30 days I developed saddle numbness and then my left leg began to go numb. I went to the ER, they looked at the lumbar scans and decided to admit me to surgical ICU as I was deteriorating by the minute. They decided to do a thoracic MRI.

The official findings were; Right t6-7 lateral recess large subligamentous disc fragment with calcified or hemorrhagic component with significant right cord compromise and displacement. Knew I had trouble when 4 doctors came in the room.

I had laminectomy/discectomy surgery that day. Next day right leg pain gone. Two weeks after surgery I began to have pain radiating to front rib cage and right leg pain returned. Called surgeon and was told it was not from surgery. Two more weeks and went to appt. with surgeon and now he decided it was mechanical, ordered mri/ct that showed another disc fragment in the same location w/ cord displacement. This same surgeon says leg pain not from this!! Yet, I know it is. I am now going for 2nd opinion as some of the other symptoms have returned. I know if I have to have fusion it won't be done by this doctor! At this point, I have some permanent nerve damage but I am so grateful for what I did not lose.

Sorry this is so long. Has anyone experienced any of this? I know thoracic herniations are rare and haven't found much info.

[Aaron]

I also have herniation at that level, not a serious as yours though. I have been fighting it for 8 yrs now and in alot of research there are several names that keep coming up in the thoracic spine discussion. I am personally scheduling surgury with Dr. Fessler, min invasive. Good luck and I had severe leg pain when I initially hurt thoracic and I could almost trace the nerve sensation from thoracic area down to leg.
PS. I only list these names to possibly save you some time finding thoracic doctors, you have to do your reasearch on each. I have personally only consulted with 3 on the list.



Dr. Fessler
Doctor Reviews and Doctor Ratings | Compare & Find Doctors | Vitals › Neurological Surgeons › IL › Chicago

Dr. Dickman
www.bnaneuro.net/Pages/Docs/DrDickman.html

Dr. Perin
spineneurosurgery.com/about_us/n_perin/curriculum.../index.html

Dr. John J. Regan
Dr. John J. Regan, A Fellowship-Trained Spine Surgeon

Dr. Kim
Daniel H. Kim, M.D., FACS - Department of Neurosurgery - Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

Dr. Kozak
Fondren Orthopedic Group

[Maria]

RosyRivets,
Sorry you have found us this way thru such circumstances tho glad you are here and hope you will find some answers as there are a few persons here w/thoracic injuries and I believe some who've had surgery in this area as well.

Hopefully Mark will see your thread and respond and you could also direct a post/thread to him to ask questions.

Good luck with other consultations and finding someone who you will feel comfortable trusting your spine to in the event you'll be having more surgery.

[rosyrivets]

Thank you both for your responses! Wish I was closer for the doctors you list. Tomorrow I am going for my second consult and I hope within the week see the third nuerosurgeon. I should find some answers on the t6-7 and maybe the lumbar that the original surgeon said I needed additional surgery for.

[Aaron]

My mom sent me this about a min. invasive thoracic fusion. I guess as time goes by we may get better ways to do it. I know there is VATS, some fusion surgury Dr. Dickman does, and this with nuvasive. Time will tell. Bright side is that we avoid many of the adjacent problems that lumbar, cervical have.

New less invasive surgery for damaged spinal discs - KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports

Surgeons at Scott & White using ground breaking spinal procedure - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen