HELP I can't take the pain anymore!!!

[Babygal_Fl]

I am 25 years old and have already had 7 back surgeries. In 97 I had almost a complete spinal fusion with 2 Harrington rods and 17 pins inserted in my back. The only vertibre not fused were L3-L5 and S-1. The next month I came down with a staff infection that landed me back on the operating table then with a pic line Iv. In the next few years I had 4 hematomas removed from the base of my spine. I broke my hip and pelvis in a car accident in 2001 but my Herrington rods were not affected. In the last few years the sciatic nerve damage got to the point that I was falling due to numbness in my legs and at times couldn't even walk. The Doctors tried cortizone injections and epeadurels to relieve the pain and they didn't work. I had my last surgery this past March where the Dr. put in 2 titanium rods and 10 screws and fused the last of my vertibre. He also decompressed my spine to relieve the pain. A few months later I was in so much pain that I couldn't take it, I couldn't cough, sneeze, or even walk without numbing pain. I went in for my check-up and x-rays and now they say one of the new rods have broken as well as one on the screws were broke. I then had a ct scan which showed that the base of my spine was slipping and the other rod was slipping down my pelvis. I don't understand how a new titanium rod and screw can just break in my back. I haven't done anything to cause it since I am still out of work. The doctor now wants to remove ALL the hardware including the old stuff and replace some disks with spacers and insert new hardware. I am not sure what to do. Were the rods and screws defective before they were put in my back? All I know is that I am more scared of this surgery then the rest. This one is more major than any of the rest.(even though my first and last one were pretty bad!) This new doctor wants to make 2 insisions one the lenght of my back (which I already have) and one down my front as well. What should I do? Should I go through with the surgery? I know I need sone kind on help cause I can't life in this pain anymore!!!! HELP

[Chuckie327]

Great that several people are commenting on your concerns. The suggestions you pick up on theis forum are so good. The second and third opinion seem time consuming but in my opinion well worth it. Have you tried Duragesic Patches for pain. i wish I had encouraged the use of Neurontin to potentiate the pain meds my husband used when he had several back operations. At that time I was researching ****.com which you might also check. The Chairman of the group answered my questions and supported me as my husband was fearful of getting a pump.
The persons on the site were very helpful. Reading the archived data was
very helpul for me. Best wishes in your very challenging time. C

[Chuckie327]

Waiting for the hospital to get back to me. Hope you don't mind my commenting on your note though it is written to Baygirl-FL. I have worked in hospitals and am aware of the busy work schedules there. Hope you are keeping the calls rolling to the hospital. Communications are becoming so difficult for the patient these days. Advocate for yourself as much as it takes
is my suggestion. Sorry that you are going through this maddening situation. I dealt with it when my husband had thoracic surgeries. Now I have a brother with similar issues and the begiinnigs of my own low back problems. There is always long acting morphine. The neurontin is a great potentiator to take along with your standard narcotics. Best wishes for receiving the next step soon. C

[bomber098]

iv just been reading here about your bad times , i too am going thro a bad time i broke my neck on 22nd dec 2009 on my way to work when i skidid on black ice and left the road rolling over and ended in a field , fire brigade cut me free and air ambulance took me to hospital i woke that tea time strapped to my bed with my mother looking over me . in and out of concuness i woke and was told i could go home with a soft color and oramorph and pain killers and told we" will keep a eye on you" while at home i heard a click from inside my neck , i was taken back to hospital and had more xrays only to so that c6 and c7 had move about 1cm and was trapping my spinal cord and i will now need a opp where i have had a plate put in to hold it from slipping any more . now we are in 2012 and im still no better iv had so many mri's and ct scan iv had injection in the spine i feel like **** most of the time , i take 120mg of codine phosphate,75mg of amitriptyline,300mg of allopurinol,150mg of pregablin,and 200mg of gabapentin , and i feel like **** i have pins and needels in my right hand and im right handed , i have numbness down my right side , and weird as it shounds my right side of my face fells like its not mine !! im still waiting for the hospital to get back to me as to what or where we go from here, i feel like no one realy cares any more , i wish you all the very best i was told it does get better but im still waiting . J

[Agggony]

I too had a titanium screw SNAP after being rear-ended in my truck, I'm gonna paste a letter I wrote to another  I hope it will help, Please contact me with any ?s or just to talk, I know what your going through!
  
After my  life was changed in a instant (broken neck /back nerve PAIN !)and I was suffering from pain I never knew a human could have let alone endure,The surgery to repair my neck only caused a stenosis and even more pain. Every surgeon I seen told me that my spine was to brittle to receive any new hardware and the Degenerative disc / Bone decease I had for 10 yrs leading up to the work accident is incurable and would eventually spread through my entire spine. I slumped into a deep dark depression, I was only 35 with a absolutely GORGEOUS wife and 3 beautiful children who all loved me very much, People would say, "Look at what a beautiful family you have, you should be grateful your wife is standing by you through this" But this was a source of my depression, I would look at my family and know that I will no longer be able to support them in a way they deserved. My wife was strapped with the added burden of caring for me when it was always up to me to spoil her as best I could, . We had such a fantastic sex life before I got hurt and even when we were able to do it, She was always in fear of hurting me.I knew my wife could have had her pick of Kings, but,, because we were so much in love she would never leave me and This was not fair to her, This is not why she pinned her life to my star. I tried to Over dose my self and Just got sick, I bought a gun with the intent of "Doing right the next time" I cant't tell you how many times I sat crying with the barrel of that 9mm pressed to my temple.Then one day my wife came to me and said that we were going to get through this together, She said that Dr.s have been wrong before and she was NOT willing to except the grim diagnosis for my future.
     We found a Dr. willing to give me Pain meds, Not just the min that others thought I could get by on But This Dr gave me a HUGE bottle of 100mg time release morphine and Oxy codone I-R from fast relief when my pain spiked. He told me to go home and take as much morphine 3 Xs daily as it took to make me be able to move around, then come back in 3 weeks and tell him how much I was taking ! So I did just that. He was shocked at the high dose I was able to take but wrote the prescriptions every month. I went from crawling on my hands and knees with my wife standing over me holing a bath towel slung under my torso just to go to the bath rm, to walking on my own with crutches. As I was able to tolerate my P-T exorcists and stretching I was able to to loose the crutches and walk with a cane. I used the cane for about a year and I asked Dr, to reduce the morphine from the 24 hr time release to the 12 hr, a 50% reduction in the amount I was taking, I was walking every day and exorcising 3 Xs a day. I still had pain, and still woke up screaming 3-4 times a night but I knew it would pass with help from the pain meds. Today, I am down by another 50% and walking short distances with out any assistance and have not used my cane for almost a yr. I ride my bike EVERY day and work on my house for an hr or 2 every day. and I have sex with my wife as often as I can! My Dr. told me that "there is no shame in taking addictive drugs if they improve your quality of life. The drugs are the lesser of the 2 evils when compared to living with pain because pain destroys your very soul!" I have since had to change to a new Dr. who was shocked at even the lower doses Im taking today, She said that she has cancer patients who are not on this high of a dose. My answer to her was this, What I live with day in and day out is the same or worse then Bone cancer only I do NOT have the luxury of Dying in a year. Find a Dr. willing to treat your pain, Yes ,these drugs are addictive, Yes, they can have some long term effects, But the damage living with pain does to you mind ,body and soul, not to mention those who love you, is by far worse then any effects from the morphine!! DO NOT Take "NO" for an answer, Pain once gotten under control is easier TO control, and you can always reduce your dosage as you improve your situation,
Good Luck and Feel free to contact me with ANY questions
   AGGGONY

[Peterbndrs]

I can feel the pain in the post. I suggest you consult a reputed doc who has handled such cases successfully in the past. God bless

[bluetiffany]

I too had scoliosis surgery in 2001 with harrington rods and screws from T3 to S1. I also had anterior cervical fusion with plate screws from T3-T4. In 2009 I had a cervical posterior laminectomy with fusion and screws and rods for spinal compression above and below previous fusion. I now have severe thigh pain posterior and anterior with clonus which is aggravated by sitting. Has anyone ever had this problem?

[nanal800]

I'm so sorry for your troubles.......I thought I'b share a little of my history.......since some of it might be helpful to you......I had a bad horse accident......in 1982........where, after five surgeries.......I was left with one Harrington rod for stabilazation at L 3-4.........where there is also......a five inch leg bone.......also for stabalization.............as of now.......x-rays show that the remaining Harrington rod is broken.........but there has been good bone growth around it in several places......so since.....it does not cause pain........they've decided to leave it alone. I take 3600 mg /day of Neuronton........100 mg/day of Lyrica........all for the nerve pain that was unbearable before the Neuronton.........it's changed the quality of my life..............I don't really know what I'd advise about your surgery.......I sure would get a second opinion.....or in this case........maybe even a third........I know it's scary........but the rod part shouldn't be...........they are inserted for stability.......which is a good thing.......I do wish you the very best with your decision.........you will be in my prayers for an outcome that will improve the quality of your life..........peace and love.......Norma

[denwo]

I can't begin to imagine how much pain you must be in but I sincerely hope that your doctor can fix your issues. Sounds to me like the first doctor was either a fool or a scam artist and used some shoddy equipment. I would strongly suggest you look at getting a second opinion on any further surgery and make sure it is will a very reputable back and spine specialist.  

Other then that, keep your head up and fight through the pain.. it will get better.  Good luck!

[nuggetone]

Bless your heart and back.  You have been through alot.  I have heard the spacers are A Good thing.  But that is hear say.  I cant imagine the pain your in. This is what keeps me going is realizeing other people are worse off than me.  Yes what you are talking about is a serious scary situation.  Maybe ask your Dr. if you do this will you at least get some relief.  If so go for it.  If he says never know. I think I would do some more research.  God Bless.