Spinal Fusion the other end

Morex

Hi all
im new to this but have been looking for something to help me through this. I had an L4-L5, L5-S1 fusion in October and i am in bits today,
I started off well and thought all was going very well, I had a hick-up at 5 months after op when 7 weeks into Physio my right knee started acting up, I went to my consultant/surgeon at the 6 month mark, and he took one look at me and said" whats going on where did all this come from, why are you in so much pain ...don't know what to do with you " I was destroyed I didn't hear a word he said after that I just sat there waiting for my wife to say its time to go.....on leaving his secretary said " to be honest if you were a dog we would have had you put down by now" and laughed.......I haven't been outside my door since...I don't know where to go or what to do......im in great pain and my mood is in the pits ....sorry for this but ...it doesn't always turn out well..normality...that's my only wish my only desire ...I wish I had never done this now....at least the pain I was in I could relate to I could get through...this is unbearable... and now I feel alone and helpless as I no longer want to see this consultant ever again I feel sick just thinking about it .......
my advice think long think hard get 3-4-5 second opinions then weigh up the pros and cons

calfmuscle

Morex wrote: »

Hi all
im new to this but have been looking for something to help me through this. I had an L4-L5, L5-S1 fusion in October and i am in bits today,
I started off well and thought all was going very well, I had a hick-up at 5 months after op when 7 weeks into Physio my right knee started acting up, I went to my consultant/surgeon at the 6 month mark, and he took one look at me and said" whats going on where did all this come from, why are you in so much pain ...don't know what to do with you " I was destroyed I didn't hear a word he said after that I just sat there waiting for my wife to say its time to go.....on leaving his secretary said " to be honest if you were a dog we would have had you put down by now" and laughed.......I haven't been outside my door since...I don't know where to go or what to do......im in great pain and my mood is in the pits ....sorry for this but ...it doesn't always turn out well..normality...that's my only wish my only desire ...I wish I had never done this now....at least the pain I was in I could relate to I could get through...this is unbearable... and now I feel alone and helpless as I no longer want to see this consultant ever again I feel sick just thinking about it .......
my advice think long think hard get 3-4-5 second opinions then weigh up the pros and cons

You need to go back to your consultant and tie physio! Find out why you are in pain and get it sorted. Sorry to hear it hasn't worked out for you yet!

Morex

Hi Calfmuscle thanks for your reply
as far as the consultant is concerned I`m fixed there is nothing more he can do for me the "the spine and the implants look stable" that's it.
I shouldn't be in pain and he and I quote said "I dont know whats going on with you" so I left with nothing I dont have another appointment I am just here at home.

Morex

Hi Calfmuscle thanks for your reply
as far as the consultant is concerned I`m fixed there is nothing more he can do for me the "the spine and the implants look stable" that's it.
I shouldn't be in pain and he and I quote said "I dont know whats going on with you" so I left with nothing I dont have another appointment I am just here at home. eating Tradol

calfmuscle

Morex wrote: »

Hi Calfmuscle thanks for your reply
as far as the consultant is concerned I`m fixed there is nothing more he can do for me the "the spine and the implants look stable" that's it.
I shouldn't be in pain and he and I quote said "I dont know whats going on with you" so I left with nothing I dont have another appointment I am just here at home. eating Tradol

It's possible your pain is a new problem and not associated with your surgery. Go get looked at by a good physio.

However I would still demand another appointment with the consultant he should be following up with you. Did you have this done privately?

Morex

yes privately,

calfmuscle

Morex wrote: »

yes privately,

Demand a follow up appointment and go to your gp and ask for a new ortho review. And add iv said go to a good physio and get some advice to get you started.

Morex

thank you

chatjunkie

Hi,
I had an l4_s1 fusion in December 2013 and made a great recovery from it. Unfortunately, in September the pain re-appeared and was bad. My consultant ordered x rays which showed a solid fusion, he then ordered an Mri which again showed no problems and finally he ordered a ct scan. This again demonstrated a solid fusion. However, my consultant remained pro -active and recommended a re -exploration of the fusion site to see if he could identify the issue. This meant another surgery but I was delighted that he wanted to get to the root of the problem. Anyway, that surgery took place in January and it transpired that the screws in the sacrum were loose and causing the pain. This had not shown up on any of the scans. I'm doing great again now, in fact I'm flying around the place so well that you would not know I've had any surgery, let alone two in 13 months. If your surgeon is not willing to keep searching for answers OP, then maybe it's time to get a second or third opinion!

Morex

Thank you all for your suggestions and the goodwill I fealt from your posts.
My consultant/surgeon abandoned me
As he didn't want to accept something might be wrong he wasn't even willing to search for safety sake. I complained to the medical board last year they dismissed me as vindictive. With all else gone my dignity, my moral, my self worth, and any hope of improvement
I went where no one should ever have to go. I didn't succeed (mores the pitty) I'm still here and everywhere I go I see healthy people having a life.

Morex

Thank you all for your suggestions and the goodwill I fealt from your posts.
My consultant/surgeon abandoned me
As he didn't want to accept something might be wrong he wasn't even willing to search for safety sake. I complained to the medical board last year they dismissed me as vindictive. With all else gone my dignity, my moral, my self worth, and any hope of improvement
I went where no one should ever have to go. I didn't succeed (mores the pitty) I'm still here and everywhere I go I see healthy people having a life.

chatjunkie

Morex wrote:

Thank you all for your suggestions and the goodwill I fealt from your posts. My consultant/surgeon abandoned me As he didn't want to accept something might be wrong he wasn't even willing to search for safety sake. I complained to the medical board last year they dismissed me as vindictive. With all else gone my dignity, my moral, my self worth, and any hope of improvement I went where no one should ever have to go. I didn't succeed (mores the pitty) I'm still here and everywhere I go I see healthy people having a life.

Don't know who your surgeon is but I wasn't confident in the first one I was referred to so I found another one and it was my saving grace. Could you get a second opinion? Pm me if you want the name of my guy. As I said, my pain 're appeared and we couldn't identify the cause. Luckily my surgeon suggested re exploring the fusion site in an attempt to find out the problem. It transpired that the screws in the sacrum were loose and he removed them. I had a solid fusion. Things great since. Hopefully someone can help you.