Fusion L3/4 & Pro disc L4/5 1 Year Anniversary!!

[Susan W]

Dear ADR members:

As I approach my 1 year anniversary, I want to apologize to the group for not posting the results of my ADR surgery before now. The forum provided me with a wealth of knowledge as to what procedures were being performed, where to go & what to do to prepare for my surgery and what to expect during ones recovery.

My story is as follows. I had back pain for almost 9 years. My discs at L3/4, L 4/5 & L5-/SI1 showed spondylolisthesis, degeneration & narrowing with some diffuse fissuring & arthritis in the facet joints at L 3/4. I also had numbness in my right leg down to my knee too. I had gone through all the conservative treatments & at the time of my surgery, I was taking 500 mg of Vicoden 4 times a day. I had been turned down by 4 surgeons in the Philadelphia area. The doctors would not or could not perform a 3 level fusion on me. I was also told that I was not an ADR candidate. One Philly doctor suggested that I consider going to Germany but that was going to be our last ditch option. Even though I was tired, in pain & frustrated I kept looking for a surgical solution in the US. In 2006, my local orthopedists put me in touch with the Texas Back Institute and Dr. Richard Guyer. He is the best!! My husband & I met with him in 2006. He apprised us of our surgical options, my prognosis which was that there was an 80% chance of a 50% reduction in my pain & that my first surgery might not be my last. Note: If you decide to contact Dr. Guyer, have your discogram performed by his radiology people. He uses a center nearby & they were just fantastic. They made what is normally considered an uncomfortable procedure more than bearable.

My discogram showed that I needed only a 2 level “fix”, so in July 2007 at age 52, I had a combo procedure (360 Fusion L3/4 without bone grafting & a Prodisc at L4/5) performed. Dr. Guyer, his surgical team & his support staff are first rate. The quality of care I received was outstanding, better than I would have received in Philadelphia. The staff took great care of my husband too. In addition the hospital was fantastic down to its restaurant style meals.

While recovery is different for everyone, mine went very well. I made sure to prep for the surgery & my recovery by working out with a trainer for 7 months several times a week. My procedure lasted 4 hours. The first night was tough since I had incisions both front & back but I had the nurses get rid of the morphine pump the first night as the medicine made me nauseous. Instead I decided to tough it out & use oral pain killers when I needed them. However, the next day, when the other tubes came out, I pulled myself up & got out of bed. I felt like Rocky at the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. My nurses got my back brace on & I began walking the hospital halls with my husband several times a day, I could sit in a chair for short periods of time & began having coffee with the nurses on the AM shift. I was back at our hotel 3 days after surgery. Dr. Guyer told my husband to take me to the mall for exercise, so we went to the local mall & at night we would walk our hotel parking lot for exercise. I was in awe at how well I felt once the back & leg pain was gone. I was standing straight for the first time in a long time & gained some height too. I was even able to go to the go to our hotels bufett breakfast every day & serve myself. I needed to rest a lot but I managed to get around. Somedays though after a shower & doing my hair I was exhausted. I needed oral pain meds for the first 2 weeks until my incisions started to heal. I had some numbness in my right thigh after the surgery for which I took Lyrica for about a month. It controlled my problem & helped with walking too.

At 1 yr. post op I still have a small patch on my right thigh that is still numb, but it does not bother me. Once I returned home, after 10 days I stopped all pain meds. I was able to drive myself to PT 2 weeks after I returned home & I went for about 2 months. I was tired for the first 6 weeks, experienced chills & sweats which were attributed to the physical withdraw from the pain meds, but by the late fall I felt great. I wore a back brace for almost 6 months. But by 1 month I was shopping in the mall, something I had not been able to do for several years. By 2 months I was walking the dog myself more than a mile each day without being tired or in pain. At 4 months I returned to the gym working with my trainer & gradually returning to the routine we did prior to my surgery with of course some limitations. I go grocery shopping now without help also. I can even wear heals now too.

Lastly, if you are one of the many people who are unable to obtain help in your geographic area & going out of the US is not an option for you I would definitely recommend that you contact Dr. Guyer at TBI. He will tell you what he can realistically do for you and what you can expect. He is also there for his patients throughout their recovery. Dr. Guyer would review my monthly X-Rays that I would send to him & call me & my husband each month to discuss them & my progress. His people will also assist you with health insurance questions & any financial concerns etc.

From all the different postings that I read on the forum the procedure that Dr. Guyer performed on me maybe viewed as conservative, but for me it has proven to be very successful. As I approach my 1 yr. anniversary I am still 100% pain free! The disks at L5/SI1 are not bothering me. Since my surgery, I have developed arthritis in my knees, hands & bursitis in my right shoulder & left hip, all things that are out of Dr. Guyer’s control. I still from time to time receive injections in my knees, hip & shoulder & oral arthritis meds help too.

But with all the other medical changes that are occurring due to age, heredity etc., I am still so glad that Dr. Guyer put Humpty Dumpty back together again the way he did. In spite of my other issues I feel awesome. I no longer use the pain meds to get through the day,I have regained my independence, and my sense of humor. The quality of my life & that of my husband has so greatly improved. So hang in there as you will feel better. There is life after back surgery, and a good one.

Susan W

[Jessica]

Hello Susan,
What an amazing story! You put in a lot of work and you should take credit for your success. You said you felt like "Rocky", I think that would be a great nickname for you.

Have you ever thought that your spine issues and arthritic issues may be related? There are some interesting studies about such relations on this discussion board.

[steelskyway]

Susan aka Rocky Balboa,

What a great success story. I have read similar posts regarding Dr. Guyer. I am glad you have been able to return to a more vibrant lifestyle.

Paul

[Harrison]

Dear Ms. Dumpty

Thanks for posting an update. Good gosh, no apology needed! Thanks for sharing your eloquent learnings! I wish you continued healing and peace of mind in the coming days!

Susan, a few simple questions: is your L5-S1 OK? E.g., how is the disc health and height? And can you update your subject line when you get a chance? This will help other new members...

[cathydownunder]

Thanks for coming back and posting a "success" story.It's good to hear you're pain free and getting on with life.
Best of luck to you.
cathy