ADRSupport Community  

Go Back   ADRSupport Community > General Discussion > New Member Introductions

New Member Introductions If you just joined, please introduce yourself here. Please add a signature describing your spinal history (use the "User CP) and ask us how we can help you get started.


Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 03-25-2007, 08:55 AM
Ginny Ginny is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 6
Default

Hi y'all. I need your help. This will be a long message. My husband, John, has a bad back. It was a WC injury in '99, herniated disc. After predisone, P.T., etc, the doc wanted to do surg & heat up the herniated disc (making something like a candy coating on an M&M) to fix it. I'm a nurse, so I asked around. Ended up getting a lawyer & switching to a brilliant neurosurgeon. John had an MRI, Myleogram/CT scan with spinal leak and blood patch fix. Then he got a lumbar laminectomy, a spinal decompression, and a discectomy (John says it was a "partial") back in '00. Its at L4-L5 or/and S1-L5 depending on whether you ask him or me. His pain level did decrease for a time, but he has been deteriorating. SSD turned him down 3 times, the judge keeps basing his decision on the first docs's notes (he was a quack). In '04, I heard about an ADR trial in TX and asked his neurosurgeon if he could be a candidate. "No" was the response, with no real reasoning. John's pain specialist has him on alot of meds & he says he feels like he's 80 years old, instead of 39 now. He fights depression due to his back & he gets rather grouchy. He's also been labeled with DDD and arthritis. I believe I heard Stenosis mentioned. He's also got high blood pressure & high cholesterol. He goes into hibernation during the winter because he's too stiff to move much. He eats one meal a day and this past year dropped 25 pounds and was approaching an anorexic state. His weight has come up some now, by he's still a 6 foot 5 inch string bean. He's been existing on pain meds and caudal epidural injections for the past few years. We also asked about fusion in the past & was told he had a 33% chance of getting better, having no change, or getting worse. His pain specialist recently recommended the Advanced Bionics electrical implant. He did the trial, the results were good for ONE day, but John was sold on it. Turns out the neurosurgeon will have to put it in, however, he wants to use a different/larger implant and place it at his back and remove more bone to put it there. This surgeon is now chief of neurosurgery at the hospital and did the 7 minute visit AS REQUIRED for insurance payment. (Do you think he sold out?) I am absolutely opposed to an implant positioned on his back; I've seen a bedsore on a semi-bedridden patient with a bad back with it and the infected bedsore went all the way down to the "wires". The patient ended up dying. So, I want something that will FIX John. Does he sound like a possible candidate to y'all for ADR? He's never had a bone density test or a discogram. To my knowledge, it's never been mentioned to him before. In the past couple of years the stress of this has really gotten to me personally. I have nurse burnout and what's commonly called "caregiver role strain" and my back is starting to "go out" too now. There'd be no way to pay the mortgage if we both have bad backs. I've learned that heat works good on the muscles in my back and an ice pack on my bottom & posterior thigh help with the sciatica. So any advise y'all can give me would be great! I've felt like vomiting in disgust at the healthcare system, crying/screaming in frustration and defeat at failing my spouse,and wanting to hide under the bed with the dog until it all goes away. John also admitted to me after an E.R. visit last month (his fentanyl patch malfunctioned --- it was either dumping on him or he was going through withdrawal) that the hospital is trying to sue us now because WC hasn't paid the bills lately. His current meds include:
Multivitamin, Zantac, Cymbalta, Meloxicam/Mobic, Zyrtec, Pericolace, Hydrochlorothiazide, Simvastatin, and 75 mcg Fentanyl patch every other day.
Backs are not my area. Any advise is greatly appreciated.
-Ginny
__________________
The Husband: age 39,WC, hern. disks L4-L5/L5-S1 '99, PT, lumbar lam, disectomy, & spinal decompression in '00, PT/Tens postop, MANY Caudal injects, MEDS includ. Fentanyl 75mcg patch every 2 days, DDD & Artritisis
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-25-2007, 09:56 PM
desert brat desert brat is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 8
Default

Hey Lady,
I.m not much in the way of help cept I REALLY understand burnout & also I am on the other end of things as I've had L3 to S1 fused & have been told now I need C5-6 & 6-7 done but I am loking into the adr for that but my surgeon that did my back says it's not fda approved for the neck & my Ins won't pay but I have red & heard it can be don & has right here in the USA! Sorry got off the path I just wanted to say keep looking into the situation & ASK ?? don't go with the first couple of answers this site seems to have alot of knowledgleable people & that care & have experinced the back problem so to speak. I Pray that the GOOD LORD will BLESS & KEEP YOU BOTH Jackie
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03-26-2007, 04:11 PM
Ginny Ginny is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 6
Default

Hey Jackie,

Thanks for replying. I needed to vent & needed some encouragement. I wrote another post here, where it went in cyberspace, I don't know. Now the computer is trying to "block" this & that.

Today's been a good day. The husband is "vertical" as he calls it. It's a bad day when he's "horizontal". That's how he answers people when they ask "how ya doin'?" "Oh, I'm vertical today. Come on over."

The birds are chirping...

Know of any ADR surgeons in VA?

It's kinda like, "Got milk?" "Got surgeon with ADR experience?"

-ginny
__________________
The Husband: age 39,WC, hern. disks L4-L5/L5-S1 '99, PT, lumbar lam, disectomy, & spinal decompression in '00, PT/Tens postop, MANY Caudal injects, MEDS includ. Fentanyl 75mcg patch every 2 days, DDD & Artritisis
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Hiding Harrison Harrison The Big File 12 04-15-2005 10:19 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:34 AM.


© Copyright 2006-2023 ADRSupport.org All rights reserved.