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Steven Hefferon
Jan 22, 2008 - 6:54AM
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If you have has a failed back surgery please tell us about it.
What were you diagnosed with?
What type of lifestyle did your live, meaning were you athletic or sit at a desk type of person?
Did you get any relief for any amount of time if so how long?
Tell us what you were thinking and feeling when you told that surgery was your only option?
Tell us about your recovery, what treatments did you get?
What treatment helped you the most in your recovery?
Did any one at any time tell you about muscle imbalances and postural dysfunctions as being an important part of your long term success?
What would you tell someone thinking of having surgery today about going through with it…
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tim
Jan 27, 2008 - 11:27AM
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Re: If you have has a failed back surgery please tell us about it.
yep i suffer with a failed low back interbody fusion from L3-4 to S1 this was done in april of 1990 18 + years ago ,while at work i slipped on a board and felt a pop in my low back i had never before had any trouble with my back none at all i was a general laborer all my life i have worked on farms , throwing hay bales , i have worked in many hand set and automatic saw mills , i am not the strongest man on earth i worked for many years doing roofing lifting bundles of shingles 80 pounds per bundle and thought nothing of carrying them up a fourty foot wooden ladder to the roof ,and nailing them on one at a time could do 100 square feet a week alone by my self ,the came the saw mill job and the loudest pop i ever felt my left leg went numb , the next day i couldnt get out of bed went to an ER and was told after x -ray to see a ortopedic dr for it , i went he ordered a mri and then told me thaty i had a (herniated disc at 3-4) and bulging disc at S-1 ,i had physical therapy for over a year with little to no improvement , i was told then i needed a laminectomy , ok that was done in April of 1991 and no comfort still very sore and no stability it would click and id be in bed for a time so the dr now decides to operate again the fusion from L34 to S-1 using bone harvested from my left hip area and implanted into my spine that i was told had good callous cloud forming and was doing well. i had a bone growth stimulator put in place around my body and to wear as much as i could tolerate , for a year i had to endure a lot of physical therapy, stair climber, tread mill and rowing excersizes ,in all the very thought of going to PT had me trembling, as i thought it was way to much , and i started drinking due to the pain i had 24/7 i became an alcoholic of sorts drinking a quart of black velvet wiskey each day plus the pain meds from the dr. this went on and on till 1995 i was told by dr. the fusion had failed and is documented as such , i was told to apply for social security disability that year and that id never return to work at that level ever again ,i applied and was turned down then i re-applied and at bottom of aplication i put in my own hand see ya in court if denied , i then recieved ssdi dateing back to when i got hurt in 1990 in all about 13,000 so i put a down payment on a house and then settled my workers comp case and put more on my home should have kept it all for future medical payments but at the time was thinking of my self and with an alcoholic brain i did what made me feel good, and at least had a place to live with no rent.. other than taxes.. ,the dr informed me that that he had pretty much given up trying to help me as every thing he did wasnt working so in 1997 he sent me to a pain clinic where they injected my low back with steroids and wow (relief at last i thought) , they put me on meds that not many if any drs would write the (rx) for due to the DEA regulations and the state of new york, wanting documentation in 3 days. well several drs i went to wrote them but quite after they were fined big time by the state for not sending in the documentation needed to the DEA so (each one of three drs said find someone else to write those rx) for you i could not ,so i have to go 75 miles out of my way to get the meds that work for me and keep my severe pain in check,, for the most part... at times i have flareups from over doing it, and its back to pain center for more steroid shots those people know i suffer and have gone the extra mile themselves to give me a comfortable life in general . at last MRI feb 13 2006 showed 5 bulging discs the worst one is at T-11-12 it is now causeing me a great deal of pain in both shoulders and i will be going for a steroid shot at this new level soon. my failed surgery at L3-4 to S1 is/has turned to cartledge just like whats in your nose ,and doesnt relly have any support or strength to it..i suffer all the time,, from the pain that radiates down my left leg into my foot with numb toes and tingling from the knee down into the left foot , my right leg is also affected when i sit down ,sitting is painfull more so than standing or walking, but pain causes me to just wanna give up ,now theres that new dxr 9000 and im told not to try it! due to failed surgey 1990 i am now forced to live on just 464.00 a month SSDI and it isnt a fair way to go thru life. oweing medical bills. they have tried to freeze my bank account more than once, but cant its social security alone i have given up on all of the health care industry they can replace a heart but not fix a back (we do live in the dark ages of back care) if you hurt yourself your done for life i am nothing now.they cant help me now(or just wont) its all a waiting game till im dead, the dr who is at the top of his class is called dr ,and the guy who gets the lowest score in collage is also called dr ,those who fail out right ,become dentists! care to disagree? , i think not , and please dont even try to sell me something. as i have no money, no back, and of coarse no life ,.i would even sign up for experimental surgeries to help or so drs get an idea of how to help others, id ginnea pig for them. i cant be much worse off than i am today. have a good day or at least a better one than me!!! Steve if you have any questions feel free to email or notify me. i can help people who are in the same boat, but however id allways say operating is the last choice! sometimes the outcome sucks as it has for me for over 18 years now Tim from ny
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Paul
Jan 30, 2008 - 10:08PM
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Re: If you have has a failed back surgery please tell us about it.
I had back surgery in 1988 after 3 years of excrutiating pain in my right calf and low back. I had gone to 21 doctors and was prepared to put a bullet in my head if it did not heal. I did not understand. i was 21 and had about 5% bodyfat and in great shape. I went up for an interception and felt a pop in my buttocks. Anyways after the 21st doctor he saw a shadow on the MRI....I had plenty that were normal.....EMG's....myleograms......nerve blocks....steroids....nothing worked.....They operated and took out a synovial cyst that was anterior and was against my sciatic nerve. After the surgery the nerve took 18 months to heal and after reading Dr. Sarno I resumed my life mostly pain free. I lifted weights and was fine. About 3 years ago i was removing stumps and felt the pop and the leg pain returned. This time the MRI was negative again. Last year I found a CHEK practioner who identified a muscle imbalance and although i was what most people would consider strong I had zero transverse abdominis strength. I could bench press 400 pounds but had zero core strength. After much work I am pain free 5 days and 2 days I get the pain. I am working on my multifidus and TA mostly as I have found those help me the most. I had almost given up hope and I get so ****ed depressed when it returns. I can only imagine what that poor guy is going through. I hope you find some answers. It is hell to have sciatic pain. I always had pain...never numbness......
Now I feel the pain in my psoas first and groing then my gluteus medius/minimus get invloved and it goes from there. i then try to massage the trigger points and that is what works for me.
I bought your package (twice). The first time it did not bring relief, however this time it is working along with my other multifidus excercises and learning how to breath through my diaphragm and not my chest. Once i learned that i knew how to activate the TA and it has been getting better since.
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Steven Hefferon
Feb 1, 2008 - 8:51AM
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Re: If you have has a failed back surgery please tell us about it.
Please if you have a story that can help others please post it, it does not have to be as long as the others just enough to get your point across...
Steve
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DeeDee
Feb 5, 2008 - 2:45PM
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Re: If you have has a failed back surgery please tell us about it.
I had lower back surgery in 2006 for spinal stenosis & spurs, I was up & about in about 15 minutes after my surgery ,was walking around ,it felt great to be able to walk again without pain & without a limp ,but it was short lived ,about 2 weeks after I came home the groin pain started up again ,back pain started all over again , no more back surgeries if I can avoid it.seems you have the first one it leads to more.grrrrrrrrr.
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Dave Hutchieson
Feb 5, 2008 - 3:05PM
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Re: If you have has a failed back surgery please tell us about it.
Dee Dee
Groin pain can sometimes be an indication of sacro-iliac joint pain.
Please visit a good specialist in this area [ might rquire a lot of phoning and internet work ] to have this confirmed or eliminated as a cause.
You can also try a good chiropractor to assess you via x-rays.
Dave
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mickey
Mar 10, 2008 - 3:58AM
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Re: If you have has a failed back surgery please tell us about it.
I had spinal fusion L5-S1 in 91,greatful they prevented situation from increasing stop disc slipping further,at the time i was only 19yrs and told by top surgeon if i didnt go through with opp condition will be beyond repair as time goes by,i would increase the chance of NOT being able to have kids in future,and possibility of ending up in a wheel chair,At the time i was manager of a video store and expireanced constant pain left lower back i thought would heal over time on its own,after putting that together with uneven hips decided to get further med advice,resulting in 91 opp spinal fusion.only to discover after aprox 6mths recoperating time and slowly regaining mobility (= to pre opp) same pain in same spot returned increased over the years and spred to sciatic nerve now living with constant cronic pain from lower back down lft side to toes,hesitant to take painkillers and other meds due to unable to function normaly and side effect of long term use.pleased to say i now have a 9yr old daughter no problem during labor-carrying unable to have epidural due to spinal condition epi wasnt needed luckly 4 me,the one thing i want others to realise is THE ROD AND SCREWS IN BACK(spinal fusion) MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO GET CLEAR SCANS even with todays tecnology,important to remember for the chance like so many others and myself that you have reoccuring or ongoing pain and require further treatment etc.also TAKE NOTE: DUE TO FUSION UNABLE TO UNDERGO MOST IF NOT ALL PAIN RELIEF PROGRAMS OR ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS WICH MAY HAVE BEEN HELPFUL WITHOUT FIXED FUSION SURGERY BEING LAST OPTION.Social security also refused my case for a couple of years i was forced to live with parrents due to finacial dependancy ,until doctors constantly stating PERMINATE DISABILITY.i now get the dsp,even commonwealth rehab turned me away after seeing x-rays scanes informing me they wouldn`t be unable to help with future emplopyment,so i educated myself by doing courses etc then i came across a employment agency that caters for people with disabilitys helped to get me out the house and socialise and not feel absolutly wothless and depressed as in the past,thou because my conition is physical not mental the work is booorrring.and at $2.oo an hr not worth the pain sufferd afterwards.so after 4yrs of working their i now am only able to volenteer at daughters school canteen part time....
