Rich T. brought me to the site also. That
was after I read and printed a zillion
pages from a defunct Forum on another
spine website. Rich T left his calling
card and I picked it up and ran with it.
Rich is a very caring man, our cheerleader
who encourages us in every indecisive
moment we face all the while dealing with
his own spinal problems.
Don't hesitate to share with all of the
posters what particular spine problems
brought you to the site. They are great
people.
Marie B.
|
lonestarguy
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 590 Location: , Hoosierland, USA
Thanks: 10
Thanked:1
Re: Soldier Boy Posted: 10-01-07 18:08pm
Marie B.
wrote:
Hey soldier boy from the
Lone Star State.
I love your little white mouse brushing
his teeth with the hair brush. He is
adorable. Out here in the cornfields of
Ohio, we have all colors of little mice
but none have I caught brushing their
teeth.
I have a friend who just retired from the
special forces. He was a helicoptor pilot
and was in Afghanistan. He had a a
massive number of compressed discs in his
spine. They had to go in through the
abdomen to get to the areas to decompress
the discs and shore up fractured
vertebrae.
He said he had more trouble healing from
the surgical entry from the front then he
had spine pain. He seems to be doing well
now, Doesn't talk much about pain. His
only interest now is taking care of his 6
kids. Wonderful family.
He had a very real religious experience
that he doesn't talk much about to people
other then his very closest friends. A
wonderful young man. He was a Marine and
when he uses the words "semper fi" he
gives a much deeper meaning to the words.
We love our soldier boys. I particularly
love my son-in-law, another soldier boy.
For me, its nothing but the best for our
soldier boys.
Marie B.
Marie.....you're much too kind. And Stuart
Little (the mouse from the film of the
same name) thanks you, too. I actually
don't live in Texas right now, been living
in the midwest for the past 21 years, but
we are planning to move back soon to be
with our families. In fact, we live right
next door to you in Indiana.
I was a medic on a med evac helicopter in
Vietnam and got shot by a sniper. As your
friend can tell you, those choppers are
dangerous places to be in a war. I'm sorry
to hear about his disc problems and you
can bet if he was special forces, they
don't talk about pain.
I'm older now and the old wound took two
major surgeries to clean up the mess and
get the bullet. And the bullet did cause
my spinal alignment to be changed and now
I'm suffering the consequences.
|
jimare
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 43 Location: ,
My Spine Problems Posted: 10-01-07 21:50pm
Marie B
I think I posted to the wrong place. I
started my spine story under the "New
Topic" and thought it would be here on
this page, but I don't know where it went.
Guess it will take a while before I get
familiar with this forum. Anyhow if I
can't find it I will start over again.
Mare
|
jimare
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 43 Location: ,
Found My Story Posted: 10-01-07 22:07pm
I believe I have talked to some of you on
the "other" forum so I hope my history
doesn't become too tedious for you.
Back in 2001 I was in the habit of walking
everyday about 3 miles or so and started
experiencing pain in the sciatica...then
one morning woke up in agony which cont.
day and night for 4 days. Couldn't sleep,
lay, stand, sit...I just kept moving and
moaning. Went to the chiro and as soon as
he touched my back I flew off his bench
and scared the bjeebers out of him so he
told me I should go to emergency. I called
my Dr. and since by now I was losing the
feeling in my calf and foot she agreed
that I should go. Once they did an xray on
me they said my disc was herniated and
they called a Neurosurgeon who said to
admit me and get me a MRI asap. They gave
me Percocette which had me vomiting all
day and bawling and moaning and
shaking...what a time. Within 3 days I
found myself in the operating room and
would have been glad to have them cut my
leg off the pain in my thigh and calf was
so bad. I didn't know it then, but the
Neurosurgeon who did the surgery was the
worst one in town and he did a terrible
job and treated me terribly. I had a 10"
cut and was given no aids for walking, no
PT, no special toilet seat, absolutely
nothing. If my husband wasn't there to
hold me up or support me when I had to use
the bathroom I don't know how I would have
survived. I was told by the nurses NOT to
ask questions (he didn't like that) and on
day 3 he told me he was discharging me and
I asked him what I should be doing and he
said "If it hurts, don't do it". I rec'd
no prescription for pain although I was
still in agony. He just told me to make an
app't to see him in 6 weeks, and to call
my GP if I wanted pain meds. Anyhow my
recovery was long and tortuous. I later
found out that he had done a discectomy
and a laminectomy - removing 3 vertebrae.
I believe someone referred to this as the
"roof". Anyhow after 6 months I had
another MRI and found that the same disc
had reherniated.
I made up my mind there and then that I
would NEVER let him touch me again. He was
totally incompetent and rude.
After waiting six months for my app't with
another Neuro and he strongly warned me
against getting further surgery. Six
months later saw yet another Neuro and she
told me I had a serious herniated disc but
she refused to operate where another Dr.
had operated. All this time I was
suffering extreme pain...going through the
various pain meds, Celebrex, Mobicox, etc.
Finally my GP sent me to Toronto to an
Orthopaedic Surgeon and he felt that my
hip was the cause of my pain and did a hip
replacement. No change. He did another
MRI and suggested I might need further
surgery for herniated disc. Not wanting
to go under the knife again I stuck it out
for two more years, by now unable to walk
any further than the end of my driveway,
or stand more than 5 minutes and finally
in 2006 had another open back surgery
which was another dismal failure. I saw
this Dr. again last Dec. and had another
MRI and he advised me there was nothing
further they could do for me. He put me
on Torodol and Lyrica and between the two
of these meds I am managing to live a
fairly tolerable life.
This is a condensed version of my story.
It seems a lot of us are in the same boat.
This post is getting quite lengthy so I
will shut up for now.
I have read all 18 pages of the posts on
here and followed your stories with much
interest.
Mare
|
Carrianne
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 107 Location: Tampa, FL
Mare Posted: 10-02-07 09:23am
Mare,
I'm so sorry for everything you've gone
through. It disheartens me to know people
are going through this and I really hope
you find the answers you need in order to
heal. Stay strong!
Welcome to Rich's wonderful thread!
God bless,
Carrianne
|
Carrianne
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 107 Location: Tampa, FL
Re: Two Discs Posted: 10-02-07 09:44am
Marie B.
wrote:
Carriane, Is the reason
Bonati can do only one disc at a time
because you have disc problems on two
different levels and the levels are not
right next to each other. Or are you
saying the vertebrae are next to each
other, such as the L5 and S1, but the
herniations are on either side (left on
one and right on one) of each of the
vertebraes, so you are required to have
more surgery then expected.
I was puzzled when you said they can only
do a disc, one side at a time.
I understood with microsurgery as the
laser centers procedures are, they can do
two levels at a time, eg. L4 and L5. In
your post, are you saying one of your
discs are on the right for one lumbar
verterbrae and there is one on the left on
another Lumbar vertebrae? I am
reiterating this because it can be easy to
get the wrong concept to what you are
saying.
With your two surgeries behind you, just
what did they actually fix for you?
I think this is important for spinal
posters to understand because if the
surgical procedures mount up in number, so
will costs. This may also be why many
spine doctors are negative to endoscopic
surgery. Therefore they will do an open
back surgery to take care of all of the
problems at once.
If a person doesn't have full
understanding of what is involved, it is
easy to become confused during the
stressful decision making that a person is
required to make. And to do it while in
pain makes it even more difficult.
It is these uncertainties that are behind
so many of us going to multiple doctors.
You never know what you are going to learn
that is new about your spine problem. All
the reading in the world will not answer
questions. Even all doctors are not good
at explaining everything to a patient.
And when we talk to each other, we all
have different concepts as to what is
going on. Worse. we could have the
identical problem, same level vertebrae,
same sided disc, same symptoms and because
we are different have very different
outcomes to surgery.
My spine specialist said to me that before
a surgeon actually enters the back for the
spine surgery, with all of the MRI
Reports, X-Rays etc. he is still making an
"educated guess" of what he can do for me,
the patient. Therefore when a doctor
tells you what he believes needs to be
done, once he is at the visible site of
the problem, the educated guess may have
to give way to reality as to what is
before him.
This is not to put down the "educated
guess". The educated guess is most
appropriate. That's why we count so much
on the surgeons' knowledge and experience
plus his God given capabilities. The
doctor just can not say 100% that is all
there is until he views with his own eyes
the cause of the pain. Post Op, the
surgeon is forced to wait until he sees if
he has accomplished the goal both he and
the patient are looking for. Freedom from
pain for the patient.
I think your situation gives prudent
thought to a person determining with the
right doctor if or if not they are a
candidate for micro surgery. And then if
the doctor says the patient is a
candidate, then the patient has to
understand what devils can hide in the
details. It's like being behind the 8
ball.
Never the less, I hope you are more free
of pain now then when you approached your
first surgical operation. It is a good
decision for you that you have made in
taking a year off before you enter into
another surgical spine procedure.
We think of you all of the time and pray
for your wellness.
Marie B.
Marie,
I'll do my explain all this but let me
know if I leave anything out. I'm not 100%
sure and the folks at Bonati could explain
it a lot better, but I don't think their
instruments are designed to work on both
sides of a disc at one time. It's all done
through a small tube. My incisions are
only about an inch and a half (if that).
My problems are at L4/L5 and L5/S1.
Focusing on one at a time, L5/S1 was the
cause of the central back pain. In
reviewing my MRIs he saw that the left
side looked a little worse so that is what
side he worked on. He was right on. He
said the material from the disc that
leaked out attached itself to my nerve and
that my nerve wasn't even in the correct
place. Once he got the material off my
nerve snapped back into place.
Now, on L4/L5 I had pain in both legs and
my MRIs showed a central herniation so it
was a little harder to detect which side
to operate on, but decided on the right
side which he thought needed a little more
attention than the left.
I do still have pains, but my back is so
much better than it was before. My legs
still give me some problems, but I'm going
to give it time. From what I've heard
nerves can only heal a quarter of an
inch/month. I just don't want to jump into
another yet.
Guess I got off on a tangent there, but
I'm pretty sure the instruments are not
designed to work on both sides of a disc
at one time because the tube is so small.
As far as insurance goes, as long as you
have out-of-network benefits, all you'll
be charged is your remaining deductible
and out-of-network out-of-pocket maximum.
Even though I had 2 surgeries, I wasn't
charged any extra for the second. Just one
flat fee which I was quoted before my
first surgery. No surprises.
Best of luck to you and God bless you in
your healing! Please drill my brain if you
have any questions. I'm happy to offer my
experiences with you all!
Carrianne
|
jimare
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 43 Location: ,
Visited Lsi In Jan/07 Posted: 10-02-07 13:04pm
Carrianne
My sister had a laminotomy/foraminotomy
done at LSI in Jan and while my husband
and I had the opportunity we attended one
of their seminars. I gave them my MRI
while I was there and Dr. Perry said I was
a candidate for the same type of surgery
as my sister. Judging by how well she got
along, I am excited to have the surgery,
but after reading what you went through, I
must admit I am nervous about committing
myself. Just thinking of your dizziness
makes me feel light-headed. I know I will
have to weigh the pros and cons like
everyone else has been doing..but I think
right now the pros are winning. I have
been fighting with our Health Insurance
here in Ontario, Canada, and my GP has
been a great support, but just this week I
rec'd a letter denying my claim for
pre-approval for out-of-country coverage.
Right now I am praying for a miracle.
Mare
|
Marie B.
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 226 Location: Ohio
Gratitude to Carrianne Posted: 10-03-07 08:01am
Thankyou Carrianne for your response. It
did help my understanding in regard to the
endoscopic surgery you had.
Did Bonati put you on any meds post op?
What about physical therapy?
Can you do them at home or do you have to
go to a PT unit?
If you decide to go back for further
surgery at Bonati, I am assuming you will
have to start paying all over again. Or
do they have a plan where your future
surgeries, if you have them will still be
covered.?
Marie B
|
Carrianne
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 107 Location: Tampa, FL
Re: Visited Lsi In Jan/07 Posted: 10-03-07 08:27am
jimare
wrote:
Carrianne
My sister had a laminotomy/foraminotomy
done at LSI in Jan and while my husband
and I had the opportunity we attended one
of their seminars. I gave them my MRI
while I was there and Dr. Perry said I was
a candidate for the same type of surgery
as my sister. Judging by how well she got
along, I am excited to have the surgery,
but after reading what you went through, I
must admit I am nervous about committing
myself. Just thinking of your dizziness
makes me feel light-headed. I know I will
have to weigh the pros and cons like
everyone else has been doing..but I think
right now the pros are winning. I have
been fighting with our Health Insurance
here in Ontario, Canada, and my GP has
been a great support, but just this week I
rec'd a letter denying my claim for
pre-approval for out-of-country coverage.
Right now I am praying for a miracle.
Mare
Mare,
Please don't let my experience make you
nervous about having surgery. A dura leak
is a possibility, but it's a possibility
with traditional open back surgery as
well. In fact, 2 of my friends are
hospital nurses and they said they see
that ALL the time with back surgeries in
hospitals. From what I've heard it seems
to be less common in laser surgery. Now
that's my opinion (have to add that) but I
don't think you have anything to worry
about!!
Sorry to hear about the problems you're
having with your insurance company. I will
pray for all good outcomes for you!! And
I'm with you, the pros outweigh the cons!
When is your surgery scheduled?
Take care and God bless!!!
Carrianne
|
Carrianne
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 107 Location: Tampa, FL
Re: Gratitude to Carrianne Posted: 10-03-07 08:32am
Marie B.
wrote:
Thankyou Carrianne for your
response. It did help my understanding in
regard to the endoscopic surgery you had.
Did Bonati put you on any meds post op?
What about physical therapy?
Can you do them at home or do you have to
go to a PT unit?
If you decide to go back for further
surgery at Bonati, I am assuming you will
have to start paying all over again. Or
do they have a plan where your future
surgeries, if you have them will still be
covered.?
Marie B
Hi Marie!
I actually got my medication before my
surgeries but haven't taken them in
probably a month. Honestly, I was taking
the darvocet more for my headache than my
back because it has tylenol in it. I am
not doing physical therapy at all because
they said not to even think about it for
at least 3 months. Because of the dura
leak my spine is too fragile right now.
They said walk walk walk so I'm doing an
hour everyday. I break it up into 2 or 3
intervals.
If I have to go back for more the only way
I'd have to pay anything else is if I wait
until 2008 because my deductible and
out-of-pocket maximum reset at the
beginning of each year.
Hope that helps! Have a great day!!
God bless,
Carrianne
|
AbraCadabra
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 21 Location: St, Petersburg,FL
Recap -- 6 Weeks Since Surgery At Tampa Laser Spine Institut Posted: 10-03-07 09:58am
Prior to surgery, I had severe sciatica in
the left buttocks after walking for as
little as a minute or less. I also had
pain on the outside of the calf above the
ankle. After walking for a short period,
the pain would go down the back of my leg.
And I had some left foot drop and
numbness.
My MRI's showed problems at both L4/L5 and
L5/S1, with L4/L5 looking the worst. I
won't go into all the details.
My first surgery at Tampa Laser Spine
Institute was done on 8/23/07. They did a
Left L4/5 Laminotomy / Foraminotomy /
Decompression of the nerve root,
Discectomy and right L4/5, bilateral L5/S1
destruction via thermal ablation of the
facet joint nerve.
Recuperation from this surgery was almost
nothing. I did show some improvement, but
not at all what I had hoped for. I was
able to walk 7-10 minutes without severe
sciatica pain, which was an improvement,
but not the way I wanted to live the rest
of my life. Actually, I wonder if my
improvement wasn't mostly from the steroid
injection they gave me during surgery.
They told me in advance that I would
likely need a second surgery on L5/S1, so
I was not completely surprised.
On 8/29 I left a message on LSI's Post-Op
phone number that I was still in pain and
wanted to schedule an appointment. On 9/4
a person called me back, took some
information and said someone would call me
back within 72 hours. On 9/7 and 9/10 I
called back and left messages. On 9/11 a
person called me back and we arranged for
me to get a post surgery MRI and then meet
with the surgeon. If you look at the
dates, you can see why I was very
frustrated with LSI's lack of
responsiveness to my post surgery pain!
The new MRI showed a post surgical change
to the lamina region of L4/5 and
recurrence/residual left paracentral focal
disc herniation which is slightly smaller
in size. Of course, L5/S1 was not
operated on, so it was same and that is
where I suspected my pain was coming
from.
An appointment was made with the surgeon
for 9/24 with a tentative second surgery
on 9/25. Unfortunately, the surgeon had a
family emergency, so those dates got
delayed about a week and I had a second
surgery on 10/1. They did a discogram of
left L3/4 and Left L4/5 to locate the
problematic disc. Then they did a Left
L4/5 revision (I am not sure exactly what
they did here) and a Left L5/S1 Laminotomy
/ Foraminotomy / Decompression of the
nerve root.
Right now, I am two days out from surgery
and the good news is that my sciatic pain
has disappeared completely. I have been
on several long walks with no sciatic pain
whatsoever! They must have done a lot
more work on my back this time, because I
am very sore and stiff at the region where
they operated. I guess that is to be
expected and it will get better as it
heals. The only pain med that I have been
taking is Tylenol. I have a post-op
appointment this afternoon.
The bad news is that my insurance
reimbursement from BCBS of Florida is a
small fraction of what I anticipated. I
won't quote the numbers yet, because LSI
says they will appeal with BCBS.
The good news: I can walk again!
The bad news: I am not looking forward to
the insurance company battle.
Guy
|
Marie B.
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 226 Location: Ohio
Surprised Posted: 10-03-07 11:54am
Guy I was surprised to hear that LSI left
that L5,S1 herniated disc untouched in
your first surgery.
From everything I've read on the site, it
was LSI, who tries to deal with all of the
problems during one operation. Bonati was
the one who took them one at a time. In
fact, during one web site reading at LSI,
it sounded as though they had more then
one surgeon present operating
simultaneously. I know that sounds
ridiculous but I got the idea when they
claimed they required only a 5 day stay in
Florida for a patient. I don't know if
that information is still on the site.
It might be my imagination, but I've
noticed both laser sites have done some
eliminating of information that was on the
site when I first stumbled on them.
The Bonati Forum once could still be
accessed although closed, but now you
can't get no illuminating information from
it.
I do hope all continues to be for the
better with you. And I hope the battles
with BCBS turn more favorable to you.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Marie B.
|
jimare
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 43 Location: ,
No Date Set Yet Posted: 10-03-07 13:05pm
Carrianne
I still plan to have the surgery, but
expect it will be in 2008...maybe in
January. One problem is that my husband
has squamous cell carcinoma on the nose
and that has to be looked after before we
can head for Florida. He has an app't for
a consult Nov. 2 and then we should know
how long before he can get it attended to.
In Canada the wait times are ridiculous.
When I was at LSI in Jan. they filled out
a form putting me in the system with a set
rate for $27,500. In Jan 07 that was
$32,000...at this present time it is close
to PAR...yipee! Hope they don't change the
rate. Reading Guy's post is a little
disheartening, especially if the operation
doesn't accomplish it's purpose and a 2nd
one is required. I would be
doomed...could never pay for a 2nd
surgery. My Health Insurance has just
denied my application for out-of-province
coverage. They consulted on so called
"expert" who has never done Laser Surgery
and on the strength of their expert's
opinion, and due to the fact that I am not
in danger of imminent death, or suffering
tissue damage due to my condition, then I
am not eligible for coverage. I am still
appealing their decision but don't know
one Canadian who had success obtaining
coverage yet.
I am glad that you are getting along
better after what you went through. With
the cost of the surgery, and the
experience you went through, would you
still say that it is a worthwhile surgery.
I realize what you're saying that what
happened with your dura being nicked is
not all that common, but aside from that
would you recommend this surgery to
others?
Mare
|
share71
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 3
Laser Spine Surgery At Lsi Posted: 10-03-07 20:01pm
Hi Rich and Carol, In answer to your
questions, I had lumbar surgery at LSi in
Jan and am doing well.( About 75% or
better) and still improving. walking is
the key and I walk about a mile every
day, ( a year ago I was all hunched over
leaning on a grocery cart whenever I tried
to go shopping. and couldn't walk a block)
I was booked for a fusion but saw LSI on
line and chose that path. And I'm glad
iidid. y
Yes, it was VERY expensive, but to be
able to carry on a normal life with almost
no discomfort having the surgery, ( a 1
1/2 inch cut, a local anesthetic in the
arm and walking 2 hours later as opposed
to a long cut, a piece of metal grafted to
my bone which might or might not take,
several weeks of painful recuperation...I
could go on, but I'll leave it at that.
Any specific questions I'd be glad to
anser.
I am still having some spinal claudication
from L-4 and L-5 (this is like a charlie
horse in the muscles of the buttocks and
inner calves) but LSI is looking at a new
MRI and has said if it is caused by
anything they overlooked they will do a
deeper surgery in theat area, free of
charge.
|
Carrianne
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 107 Location: Tampa, FL
Re: No Date Set Yet Posted: 10-04-07 09:10am
jimare
wrote:
Carrianne
I still plan to have the surgery, but
expect it will be in 2008...maybe in
January. One problem is that my husband
has squamous cell carcinoma on the nose
and that has to be looked after before we
can head for Florida. He has an app't for
a consult Nov. 2 and then we should know
how long before he can get it attended to.
In Canada the wait times are ridiculous.
When I was at LSI in Jan. they filled out
a form putting me in the system with a set
rate for $27,500. In Jan 07 that was
$32,000...at this present time it is close
to PAR...yipee! Hope they don't change the
rate. Reading Guy's post is a little
disheartening, especially if the operation
doesn't accomplish it's purpose and a 2nd
one is required. I would be
doomed...could never pay for a 2nd
surgery. My Health Insurance has just
denied my application for out-of-province
coverage. They consulted on so called
"expert" who has never done Laser Surgery
and on the strength of their expert's
opinion, and due to the fact that I am not
in danger of imminent death, or suffering
tissue damage due to my condition, then I
am not eligible for coverage. I am still
appealing their decision but don't know
one Canadian who had success obtaining
coverage yet.
I am glad that you are getting along
better after what you went through. With
the cost of the surgery, and the
experience you went through, would you
still say that it is a worthwhile surgery.
I realize what you're saying that what
happened with your dura being nicked is
not all that common, but aside from that
would you recommend this surgery to
others?
Mare
Mare,
I'm sorry to hear about the problems your
husband is facing and will pray for him as
well.
I certainly would recommend this type of
surgery to others. What I went through was
an unfortunate complication, but isn't
really all that uncommon with any type of
back surgery (laser or not). I was well
taken care of there. They checked on me
everyday, even on their days off. The care
is excellent.
As far as cost is involved, since my
insurance plan has out of network coverage
and we had already met our deductible, all
we had to pay for everything was $1500.
All the claims have been processed and
BCBS has paid on every one. What they
haven't paid, Bonati has written off. Got
that in writing of course!
Yes I still have some kinks, but am
definitely better off than I was before my
surgeries.
Best wishes to you and your husband. Take
care and God bless,
Carrianne
|
RichT
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 880
Thanks: 20
Thanked:0
Hooray!!!! Posted: 10-04-07 09:38am
Good Morning Everyone,
Received good news from Lee with the
Admin. They have successfully extended
the time out to 2 hours. I'd say that
for the vast majority of posts that should
be adequate time.
Lee and his staff have been outstanding in
addressing our posting "difficulty" in a
timely matter. THREE CHEARS to Lee and
ALL!!!!
Now if you are writing a really long
extended post don't forget to set your
timer.
I have so much catching up to do. Will
try to respond to several of your posts
later today.
Wishing you a pleasant day!
RichT
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AbraCadabra
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 21 Location: St, Petersburg,FL
Lsi Multi-levels??? Posted: 10-04-07 16:52pm
Marie B.
Bofore my first surgery, I asked LSI about
doing both levels and they told me that
they would not do two adjacent discs at
the same time. They gave me a reason of
swelling, which I didn't buy, but what are
you gonna do? They said they would do a
lumbar and a cervical at the same time
(two different areas). They wanted to
wait 4 days between surgeries at adjacent
levels. Maybe it's negotiable ahead of
time, particularly if you are flying in.
On the second surgery, they did do two
levels, so go figure! I am much more sore
this time. I think there is some bruising
and swelling and there has been some blood
seepage for 2-3 days. We have'nt got a
look at it yet, though. Aside from that
minor annoyance, everything is great so
far. I have been walking, standing
around, going updown steps, shopping,
etc., just like a normal person. GREAT!
Guy
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RichT
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 880
Thanks: 20
Thanked:0
Great!!! Posted: 10-04-07 18:48pm
Hello Guy,
AHHHhhh SUPER that after your second
surgery you are up and "running" like a
normal person . Thanks for the update and
sharing.
"Like a normal person" - Yes, it would be
ever so nice to feel like a normal person.
Today was a good day, so I felt close to
that.
Guy, I hope your recovery continues to go
well. Look forward to your future
updates. Are the surgeons at LSI still
contemplating the need for additonal
surgeries for you?
Have a GREAT Day!
RichT
|
RichT
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 880
Thanks: 20
Thanked:0
Posted: 10-04-07 18:57pm
Hello Carrianne,
First and foremost, glad to read that each
day is getting better for you since your
surgery. You had some difficult days
after your first surgery. Carrianne, you
are one "tough" young lady. And your
faith is a big factor in that I know.
Carrianne, thanks for your thoughts and
prayers. On a bad day I know your support
is there. And on a good day I know your
prayers are being answered. I can feel
it!!! Thanks!!!
RichT
|
RichT
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 880
Thanks: 20
Thanked:0
Posted: 10-04-07 19:13pm
Hello Share,
Great to have you become a member of this
spiney family. I really appreciate your
sharing of your experiences at LSI. That
is exactly the input so many of us are
looking for.
Thanks for responding to our questions.
You have experienced quite an improvement
since your surgery in January. It is
interesting how WALKING seems to be such
an important part of a successful
recovery.
Likewise for me, it is the thought of the
screws and rods that keeps me away from
"traditional" surgery. Hopefully the
edidural injections will keep working for
me for some time to come.
"LSI is looking at a new MRI and has said
if it is caused by anything they
overlooked they will do a deeper surgery
in theat area, free of charge." And when
have you heard of a "traditional" spine
surgeon giving you a free 2nd surgery if
they may have overlooked something during
the first surgery. I certainly have not
heard of that happening. Okay, LSI, isn't
cheap, but in comparison to "traditional"
surgery costs, laser surgery is a real
bargain.
Now tell me why a number of insurance
companies still don't accept laser spine
surgery as a "today" technique. Good
grief, it certtainly isn't "experimental"
after all these years.
