Aa
Are orthopedic surgeons basically sadistic crooks?
Why would an orthopedic surgeon cut up a patient and fuse their spine, then say the surgery was successful even though the patient's pain level is only about 10% improved? Just because the spine is stabilized doesn't mean the patient can return to a normal functioning life and can live significantly more painlessly...
Hooray lyastra. I couldnt have said it better. Even though i have not got the fusion yet. My dr did tell me theres a 50/50 chance could get better, could get worse. Its hard to find a dr who aint a sob and only thinks its all in your head. And as you said with the surgery where they think they fixed it, i have had several epidurals and guess what the dr thought oh goodness aint i good i made her feel better, when acutally it hurt worse.
I also want to add that I have been dealing with c5/6 6/7 cervical herniations due to a car accident two years ago. That was something I really did not need to happen. But it did, then I moved to Missouri and I have to say, I have NOT been able to find a good pain doctor nor a good ortho surgeon as they don't want to touch anything dealing with a litigation. Something I would not have had to do had the other guy's insurance treated me halfway fairly, but that is another story.
I finally got an ortho surgeon in STL to see me, but I actually had to spell out that I wanted a doctor who was more interested in helping ME than whether or not this was in litigation. I flat told the nurses I talked to that if their doctor was not like that then tell me now becuase I was not and could not waste my time and energy getting there just to find out the doctor was a jerk. Believe it or not, it worked. After four calls to four different surgeons I actually found one that would see me.
Now, while my problem appeared to be solely because of litigation, the REAL and underlying problem is actually this (and this is something EVERYONE who has had back surgery needs to know): It is ALMOST impossible to find a surgeon who will even TALK to you if you have had prior back surgery. Their reasoning is that they don't want to have to fix someone else's mistake plus it make another surgery much much harder to perform. So please everyone be aware of this, especially if you have to move.
Ok enough babbling, I will shut now and just wish the best of luck to everyone dealing with this and any other issue.
I finally got an ortho surgeon in STL to see me, but I actually had to spell out that I wanted a doctor who was more interested in helping ME than whether or not this was in litigation. I flat told the nurses I talked to that if their doctor was not like that then tell me now becuase I was not and could not waste my time and energy getting there just to find out the doctor was a jerk. Believe it or not, it worked. After four calls to four different surgeons I actually found one that would see me.
Now, while my problem appeared to be solely because of litigation, the REAL and underlying problem is actually this (and this is something EVERYONE who has had back surgery needs to know): It is ALMOST impossible to find a surgeon who will even TALK to you if you have had prior back surgery. Their reasoning is that they don't want to have to fix someone else's mistake plus it make another surgery much much harder to perform. So please everyone be aware of this, especially if you have to move.
Ok enough babbling, I will shut now and just wish the best of luck to everyone dealing with this and any other issue.
I agree lyastra. I had surgery by orthapedic surgeon 8 weeks ago b/c I had severe stenosis with cord compression but to fix it I had to have a disc removed and cage placed with bone graft. i saw a neurosurgeon after orthapedic surgeon and he told me what was wrong but b/c of the area of my problem (my thoracic spine) he flat out said a neurosurgeon wouldn't ever touch me even though my main pain issues and other problems were a direct result of nerve damage, compression. the bony defects had to be removed. My back is far from great at this point but my balance is better, I don't have pain in my rectum and groin any longer, I can urinate normally ( Yeah) and the constant flank pain is gone but replaced with post surgical incisional pain and numbness. I doubt that the neurosurgeon could have fixed the vertebrae the way they needed to be. If you can find a good orthapedic neurosurgeon it would be great but they are far and few and then there is the insurance ramifications by seeking help outside your network. Good Luck. I knew going in that I would never be pain free again but the thought of walking with a walker fro the rest of my life whenI have a 9 yr old and 12 yr old at home and om only 40 yr old was not an option. I was very active prior to that and despite pain intend on getting back to that. I will have pain and I know it. It currently takes high doses of hydromorphone and hydrocodone to take pain away, I don't take it much any more b/c I think I just needed too much and just laid around, now only take when unbearable.
Sorry to say but he/she should have explained that the surgery is NOT intended to relieve pain, believe or not. It is only intended to stabilize the area and fix any problems before they get worse, pain relief is just a nice benefit if it happens. Any nerve compression pain that you had before, you may or may not have afterward, the longer the nerve is compressed the less likely it is to heal which means that pain from that nerve will keep firing. I learned all of this from my own experience with a spinal fusion done in 97 and a revision surgery due to micromovement done in 2002. I used Orthopedic Surgeons because they are the most familiar with the bony structure of the body, Neurosurgeons are primarily trained in brain and neurological symptoms (not all but most). Hence the difference in the two.
As for them being basic sob's with no empathy toward their patients, I have to say that unfortunately, the Neurosurgeons I have seen have been that way and 2 out of 3 orthopedic surgeons as well. Because they are surgeons their idea of a successful operation is completely different that ours. To them, if the surgery went smoothly, the hardware is placed well, and there were no post op complications, their job is done and they did wonderfully. They are not big on the followup care, especially pain because it is like telling them their surgery failed, so they usually pass you off. HA!, someone should introduce them to the real world. My original Ortho was fantastic, he did explain everything to me, got me into pain management PRIOR to surgery, and I have been under pain care ever since (in fact my pain management doctor was also my anesthesiologist for the first surgery).
So you see, the bottomline is that surgeons and patients live in two different worlds and since they are surgeons they don't see or empathize with their awake patients well as they have little bedside manner. It doesn't mean they are bad, just that they are surgeons.
If you are still have severe pain then you should probably try to find a good Pain Management Team. Preferable a pain doctor who is ALSO an anesthesiologist, they are the MOST familiar with pain relief than a pain doctor from ANY other specialty. I have found that pain doctors who were Rheumatologists are the WORST. They are used to dealing with inflammatory pain, and nerve pain is entirely different. I don't know how far out you are from surgery, but you should have been told NOT to take any anti-inflammatories for a certain time post surgery as it slows healing.
Of course all of what I have just said is based solely on my OWN experiences and other people may have had different outcomes than mine. Good Luck
As for them being basic sob's with no empathy toward their patients, I have to say that unfortunately, the Neurosurgeons I have seen have been that way and 2 out of 3 orthopedic surgeons as well. Because they are surgeons their idea of a successful operation is completely different that ours. To them, if the surgery went smoothly, the hardware is placed well, and there were no post op complications, their job is done and they did wonderfully. They are not big on the followup care, especially pain because it is like telling them their surgery failed, so they usually pass you off. HA!, someone should introduce them to the real world. My original Ortho was fantastic, he did explain everything to me, got me into pain management PRIOR to surgery, and I have been under pain care ever since (in fact my pain management doctor was also my anesthesiologist for the first surgery).
So you see, the bottomline is that surgeons and patients live in two different worlds and since they are surgeons they don't see or empathize with their awake patients well as they have little bedside manner. It doesn't mean they are bad, just that they are surgeons.
If you are still have severe pain then you should probably try to find a good Pain Management Team. Preferable a pain doctor who is ALSO an anesthesiologist, they are the MOST familiar with pain relief than a pain doctor from ANY other specialty. I have found that pain doctors who were Rheumatologists are the WORST. They are used to dealing with inflammatory pain, and nerve pain is entirely different. I don't know how far out you are from surgery, but you should have been told NOT to take any anti-inflammatories for a certain time post surgery as it slows healing.
Of course all of what I have just said is based solely on my OWN experiences and other people may have had different outcomes than mine. Good Luck
I went to an orthopedic first and yes, he operated immediately. Make sure you get several opinions before you have any type of surgery.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Back & Neck Community
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
Could it be something you ate? Lack of sleep? Here are 11 migraine triggers to look out for.
Find out if PRP therapy right for you.
Tips for preventing one of the most common types of knee injury.
Here are 10 ways to stop headaches before they start.
Tips and moves to ease backaches
