Surgery

Tomorrow at 6am I am to arrive at the hospital; surgery should be around 8am. Hopefully the next time I'll post I'll be on my way to a good recovery, and seeing some positive progress.

Surgery Time

It's official. I will be going in for my second back surgery on Tuesday, February 20.

My head feels like it's going to explode and my stomach is a nervous wreck. But this is what I have to do, so I'm doing it.

Friday!

Thank goodness it is Friday, the end of the week and the last working day of the year. Get out at 2pm, but then have to drive about an hour to pick up something for work. That's not too fun. But afterwards I get to go home and take it easy for three days, which is something my body needs desparately. I need to stabilize my spine so hopefully I can get the pain levels down a bit. I'm just having a very difficult time these days.

This weekend one of my "to do" items is to update this site. I have been tinkering with the layout of my new blog (www.thirtysomethingblog.blogspot.com), a site where I talk about everything and not just my spine issues. I would like to do the same with this site as well, so I figure if I grab my laptop and rest on the couch for awhile it will give me something to do and help keep my mind off the pain. My goal is to make this a site where people can come and find links for spine/health resources. You know, make the site more than just me talking about how much pain I'm in.

See you around this weekend.

Almost there

I made it through the Christmas season (barely); now I just need to make it until 2pm on Friday when I get off work and officially have the time between then and Tuesday at 8am to rest my poor spine.

My trip to Iowa was unfortunately a series of painful events. Five people crunched into a small car for over 7 hours in total. When I was not in a car I was usually sitting on a folding chair, standing, or on the floor - all which crushed my spine. Through it all I was unfortunately drugged on Lyrica, Vicadin and Excedrin (to help keep me awake and to help with my headaches). I can't remember much, which makes all of those efforts seem like a big waste of energy and time. Hopefully next year will be better.

I have yet to hear on an available date for my surgery yet; will probably be next week before I know. I am still trying to figure out how I'm going to break this to my bosses, and what exactly I want to get out of my meeting with them next Tuesday.

A year ago today my Grandpa G. passed away from Leukemia. One of the last things he expressed to me was how worried he was about me and my back pain - I think he would be thrilled knowing there is hope around the corner.

Merry Christmas! (early)

Merry Christmas to all out in blogger land. Yes, it's a few days early but I am leaving for Iowa tomorrow to spend my typical Christmas Eve at my grandparents farm. My grandpa passed away a few days after Christmas last year, so it will definitely be different without his happy and warm presence. My grandma is wonderful and I look forward to spending time with her and the other 30 members of the family at the farm. We'll fly back Christmas day to our home, where we are hosting Christmas dinner for my parents, brother and his girlfriend. Then we head to my parents house for the gift opening. My parents are moving to a new house the day after, so it will be our last Christmas there. Very busy holiday!

Earlier this week I was a physical and mental mess - the pain was too much. Managed to make it through work days but not much else. Today I'm off work and doing all of the things I should have done this week, like cooking, wrapping gifts and packing. Hopefully my back will be kind to me for the next few days. I still have not told my employer about my pending surgery (yet to be scheduled). I am waiting until 2007 to tell them, when the partners are all back in the office. I am going to be prepared this time, as I've been through this before. After talking with my husband last night I am going to try and shoot for a February surgery. I can't describe in words how nervous I am. But for now I will focus on Christmas. All the best!

Two options: surgery or...surgery

Went to the new ortho doc, Dr. McC on Thursday and was presented with two options for my back. A major fusion or a partial fusion. I'm going to go with the partial but it's a matter of when. I have not told anyone at work yet, as I need to determine how I am going to approach it. Quite frankly, I am worried that if I tell them I will eventually be "weeded out" and replaced. I do a good job and have several letters of appreciation from the group as well as three years of good job performance reviews. However, this is a small group. And I don't trust who I work with. And given the horrible job market here in Ohio, I cannot afford to be without a job. There are a lot of other factors as well that I do not want to get into here, but basically this could get messy.

The surgery will take two hours. They will put in pedicle screws and also take some of my hip bone to help stimulate healing and growth for the pedicles and pars, both which are fractured, at the L5 level. They will go through the back, unlike the ADR where they go through the front. I'll be in the hospital 3-4 days. No driving for 3-4 weeks, but could be back to work at two weeks depending on my employer's flexibility to work with me.

I'm not thrilled about another surgery but I do not have a choice. It could be worse, so I won't complain.

In the meantime I have Christmas to get ready for. Still need to buy gifts AND wrap them. Lots to do around here, so I bid you a happy Sunday.

Some Answers - Finally

Hello. Yes, I've been avoiding my blog for quite some time, but I have had little news to report on the ADR front. Since May I have had three epidural injections and a radiofrequency ablation at the S1/L5 and L4/L5 level. I have been put on Lyrica for the nerve pain in my low back and legs, and am now taking 450mg a day. It's made my mind a bit foggy and I don't have the memory I once had, but my husband tells me it's probably due to the fact I turned 30 in May. What a funny guy - one of the reasons I love him so. I've been taking small doses of Vicadin on and off, depending on the pain. Unfortunately the last month has brought a lot of increased pain, probably because the results of the ablation are wearing off.

The biggest change has been the course I have been taking for diagnosis of this pain I have been having since the surgery. I tried the Cleveland Clinic back in May with little results; basically the orthopedic surgeon, who I was referred to by one of my bosses since the doc was a personal friend, wrote me off. Didn't want to accept me as a patient, thought I was fine with the docs I was already with. Well, another boss referred me to the head of the pain management department at the Cleveland Clinic. I'll call this doc Dr. M. I have only had two consults with him, but at the first one he recommended an MRI, since I had not had one since the surgery. He then wanted another ortho surgeon at the Clinic to look at the MRI, so I set up an appt with him.

Dr. McC (abbrev.), the new ortho doc, not only looked at the MRI results (which showed the other discs in my spine were ok), but ALSO looked through my patient file with all of the scans and reports that have taken place since 2003, which I had brought with me. And guess what he found - a pedicle fracture at the L5 level, most likely caused by the disc. And he found this by looking at CT scans from October 2005. Scans which three ortho surgeons were to actually look at, but obviously didn't look at all or closely enough. And the wonderful radiologist at Akron General, who did the report on the scans, missed it as well. Dr. McC asked if he could keep my records and films so he could go over them in more detail, and I set up an appt with him for this Thursday.

To my surprise, he called me last Thursday at work. Yes, a doctor that I have only seen once called me personally. He gave me the news that he and another doc looked through my films and scans, and not only do I have one pedicle fracture, but I have two. Both pedicles are fractured at the L5 level. More than likely this is the main cause of the pain.

What's next? Had another CT on Monday so they can see how the fractures have progressed. I see Dr. McC tomorrow, where we will talk treatments. Originally he told me I was probably looking at a fusion, but during our call last week he told me there may be other treatments available depending on the CT results. He also told me they would try to save the artificial disc at all cost - in other words, he will do his best to keep me from having a fusion.

I'm thrilled that I finally have an answer as to why I have the pain I do; and it makes sense, as I did have about two months after the surgery where I felt great and then one day in July it just all started going downhill. I'm also angry that I've gone through an additional 14 months of pain just because other docs did not do their job and actually look at the CT film. The pain has been very difficult lately, and given that my work and personal life is so overloaded with stuff to do I'm feeling very overwhelmed. I have realized that I am only one person and I need to ask for more help than what I am use to. I also need to prioritize, and maybe not do all of those little things that are on my list but probably do not need to be taken care of. Of course that is difficult to do when it is the Christmas season and you have all of the cookie exchanges and parties and events to attend. I can't wait until it's over!

This is about my life before and after ADR. Obviously ADR has been successful for many people out there, but in my case I believe I was not the ideal candidate for it. I have learned after the surgery that I have arthritis in the facet joints in my low and mid back, which is not helped by ADR; it is helped by fusion. A discography was not done before the surgery, even though I asked and was told it was not needed. However, that might have shown that my pain was coming more from the facet joints and less from the disc they removed. The disc they put in was about twice the size of a typical disc they put in other individuals. With the extra height putting more strain on my spine and the arthitic facet joints, is this why I'm left with two pedicle fractures? My guess is yes.

I will try to be better about giving updates. I've come to realize that this blog should not just be about the big events in my life regarding ADR. After all, I'm dealing with the effects of this surgery every day. And no matter how much I hate to admit it, it affects my life greatly every day. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I feel very lucky to have such a wonderful support team - my wonderful husband, parents, brother, friends and co-workers. I could never make it through all of this alone, and I am eternally grateful to each of them.

One Year

I started this blog over a year ago to track my artificial disc replacement experience. As of tomorrow, May 11, it wil be exactly one year ago that I had the surgery.

And the results?

I have a long way to go.

In the last few months I have switched ortho docs, walked out of pain management appointments because I refused to live my life on constant pain killers, and am now working with another doc to help get me to a point where I'm not feeling daily pain.

I'd like to say the surgery helped, but it didn't. Not at all. Every day lately is a struggle. I can barely walk. Pain is horrible. I'm not getting sleep, and I'm barely able to get through a work day.

I had a facet block done about three weeks ago, which helped my back pain...and also GREATLY increased my leg pain. Tomorrow I will be going in for an epidural, which will hopefully calm down the nerve pain in both of my legs.

I would be lying if I said this was not what I expected. I would be lying if I said this doesn't really crush a small part of me that hoped that I would be entering my thirty's (in four days) with pain levels that resemble what most people have - minimal pain. Pain you don't even know that's there until you think about it.

So I just keep going. I have a wonderful husband, family and friends. I have been able to move forward professionally despite it being mentally and physically challenging to go to work every day. I'm doing the best I can on the path that is obviously one I have to take, for whatever the reason.

I'll continue doing my occasional updates on here because maybe it will mean something to someone out there. Maybe it will help them make a decision on ADR...or maybe it will give them comfort to know they are not alone.

Update - January 2006

It's been awhile since my last post. The last four months of 2005 were not kind to me or my family, so I stopped blogging.

Since this is about my ADR experience, here's a brief update:

7/28-9/30/05: did PT twice a week. Beginning in September they started doing back massage, which caused extreme, crippling pain that did not go away.

Oct 2005 - Taking Vicadin every 4-6 hours, along with muscle relaxers. Still working, but only out of necessity. In extreme amounts of pain in low back and both legs. It was weird, because I honestly felt like I had surgery all over again, that's how much pain I was in. Had a myelogram and CT, which showed nothing. Met with surgeon, and was told that it can take up to a year before I would notice relief from the surgery. If it came down to it, could do a fusion.

Nov 2005 - Had a selective nerve root block, with no success. A week later had a pain block, which I had many, many times before the surgery, which provided a LOT of relief. Got off all pain meds and resumed fairly normal activities.

Jan 2006 - Lately have been experiencing increased leg pain and low back pain again, though it could be due to the fact I spent many hours driving in a car to/from Ohio/Iowa for my grandpa G's funeral. Actually had to take a Vicadin on Saturday in order to sleep. Injection could be wearing off, or things could just be inflamed. I've started taking Aleve again on a regular basis.

So, the verdict is still out. On the ADR boards I have read about many cases where people continue to suffer from unexplained pain until almost exactly one year after the surgery, and then it just goes away. I'm hoping I am one of those people!

I don't plan on blogging too much on this board, but I did start another blog for 2006. If you want, check out www.displacedgal.blogspot.com. Not too much info on ADR there, but lots on every other aspect of my life and the people/things I enjoy.

Until the next time. Happy 2006!

It's been awhile

Yes, it's been awhile since I've been back to this board. I've been busy on the ADR boards trying to offer any feedback or support I can give, and have seriously neglected my own site.

The last few months have been a roller coaster ride. As mentioned before, my ADR surgery was May 11. I was way ahead of schedule in terms of recovery and was back at work in less than three weeks. Things were looking good.

June was a great month. Granted, I was still on antibiotics for most of it for an incision infection/possible suture allergic reaction, so that wasn't pleasant. But pain wise I felt great. The leg/nerve pain was minimal, and I had no pain in my low back. Brad and I went to Indy for the U.S. Grand Prix, and for two days straight I did nothing but walk (a LOT) and sit on bleachers, and felt great. It's something I never could have done before the surgery.

Then July came. For some reason, the nerve pain came back in my legs and feet. I'm still having problems to this day. I started physical therapy three weeks ago, and have noticed little change. It seems the pain gets worse the more I sit in a day. Since my job has been very demanding lately, I have been putting in a lot of hours in the office, most of them sitting in front of a computer or in a meeting, so that's part of the cause right there. It just isn't helping the situation, but what can I do at this point?

So, what's my status now? I won't begin to discuss the amount we've had to pay out-of-pocket (and are still paying off) for my surgery. Think over $20k, and that was with some negotiating power. With the exception of June, the leg pain is the same, and at times worse, than what is was before the surgery. The good news is that low back pain is very minimal. The only time it bothers me is after a long work day and during major changes in weather. (Between my back pain and headaches I can predict a storm an hour before it happens.)

I had my three month visit with my surgeon on Thursday. Took another x-ray, and the disc is still in place. I hadn't seen my surgeon since the hospital, so I definitely took the time to thank him. Seems my surgery was a bit difficult because my spine was kind of curved at the bottom and it was hard to center the artificial disc. However, looking at the x-ray, he got it 100% in the right spot. The one thing "boggling" the minds of surgeons is the nerve pain that many suffer from after ADR. The decision was made that I would wait and see him in three months (Nov.), and if the pain was not better I would start having tests run, such as a mylogram. Obviously if I can't handle it I can always go in sooner. But I'm a stubborn German, and I knew the risks going into this, so I will really try and give it some more time before I start panicking and weighing my options.

At this point I'm still glad I had the surgery. Even though I'm still dealing with pain, I'm still better off. I know recovering from major surgery takes time, so that's what I'll give it. If I'm not better in three months, then I might start changing my tune.

My experience - the first 23 days

It's been awhile since I've been on here. We moved before the surgery, and just recently got the broadband set up at our house.

The purpose of this site is to give info to others on ADR. My case is just one of many, and everybody is different. Here's the path I've been on since my ADR surgery on May 11:

Surgery Day - Was wheeled into the OR at 8:00. Had about 20 people in there, and they hooked up a lot of wires to various parts of my body to monitor my spinal waves. Woke up at 12:15pm in post-op, in overwhelming pain in my mid-section due to the frontal incision and the Charite artificial disc replacement in my low spine. Was given four injections of morphine (one in the hip, three through the IV) and hot blankets before I was moved to the orthopedic wing at 2:00. Spent all day laying down in bed, on my back. Leg pain was non-existent, which was great. Received morphine every three hours. Would sleep for 10 minutes, then wake up briefly, and fall back asleep again. I really don't remember too much that day. Did not move, and was not allowed food or drink. Mouth and throat was extremely dry, and was given ice chips. Had a fever of 100.6. Pain level – 9, due to the drugs and not having to move

Day 1 (after surgery) - My worst day. Still not given food or drink. Was to have P.T. at 8am, but they gave me morphine right before, and it made me very dizzy and light-headed. I got as far as sitting at the side of the bed, before I had to lay back down. Pain was overwhelming. To roll on my side and push myself up into a sitting position was the most difficult thing I've had to do physically. Fever went up to 102.1, so I was given an antibiotic. At 5:00pm a nurse helped me sit up, stand, and walk a few steps to a chair, where I sat for 45 minutes. Getting from the laying down position to the standing position was very, very difficult and extremely painful. Walking was fine; I was slow, but did not experience pain. Sitting felt good, but I really had to sit up straight - even the slightest bending caused extreme pain in my low back and stomach. Between 6:00pm and 8:00am Friday morning, I got out of bed about 6 times to use the restroom. Walking was the easiest part; getting out of bed was the hardest. Continued to receive morphine every three hours. Slept, with pillow support, on my right side for a few hours in the night. Still no leg pain. Pain level – 10, due to the drugs making me sick and having to move around

Day 2 - At 7:30am, finally was allowed to have a clear liquid tray. Was taken off the morphine, and give Percocet. Between the liquids and the Percocet, automatically noticed a huge improvement. The nurse had me put on the back brace for the first time. P.T. started at 8:00am. Was able to get out of bed a little easier. Using a walker (though I didn’t need it), I walked up and down the hallway of the ortho wing. I was asked if I felt like doing stairs, and I said yes. I walked up and down a flight of stairs with no assistance. I was cleared by P.T. to leave the hospital when I felt ready. The clear liquids agreed with me just fine, so was allowed to have actual food for lunch. Had chicken noodle soup, crackers and cottage cheese, with a Coke. After lunch, I was discharged. Managed to get dressed by myself (though it was very painful), but I did have to have Brad put on my socks and shoes, since I couldn’t bend. Left the hospital at 1:45; a little over 2 days after the surgery, which was shorter than the usual 3-4 days most people stay. The car ride was ok, though I couldn’t have the seatbelt touching where the incision was. Once I got home, I actually walked around the house for an hour, and experienced no leg pain. Had a very hard time sitting and laying down. Our couches are deep and too “soft”, so I couldn’t get the back support I needed. Still had a lot of trouble getting up after laying down. I was, however, very, very happy to be home. Was given Percocet, which I was to take every 4-6 hours for pain; I was taking it every four hours. Had a small meal for dinner…mashed potatoes and a biscuit from KFC. After not eating for a few days, I did not feel like eating any meat the first few days. Did not sleep well, and had to sleep on my back. Pain level - 9

Day 3 – Made sure to walk around the house when I could. Felt sick and tired, mostly laid around and watched tv. Still no improvement getting in and out of a lying down position. Took an actual shower, my first since the day of surgery. Wore the back brace at all times. Took Percocet every 4 hours. Still ate foods that were not as hard to digest, like jello, crackers, etc. Really didn’t have much of an appetite, and had to force myself to eat. Still did not sleep well; couldn’t get comfortable. The incision area started bothering me – mostly I just wanted to itch it all the time, but couldn’t. Pain level – 9.5 (just didn’t feel as good as Day 2)

Day 4 – I turned 29 today. My best day since the surgery. Today was the first time I actually looked at the incision. It was covered with steri-strips, so I couldn’t see much. The incision’s 2.5-3” long. My stomach area was extremely swollen – I looked like I was six months pregnant. The Percocet wasn’t sitting to well with me, so I switched to Vicodin; every six hours. Actually felt like going out for lunch, so Brad, my parents and brother went to Olive Garden, since I felt like having Zoupa Toscana. Ate two bowls of soup, but my stomach hurt afterwards. Went to Home Depot, and walked around a bit, which I needed to do after sitting at the restaurant for an hour. Came home, opened get well and birthday cards and gifts. Had some birthday cake. By the end of the day I was physically exhausted. Pain level – 8.5

Day 5-8 - My first days home alone during the day. Don’t remember too much. Incision getting more irritated. Mostly just sat and watched tv or read books. I started noticing little improvements here and there, BUT I started having severe leg pain in both legs, in the entire leg. Was unable to sleep in bed, because it was too soft and hurt my legs even more. Started sleeping on the couch because it was firmer, but was only getting 5 hours of sleep. Nothing I did relieved the pain. Gradually started eating a bit more. My parents brought over a reclining chair so I would have a more comfortable place to sit, which felt good. Able to do light housework. Also, on day 8, drove for the first time about 5 miles to pick up stamps. Was exhausted afterwards, but did ok. Pain level – 9 (due to increased leg pain)

Day 9 – My worst day at home. Felt sick to my stomach, and the leg pain was unbearable. My incision was very, very irritated, and I couldn’t touch anywhere around it. Sat in the chair most of the day. Fell asleep in the afternoon. Felt absolutely miserable. Still not able to sleep in bed. Pain level – 9.5

Day 10 – Felt much better than the day before. Was able to move around some. Incision still very irritated. There was a small part of the incision not covered by the steri-strips, and it started to bleed just a little. Still stayed down most of the day. Pain level – 8.5 (leg pain and incision problems)

Day 11 – The incision problems began. Stopped wearing the back brace, since my back was strong enough at this point, and it was just irritating the incision more. The incision started bleeding a lot, had to put a band aid over it. Went out to eat and run errands; was tiring but felt good. Got out the laptop and played games in the late afternoon while lying down. My first day where I had two “big” meals for lunch and dinner. Pain level – 8.5 (leg pain and incision problems)

Day 12 – Called doc’s office about incision, said they would look at it on Day 14 during my post-op visit. Incision still bleeding, and my skin was very irritated from the steri-strips, which had not fallen off yet. Was able to start cooking and doing more tasks around the house. Leg pain still bad, and still sleeping on couch. Stopped taking the pain meds. Pain level – 8

Day 13 – Able to run errands (usually had other people drive). Doing more stuff around the house. No real change from day 12. Pain level – 8

Day 14 – Went to the grocery store, with my mom’s help, and bought groceries. Walked about a mile, and then went to my post-op doctor’s visit. They took off the steri-strips, which was horrible. I guess I was not given the proper instructions from the hospital, and I could have taken them off (they told me not to). The adhesive was severely adhered to my skin, and it was horrible. A small part of the incision was still bleeding, so I was put on Cipro, since they weren’t sure if it was an infection (I didn’t have other symptoms), or just the whole adhesive/allergic reaction thing.

Day 17 – First day back at work. Worked half days day 17, 18, 19 and 20. Day 17 had some pain when sitting, but by the end of day 20 was feeling very comfortable.

Day 23 – First full day back at work. Haven’t missed a day since.

Two days and counting

Well, my surgery day is fast approaching. It's officially less than 2 days before I'm on the operating table getting a new "disk."

I had pre-op testing last Tuesday, which went well. It all happened very quickly - spinal wave test (I don't know the appropriate medical term), blood tests, physical, etc. It was my first time at the hospital, and I felt more comfortable there than I thought I would. It's an older facility, but the staff seemed very nice.

On a non-back related note, Brad & I moved into our first home this weekend. As stressful as it has been, I'm very happy how things have come together. It also gave me a great distraction so I wasn't sitting around these past weeks just dwelling on the surgery.

So what's happening today? Today I start my all-liquid diet. My doc never said it was necessary, but I've read several posts and opinions that suggested this course of action prior to the surgery. Soup, shakes, water...that's what I plan on living on. Also, since I've been focused on the move, I need to start getting things ready for my 2-3 day hospital stay, and get things ready for when I come back home. Lots to do - Wednesday will come quickly.

April 11, 2005

Well, my Thursday injection was pushed to Friday. The procedure went ok, but I was in such pain afterwards that I couldn't drive myself back home. I basically tried to drug myself as much as possible in the afternoon/evening hours.

Saturday and Sunday was a different story. Honestly, this is the best injection I've had in years. I was able to be up and about, and do "normal" things like clean the house, run errands, etc. It was great! I even was able to enjoy the wonderful weather, which was a first for me this year.

So, the injection was a success. I'm back at work, thank goodness. My pain level is back at a "comfortable" 6.5- 7 level. (Yes, I consider that good.)

The next big date is April 13 - this is when the hospital is to approve my procedure. Once that's approved, then I'll start counting down the days. But not before.

April 6, 2005

My first April blog, and I'm barely surviving here. Just when I though I was maintaining a consistant level of pain (6.5-7), I suddenly was hit with a my worst flare-up (yet) 10 days ago, and it has yet to calm down. Basically can not sit or stand for even a short amount of time. I shuffle when I walk. Lots of low back pain, and extreme pain in both legs. And I'm having problems sleeping because I'm in pain even then, even with 4 Excedrin PM. I've missed several days of work, taken numerous Vicadin (which helps only a little), and have even been having others lift and carry things for me like my 20-lb laptop. (That's very hard for me, since I'm a stubborn Taurus with strong German roots.) And still there's very little change.

At least today I had something good happen. I get a pain block (cortizone injection) tomorrow at 4:00 in my low back. I've had many of these before; long ago they were very helpful, and I would get one once a year or so. Ever since I partially herniated my disc, I've been getting them about every six months, and I'm several months overdue; now they are only somewhat helpful. Also since the disc herniation, the injections are a lot more painful and it usually takes a couple of weeks to kick in. So I'll be taking Friday off, and will be a very good girl and actually stay down Friday - Sunday so hopefully by Monday I'll be back at work and in better condition than I'm in now. This is the only possible thing that can help me between now and my May 11 surgery date. If this doesn't work, I can expect to be this way until May.

Along with extended amounts of extreme pain also comes depression. And that's what I'm finding myself in lately as well. I guess it's the mental toll the pain can take on you...and it's especially hard when Spring finally arrives and you can't even take a short walk outside. I know there are a lot of people that have it worse...but today I'm feeling selfish. I think everyone deserves to be selfish once in awhile. Especially Brad, who is one of the most self-less people I know. Brad, if you're reading this....I really, really, really owe you. Thank you for always being there for me.