2nd double fusion on L4-5 L5-s1

I had my first double fusion in April,2004, and have never been without pain since then.  After many different tests, mylogram, mri's, cat scan and nerve evaluations, we (my doc and I)  have come to the conclusion I have a 'non union' fusion with no bone at all on my left side and 'some' bone on the right side. I'll be going back in for surgery on Nov 15th. I also have chronic hep c, and my Dr wants to put me on prescription Iron so he can take 2 units of my blood to have on stand by if needed. I'm not suppose to take iron due to my Hepatitis C as this can make it worse. I'd like to know if taking Iron for 3 weeks will cause my Hep C get worse. At my first double lumbar fusion, I did not have any blood taken from me, so I didn't have this problem. However, after the first surgery I did become animic (sp?) for a couple months. Also, this time my Dr is going to implant a bone stimulator. So I'm hopeful that this surgery will be a sucess. Thank you!

[Stephen Ryu, MD]

Sorry for the delay!

Spinal fusion surgery sometimes works very well and sometimes not so well. ONe of the causes of unsuccess is often attributed to a non-union or pseudoarthrosis. In these cases, there is assumed to be some movement where the bones should have fused that accounts for the pain or other symptoms. Good luck with the second surgery and I hope that the bone stimulator helps. There are other newer methods of improving bone fusion as well that might be helpful but is up to the surgeon's judgment as to their appropriateness.

Now, as for the HepC and iron. This is a tricky one. The liver is very important in the metabolism of iron. It is the primary organ in the body that stores this metal. HepC patients cannot process it as well and often have increased iron collecting in the liver - high levels of iron is very bad for the liver. So, in general, iron supplements are a no-no for people with cirrhosis or chronic hep C. Will taking it for 3 weeks help you with your anemia. You would have to balance that with the risk of having a serious liver complication. Given that the blood bank is pretty safe (and that giving blood will pretty much gurantee that you will need to get blood), I might suggest you ask if you can forego the iron as the risk is uncertain and just go with bank blood. The biggest risk with bank blood is HepC anyways, so that is not an issue for you.

Good luck to you.

[alinpain]

My prayers are with you

[Brenda01]

Thank you for you prayers, and I'll keep you in mine as well.

[jcknife37]

For 15 bucks I thought you'd have an answer from the listed physician by now. If this let legit let me know I would like to gain some knowledge before I see the dr prior to surgery.

My prayers are with you.

Kind regards,

Vince

[Brenda01]

Well I'm still waiting to see if I get a reply for my 15bucks! I'll keep you posted. What kind of surgery are you having? Thanks for your prayers, and I send them right back for you.
Brenda