Back getting worse.

[thx997303]

Okay, here's the deal.

I'm in my mid 20s, have kyphosis in my spine, which, in conjunction with injuries sustained in the army, has caused a few discs to become wedged, and bone spurs to form.

None of this was a major issue, until recently.

It's becoming increasingly painful to do pretty well anything.

The doctors have said they can do surgery to improve my situation, but I'm not sure exactly what that entails, or whether any surgery is worth the risk at this point.

I know it isn't much information, but what say those who have been there?

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I will pray God leads you to the right answer. Mike in Peru

[jimkim]

I know it's not the same thing, but when I was sixteen we were cutting firewood and my dad nailed me with an oaktree. I put off having back surgery for eight years. When I woke up after the surgery and had a "normal" amount of pain. I was in Heaven. If I had it to do all over again, I would have the surgery immediately.

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive got just the oposite advice. When i got my first of 5 surgurys my surgeon told me that in back surgery about a 1/3 of patients get relief 1/3 stay about the same and a 1/3 get worse. I was one that probably got worse. It snowballed into 4 more sugerys and to this day i have to take narcotics about 3 times a week. I have a electronic stimulator implanted in my back now that suppose to block the pain and it doesnt do much either. I would be that half the pain i have now is do to nerve damage done during all the operations. I would have to be so bad that i had to crawl out in the livingroom in the morning before id EVER let them operate on me again. At least try steriod injections before you get cut on. Try theropy too, ANYTHING but the knife unless its absolutely the last option. MY mother and father and 3 of my sisters have all had back surgery and theres not a one of them that lives pain free today and all but one of them has had to have multiple surgerys over the years. If you doctor is one that recomends surgery before all other avenues have been explored get a differnt doctor! hes just out to make money off of you!

[GARCIA]

Try to stay away from the surgery as long as you can.
When I was in the doctors at Walter Reed wanted to operate on me.
Was having none of that!!
Physical therapy and anti inflamatory drugs have kept it
at bay pretty much.
When all else fails I have to resort to heavy drugs to
stop the pain.

Wish you the best brother!

Tom

[Bret4207]

Have you consulted a GOOD chiropractor?

[1911sw45]

thx997303,
Back in 2008 I had back surgery. I had 2 herniated discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1. I done all the injections, PT, and pain meds. I say I was 1/3 of the way to where I could not stand to function when I decided to have the surgery. After hearing all the one that waited till they could not function any more to have the surgeries and they all failed. That is why I decided to have it done before it go that bad. Well I was wrong! I still came out way worse than I went in. Most of the time I wish I was cut in half at my belly button to stop the pain I have in my lower back, legs and feet. My wife has a hard time sleeping because of me crying in my sleep while gritting and grinding my teeth, legs now have a mind of their own kicking, jumping, and twitching all night long. I will not have another surgery in fear of it getting worse, which I have a hard time thinking what can be worse than I am now.

So thx997303 I say wait till you can't function any more before have any type of back surgery. You are in my prayers that the good Lord will easy your pain and to help you make the right decision over your back.

Adam

[oneokie]

I personally know 4 people that have had back surgery, and each and everyone of them say that they are much worse than they were before having the first surgery.

[slide]

There are a couple of braces that they use for this condition. You might talk to your Doctor.

[Reload3006]

I guess I am the only person in America that can say and will shout it from the roof tops. Get the surgery. I had the same issue in my neck couldnt feel 3 of my fingers and the pain was God awful. I awoke in the recovery room the pain was gone and I could feel my fingers again. YMMV My dad had a similar experience with his back herniated discs as did my uncle. My dad put it off until he had a total rupture of the disc he was lucky it didnt cripple him. My uncle was not that fortunate. Surgery did help him but he waited until he had a lot of nerve damage.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I personally know 4 people that have had back surgery, and each and everyone of them say that they are much worse than they were before having the first surgery.

i know 2 same thing i have a bad back i go to a chiropractic Dr
every 8 weeks it works for me NO KNIFE FOR ME NOT YET

[Recluse]

Easy test for the doctor that wants to cut on you--

Ask him/her for a list of just fifty patients that will swear on their deathbed that having back surgery was the best thing they ever did and they would not hesitate to have it done again.

Chances are over 95% the doctor will either stammer or stutter with excuses or get mad at you.

Fact is, back surgery is one of the biggest medical scams in the medical world. As Lloyd pointed out, it is a HUGE money maker for surgeons because invariably, it almost always leads to having to have MORE surgeries performed.

I'll become a heroin junky before I let some quack carve on my back/neck.

Funny thing is, you hear people singing the praises of knee-replacement surgery, hip-replacement, hernia repair surgery, etc etc.

You rarely, rarely, rarely EVER hear anyone even remotely praising back surgery--especially the biggest rip-off fraud of all, fusion-surgery.

Too many doctors today are just lawyers with stethoscopes.

:coffee:

[RayinNH]

Like oneokie and LUCKYDAWG, I've known two. While maybe no worse off they are no better off. You absolutely do not want a doctor mucking around with your spine.

+1 on the chiropractor. While it may not help your situation, it might indeed help or lessen the pain some, where it is more comfortable for you.

Have you considered Jack Daniels. A little alcohol applied internally never hurt anyone :mrgreen:...Ray

[Wayne Smith]

Not all back surgeries are the same by any means. Bone spurs can often be removed with little interference with the nervous system in most cases. I don't know the specific issue with your disks but you need very specific information about your specific surgery. Don't pay attention to generalizations about back surgery, they are all different and have different probable outcomes.

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Is it to be done by the VA, I know to many vets that are now hooked on Morphine after multiple surgeries to fix back problems. I told them no way.

Sam :D

[blackthorn]

I delt with a lot of cases involving back surgery when I worked hearing appeals with the workers comp system here in BC. Some had good results some didn't. If you are dealing with disc fusions, it is common for the next level to need surgery later on, even in those cases where the initial surgery was successful, especially if the first surgery was at an early age. Unfortunately no one can give you the answer you seek because each person is different. My advise is that if you are going to go ahead with surgery, you should research the success rates for several Orthopedic surgeons so that you get a really good one. Whatever you decide, Gail and I wish you the best of luck, along with God's blessings.

[Reload3006]

Easy test for the doctor that wants to cut on you--

Ask him/her for a list of just fifty patients that will swear on their deathbed that having back surgery was the best thing they ever did and they would not hesitate to have it done again.

Chances are over 95% the doctor will either stammer or stutter with excuses or get mad at you.

Fact is, back surgery is one of the biggest medical scams in the medical world. As Lloyd pointed out, it is a HUGE money maker for surgeons because invariably, it almost always leads to having to have MORE surgeries performed.

I'll become a heroin junky before I let some quack carve on my back/neck.

Funny thing is, you hear people singing the praises of knee-replacement surgery, hip-replacement, hernia repair surgery, etc etc.

You rarely, rarely, rarely EVER hear anyone even remotely praising back surgery--especially the biggest rip-off fraud of all, fusion-surgery.

Too many doctors today are just lawyers with stethoscopes.

:coffee:

that would be illegal ..Hippa laws A doc can't give you any names

[Freightman]

Had back surgery 19 yeas ago and I still have pain that I control with vicoprofin, didn't have a lot of choice as the shrapnel's of bone floating around in my spine. I was 53 and had a portion of my retirement made, at your age I would advise to do what you have to do but get an education so you will not end up in poverty. Even with S-S and my retirement (only got 1/3) it is rough to get by and I do not have any kids at home and they are well educated so they do not need my help. What ever you decide I pray you will get better and lead a productive, happy life.

[leadman]

I have degenerative disk desease and arthritis in my neck and lower back. The medial nerves along side my spine in my neck were/are getting pinched but luckily I found a doc that helps with minimal invasiveness.

He does radio frequency nerve ablation to these nerves. basically he loactes a hollow needle (large) by the nerve then inserts another needle and burns the nerve. It is done in his office or outpatient. Very little down time. Some of the nerve regenerate after 6 months or so, some don't. alot depends on where on your spine the pain is coming from.
I would investigate different method like this or laser surgery rather than open surgery before rushing into it.

[edler7]

I worked in X-ray for 30 years and saw many failed back surgeries. Relief from pain seemed to be a real **** shoot 20 years ago. I can't tell you the number of people that said to me " I just thought I hurt before I had the operation". Back then, there wasn't much CT or MRI for diagnostics, and a lot of surgeons didn't know all that much about the patients injury before they went in. Of course, I never saw the guys that said the surgery was the best thing that ever happened to them....they never came back cause they were fixed.

It's changed a lot since then. Better diagnostics and surgical techniques. If it was me and I really thought I needed the surgery- I'd shop around for somebody that does the minimally invasive type surgery. They seem to have better outcomes. Also, try to find somebody that will treat the CAUSE instead of the symptoms.

If you leave your recovery to time only...wait it out...it probably won't get much better.


Best of luck with your problem...back pain is a terrible thing to have to live with.

[pdawg_shooter]

I have degenerative disk desease and arthritis in my neck and lower back. The medial nerves along side my spine in my neck were/are getting pinched but luckily I found a doc that helps with minimal invasiveness.

He does radio frequency nerve ablation to these nerves. basically he loactes a hollow needle (large) by the nerve then inserts another needle and burns the nerve. It is done in his office or outpatient. Very little down time. Some of the nerve regenerate after 6 months or so, some don't. alot depends on where on your spine the pain is coming from.
I would investigate different method like this or laser surgery rather than open surgery before rushing into it.

I had the same problem. After 10+ years of pills and bone jerk doctors, I went to a nerosergon and he opened up my neck, cut away the back half of 4 vertebra. Now I can get by most nights with just aspirin and have most of the feeling back in my fingers. Had I had the surgery done sooner I would not have had the spinal cord damage and could have had a full recovery.

[geargnasher]

Can you spare about $300, J? Ask around town for the best chiropracter you can find, and go get checked out. That means, essentially, a second opinion. Chiropracters are a LOT more than just bone crunchers, they can reshape your spine and do a lot of healing that surgery often can't. Like has been said, surgery can be a "slippery slope" leading to more and more surgeries to fix problems caused by scar tissue from the first one.

Sometimes back and neck surgery is very much called for and good neurosurgeons can be miracle workers, but more often than not disc trimming and bone spur removal causes more trouble than it ever fixes, and lines lots of pockets. I won't get into the politics of the VA, but I don't think you'll get what you need there.

At least get an initial consultation from a chiropractor, maybe more than one. Don't screw around with this because decisions you make about it now will affect you for the rest of your life, and that's potentially more than FIFTY YEARS for you. That's a long time to be in pain! My wife is getting her back fixed right now (martial arts training injury ten years ago messed up a disc) with adjustments and decompression therapy, she's a new woman after only three visits. The initial consultation was about $150 and X-rays were another $80 or so, treatments are about $40/session and an hour of ice and ride on the decompression machine is $7 any time she wants to drop by. If you're really cramped on funds I'm sure we can help at least get you checked out, and you'll know a lot more than you do now about potential options for treatment.

Gear

[mroliver77]

I had the neck fusion done 10 years ago. I got somewhat better for a while but things have went downhill.

Did the chiropractor for years $$$. Did phys therapy until ins and $$ ran out. I was forced to have cortisone injections into my spine until my teeth turned to chalk! Then the operation. C-3 thru C-7 fused. Man it hurt! The extremities got better for a couple years.

Now other disks are gone, the pain and numbness are constant. I have weird pain flair ups or stabbing pains in my extremities regularly!

I hate drugs but have no other avenue than to take narcotic pain pills. I try not to take them and suffer. My Doc tells me I need to take them as pain is very hard on you. The government is making it hard on those taking and those prescribing pain meds!

I went from a good job and $$ to being bankrupt, in lots of debt, in pain, on disability, on Medicare, wife left, I got real fat, meds cause constipation, pecker shrank, and to top it all off now my Doc that trys to keep me going stopped taking medicare! You can oly get 1 month supply of pain meds. I have to go see the nurse practitioner at his office every month to get a new script. CASH I have to see Doc once a year per state regs, CASH.

Did the pain clinic. They were worried about Vicodin so put me on Methadone! Doc says the Methadone is not too bad for long term use. You chase your tail though. I have to decide when to use the meds and when to suffer. If I have plans I take meds. If no plans I take little med and suffer. You build a tolerance to them. You have to clean out sometimes or you will need more and more. The only way to accomplish this is to cut way down and take the pain. Then when a shoot comes along the meds work well enough to get you through it.

You also need to be careful treating the symptom as you will cause even more damage if you cannot feel the discomfort your body is trying to send! Again you chase your tail!

This looks really bad wrote down! I seriously doubt I will live too many more years but I know the Lord and try to do His work. That makes it worth keepin on!
J

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

when i was 20 i ruptured 3 disks bulging a 4th by 25 4th was also a rupture
i never did the surgery , my spine specialist said that i wanted to avoid surgery till i couldn't control my bowel functions. well that never happened

i did have a great physical therapist when i was 25 , she really addressed my needs , had me walking on a treadmill daily with an incline to warm up then stretching , once i was past the pain part keeping up my physical fitness level loosing weight regular stretching and such.
your muscles can do a lot to support your spine , keeping them strong is key , keeping them stretched keeps them from the painful knots that then cause spine pain.

i won't say i have never thrown out my back since or that i never have pain , but i can usually attribute, my pain to what i didn't do , like get my regular stretching , and such

weather does affect my back some , i can feel cold and damp , but getting out and working up a sweat helps
i also changed my schedule up a bit, as my routine of getting up taking a hot shower then getting in a cold truck to drive to work for an hour , was a definite part of my problem.

i was probably never as fit as you would have been for basic training but i wrestled heavy weight in high school , and worked construction, and was both big and strong actually a good recipe to hurt ones self , but when i was 21 i had been sitting on my rump for a year working a desk job , so much for an education keeping form wearing out my body like my dad had driving delivery truck for 20 years , i lifted lots of thing i shouldn't have when i wasn't at work , home repair projects and such.

now in my 30's i am pain free most of the time , and certainly glad i didn't go under the knife , actually i had been scheduled a few times for a cortisone shot , but they told me i had to be at a pain level of 5 or greater to get one and they would schedule them 4-5 weeks out well in a month of taking it easy and doing my stretching and such i was usually better at least not in level 5 pain or greater.

there is a book HEALING BACK PAIN NATURALLY a customer of mine (my business is medical and emergency communications ) recommended it to me he was a fireman who had hurt his back much the same as mine , he went back to being a full time fireman about a year after he had recommended the book to me.

[Firebricker]

I would definitely see a chiropractor first a good one can make a huge difference. FB

[QuickRick]

Numerous studies done in the US and abroad have found that high doses of Vit D3 can have a dramatic effect on reducing pain and the amount of medication required to control pain. Five to twenty thousand or more IUs daily is a common dosage and seems to be free of negative side effects or drugs interactions. You can try googleing "Vitamin D3 for pain relief". Much higher doses than the above are commonly used in Europe with no problems to speak of. If you or a friend suffers from SAD, D3 supplementation has been proven in many studies to reduce symptoms. I suffered with SAD for years and trashed using drugs entirely because I found the side effects worse than the condition itself. Two weeks after supplementing 6,000 IUs of D3 daily my symptoms disappeared. Made me a believer and I've taken D3 ever since. Hope you find some means to relieve your pain and or correct your back problems. Hang in there and God Bless...

[thx997303]

Sounds like I need to go see my chiropractor.

I've only ever been in to have my ribs put back in place, thanks to the kyphosis, they like to pop out from time to time.

Thanks for all the suggestions and kind words.

I'll make sure to do my research on this before deciding on anything.

[Dragoon 45]

I had back surgery in 2002 in the Army. After healing up which took about 4 months, I was in heaven. No more pain and I got back to about 95% of where I was prior to the injury. Went through a medical board in the Army and was cleared to deploy. Even passed the PT test a couple of months later. Then in 2004 I was thrown from the back of a 5 ton in Afghanistan. Reinjuried my lower back and my neck. At this point I will probably not have any surgery as my doctors all tell me that there is little chance that surgery will help. I have too much damage through out my spine and neck now.

In my case the surgery helped me immensely. What I did not count on was being reinjuried two years later.

[MT Gianni]

My wife had surgery for a degenerative disc about 8 years ago. Floating materiel was causing her a lot of grief. They repaired the disc as well as possible and removed the floaters. [Her Dad had surgery in the 60's her Sister for Scoliosis in the 70's.] Dr told me she would probably be back in 10 years but techniques were improving also. She has to stretch every morning before getting out of bed and starts her morning with a hot shower that should scald hair off. That is enough to keep her moving all the rest of the day. It has worked well for all three of these folks I know but I have also heard the horror stories. Make sure that your decisions are informed ones. Good luck with it.

[Recluse]

Not all back surgeries are the same by any means. Bone spurs can often be removed with little interference with the nervous system in most cases. I don't know the specific issue with your disks but you need very specific information about your specific surgery. Don't pay attention to generalizations about back surgery, they are all different and have different probable outcomes.

VERY true, and my bad for generalizing all back/neck surgeries.

The one/s I am specifically referring to are the "fusion" surgeries, of which I will never, ever agree to--and most reputable orthopedists will never refer you to have.

The problem is that the fusion only works for a little while, then the stiffness/degeneration/whatever moves BOTH directions (up AND down) from the point of the fusion surgery, and the problem is once again replicated.

Only with a catch.

NOW you have TWO areas of extreme growing discomfort in the spinal column.

I have degenerative discs in my neck and lower back. I know the agony, and have known it for the past twenty years when it first began manifesting itself.

And still, now way no how will I even consider that quack fusion surgery.

:coffee:

[gandydancer]

I reached the point where I could no longer walk or turn over in bed or cut my own steak if I fell down I could not get up.for a year I lived like that. I could not tear toilet paper nor clean my self up. needed work on my spine. I had surgery on my neck two steel rods and 10 screws put in I have about 35/40% use of my arms and legs now 20 pounds is about all I can lift for a short timeI can walk for short walks can't shoot the big hand connons anymore. but I'm not bitchen. I still have pain I can live with and would I do it again"in a heart beat" GD

[Charley]

Every case is different, there are no general answers. Do as much research as possible.
I had a badly bulged (not herniated) disc between L4 and L5 about 34 years ago. It was compressing my sciatic nerve, and hurt worse than anything I had ever experienced. My GP gave me cortisone injections, when that didn't provide releif for more than a week, he refered me to an orthopedic surgeon. He took some x-rays. examined me for about 5 minutes, and said, "no problem, we'll just schedule you for surgery".
I left, and went to a chiropractor. His exam was considerably more thourough. He finally told me, "you have two choices....have surgery, and take a long time to get better, or go excercise, physical therapy and chiropractic care, and take a long time to get better. There isn't a fast, easy solution".
It took almost 4 monthes of twice a week appointments with him, back braces, traction tables, masages, hot packs, etc. He was correct, there wasn't a fast, easy solution for me, BUT, I'm glad I went the route I did. I've never had further problems like that, and I can do anything I want, lifting, climbing, twisting, etc, as long as do it correctly.
After dealing with that problem, I'm always curious and speak with people who have had similar back problems. The majority of the people I've talked with tell me they didn't get complete relief, or in some cases they experienced greater pain and mobilty loss. Perhaps I was lucky. Surgery has changed a bit in the last 34 years, of course, new techniques and tools. I'm still glad I took the route I choose.

BTW, my problem, as I discovered later, wasn't uncommon in my family. My grandfather, who was built exactly like me, had the same issues throughout his life. I was told by my chiropractor that my bulged discs likely started when I was running. He explained to me that with my body build, the continual pounding on my spine from running was going to always cause problems. His words, "you can walk, ride a bike, swim, do calistenics, but for GOD'S SAKE DON'T RUN!"

[Lloyd Smale]

The doctor that did mine was a family friend and one of the most respected back surgerons in michigan. MIne still failed. to be fair to him he really didnt want to do it. I kind of insisted as i didnt want to live in pain for the rest of my life. He gave me ample warning about the success rates of back surgerys. He made me first try the injections and they did nothing. I asked him about chiropractors and he was firmly against them. He said they may give you short term relief but much of what they do can agravate the problem in the long term. He about told me my best bet was to eat narcotics and live with it. That just wasnt an option i wanted. Well im there anyway. Like other posters here im still afraid of them and try not to take them unless i absolutely cant bare it but that is against my doctors advice too as he told me i should take them daily because being in pain makes you move and act in ways that will harm you worse. Im sorry theres no good answer to the problem but what i was told by my doctor was that back surgery isnt to much ahead of bleading to cure pain. There real knowlege of the spine and how to fix it isnt as advanced as some think.

another example is my best friend Al. He broke his neck when he was young in a car wreck and suffers worse on a good day then i do on a bad. He has had more surgerys then anyone ive ever heard of. The last time they actually removed 3 dics and put in artificail ones. He had a doctor that couldnt wait to operate on him. BIG MISTAKE. If you have a doctor that is anxious to operate on you hes a money grubby sob! RUN LIKE HELL OUT OF HIS OFFICE! Well over the years his spine had grown crooked. When they installed the discs they straightened everything out. BIG MISTAKE. What that did was pinch nerves that had grown to form around the curves. He is in much more pain now. He went back to have them removed and found out that theres a few doctors in the country that can install that hardware but NONE that know how to take it out! Hes boned! He lives on a narcotic regiman that would scare a heroin addict. Not only that but spends about 3/4s of his life suffering in bed and on a good day makes it out to the recliner.

Another cure to be skeptical about is implanted stimulators. Ive got one and so does AL. They may help a tiny bit but surely arent worth the added stress your body and back are going to go through because of another operation to install them. Both Al and i have been back for a second operation because of problems with ours too. Id never do it again knowing what i know. Best advice i can give you is as long as you can walk and as long as narcotics will control pain well enough to give you somewhat of a quality life run like hell from that knife. Most times it does very little and the additional scar tissure created by the operation just componds the problems. I think youll find that most that get relief from back operations are people with minor problems like bulged discs. Things that could have been controled without it in the first place. My doctor also told me two other things. 75 percent of the adult population in the US has bulged discs. Most live with it. One other thing he touched on was smoking and im a smoker. He said that in his opinion half the back problems in the us are due to smoking. It constricts the blood vessels in your body and especially the ones in your back. Its so much of a problem that last time i talked with him at a family picnic he told me he now refuses to do fusions on a smoker. He said his failure rate on fusions with smokers was about 80 percent. Much worse then the normal 30 percent failure rate. He said not only does smoking create back problems but it makes healing properly after surgery about impossible.

Im surely no doctor and you should listen to yours but ive truely been there and done that and my advice to you isnt advice that comes from what someone else told me or i read somewhere. Think it over real well before you commit to anything and get two or three opinions and options for good doctors.

[Bret4207]

After reading through this and seeing what some others are going through, all I can say is it puts my own little creaks and cracks in a new light. Thoughts and prayers to all of you in pain.

Lloyd, I've never met a MD yet that has a single good thing to say about Chiropractors, not one! In my mind it's sort of like the Ford dealer being asked if the patient should go buy a Chevy or Dodoge- ain't gonna happen. IME chiropractics is effective and worthwhile. After all, if you break a leg the MD doesn't let it heal if it's not properly aligned!

The $$$ issue, well, best we leave that alone I guess.

[abunaitoo]

Have you thought about trying Acupuncture?????
Seems to work for lots of people here.
Kind of like Chiropractours. Some are good, some have no idea what their doing.
You have to remember that once you cut, there's no turning back.

[HardColt]

My prayers and pain are with you. After Navy & Air Force nuero-surgeons trying to convince me of surgery, I declined. Been through PT, ultrasonic heat cold treatments, stretch racks and eased the pain and restored some of the functionality of my back. Have three lower dics on the right side ofmy back all fused together and pitching several nerves. At times, loosing sensation on the whole right side of my body. The military hospitals bombarded me with valium, percocet,darvocet, ultracet and some other intramuscular injections of pain killers and muscle relaxants, as part of my regular diet and it eased the pain and returned the functionality until the meds wore off and back to pain management again. Did a lot of back exercises and that really eased the pain and started functionality. Still feeling the pain but more on a tolerable level now. Learned to live with it being 58 yrs old. Glad I declined all the free surgery offered. What scared me out of my skull about 30 yrs. ago, was that two of my fellow airmen got the same surgery for the same back injuries from heavy lifting and work on the aircrafts. So far, one was confined to a wheelchair, the other could only partially rotate his neck up and down and hardly any left or right full side turn movement.
I count myself lucky and learn to live with the pain from day to day, but I still have the full range of motion on my body compared to my scared friends during my active duty days. I manage to enjoy retirement with the help of celebrex and some other pharmaceutical supplements. Take care and hope you feel well soon.

[cajun shooter]

Well I've read through all the postings and still have some very important things that you should think about before any surgery.
I was injured on active duty in 1966 while with the 4th Infantry Division. The Army doctors put me in surgery and I have a stitch scar that runs from my waist to my upper back on my spine.
After surgery I was in the hospital for 6 months and then told that I was to receive a MEDICAL DISCHARGE AS THEY COULD DO NO MORE. The Doctor who was the lead surgeon called me to his office and presented me with a 3 inch stack of papers. They were marked in yellow highlighter in various places. He stated that I needed to sign each highlighted area. I started to read the first one and he said David, if you take time to read we will be here all day. He was a nice guy (I THOUGHT) and I was 19 and dumb to the world and how it worked.I signed all the papers.
When I got home I was contacted by the VA and told to report to the VA hospital in New Orleans.
After I met with the doctor,he showed me some papers on a overhead projector and ask if I would look at the signature. I did and verified it was mine. He then said to read the paper. It stated that I release the United States Army and the US Government from all responsibility for any medical problems both present and future.
I was so upset I could not believe what I was reading. I was not drafted but signed up on my own to fight for my country as all my family had done in the past.
The doctor told me that the doctor who had me sign that paper was probably given a early out as he was drafted and hated the Army.
The old Doctor said I was young and could do a lot but that by the time I was in my late forties I would start having severe pain. He was correct.
I ended up in the late 90's hurting so bad that I could not walk 20 feet. In the year 2000 I went fishing with my wife and slipped down and fell on my butt.
I felt this burning sensation and was unable to move. We drove back home and I went to the ER on Monday. They said that my lower spine from L-2,3,4, and 5 were all bone to bone with no tissue and that I was in bad shape and needed to see a Neurosurgeon as soon as possible.
They all (5) said the same thing, there is nothing we can do. I remained house bound for over a year.
They showed a woman in a wheel chair that had a bad disc and this local neurosurgeon placed a artificial disc in her back and she was out of the chair and riding bicycle with her grandchildren.
After 6 months of waiting I was able to see this doctor and he advised that the FDA would only allow him to place one in reach person. He said David I know you came looking for that silver bullet but I can't help you and I'm sorry. As he started to leave he stopped and said there is one thing you can do. I said Doctor I would commit almost anything to have some relief from this HORRID PAIN!!
He advised that I could go to Germany and they would do the surgery as I needed 4 maybe 5 new disc replaced.
I laughed and he asked why and I said my Insurance would not pay for a overseas operation and that I had my check book not his.
I finally came on this lady Radiologist that was doing another of my many MRI's and she asked if I was open to seeing another doctor. I advised that I would see anyone who would help. She stated that her husband was a doctor at a pain clinic.
I was against this type of treatment when I first started out but now I would see a VOODO CAJUN QUEEN.
She sent me to her Husband and to shorten this story I'm in my 4th year with a implanted infusion pump that delivers medicine directly to my lower spine and not have to through my liver and the rest of my body first.
I have been able to start cowboy shooting although I do have to sit between stages. I'm able to go to the store with my wife. Something that was 5 years of me at home while she did all the chores.
There is also a pump that delivers electrical shock to the nerves that are leaving the brain to deliver pain notices and shuts them down.
Jerry Lewis has one implanted and stopped a lifetime of being hooked on Percodan and other pain killers.
My back was too far gone for that.
I went through the Chiropractic thing and they are not meant to fix people who have a honest spinal injury. I have a friend who has been paying money every week to one for 25 years. It's crazy to get caught up in that.
If your brain tells you it's not working then it's time for something different.
They tell me that I may still end up in a chair after the drugs have made their run. I have had peace the past four years.