Second Back Surgery in Less Than 1 Month

huskerpunk · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:01 pm

Well, I just got back from another MRI after I thought I reherniated my discs over the weekend. I was right... they actually are worse than before my initial surgery (two-level microdiscectomy @ L4/L5 & L5/S1).

I now am scheduled for a two-level PLIF (posterior lumbar interbody fusion) on Wednesday, July 22. This surgery takes about 4-5 hours and will require a 3-5 day stay in the hospital. My lower back will have some hardware added this time for stability. I will have to wear a back brace for three months, can't lift anything or do anything too physical for about 6 months (to allow the bone to fuse). I'll have to stay home from work for at least 4 weeks (I've been off work since 7/1 already). When I get back to work, I'll have to avoid most everything except desk work (which is appoximately 75% of my job anyway).

My round of steriods (which has completely saved me since Saturday) runs out on Thursday and my neurosurgeon will not give me another round of them, so I have to survive over the weekend and until next Wednesday just on painkillers.

I was looking into Artificial Disc Replacement as an alternative, but it is not covered at all by my insurance company and I don't have the convenience of time to fight my insurance company due to the extreme pain and inability to travel to Texas (the closest location where they can do the surgery). So, sorry Bob, but I won't get to visit you again (for now, at least... maybe someday when I'm healthier again... ;-)

).

This will now be my fourth spinal surgery since September 2004.

Thanks to everyone who's been following my story since April/May... and thanks for the thoughts, prayers, and good vibes. Please continue to send them my way!!!

timmyjoe42 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:04 pm

At least you'll be able to post on the board more.

PopTodd · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:10 pm

Ouch.
Sorry that you gotta go through all of this. Even the good drugs don't really make up for it all.

Hope you get through this one all right, and that it does the trick for you.

wenchlette · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:41 pm

Continued best of luck wishes, Husker!

DumpJack · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:44 pm

Jesus, after reading this saga I need to double my efforts to lift with my legs from now on.

Best of luck, man.

FT · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:15 pm

Though it's an extremely unpleasant way to accomplish this, take solace in the fact that you won't have to do anything around the house for six months. It's like the husband/father's version of worker's comp. The missus will wait on you hand and foot.

But seriously, I really hate that you're having to go through all this, Scott. I'd much rather it was BeeOK.

billy g · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:41 pm **Posts:** 9020

FT Wrote:

But seriously, I really hate that you're having to go through all this, Scott. I'd much rather it was BeeOK.

I hope I'm not encouraging you but this was damn funny. I hope Scott's back didn't hurt too much if he chuckled too.

Sorry to hear Scott. Hope this next surgery fixes things.

saint · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:28 pm **Posts:** 4271

i'm so sorry to hear about this. i will keeping you in my thoughts and hoping for the most positive of outcomes.

FT · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:37 pm

billy g Wrote:

FT Wrote:

But seriously, I really hate that you're having to go through all this, Scott. I'd much rather it was BeeOK.

I hope I'm not encouraging you but this was damn funny.

I clear the fence every couple of years or so.

discostu · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:44 pm

How did you reherniate?

huskerpunk · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:52 pm

discostu Wrote:

How did you reherniate?

I sat up in bed to work on my laptop (a position I had already been in during the days before), so it's really just a case of a really bad disc that needs to be removed, I guess.

discostu · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:55 pm

Man, that's just shitty. Best of luck.

saint · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:28 pm **Posts:** 4271

Good grief, it's a miracle humans evolved to intelligence while dealing with the crappy anatomy of the spine.

huskerpunk · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2009 7:34 pm

FT Wrote:

Though it's an extremely unpleasant way to accomplish this, take solace in the fact that you won't have to do anything around the house for six months. It's like the husband/father's version of worker's comp. The missus will wait on you hand and foot.

But seriously, I really hate that you're having to go through all this, Scott. I'd much rather it was BeeOK.

You obviously don't know my wife... ;-)

And kudos on making me laugh with the second part of the post, although it did actually cause a shooting pain down my leg at the time.

Elvis Fu · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2009 7:43 pm

Have you tried Nerf? That shit is amazing.

e-stone · **Posted:** Tue Jul 14, 2009 8:18 pm

man, i hereby promise to never bitch about my back problems again. good luck with all this....

huskerpunk · **Posted:** Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:11 pm

My corticosteroids are wearing off, and I'm really missing them!!!

Wednesday can't come soon enough...

OPA! · **Posted:** Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:24 pm

Ugh, I'm sorry to hear this, Scott.

huskerpunk · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:11 pm

Less than 24 hours until surgery and I am so ready... I'll post how things went once I get back from the hospital.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts, prayers & good wishes. I really appreciate it!!!

Rick Derris · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:15 pm

Get R Dun hoss.

timmyjoe42 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:35 pm

Good luck.

huskerpunk · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:58 pm

Not to bum anyone (including myself) out, but I just had another MRI yesterday. This time on my cervical spine.

The second surgery on my lumbar discs did the job, as I had been exercising by March 2010 through now. In fact, since moving to Wisconsin, I've now lost 32 pounds.

But, for those who know my history of degenerative disc disease, the original problems for me started in the cervical spine. I've had 4 discs removed and those portions of my spine fused (C6/C7 in 2004, C5/C6 in 2007, and L4/L5 & L5/S1 in 2009). I'm now experiencing horrible burning and tearing nerve pain behind my right shoulder blade, and the pain is starting to migrate to my right arm and up into the back right side of my head. I'll be seeing my neurosurgeon next Wednesday.

I don't want to be rude and presumptuous, but I would definitely not mind some thoughts, prayers and good vibes sent my way as I wait to see the neurosurgeon next week. I'm going to avoid surgery again if at all possible. Hopefully, some conservative treatment methods will do the trick this time. Thanks, all of you, my fellow hipster doofuses!!!

PopTodd · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:20 pm

Request granted, wholeheartedly.
Good luck.

timmyjoe42 · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:30 pm

Yuck. I assume you've been consuming mass quantities of anti-inflammatory pills such as ibuprofen?

huskerpunk · **Posted:** Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:57 pm

Aleve until pain gets too bad... then, I do have Vicodin as of yesterday afternoon.

Second Back Surgery in Less Than 1 Month

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