Fusion Revision Success or Info?

[starchild]

Hello Everyone

I originally had planned to have a hybrid surgery last June, fusions L5/S1, ADR L4/L5. First shock was when I got to NY for the consult prior to surgery I was told my scoliosis had progressed to the point I was no longer a candidate for ADR.

I was very leary of having a 2 level fusion (anterior/posterior) and had been fighting this for over a year. However I was sick and tired oof the constant pain as well. Long story short underwent the knife June 2006. It was a painful long recovery but I did improve greatly. I was actually off all meds etc by Nov 2006. In Dec 2006, I got up out of bed one day and noticed I was doing the gimpy walk again where my left leg was shorter than the right and I had a slight limp prior to surgery.

MY pain came back and I decided that I had probably just done too much etc. I used conservative treatment, rest, heat, Ice, NSAIDS. The pain continued to stay the same. I saw my famiy physician who did xrays and they were sent to my surgeon.

Well after a lot of back and forth and holidays etc, I was told the xrays were inconclusive, we went on to get an MRI same deal, by this time I am very frustrated.

Next we did a CT scan and I got the news last week. My fusion is not healing properly (pseudoarthrosis) at L5/S1 , also showed moderate stenosis on the left in the neural foramen. I need revision surgery in order to see any relief from the constant pain that I am in now. I will say its not to the point it was prior to surgery but its can get up to a 7/8 esepcially if I try to do any bending, going up and down stairs or ride in the car for any length of time.

Well repeat surgery is not sitting well with me right now. I was in shock and dismayed at the diagnosis. What I need to know is if anyone here has any statistics on how successful the revisions are. I saw some research on the web and it was not real reassuring. Especially on getting rid of the pain.

I also need to know if anyone here knows of any alternative to the revision at this point and time.

Any info would be sincerely appreciated. I do plan on either emailing the surgeon or calling and asking a lot of questions about this revision surgery as I will have to be a lot more convinced than I am now to consider this. Other factors are involved here too, travel, etc

Thanks