Marie, so glad to see that you have decided to do something about the pain besides swallowing all the pain pills. How true what your friend says and in another forum, there was this question. How do you know when it's time for surgery?
The answer is simple. You know when it's right because your entire life is swallowed up by this back stuff and pain. When life really doesn't exist and there is a surgical option, you go for it and hope for the best.

You've done your research and thought about all your options and having no life at all is not the way to "live". It really isn't living.

Now, my advise on post op limits is this. Get your post op restrictions as soon as possible before surgery. Make sure they are as detailed as possible and go over each and every one of them with the doc. Ask questions on each one of them, even if you think they sound dumb to you.
Remember this "the only dumb question is no question at all."

Sometimes that no turning and twisting restriction does include the toilet restriction as well and other times it doesn't. If your's does include it, then ask the doc about speaking with a PT or OT to find out what kind of tools you can get before hand to use for the basic needs using the toilet.

Don't forget to ask about showers and getting the surgical site wet. If you need to keep it dry, as I did, then find out what kind of post-op covering you will need before hand. The covering will keep it dry from the water but the heat and moisture in the bathroom will cause sweat and moisture underneath the covering and it will need to be changed. Knowing before hand what you will need to change the covering afterwards, will allow you to have the supplies on hand. Also be sure you will have someone to help you shower and change the incision covering afterwards.

To be able to shower and reach to wash legs, feet, etc. Get one of those long handled back scrubbers. Don't know what they are called. I use one to wash my back all the time, long before all this back stuff. The handle was long enough for me to us to wash legs, feet, etc.

What you can an can't do after surgery and how to deal with it.

Once you have the restrictions and all your answers to your questions this is the next step to do.

Walk around your home and study it carefully. You want to be as independent as possible and not have to rely on others for everything. Being able to do for yourself, even if it's only little things, makes you feel so much better.

So, room by room, walk around and think of all the things that you do in each room. Lookk at the layout of the room and try to invision what furniture, if any, will make it more difficult to move around after surgery. What furniture, if any, will be more in the way for you to walk around and get some exercise.
If you find any, move it somewhere else so that you won't have a problem afterwards. easier to deal with it before the fact, than after.

If you spend more time in one room than another, make sure you put the things that you use, like and want to have handy in the room before hand.
Leave them in bags or boxes in another area of your home, but be sure to label them carefully, so that someone else can find them for you and bring them to you.

The kitchen may be your worst room to deal with. Spend a lot of time in there studying what you use the most and what you do in there frequently and will be able to do post-op if you can reach and get to it.
then rearrange your kitchen so that you can get to these things and do and use them.
Yes your kitchen is going to look like one giant disaster. Most of the house is going to as well, as it is being arranged for your limited use. It won't stay this way for ever, but you will be more independent this way.

Make sure you have clear paths to move around the kitchen as well and do all of this well in advance. this way you get to deal with it's appearance before surgery. After the surgery, you really won't care how it looks, cause you will be feeling like a post op patient with lots of restrictions but still able to do some things for yourself. That makes you feel better, little bits of independence.

By the time the new arrangments of how things look in your home, post-op, start to bother you, well that's when you are feeling better and able to do more. It will be a good sign to be bothered by the "new design" of the rooms in your home.

I actually found some of the new changes to my liking and didn't move anything.

One of the suggestions I was given post-op was to drink lots of water. Since we use bottled water as our water tastes horrible, my hubby left the gallon jug on the counter by the sink. I couldn't lift the bottle, but I could tip it to pour the water into my own glass. Just getting the water on my own felt good.

Some other idea.

I spent a week cooking lots of meals with the help of my daughter and freezing them in individual meal size servings. All anyone had to do was pop them in the microwave to reheat them. Had at least 2 weeks worth of meals in the freezer.

I started having hubby to do the laundry "under supervision" before surgery. gave him some practice before hand, but was still there after surgery to give the supervision as was my daughter.

Now, hubbies cooking was another story. I had very little appetite for months after surgery, so I didn't care if I ate, but knew i had to.
My daughter helped with cooking and some friends brought over some meals after the freezer was low or empty of meals.

I found sending hubby for the groceries was the worst part of the "need help ordeal". I never made a grocery list so detailed in my life and it was such a pain. On the other hand, I know it isn't easy getting groceries for someone else. I made sure he took a friend of mine with him so she could help him with the produce.
I'd put things like fresh green beans on the list and he'd bring them home, no matter how bad, good or indifferent they where. With someone with him, I would get the produce that looked good and if those beans where a disaster, I wouldn't get any that day.

Marie, no matter how well you plan in advance, something is going to get in the way of the plans and you forgot something. So all you can do is plan the best you can.
that's why it's so important to get all those restrictions in advance and go over them in detail with your doc. Go over them again and again at home before the surgery and call with any more questions you have.

Don't panic over what you can and can't do and don't worry about the housework, cleaning, dusting and all the other stuff.
The most important thing is to follow the docs orders and get well without any complications because you did something you were not supposed to do.
Do what you can to clean the house before hand, without killing yourself over it.

Most important though is that you have the trust and faith in this doc.

So go into the OR with this attitude, the one I had, and even with all the added stuff I've had to deal with afterwards, I have a life and can do again and it's a wonderful feeling.

So go in with this.

"OK folks, let's get this show on the road. Time's a wasting and I have a lot of living to do, places to go, things to see, things to do. Next time I see you again, it will be the first moments of the beginning of my new life. So let's get a move on this show and get it over with."

Fran

I was involved in an automobile accident, a car pulled out infront of my brother and we struck their car. They were found to be at fault. The accident occured in Aug of 2006 and I just really feel like I have got no where with my severe back pain.

I began treatment with chiropractic and then was referred to a whacko doctor who did nothing but prescribe me Norco and Ambien.

I did physical therapy for months but discontinued after they felt I wasn't progressing. I have tried acupuncture mulitple times.

I then in January was sent for a very expensive MRI and found I had 3 herniations in the 3 lowest discs of my back and one in my neck.

I also had a discogram which was horrible, I saw a quote of midevial torture and that is exactly what it is!!!

I finally was referred to a very good surgeon. Along with the help of his PA, they decided that facet injections would help minimize the pain since they did not want to jump right into surgery. I did not make it to my appointment because we soon found out there was no more insurance available through the liable vehicle, I have since had to continue my care through Kaiser.

Kaiser has done nothing to help me. They are making me jump through every hoop I have already done and in 6 months I have not had any progress! They want me to do acupuncture again and the doctor has said that she believes it muscle not herniations and that she doesnt treat an MRI she treats her patient. I feel completely helpless because I am 22 and I should not feel so crippled! I have difficulty doing anything...sitting, standing, walking etc. I cannot have more children at this point because I am taking Ultram ER 200mg and Norco 10/325.

So I ask help of you all:
How do I work the Kaiser system to get the treatment I need (Facet joint injections)?
What kind of self help do you think would minimize pain?
What kind of medical treatment do you think would help?

Thank you so much for your help, I just really hate taking the medication but I have no other choice as I cannot function a normal life in this much pain. My goal is to have more children and the way this treatment is going there is no way I can

We smile when we hear about surgery working out and doing good for a person.
We smile when we hear the clinic and insurance paper chaos that we find as we go through this crazy spine problem.
We smile at each person who needs support and offer our thoughts.
And we smile at those who have the ability to talk about a serious situation that has happened to them and yet can still see the comedic side of it all.

Why do I bring this up when we read about so many problems some of us have..

Well, we smile because there are so many caring people out there who support us in the best way they can. And who give a word of cheer even if they don't have an answer to the problem. So allow me to tell you a little funny story about a friend who was trying to help me.

Today, I was in a big craft store that we have in our town. Over the years, I have made friends with one of the designers because the two of us do all sorts of seasonal arrangments. She does her designs for the store to sell. I do mine to give to family and friends and church. She showed me one of her new Christmas Dining Room Table Floral Arrangements that she was in the process of making. As we chatted, I told her that I would not be doing anything this Christmas that required a lot of strenuous physical bending and twisting because I was having spinal surgery.
I was expecting a sympathetic response as some people are want to do.
But no, that is not what I got.

I saw a puzzled expression on her face and she said "If you can't bend or twist how in heavens are you going to shave your legs? "Worse, how are you going to handle your body elimination cleanups. "Needless to say, I thought of Fran's comments to her surgeon right away." Men may not understand her followup statement nor consider this funny because well....they are men. I'm sure the gals will immediately get my drift.

She said with the utmost sincerity:
"You better put a good supply of Swifter dusters in your house and get the short handle one and the long handle one to cover all necessary cleanups."

I cracked up immediately just thinking about it, and the other women near us who heard the conversation were hysterical. After I left I thought, She may have something there.

So Fran, is this friend a quick thinker or what? I'm going right out and make sure I have the plastic handle Swifter dusters, particularly the long one that can be made to bend in multiple directions. I figure you can tape a razor on one plastic handle and the other I can angle it and wrap toilet tissue on it. Nothing like being a creative artist in all of this.

Marie B

Marie,

It's nice when someone throws an unexpected reaction at you that gives you a good laugh and eases the anxiety a bit! Your friend probably didn't even know just how much it helped!

Dusting isn't too difficult for me, but shaving remains to be a challenge. It's even hard when you're not in pain! Really, there's got to be a better way! I'm sure the ladies can agree there!

Hope you all have a good laugh today! Thanks for the story, Marie!
God bless,
Carrianne

Welcome to the forum, Madismama! So sorry to hear about everything you're going through. Chronic pain is no fun! I can sympathize with your situation regarding wanting to have children. I just had 2 back surgeries in August and want children, but am scared at the same time. I just don't know how it will affect my spine.

Just keep researching everthing your doctors tell you! That will be your best defense! Keep us updated on and again, welcome!

God bless,
Carrianne

Hello Carrianne,

"Just keep researching everthing your doctors tell you!" - So true, so VERY true. Carrianne, your words of advice/wisdom are RIGHT ON!!!! By researching and checking out everything our doctors and others say helps to separate fact from just words. POWERFUL!!!!

Regarding children - Carrianne, I hope that in conversation with your doctors you will better understand regarding the balancing act regarding having childrfen and the effect it may have on your back. God will help you thorugh this I know.

Take care.

RichT

Hey there Carrianne...you are such a Doll......I'm so glad to hear you are getting better everyday.
I'm not really sure how long I will be ....depends on how many area's I will have to have done. I am so thankful that my father lives in the area and I have family close to me. My step mother is a SAINT........My Dad's a lucky man to have her.....(and she him ) so I will just take it one day at a time.........they have said it may be 6 weeks if I have all the area's done that are causing me so much pain.

I thank you for your thougts and prayers.........MJ....

Hello All,

After a not so good night, and less than desirable day I saw my PM doc this afternoon. After some discusion he thought the best option for me at this time is a second epidural. A second epidural, EXPCEPT that this time it would be to ease the pain coming from the bulging disks.

When I mentioned that one gets to the point of "do I delay surgery some more, or is there a point when it is better to have surgery rather than risk making things worse", he replied "I believe an injection will help to reduce your current pain" My interpretation from his response - Continue with the epidurals!!!, far better than the knife.

Time will tell. Sure hope tomorrow is better than today.

To put things in perspective - There was a lady in the waiting room at the spine institute. She was filling out the office form with her FEET AND TOES. No I did not see if she had arms and hands, but that is not important. What is IMPORTANT in my mind is that she was dealing with the "hand" that she was given. No complaints, just going on with her life as best she could. Gave me the opportunity to mentally say "Thank you Lord for my blessings".

RichT

Rich, You are a very good person. I can tell in the gentle quiet way you observe and listen to everyone. You also have gained a lot of wisdom in dealing with your own pain in your life and you share it all with everyone so willingly. Having had 5 months of steroid injections, I can say with no quibbles, they just don't last long enough. I can say the same thing about meds. I tried and tried but I found too much frustration in these procedures that were paliative at best. I would like an end to seeing doctors every other week. It would be nice to be healthy, wealthy and wise, but sometimes you have to make the best decision that is for you and you alone. So good luck with the next injection.

Carriane, you too must be a very sweet and loving person. It is very visible in all of your welcoming comments to new postsers and all of your responses even though you have gone through some very rough times. And you still want babies. God grant your desire.

Fran, our encyclopedia, can always be counted on in times of need. And she can provide details pre and post op. that others might not think of even considering the various needs that would pop up for a person post op. I should know, because today I looked all over the place for a brush handle long enough to be able to stand in the shower and still wash my feet.

MJ has been struggling with her decisions for spinal surgery for some tine too.
May the waiting pass quickly, May the surgery be successful, and MJ may all of this pain you are experiencing in the future be nothing more then a bad dream.

If anyone hears from Carol, tell her I hope all goes well with her desires to make the trek to Florida.

And Stuart Little, the soldier boy, will still drop a line of encouragement for all of the spiney poster.

And to all of the posters who helped me reach this decision for surgery, I thank them for all the details they provided not just to me but for all.

So, the big day is coming down the pike and it will for all because, I don't
don't think we were meant to live constantly with so much pain. If we can reduce it by surgery then it is a good decision.

And now I have to look into whether or not to purchase a stationary bike and think about what I can use for weeks later when I have to get myself back in shape. If anyone has suggestions, just hop right into posting them because everyone's ideas are always valuable.

I should have asked Joebob, if he did biking as part of his exercise routine. Ice Hockey is kind of out of my league. Besides, I hate the cold.
Actually, I hate exercising. I don't like to sweat.


Marie B.

I want to say to each and everyone of you...that you are all the most wonderful, tell it like it is people.......We all have our share of pain and misery...but we share it with such enthusiam and concern.........that we almost make light of the situtation. We encourage..enlighten..support..and love...and for all of that and YOU! I am blessed...........MJ

MarieB
Catching up on the posts...they sure do move along when your back is turned. Read that your surgery is coming up Nov. 9 and I will be remembering you in prayer on that day. What procedure are you having done...a laminectomy?

Thankfully it will be min. invasive surgery. When I had the discectomy/laminectomy I was not so fortunate and my incision was 8 to 10 inches and the Dr. removed 3 lamina. I had no assistance in the hospital...no walker, not even a cane; no toilet seat or special arms to assist me up and down. I wasn't allowed to ask the Neurosurgeon questions and he discharged me with absolutely no instructions or meds. I probably did things that were bad for my back during the first weeks of my recovery like climbing the stairs etc. because the only thing he said to me was "If it hurst don't do it". I did come up with a good way to shave my legs and that was using a paint stick with the razor taped to the end of it. A man doesn't realize how lucky he is.
Anyhow, it sounds like you have a caring husband to assist you around the house during your recovery, and a caring Dr. to provide you with good support and information. You are blessed.

The best of luck to you

Mare

I had this dream last night, yes I had a good nights sleep.

In this dream all of us where well past our days of living and where looking down from above at our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

We where all together in this big, beautiful garden, smelling the flowers, sipping whatever our delights are to drink. We had no pain, no spiney problems of any kind, but we always worried about what the future held for the family generations that came after us.
We where talking about it and all of a sudden this huge curtain pulled open and we could see all of those generations of family sitting there.
All of our family generations where gatthered together at this huge outdoor barbecue and no one seemed to have any spiney problems, chronic pain problems or anything else.

As we eavesdropped on the conversation we heard the conversation the following statements.

"if only my mother where alive now to see the advances in medicine we have".

"I know, my great great grandfather would have been so happy to know this."

"My brother too."

"My sister too."

"I can't imagine living like they did, with chronic pain, having to make decsions of what kind of surgery to have, will it work, will it make things worse, will the surgery kill us or be usefull. Can we trust the doctors.
Living drugged up like a zombie."

"Can you imagine what they would say if they knew that all spinal surgery has been perfected. Only one type done and it always works. No need for life with chronic pain."

"Oh, I wish they could know that their dreams have really happened and none of us have to suffer they way they did."

As we heard all of this, we where stunned, just trying to imagine what it must be like. We tried to figure out how we could let all of them know that we did know all about it and they told us. We couldn't think of any way to do it, so we just watched and listened.

Then all of a sudden, out of the sky, thousands of pain pills that we all used to take, fell from the sky. They landed in a part of the yard that no one was near. Once they where all on the ground, the spontaneously burst in flames and burned up till they where gone. All that was left where all these pills fell was a huge smile face burned into the ground and the words WE KNOW, YOU TOLD US, right beside the smile face.

All of our relatives circled around the smile face and our message, held hands, smiled and looked up at the sky.

As that huge curtain closed in front of us and we could no longer see down any more, we settled back in our lounge chairs, happy as could be, knowing that no longer did anyone every have to suffer the way we have.


Will that dream ever come true? I believe it will someday, I sure hope it does.

Fran

madismama,

You are far to young to have to suffer like this. I'm so sorry you are in so much pain and not getting any help.

I don't know if these ideas will help you, but the doc you are seeing now through Kaiser doesn't seem to be very competent. Herniated discs are herniated discs and repeating all the stuff you've already done and didn't help, is not going to do any good. Just waste time and keep you in pain and drugged up.

The first thing I would do is get copies of all your records from the docs you where seeing before you started with kaiser. Be sure to have copies of all the MRI and the reports of them and the discogram as well. Also get copies of all your records from the PT you where seeing and the chiropractor and the "wacko doc" as well.

Then you need to get yourself an attorney that specializes in accidents. If your brother was not at fault, then you may have alternatives for payment that the ins doesn't want to pay and would with an attorney.
If you can't afford and attorney, see what you can find with a sliding scale type set up or possibly free and gets some money if you win a lawsuit.

In the mean time, you need to call kaiser and start complaining about this doc you are seeing. There is no reason you can't have another doc, get a second opinion etc.
Start with the reps you talk to when you call them, when you get no satisfaction, which we know you won't, you demand to speak to the person above the rep. Keep going up the chain of command.
Document every phone call on paper. Write down the day and date you called, the name of the person and person's you talked to each time and take very careful notes.
This is important because many times these calls are monitored and they can try and deny what might have been said in your conversations. If you have the day, date, time and name of person that you talked to, along with the info that you wrote down, they won't be able to deny what was said.

I know it's hard to be persistent when you are in pain all the time. It's a struggle just to move and function, but you have to try and keep the pressure on them.

Get addresses and names to write complaints to, keep a copy of everything you send and send it with return receipt requested so that you have documentation that your mail has been receivied.

I would also call the ins commissioner's office in your state and find out if they can offer any help to you and you could find out if the Kaiser has any kind of patient advocate that you can talk to.

Ins. companies don't want to pay unless they have to. Sometimes we have to fight them tooth and nail to get the payment.
One thing I've learned is that they expect you to just give up and go away. If you don't and keep fighting them, eventually they do cave in and you get the care and treatment that you need.

I've had to fight ins in the past for months and everytime I sent things in writing, and they found I wasn't giving up, I got another denial, more crap and more crap.
It was so draining and discouraging that at times I just sat and cried. After that good cry and was rejuvineated and thought "Who the H@@l do they think they are and who do they think I am? Some kind of fool that is going to just roll over and play dead and suffer for the rest of my life? I don't think so. I've only just begun to fight and they don't know who they are really dealing with and have no idea what they have gotten themselves into."

3 months of fighting and relapsing because of the ins. crap and well I'll be darned. No more letters that we have "considered what you have said, but we feel we are right." I got, "after careful consideration and the info you have provided us about your condition and how much worse you have gotten, we are rescinding our previous desicion and you will be able to receive the care that you have requested, the treatment you have requested and we will cover the expense 100% minus your co-pay."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, all I could think of was "I got you and believe me I will pass the info on as to how to do it."

Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing.

Fran

Marie, Thanks for all the kind words. I look at it this way. We are all one big happy, but in pain, family and if one of us finds something that works, it would be criminal not to tell the rest of the family what it is.

That long handled back brush, I'm surprised you are having trouble finding one. My daughter just bought a new one for herself and K-mart and a friend of hers found one in Walmart. I've also seen them in Walgreens, Riteaid and CVS.

The shaving legs thing. Well, my first thought was big deal, I can live with hairy legs. then I realized it was summer and those hairy legs where going to be showing all the time in shorts. Oops not a good idea. Didn't trust anyone to shave my legs, kind of like the skin on my legs underneath the all the hair. Hate cuts and scabs on them too.
Legs weren't too bad for the first 2 weeks post op and then it was ugh. I need help.

Looked at hubby and said No way, he doesn't even shave his face, hasn't in since he grew a beard in 1974. Daughter, well she just turned green at the thought and didn't trust her. My best friend the nurse, well if desparate would ask, but had to be a way.

Well, leave it to the 23 year old daughter to come up with it. She bought me an electric shaver and said, "at least if I have to do it for you, you won't kill me because I cut your legs all over the place.

Still a problem though to do it, till she came up with the next idea. She went to Kmart and bought a small laundry hamper in the baby dept. and put it in the bathroom infront of the toilet. Presto, sit on toilet with the lid down, plug in razor and put one leg on the hamper. Then she grit her teeth and shaved the leg. then other leg up and she did that one.
OK not the best shave in the world but was sure better than none.

After a few weeks I could do it myself some and once I could really properly bend again, it was back to my schick intuition plus razor and the shower.

Hubby reminded me of another problem when taking a shower and can't bend over or stoop. Take at least 4-5 bars of soap into the shower with you. You are bound to drop at least one of them and unless someone is in the bathroom with you, you got yourself a problem.
I needed help in the shower for about 2 weeks, then I was fine alone, but not with the soap on the floor. One time I went through 4 bars before I was done. Felt like a fool, but as hubby said, "hey independence is the goal, so if you need a dozen bars in their to bath alone, who cares."

Marie, don't jump the gun on an exercise bike. I never used one in my 10 weeks of PT. after my surgery. It was lots of stretching exercises, learning to move properly, sit down, stand up, strengthen those core muscles and walk, walk, walk. You will use a treadmill a lot after the first few weeks.
Walking is the key with back surgery and if you don't walk alot you will stiffen up all the time.
I was fortunate that we didn't have a lot of snow last winter and I was able to get out and walk a lot. When the roads where icy, a friend would come get me and we would go to a local indoor mall. A real small one and I would just walk up and down the mall for a while. then we'd go out to lunch and I'd go back to the mall and walk for another 20 minutes. On the days I didn't have a lot of walking, I felt the back muscles tighten up.

Remember, get those instructions from the doc and then let the PT tell you what you will need to do. And if you end up wanting or being told that a stationary bike is a good idea, then just go to freecycle.com. find one in your area and register. It's amazing what people are giving away for free.
My daughter just got an eliptical thing for free and it works perfectly. She also got a beautiful dinnette set for her apartement for free as well.

Once you get your limit instructions from the doc, post them on the forum.
then we can all see what you won't be able to do and see if we can figure out ways for you to do some of the stuff without breaking the "rules".

Oh, love that lady in the craft store, real quick thinking. On the other hand, those swiffers are wonderful things to clean up with. I use mine all the time and love them, long handle, short handle and extra long handle one too.
Yup, can't dust the furniture and move a lot, but that swiffer lets you do lots of it real quick.

Oh, another thing I did, was pack up a lot of the "dust collector stuff" for a while. easier to clean, so I thought. But hubby and daughter complained that the "house was too naked", and put them back out. They did help keep them clean though.

I got some of my walking and stretching exercises done with my swiffer attacking those awful cobwebs.

Fran

During all of the time Joe Bob was reporting on his laser surgery, the most he spoke of Post Op was "walking, swimming, Icing, massage. He also talked about weaning himself off percocet for at least 3 weeks post op. I guess his wife did the driving around Florida during the time they were there. He said they even went to Disney World. I can't recall more other then he seemed to just get back on the plane and headed home 3 weeks after surgery. At home, Joebob seemed to experience stiffness also but with time he learned how to deal with that as he did stretching exercises.

No one else really has gone into detail regasrding what the PT Orders were post laser surgery. I think the PT is just as important as serching out what they are going to do in the surgery and which Doctor you are going to have the work.

Carrianne, you had some difficulty post op. In what ways were you advised to continue your activities and what was the time frame that you started driving? What did they do hand you a sheet of instructions?

Marie B.

Mare, It would seem that the problems causing my pain are at the L4&5 Level. They will do a Lamenectomy and a Fusion Insitu. That means no Instrumentation.

I can't imagination your being told "don't ask the surgeon any questions", but today anything can happen. I plan on meeting with the doctor one more time prior to surgery and expect to have to fight a whole bunch of women who think they are doing their job of screening to "protect" the doctor. Women really have a problem when it comes to men. Heaven only knows when women decided to take it upon themselve to step between the patient and the doctor is beyond me. I think it is because they were trained to think in a very narrow vein. "This is your job and don't step beyond it."

I'm already prepared to say if you have not arranged for me to speak to my surgeon before the surgical date, then I will change the date of surgery.

You can tell I am having a higher pain level today, because I'm ready to fight the world when I am pain crabby.

Marie B.

Did you all get a gander of Fran's answer to Madismama? Didn't I say that Fran is an encyclopedia?
I just felt great sorrow when I read Madismama's first post. And Fran is right on about the doctor, but she has the guts to say it. Yes, you do have to fight insurance companies, hospital personnel and all of the people who interfere with your attempts to get well. Fight verbally with all of them because it is your health that they are interfering with So what if they don't like you or your attitude.
Maddismama, your doctor is just a dumb jerk to tell you it is muscle problem when you have the evidence on the MRI that your pain is disc related.
Listen to Fran's advice. I have found her to be "right on" when she is saying something.
Go for it, girl.

Marie B.

Hello Everyone,

My last post was on Friday evening and when I scroll through all the subsequent posts I feel I have jet lag or something.

To see how this thread ROLLS puts a smile on my face, and each and everyone of you have made it the success that it is.

BIG DAY COMING UP!!!!! For the old timers you will remember that the great thread initiated by Carol was cut down at the time it was on page 22. I have no doubt that page 23 for this thread is just around the corner. When we hit page 23 lift your glasses high and CELEBRATE!!! A toast to Carol for beginning the initial thread, a toast to all of you for making this one FANTASTIC Spiney Family!!!

Have a GREAT Day and Weekend!!!!

RichT

Hello Marie,

Thank you for your very kind words. AND you Marie support each one of us.

May I ask how many steroid injections you had over a period of 5 months? My first epidural lasted close to seven months for which I am thankful. Since that first epidural by Dr. K no more leg pain and only on rare occassions do I feel any tingling in my legs.

Thanks for your thoughts and advice.

My thoughts and prayers are and will be with you, especially on November 9th. Wish you a successful surgery and recovery.

Take care.

RichT

Hello MJ,

AHHHhhh what beautiful thoughts. You are SOOOoo Right ON!

November 6th is your big day, and I pray for your successful surgery and recovery. Looks like you have everything in order. It is GREAT that your dad and step mom will be there to support you.

If you feel up to it between the surgeries please give us a short update, or perhaps your dad would do so.

Enjoy the Sunshine!!!

RichT