Career Ending Operation???

ok...i just got an unusual phone call from a "salesperson".....

most times of course, i never answer my phone, that is the job of the answering machine.

anyhow, i had to listen to the recording.

the salesperson was given my number, by my neurosurgeon's office.

seems like now, i will have to wear an...."external bone stimulator", which will help my fusion.

i had said to the gal that my operation was back in July, she said, "up to" 9 months from the operation, you can start wearing this.

she said i need to wear it for about 30 minutes a day, and it "looks like" a steering wheel.

this pic here may not be the exact type/brand or model, and since i have no exact anything right now, all i have seen for prices are $90.00 up to $3,000 for one of these....

when i get this "device", only then can i look up prices.

of course, workman's comp pays for it, and i get to keep it, as they do not resell "used" medical equipment. the insurance company does not buy used equipment either..

here is a pic, of what it "might" look like....

71RoZf5UVNL._SL1500_.jpg



from what the additional pics show, the "front" is with the white box, while the back is just under that. i can see an electrical cord.....i'd wear it for the time said. i sure do hope that it ain't too hot/muggy here......

all that voltage surrounding my hot, sweaty body.......and ZAPPO..........!!!!!!!

I wore that exact one 2 times for my back surgeries
I truth fully believe that it does help the fusion process good luck to you. this is not fun. always in pain.
 
I didn't have any kind of stimulator when I had my fusion and it healed beautifully. We're all different though and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for the other.

I'd be willing to try it if I have another fusion.
 
You're back isn't anything to mess with, I know you know that. I'm suffering from being in a serious accident that left my driver husband in a medically induced coma for 6 days/on life support last Sept. My husband is now missing parts of ribs 5-12 in the lower back left side. My back hurts constantly on my left side.The wreck was a Hit & run. Nothing like waking up down an embankment after being hit. The guy ran but witnesses knew who he was and police caught him.

If I'm not mistaken you can get your SSDI along with your disability from work at same time. We're working on that now. Then you can make some money while on SSDI to make up for the $800 you're missing for the month. Right now my husband is missing $2500 a month while on his long term disability insurance and can't do ANY work.

So personal opinion I'd stop while you're ahead in a manner of speaking before you have to carry a pack that delivers pain killer 24/7. I saw a guy I went to school with doing that with his back pain.
 
You're back isn't anything to mess with, I know you know that. I'm suffering from being in a serious accident that left my driver husband in a medically induced coma for 6 days/on life support last Sept. My husband is now missing parts of ribs 5-12 in the lower back left side. My back hurts constantly on my left side.The wreck was a Hit & run. Nothing like waking up down an embankment after being hit. The guy ran but witnesses knew who he was and police caught him.

If I'm not mistaken you can get your SSDI along with your disability from work at same time. We're working on that now. Then you can make some money while on SSDI to make up for the $800 you're missing for the month. Right now my husband is missing $2500 a month while on his long term disability insurance and can't do ANY work.

So personal opinion I'd stop while you're ahead in a manner of speaking before you have to carry a pack that delivers pain killer 24/7. I saw a guy I went to school with doing that with his back pain.



I'm very sorry about your husband and I hope the very best for your family
You are absoulely correct. You can get SSDI at the same time as disability
I'm getting SSDI and work comp right now. So just wanted to let you know your correct and to wish you and your family the best.
I had 2 lower back fusions from my injury and I'm still in a lot of pain every day. Neurosurgeon said I need a 3rd but I don't want no more and I'm taking some big time pain medications and still in pain. That what you might have to look forward too. My very best to you
 
You're back isn't anything to mess with, I know you know that. I'm suffering from being in a serious accident that left my driver husband in a medically induced coma for 6 days/on life support last Sept. My husband is now missing parts of ribs 5-12 in the lower back left side. My back hurts constantly on my left side.The wreck was a Hit & run. Nothing like waking up down an embankment after being hit. The guy ran but witnesses knew who he was and police caught him.

If I'm not mistaken you can get your SSDI along with your disability from work at same time. We're working on that now. Then you can make some money while on SSDI to make up for the $800 you're missing for the month. Right now my husband is missing $2500 a month while on his long term disability insurance and can't do ANY work.

So personal opinion I'd stop while you're ahead in a manner of speaking before you have to carry a pack that delivers pain killer 24/7. I saw a guy I went to school with doing that with his back pain.

i am not on disability from any company, i am on workman's comp, and as such there are state laws that have to be dealt with, and each state has different laws.

i have been thru much of this up to now...

trust me, if i can no longer work, as a driver, then the lawyer has already spoken to me about options.
 
back x-ray update

ok, this morning i had to have follow up back x-rays.

i see the doctor's (physicians assistant) next week, and of course, i will have questions.

when at the x-ray place this morning, the tech had to move me into various positions, and just afterwards, the pain shot up to about a level 25.....

she kept apologizing, but the doctor needed certain views.

now, this pic, was from my operation back in the spring of 2001

since it is a side view, you can only "see" a top screw and bottom screw, but there are 4 in total.

x-ray_zpsf1db9a0f.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]



ok, so to be as "nearly identical" in the view, here is today's new x-ray.....

in it, you will "see" 3 screws, for an actual total of 6...

BUT, what is "strange to me", is what "looks like" metal on the bottom vertebrae, it clearly shows up in the x-ray.

one of the "many questions" i have for the P/A, when i see him next week...


backx-rayAugust182014_zps630d61d2.png
[/URL][/IMG]



this view above, is part of a "range of motion" view.....i had to "bend" backwards for that one...

earlier, i had to "bend" forwards, as in a fetal position....

yeah..right.......level 25 for pain................!!!!!!!!


it has been since 10 AM this morning, here it is now nearly 5 PM, and the pain is now down to a level 15.......

i had to take "oxy's", and i had taken 4 "oxy's", and 4 were too many to have taken......all at one time.....( do we ALL remember Kiwi Ray and his pains..????)

but........the pain is tremendous, and has been since the x-rays.......

physical therapy tomorrow morning......oh frickin joy.......
 
Do you think something came apart or was left in to have that strange looking piece show up like that?
Could it be the cage with the bone graft material resting in the disc space? Maybe it's not taking?
Let us know what it is.
 
Do you think something came apart or was left in to have that strange looking piece show up like that?
Could it be the cage with the bone graft material resting in the disc space? Maybe it's not taking?
Let us know what it is.

HHHMMMmmmmmm.....

i dunno.....

it could be a part to a '49 DeSoto........????
 
i am having problems with either the internet, or freaking google chrome...

in any event, i post pics similar to my previous operation in 2001 as i noted.

however, i do have a pic from that series, which i am on my back, and i can plainly see what looks like a "ring" of some sort.

i had shown the pics to the P/T, and she is not sure what it is, but suspects that it is a device that takes place of bone matter that would have been normally used for the fusion process to take hold.

so i will have to wait till next Tuesday to speak with the doctors P/A...

if my pc, internet or Google finally cooperates, i will post that pic later......
 
Added pic of x-ray

ok, Dockworker, and others, here is a pic of the metal piece in me, besides the screws and rods.

i had asked the physical therapist today, and she said it might be a metal implant, rather than bone.

i just did a very quick google search, and i have just seen something like a metal disk.

i do not believe this is what i have, it looks nothing like what i have, but here is a pic from the web...

Patients


now here is the front view of my "metal" as i was laying on my back, for this x-ray.

backx-ray2August182014_zps6a91f2fe.png
[/URL][/IMG]

it can be clearly seen, it is NOT the same as on that web page....but...it IS metal......
 
way back in my posting # 97, i mentioned that i was going to get an "external bone stimulator".

this device thru an electromagnetic field (??) helps the bones fuse, for a quicker recovery.

i had asked the gal (she actually works for the doctor, she is not a salesperson like i previously thought she did), how much this device costs....

she said......$2,800.

and it can only be sold once, can never be returned to be refurbished, and resold. if it breaks down, they send me another new one.

it has a "lifespan" of about 9 months. so IF i need to continue this process past 9 months, the doctor orders up a new one, and workman's comp gets to pay for another. (i can never sell it on ebay, as it will not work past the 9th month)

it comes with several 9 volt batteries, and the carrying case.

here is a link to the company, and the device, which as the gal did tell me....."it looks like a steering wheel"...!!!!:TR10driving03:

CMF SpinaLogic | DJO Global


click onto the "meter" to see the video (near the bottom of the page)
 
been using this, (new to me tech) new medical marvel called an external bone stimulator, and i hope it is doing it's job.

looks stupid as it is, glad i only wear it in da house.

can't feel a thing as it's working..... magnetic waves or whatever..... i still have pain in the back as well.

i tried wearing it while i was watching tv last night, but having a "steering wheel" poking me in the back, made that impossible.

funny too, or ironic, that i was watching a tv show, on how they build certain cars, like the Bugatti Veyron...????

here i was watching a tv show, about a car that costs over 3 MILLION dollars and all "leathered out", with probably a steering wheel that cost maybe all of a hundred thousand dollars (just sayin") , and i got me a $2800 dollar "steering wheel" nearly in my ass......

that just ain't right.....lol.....
 
Sorry to hear your healing progress is on the slow side.
I don't remember half the conversations on this thread, so if I ask the same question I apologize.

How long do you have to wear the bone stimulator? <--That just sounded so nasty.
How will they know if it is working? X-rays, MRI's taken?
What if it didn't work as expected?

Did you have a posterior or anterior fusion?
What kinds of pain are you feeling? Healing pains or "It's not working" pains?
...again....I don't remember if I've asked these questions.
 
Sorry to hear your healing progress is on the slow side.
I don't remember half the conversations on this thread, so if I ask the same question I apologize.

that's ok, many times i forget my name, address, banking records and underwear.

How long do you have to wear the bone stimulator? <--That just sounded so nasty.
How will they know if it is working? X-rays, MRI's taken?
What if it didn't work as expected?

yeah..."bone stimulator"......where can i go with that one, right.>??

how long to wear..??

30 minutes, once per day, 7 days a week, up to 9 months, and if no progress to the back is made, i get another bone stimulator as this will will stop working after the 9 months, at a cost to the insurance company of yet another $2,800.......

x-rays will "track" the bone fusion process, speed of it, or lack of usefulness of this gizmo. (it has by the way a counter as to how many times i use it, so for the 9 months, i think that comes to 270 times.....but i see the doctor, Thanksgiving Eve, so the counter should be nearly up to what ever number he thinks is close to that date.)

Did you have a posterior or anterior fusion?

i had to look up the meaning of each, and from only what i have read...posterior....

What kinds of pain are you feeling? Healing pains or "It's not working" pains?
...again....I don't remember if I've asked these questions.

pain(s) are at a level 5 on the "scale of 0 to 10"...a constant 5-ish, some days 6, some days 4-ish.

maybe healing pains, as i was told that holes had to be drilled into the bones (duh, i already knew that), maybe from other sources like the location of the flex point of the last disk...???? i only have one disk, left, and that is the S-1..????

maybe too much pressure now on that disk..???...i cannot stand, walk or sit for long periods of time, say longer than 15 minutes..?? the pain level drops, when i am laying flat on my back.

the doctor's P/A had said to me when i was there last week, that the pain of the operation releases pressure on the nerves that were pinched, and you feel good, then you go down a scale into pain as you heal, then you climb out, then you go back down again, like you are riding a wave. in time he said, it all goes away....but i still cannot bend or twist, as a driver, how many jobs where you do not do both, at some point in time during your shift..???

but again, compared to my last operation back in 2001, this is all different as far as the pain goes.

so to me, i feel/think that this operation just isn't working out, the immediate pain from the pinched nerve has gone away, but i am still getting pains at the L4-5 removal, down my leg, into my foot. maybe the hardware is pushing the muscle into the nerve.>??? (let's not forget, i have 3 vertebrae fused or bolted/screwed together now, L3-4-5..see the x-ray pic i included) (postings 106 and 111)

i just do not know, as i type this, the pain is shooting in my back, down to my thigh.
 
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x-rays will "track" the bone fusion process, speed of it, or lack of usefulness of this gizmo. (it has by the way a counter as to how many times i use it, so for the 9 months, i think that comes to 270 times.....but i see the doctor, Thanksgiving Eve, so the counter should be nearly up to what ever number he thinks is close to that date.)

Sounds like they have that gizmo in check along with tracking your actual usage.



i had to look up the meaning of each, and from only what i have read...posterior....

Probably the easiest and safest way to get at the other older hardware while they were at it.



pain(s) are at a level 5 on the "scale of 0 to 10"...a constant 5-ish, some days 6, some days 4-ish.

maybe healing pains, as i was told that holes had to be drilled into the bones (duh, i already knew that), maybe from other sources like the location of the flex point of the last disk...???? i only have one disk, left, and that is the S-1..????

maybe too much pressure now on that disk..???...i cannot stand, walk or sit for long periods of time, say longer than 15 minutes..?? the pain level drops, when i am laying flat on my back.

IMO 5-6 pain level is not that bad considering you had major surgery done to your spine and the short amount of time since that surgery. I would think 7-10 would be cause for alarm at this point. Is this while you are on your meds or off your meds? Staying on top of your medication intake and never letting it take you back into pain territory is key to beating the 'extreme 'pain factor. Most use a timer set at 4-5 hours at a time and gradually lengthen the time as they start to manage the pain better.

Gravity sucks for anyone with a spine surgery. It does make you feel like everything is being pulled apart. Too bad we all can't work while laying down. Again I'm going to say it's still too early in being able to sit, stand, bend, twist or walk for any longer than 5 minutes. Do you pad your sitting area along with the lumbar area? Do you use a walker? So you use nice walking or running shoes that help support your heels and any stress to the back back?

so to me, i feel/think that this operation just isn't working out, the immediate pain from the pinched nerve has gone away, but i am still getting pains at the L4-5 removal, down my leg, into my foot. maybe the hardware is pushing the muscle into the nerve.>??? (let's not forget, i have 3 vertebrae fused or bolted/screwed together now, L3-4-5..see the x-ray pic i included) (postings 106 and 111)

i just do not know, as i type this, the pain is shooting in my back, down to my thigh.


A rollercoaster ride of healing is not fun. It can play havoc with ones emotions. As long as your doctor is totally open and honest with your healing and you expect the ups and downs and the fact that the older you get the longer it takes to heal, than you will stay positive.

I wonder if they also went in through the same incision and got bone graft from your hip. (To eliminate a secondary surgical procedure)
Did they go the cadaver route to harvest some?
It might be too early to tell if anything is working, especially if the graft is working unless they spring for an MRI, x-ray. That's why they encourage people to start walking, no matter how far, to help get things stimulated and moving rather than sitting stagnant in a chair.
The outside morning sun is supposed to provide us with some Vitamin D which feels great on a body.

It's okay to read those spine forums but stay away from them and take each persons journey with a grain of salt. It's so easy to get consumed into the stories and start feeling negative about your own healing process.

Hopefully you continue to manage the pain by staying on top of your meds, getting outside and walk, soak up the sun, continue the home physical therapy you might have received, cheer up and stay positive. Let your doctor determine if it's a success or not while you ride that rollercoaster.

I think I've become a Chatty Cathy to you.
 
i just do not know, as i type this, the pain is shooting in my back, down to my thigh.

Sounds like you have some healing going on. Stay on your meds and don't let the pain bring you down.
Obviously if it gets worse than seek medical attention.
 
Sounds like they have that gizmo in check along with tracking your actual usage.

i'll either have to take it to my next appointment, or i will be told to write down the numbers, to be checked by the doctor...

Probably the easiest and safest way to get at the other older hardware while they were at it.
first operation was from the posterior as well.

IMO 5-6 pain level is not that bad considering you had major surgery done to your spine and the short amount of time since that surgery. I would think 7-10 would be cause for alarm at this point. Is this while you are on your meds or off your meds?
i never really know how to "measure pain", when asked by the doc or nurse, or therapist, i say, "i'm in pain", so i have to pick a number. 5-6 is painful to me, others may find 6 or higher more so.

Gravity sucks for anyone with a spine surgery. It does make you feel like everything is being pulled apart. Too bad we all can't work while laying down.
well...hookers work laying down, guess they are in a minority..????

Again I'm going to say it's still too early in being able to sit, stand, bend, twist or walk for any longer than 5 minutes.

outside Saturday in the garden, i was "pointing" to sis as to which to pick. i didn't even bend, but 10 minutes in the garden, felt like 1,000 hours.

Do you pad your sitting area along with the lumbar area?
very uncomfortable to pad the lumbar, the pillow that i had i thought was perfect, but that too pushed against the hardware causing more pains.

Do you use a walker?
a cane, but was told by one of the p/t's, i was using it more like a crutch..??

if i do not use it, i am all bent outta shape, and cannot walk standing erect. so for a while now, i haven't been using it, to force me to stand straight, but.........most of the times, i walk like the hunchback of Notre Dame

So you use nice walking or running shoes that help support your heels and any stress to the back back?
100% of my shoes are running shoes, no stress relief.


A rollercoaster ride of healing is not fun. It can play havoc with ones emotions. As long as your doctor is totally open and honest with your healing and you expect the ups and downs and the fact that the older you get the longer it takes to heal, than you will stay positive.
i haven;t spoken to the doctor since 2 days after my operation, i have only spoken to his p/a, the "emotional ride" is like when i was doing long haul.....it got tiring after the first 2 weeks....restlessness, insomnia, loss of appetite, loss of get up and go, loss of good ole gumption.

I wonder if they also went in through the same incision and got bone graft from your hip. (To eliminate a secondary surgical procedure)
Did they go the cadaver route to harvest some?

probably through the same opening. first operation, the doctor went to "the bone bank", that i am aware of. i actually forget to ask the p/a where the donor bone came from....(as long as the bone didn't come from someone named Wilson or Brown, i am ok with that)


It might be too early to tell if anything is working, especially if the graft is working unless they spring for an MRI, x-ray. That's why they encourage people to start walking, no matter how far, to help get things stimulated and moving rather than sitting stagnant in a chair.
The outside morning sun is supposed to provide us with some Vitamin D which feels great on a body
i have to take caltrate, i walk a little bit every day, in the house, sometimes going outside, which requires me to climb/descend stairs. x-rays were taken just before my recent visit, and more before my next.

It's okay to read those spine forums but stay away from them and take each persons journey with a grain of salt. It's so easy to get consumed into the stories and start feeling negative about your own healing process

i went to the one that you linked me too, browsed around, left, never returned.
.

Hopefully you continue to manage the pain by staying on top of your meds, getting outside and walk, soak up the sun, continue the home physical therapy you might have received, cheer up and stay positive. Let your doctor determine if it's a success or not while you ride that rollercoaster.
on/off as far as the meds go...loss of appetite, constipation, or diarrhea, insomnia, restlessness, make me not want to take them, but then the pain shoots up higher....

"cheer up and stay positive"..????

i'm so frickin' positive i ain't as cheery as i should be.....hell.......i saw the neighbors kid leave her toy doll outside, i went over and ripped the head off....

I think I've become a Chatty Cathy to you.

as long as you "shaved your legs for this", and like being called Cathy, i don't mind.....

it's Big Dave i actually worry about.....



something else, Dockworker...

this thread of mine has just over 3,600 views.

i do not believe it is out of concern for me so much as it is for the inquisitive nature as to what's happening, and maybe perhaps gathering information. if one person reading these posts can learn what to watch out for when working, when to report dangerous or harmful working conditions, when to start a "paper trail", how to follow it through all the way, how quickly one should get a lawyer, and how much a person should PUSH for things to get done, for a quick recovery, then all those (over) 3,600 views was well worth me opening up and telling it all.
 
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It's interesting to pick your brain and see how you are coping with things. I'm sure there are many others that have had surgical procedures that follow your thread.

Although cumbersome but very light, I think a 'walker' provides equal balance and better stabilization than a cane can give at this point in your healing. Especially if you get an unexpected muscle spasm, you'll be able to control yourself rather than fall to the ground. I say ditch it for now so you don't walk all hunched over like you're from Notre Dame.

I know it's a cliche but it totally works....Cheer Up and keep staying positive and keep cheering yo and staying positive. Don't let things you can't control get in the way of your healing process. Ripping kids doll heads off is borderline psycho.....actually it might be considered stress relief.
 
It's interesting to pick your brain and see how you are coping with things. I'm sure there are many others that have had surgical procedures that follow your thread.

Although cumbersome but very light, I think a 'walker' provides equal balance and better stabilization than a cane can give at this point in your healing. Especially if you get an unexpected muscle spasm, you'll be able to control yourself rather than fall to the ground. I say ditch it for now so you don't walk all hunched over like you're from Notre Dame.

the cane was given to me by the first p/t at Concentra. even after the operation no mention of giving me a walker.

I know it's a cliche but it totally works....Cheer Up and keep staying positive and keep cheering yo and staying positive. Don't let things you can't control get in the way of your healing process. Ripping kids doll heads off is borderline psycho.....actually it might be considered stress relief.

LOL......it was supposed to be taken as a joke, the doll's head.....i should have did this(j/k)......just as i mentioned "as long as you shaved your leg's"........then i mentioned about worrying about Big Dave....all jokingly said......

i thought my black humor was understood....
 
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