| Author | Message | ||
     Panshovevo |
Curious as to how many there are out there still riding a Buell, particularly an 1125R, with L4-5 and L5-S1 fused? My back's been bad for years, but recently got much worse, and it's time to do something internal. I'm leaning strongly toward the 2 level fusion mentioned above, but would love to hear from anyone who's had it done and is still riding a sport bike. | ||
| Froggy |
I think you will get a better response in the Quick Board, as it has a larger audience | ||
| 1eyert |
As an OR RN of 29 years let me offer my opinion. Be very careful with surgeon selection,is he board certified, how many fusions has he done, complication rate, neuro or ortho trained? Also, know that many fusions eventually break down above and/or below the levels fused. A lot depends on your physical therapy, strength and conditioning. Your weight loss issues, core strength etc will help determine your prognosis. Art | ||
| Dannybuell |
1eyert made a very interesting point that brought up a decades old memory... I remember being on a 40' sailboat on the Columbia River. my first sailboat ride... The Captain was a very prominent neurosurgeon, my friend was an associate of his. At breakfast we were all going over the finer points of sailing that I needed to understand. As we were motoring out of the marina seated near the ships wheel, the Captain-Dr. shared the fact that he had made $20,000 the day before because the patient wouldn't stick to their physical therapy... this may or may not make sense in your case but it left a real impression on me... Merry Christmas and Good Luck! | ||
| Panshovevo |
Thanks guys, and a belated Merry Christmas to you. He trained in orthopedics, but has done extensive neuro fellowships and scoliosis fellowships with the best there was. I am told he does around 300 fusions a year, predominately major scoliosis correction fusions that can run 10-20 hours long. His vacations are to third world countries to do corrective surgeries for people who would never have had a chance otherwise. The wife found him in an extensive search looking for the best in the country for her pending major corrective fusion. Initially he was about 3rd on the list, but we met with him first, as he had an office in Florida at the time. He spent a long time providing detailed answers to every one of the long list of questions she had prepared, and by the end of the appointment, she felt she didn't need to look any further. Her spine has stabilized for now, so she has chosen to put off the major fusion, and this surgeon has done a three level laminectomy (sp?) to relieve her leg pain. He has been keeping an eye on my situation for several years, and told me that when the pain reached the point where I knew it was time for surgery, he would do it. It's time. Traveling to Texas is a PITA, but the local options are either cut-happy with less than stellar reputations, or overly cautious with good reputations. I tried to find someone local when the latest disc blew out, but got totally frustrated. It's next to impossible to see the better local surgeons. You have to run the gauntlet of N/Prs, and PAs, then maybe they'll let you see the surgeon. If you do, maybe they'll agree to do your surgery, but won't necessarily be comfortable doing everything that needs to be done (although it's not at all easy to get them to admit the latter..., they're much more likely to tell you it's not needed...one finally admitted it after I pressed him on it). This surgeon called the wife the day after Thanksgiving in response to an email she had sent to his surgical coordinator with a question about a part of a proposed procedure by a local guy. He didn't like the procedure, and told her to send my latest MRI, and within a week, his coordinator had called back with some proposed surgical dates. This is the one surgeon I have met that I have complete confidence in. The fact that he's a nice guy who takes an interest in even (relatively) small surgeries, and would go out of his way to call on a holiday weekend to answer a question is icing on the cake, as far as I'm concerned. (Message edited by Panshovevo on December 26, 2015) | ||
| Panshovevo |
To give an example of the local offerings, a little over a year ago I was having similar symptoms (but not as bad) as I'm having now, on the left side of my low back. (Current issues are on the right side, extend down the leg into the foot, and are extreme without meds and epidural injections). My GP sent me to the office of the surgeon he has seen the best results from in his years in the area. I had to see a PA first. Then, I got to see another surgeon in the office, mainly because one of my complaints was bladder related. He decided my MRI didn't look that bad, and my pain and other symptoms must be coming from my hip(s). He also stated when questioned that none of the bladder nerves exited the spine at the two levels that the MRI showed to be damaged/deteriorated. (The urologist I saw later strongly disagreed, but found other problems regardless). He ordered a pelvic MRI, which showed nothing but very minor early arthritic changes... A total waste of my time and insurance company's money. Careful chiropractic treatment (not the back-cracker type) and massage got me through that episode, although it never completely resolved. It's a long and involved story... |
