I'm so sorry that you are dealing with so much and so much pain in just a few short months.

Please, if you ever feel that badly, you should call the suicide hot line right away.

As to your questions and your situation that you presented in your post, it is a bit confusing to understand what you have said.

I would be seriously questioning your present spine surgeon for many reasons.

You didn't say why you have had 5 spine surgeries since January 2009 and you haven't said what kind you have had.

First of all, from what you describe as to the spine fusion he is going to do, he should be removing the disc completely not leaving any of it behind.

If you are being told that this is your second staph infection you have picked up from spine surgery in the same location since January 2009, I would suspect that it really isn't 2 separate infections, but rather, the same infection that has not been cleared up.

Have you had surgery to clean out the infection that is existing you your surgical site?
If not, it sounds like you need to have the area surgically cleaned and then treated with IV antibiotics.

If you have had surgery to clean out the infection and are on a pic line now, I would think that you will have to wait more than 6 weeks before having any further surgery unless you need to have more surgery to clean out the infection.

Another point on infection in the surgical site area, if it has gotten to the bone, you are at far greater risk for developing infection in the surgical site with further surgery for a fusion.

Is there a reason you believe your spine surgeon needs to do a decompression and you have nerve pain from compressed nerves? Are you sure it is nerve compression in the same area that your spine surgeon is going to fuse?

Some or all of your pain could be coming from the infection as well. You might want to ask your spine surgeon about some nerve pain medication to get you through this difficult time and also an anti-depressant to help you feel better emotionally.

What kind of bladder functionality problems are you having and why have you asked for a referral.
Who did you ask to get a referral and what kind of doctor do you want a referral to see?
Is you spine surgeon aware of any bladder function issues that you are having? If not, you need to tell him/her about them as it may be related to you L5 spine issues.

As for the name of another spine surgeon to see, I don't think that you will find very many new spine surgeons that would be willing to see you under the present circumstances. You need to finish the round of antibiotics you are taking in the IV first, before any further surgery would be done, except to clean out the infected area or if your life where in danger.

If you can answer the above questions, there may be more of us that you give you some suggestions to help you.

What state do you live in

Fran

Sorry for all of the confusion in my previous post
I had a micro disectomy on the 3rd of january.
Went back in with the surgical site oozing a
rotten tomato soup type puss and had a clean out/pac
of the site on the 19th of January.
Returned for a revision of the previous surgery
with no staph present after four weeks, treatment of
vancomiacin delivered via picc line. Had second revision
as a day surgery after waiting addtional six weeks to see
if pain would subside on it's own, unfortunately it did not.
Came home after this surgery feeling like a million bucks.
Stopped all pain meds after two days and continued with
an oral antibiotic just in case.
Still feeling great I came home from playing with my kids at a local park and a quick visit to grandmas house. I gently ran my hand up the length of the steristrips and looked at my hand in disbeleif to discover more bloody green puss. Went back to the hospital to have it checked out and was re-opened for another clean out. I walked into the O.R. And jumped up on the table feeling great for this now my forth time under the knife. I woke up in recovery three hours later in as much pain if not more than before the original surgery. After 2 days of pleading and assuring the DR. That I had indeed re-ruptured a disk he sent me for another MRI. He was waiting in my room when I got back with an apology.

On mothers day He went back in to do what he could at this point with the bacteria still present and managed to do little to improve the current pain.
I now am on over 100mg of oxycotin plus breakthrough oxycocet to keep my pain under control. I was discharged less than 48 hours after the surgery and went from being on a pain pump at 11am on my day of release to driving home with my wife with a fresh picc line and a handful of scripts by 2pm.

I had one follow up with the infectus disease team and was told this was a different strain and slightly less agressive form of staph than previous infection. the treatment recomended was once again vancomiacin but for six weeks this time.

My follow up with the dr seamed much less pleasant this time around and this I when he told me of his fusion plans once I am clear of infection. I feel it is now time to seek outside council as to how I should proceed.

Please let me know if you think this guy is my only hope of a normal life again, I used to be able to run five miles in fourty minutes flat and now I'm an invalid, this has emotionaly, phisicaly and financialy destroyed me. I don't care if I ever can run a marathon again, I just want to play and run with my kids again.

Thanks for all insight and help

one if you got a staph infection from ther dont ever go back that is from bad cleanliness on there part 2 ive had 4 i was 30 when i had first in 2000 i had my last one i got a fusion not rods and it helped alot but i still have lots of pain always will but thats expected dont get fake disc its foreighn and will cause you more pain then you have use your own body parts to get better have the fusion. and find a clean hospital i used birmingham health south do a run around the clinic check for things sitting in floors trash bags taken up if you see patients ask them about their treatment from the staff. good luck

I also have had a spinal fusion L5-S1, it made mine worse too, I have now had a pain pump installed but unfortunately I was allergic to the medicine they were giving me, so now the pump is turned off and I am awaiting the new medicine to arrive next Thursday its called Prialt and it is wonderful stuff, they have only gotten up to .980 and we can go all the way to 20.0 and I was getting some relief already but they wanted more so they mixed it with Dilaudid didn't work out to well but the doctors came in on their time at night just to fix me, they are really good, I dont know where you are from but I am in Ohio and they are great. If you are looking for someone really good go to the Cleveland Clinic Spine Institute, ranked number three Nationwide. I wish you the best of luck and if I can help anymore let me know. Take care.

iive been on duragesic patches since my 2 surgery and they help take the edge off but not all the pain. im on muscle relaxer zanaflex and cymbalta. and tofranil. and vit. d for lack of sunlight had the lowest the dr ever seen i dident even register. and im anemic so im on iron too lol exausting. i used dr jones in birmingham the young one dont know if hes in same place but he was my savior at least now i can walk like a human and not a zombie cripple hunchback lol ask me anything you need i have 9 years worth of this stuff .