When it rains it sure does pour doesn't it. Been AWOL, cause as Rich knowns only too well when it happens, the computer decided to croak out on Friday night. No warning, no nothing, just turned it on and up comes that "safe mode" thing.
Then the keyboard wouldn't work on the stupid laptop from dell.
Then we find it wouldn't load in safe mode either.
After hours of hubby trying to fix it, I just went to bed.

Saturday, he's using the desk top and I told him to be careful and not have it on the that big nor'easter, but he wouldn't listen. (you know those engineer types that know everything about computers, except the common sense things).

Warned him that big old tree out on the street is more than half dead and the town won't take it down till it comes down, well if it goes in these horrible winds it gonna take the phone and power lines with it and zap the computer cause you got it on.

Not 10 minutes later, presto, down comes the tree, the power lines and the phone lines and the computer got a surge and that's the end of that one too.

So no computer, till today. Should have replaced that old dell laptop long ago. It was my daughters old defective lemon from Dell that we got her in 2001 before she left for college. Everything on it had been replaced at minimum of 3 times under the exetended warranty, except for the hard drive. But hubby wanted to just plug along with what was left of it. Well we plugged along till now. The hard drives is on it's last legs and that's the problem. At least the stuff he didn't back up can still be retrieved on it.

So everyone, I'm now typing on my brand new Mac Pro book laptop. Up and running and just love this delightful computer, never mind the fact that it works.

It's quiet as a church mouse, no noise what so ever while it's running. no fan noise, no start up noise, no nothing, fast as can be and no microsoft to deal with. Means no virus, no spy ware, none of that stuff.

Won't discuss the price, trust me, lots more than a PC, but every PC we've owned has been a problem, but the one and only Mac desk top we've had for 9 years, just added memory and upgrades to it and have never once had a conversation with apple computer about a problem, nothing been replaced on it except the hard drive, because we expanded the size.

Daughter just got a mac pro book a few months ago and is in love with it too.

OK enough about the advertising for apple computer.

I'm back and will start to answer some posts in another posting

Fran

MJ, I too know you won't see this till after your surgery. My prayers have been with you all day, and by the time you see this post, you will be able to tell us how "the first days of your new life are doing".

Patiently waiting to hear all the details of how it feels to be pain free.

Fran

Sure sounds like you made the right decision for yourself. So glad to hear that you are doing so well post surgery.

As the docs say "walking, walking, walking is the real key to recovery. Just don't overdo it.

Fran

Sounds like you are really progressing now after such a rough go of it.

Glad to hear the PT is the next step for you. Hopefully you won't need more surgery.

Fran

"D" day is fast approaching. Hopefully nothing from those tests have made any changes to that date.

Keep my e-mail handy and just e-mail any time. Have watched to hear from you and haven't seen any from you yet. Did you get my e-mail with my e-mail addy?

Now, for some of your questions.

There are some BP meds that can cause some risks with surgery, things like increase you clotting time and hence cause more bleeding than should be happening. No doupt you are on one of those that may cause that kind of problem.

Same with the OTC herbal meds, vitamins and supplements. Vit E is one of them that can interferre with the clotting as well and all the Nsaids, ie ibuprophen as well, increase bleeding and very likely prevent the fusion of any kind from taking.

You might very well find that the IV pump thing will work very well for you, especially when you have the control, so to speak. It will let you dispence the amount of pain med, up to a certain amount, whenever you need it. I've seen it work for people that usually don't have good success with just plain old IV in the arm delivery.

Interesting that the doc's nurse never saw any gluteal bruising or swelling. I know several people who have had the same results as me and with different doctors as well.

A thought, since my bruising and swelling came on gradually over the first few days post-op and was full blown on day 3, could it be that the nurse didn't see it and by the time a post op visit came, the swelling and bruising was gone and no one told her about it?

My own doc doesn't see that much of it either, as his patients usually are sent home from the hospital either the same day or within a few days.

Brace or no brace, that is the question. Well, must be that it depends on the stability of your spine after the surgery and the doc makes his decision then. Makes sense, I think.

Marie, keep good thoughts and remember what I say, "when you wake up in the recover, it's the first moments you are aware of the new life you will have without the pain."

Keep us posted on how you are doing. Hey, some of the hospitals around here, the big teaching ones, now have wifi and plug in internet access for their patients to use their laptops with. Maybe you will have the same thing?

Good luck,

Fran

Everything went great yesterday. Was home by 12:30.......went in at 7:30.

I could not express my feeling in recovery.......I just broke down.......to not feel the pain I have felt in my arms neck and shoulders for over a year was overwhelming to me. They thought something was wrong.......but I quickly told them nooooo noooo.......just give me a moment......they understood.

I want to Thank all of you for your many prayers and encouragement. I truly felt all of them yesterday.

I go today to see Doctor and get bandage off. I've been walking, icing and neck exercises. We will discuss the surgery for L4-5 and S-1 today. (that has magnified) have it on the books for Nov. 12.

I will go for now and will touch base with you all later.

Marie B. You are in my prayers on your upcoming surgery.
Fran So glad to see you back here

mj.......

MJ,
Such wonderful news, as we knew it would be!!! Please let us know how your appt. today goes and if your lumbar surgery is a definite. Lots of prayers still with you!!!

Marie,
I hope your surgery is nothing but positive as well!! You're in my prayers as you prepare for your surgery and we'll be sending lots more of them your way on Friday.

I have a post it of surgery dates so whenever I see it, I'm thining of you all who have had and are facing surgery.

Dave,
How is your recovery going? Hope everything is great and you are pain free!

God bless,
Carrianne

What a great way to start the day! Free of pain! I thought I'd check in early and I'm glad I did! Already good news from MJ and we're still rooting for Marie B. Great inspiration! Have a great week and rest!
Take care
C

I just love that sweetie cat with his earphones and bouncing head to what is obviously good sounding music, LSG. I have two cats. The male adopted us when he was a baby and I call him CAT. There is a female also who showed up on our doorstep when she was a little older. Her name is Tyrant. We love cats, dogs too and we even have had little white mice like Stuart Little.
Just love those pictures.

O.K Now its down to business. All of my tests came back Good! Nothing will change my OR date unless the surgeon himself comes down with a problem.
My PMC physician and his office girls have been real peaches getting me thorugh all of the paper work and numbers, although he did give me a little elbow when he complained that I was going so far north (70 miles) for my surgery. He said if anything happens and he has to run that distance instead of the 3 miles to our regular hospital, he will remind me of it forever. I, personally, was glad to know that he was even considering taking a trip to a distance hospital just to make sure I was O.K. if I had any difficulties. I have a great PMC physician.

Talk about shoes. I just gave a Naturalizer store in Pittsburgh enough business for shoes that I won't have to buy anymore for at least 6 months. Rich, right after shoes, women like to have purses; ones that match the shoes, of course.

Isn't this wonderful? Everyone coming out of spinal surgery in good shape.
MJ. I hope the next surgery coming up for you will turn out as successful as your first one. I think people like you and Carrianne who leave one operation all the while knowing another was on your horizon are very brave. Your courage gives me courage.

I can just imagine the day of my surgery. I will probably say to anesthesia, No trainees permitted. I'll say to the scrub nurses " make sure your sterile technique is flawless, no infections needed, and I already told my surgeon that I don't want to be put to sleep until I see his face hanging over mine right before I close my eyes. I told him I wanted to say one last time to him....L4 and L5. No instrumentation. I'm a little 'ol lady. I can get away with saying anything.
For some reason, when I am communicating with all of these various nurses, doctors and the zillions of assistants, they seem to smile at my constant organization of papers, duplicate copies of everything, questioning every detail, know everyone by first name and never forget a face or their position. In today's health world, the hi- tech has taken over too much of the person to person touch. So if I can add a little more warmth to the cold world for others, that's a good thing.

Fran, Anything is possible when surgery is involved. I always comment to doctors about my height. I will say,, "Do you realize that you are giving me the same dose as you would a person 6ft tall would get." Believe me, the docs have rethought some med doses after I say that and they give me more flexibility in the dosage when writing out an Rx. If I have any swelling,in the bum, I'll let you know. Maybe I should get 3 big ice packs. While I am icing the lumbar region, I'll put the other two on the gluteous maximus cinnemon bun muscles. I'll get a jump on any swelling.

I am going to have my own brace in my suitcase when I go to the hospital just in case. Of course it isn't a surgical brace. I have large waist cinchers that fit me better then braces do. I'll see how things go in the begining and have all options covered. My head is tired of trying to make sure all things are covered from home supplies when I'm gone to when I get back. Believe me, when the anesthetist says, "goodnight" I'll be ready to go to sleep.

So many of you have said that once you were awake fully, you had no pain. I am thinking that I am going to have pain. You can't cut bone, eg. Laminectomy and not have pain post op. I just don't know what I will feel like immediately after surgery. Oh, I don't think I'll be communicating on the web as quickly as the other people have. Since I am going into a hospital that I don't know too much about and which is quite a distance from home, I'm not sure what is available there.
If you don't hear from me from Friday through Monday, know that it will be because I won't have internet access. I don't have a pc. I must be the only person married to an engineer who prefers to be away from a computer and a cell phone when not at work. He won't buy me a pc. because he knows as soon as it appears he will be tempted to use it.

O.K. I am now going to go see what to take along with me to the hospital.
Housecoat and slippers are on my list. Of course I have to decide if I want to take all of my hair supplies and cosmetics. Not only do I not like to scream in public, I want to look my best while yipping and yapping if I have pain.

Thanks everyone for all of your support!

Marie B.

I just love this comment from you

"O.K. I am now going to go see what to take along with me to the hospital.
Housecoat and slippers are on my list. Of course I have to decide if I want to take all of my hair supplies and cosmetics. Not only do I not like to scream in public, I want to look my best while yipping and yapping if I have pain. "

My hubby is still laughing and asking if we are related and he doesn't know it.

You see, when I went in for my surgery I couldn't find my dumb hairbrush. Searched everywhere and finally ended up going through my drawers to find the only other one I had. The hairbrush my hubby got me on our honeymoon that was 31 years ago.

Anyway, when I was ready to leave the hospital, I accidentally left that hairbrush in the bathroom and didn't realize it till we had been driving for 10 minutes. I got hysterical about leaving it. Hubby is going, it's just a stupid hairbrush, and I'm crying it's the one you gave me, blah, blah, blah.

That sweetheart turned the car around and sped back to the hospital, ran in to the floor and there in the bathroom was the "stupid hairbrush" I was crying about. the blue hairbrush, with mickey and minnie mouse on it that we got a disneyworld on our honeymoon.
The staff thought we where both nuts until he explained why it was so important. Then they thought he was the most angelic, romantic angel in the world. What an ego boost he got that night.

The other things he was laughing about where our heights and the med problems. Things like the regular dose of anesthesia can leave us out cold for many extra hours. The dose of meds to help with pain turn us into sleeping zombies and, as my daughter calls it "loopey idiots that can't stand up straight", and we have to remind the docs about us.
The organization too. It freaks my hubby out to see how organized I can be. Even when things look like a mess to everyone else, I can find anything you want in a matter of seconds in that supposed "mess".

As for waking up with no pain after my surgery, I should explain that the "no Pain" was no pain in the leg, no burning numbness and tingling. That's not to say that I didn't feel any pain from the incision after the initial pain med that was in my IV wore off. In my case, that pain was nothing compared to the crippling pain I had in my leg.
Can't tell you about fusions and pain though, but my guess is that without the instuments being used in your surgery, the pain will be less than if the doc used any of it.

My personal experience is that in today's world, medical staff either appreciate knowledgable patients or they hate them. If you have a doc that appreciates it, you will find that he works with staff that feel the same way.
It is a relaxing feeling for all when everyone is on board and working together for the end result.

Oh, the one other reason hubby wonders if we are related, is your attitude in the OR.

There I was on a gurney in the OR, hooked up with IV stuff and the anesthesiologist ready to turn the sleep stuff on and I was yaking away and telling her wait a minute. What is that thing on the OR table, I'm going on that, How the heck am I supposed to get on it. Where's the doctor, and his staff. Got to see him in here scrubbed and ready to go, before you knock me out. Remember I am a little person not even 5 feet tall.
Next thing I knew, the doc is standing over me, scrubbed, and ready to go to work, along with the nurses and his staff and I told him.

"remember now, NO SCREW UPS PLEASE, DO THINGS RIGHT, I WANT TO RETURN TO THE LIVING AGAIN AND ENJOY LIFE. AND I'M GOING HOME TONIGHT."

Lucky his mask was on and all i could see was his rolling eyes as he told the anesthesiologist, "Hurry up and knock her out before I do it with some piece of equipment in here. As for you Mrs. Patient, shut up all ready and let;s get this show on the road and I'm betting you $5 bucks and 2 co-pays that you will be going home in the morning, not tonight. Deal?"

I never got to answer him as I was out like a light.

But, I had $5 bucks in my hand when I went home that night, and never paid 2 co-pays after the surgery.

Ice on those butt muscles sounds like a good idea, better safe than sorry, is my motto.

Your attitude sounds great, good and positive and all your docs sound great and you have lots of trust in them. That's half the battle right therre.

So Marie, my prayers are with you and, if you can, check in with us before you go to the hospital.

We will all look forward to hearing from you as soon as you can post and give us all the juicy details of your talk with the staff in the OR and how you are doing.

Fran

Hello MJ,

FANTASTIC that your surgery went well, and ESPECIALLY that the pain in your arms, neck and shoulders is gone.

I hope and pray that your surgery on November 12th goes as well.

Thanks so much for your GREAT update. Look forward to your next update.

RichT

Hello Marie,

Hope I'm writing this before you leave for your surgery. If not, at least you know my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Thanks so much for sharing.

Yep, that is how it goes - First shoes to match a dress, then the purse, and then you decide the shoes really don't match the dress as well as you thought it did so its out to buy a new dress, and around and around you go. LOL

RichT

Hello Fran,

Thanks for sharing your most vivid stories.

What a computer story - Two computers, a tree, electric lines and telphone lines ALL DOWN!!! Glad you have your computer. I assume the electricity and telephone are back on. Thank goodness the tree didn't hit your house.

My son gives ole dad a hard time about having a PC rather than a Mac. Thank goodness he is still willing to help me when troubles arise.

An interesting story about your invaluable hair brush. Interesting how there are those simple things that have very special meaning because of the story they keep on sharing.

RichT

Hello All,

Today (9 am) I had a second injection. My doc surprised me by sticking that needle right up my tailbone. Glad he didn't tell me earlier. Actually was less pain than my first injection.

Slept most of the afternoon away (head was "fuzzy").

At this point I am cautiously optimistic as the pain is much less. Tomorrow the ole back gets tested when I"m out in our gardens planting two azaleas, etc.

I'm slowly learning a bit about epidural "cortisone" injections - First, not cortisone at all. From a bit a reading the body makes cortisone itself as an anti-inflammatory. Unfortuanately it has a short life. SOOOOoo man comes along and synthesizes an anti-inflammatory compound called triamcinolone acetonide which has a longer life. The trade name for what I had injected was Kenalog. I heard the name mentioned during my visit to Dr. K three weeks ago so I did a bit of checking. Yep, some not so good side effects. Found out yesterday my doc used Kenalog for my first injection. That made me feel much better as I had ZERO side effects. Today I found out that very same compound is in the Nasacort that I use every evening and have done so for years. And yet the docs say "cortisone" injection.

Okay Fran, do let me know if I have erred in the above as I surely don't want to "speak" incorrectly.

Just thought I'd share a bit of info. MAN my doc is going to get peppered with questions in two weeks. I'll let you know what I "learn".

RichT

Good morning and Happy Friday! It took too long to get here, but fortunately I've got a Starbucks on my desk that will help me through the morning. Speaking of coffee, I read recently that coffee, being a diuretic, is not great for those with degenerative issues. Perhaps Fran, our wonderful knowledge source, knows a little about this. Does caffeine deplete your spine of hydration?

Rich,
So glad your injection helped and I hope your back feels even better this morning! Do you experience pain in your tailbone? Is that why they did the injection there? I ask because I get pain in my tailbone from sitting. It's nothing piercing, just achy and annoying at times.

Hope you all have a great day! God bless!
Carrianne

Best wishes to you today, Marie!!! We're all thinking of and praying for you!! I'm sure everything will go smoothly and before you know it, you'll be updating us on your new life free of pain!!!

God bless you today, and always!
Carrianne

Hello Carrianne,

Glad you have your Starbucks. For my wife and daughter that is a MUST!!!

Nope, no pain in my tailbone. I suspect it just was the right way to get to wherever the doc needed to go. One of my questions for him in 2 weeks.

Have a SUPER Weekend!!!

RichT

OK everyone, this question I turned over to my daughter, the biology/chemistry "genius" in the family. I figured she would be the best one to answer the questions since she has a BA in both and will have an MS in both come May of this year, as well as her BA and MS in secondary education.

Her e-mail response is below:

Cortisone is a type of steroid that is produced naturally by a gland in your body called the adrenal gland. Cortisone is released from the adrenal gland when your body is under stress. Natural cortisone is released into the blood stream and is relatively short-acting.
Injectable cortisone is synthetically produced and has many different trade names (e.g. Celestone, Kenalog, etc.), but is a close derivative of your body's own product. The most significant differences are that synthetic cortisone is not injected into the blood stream, but into a particular area of inflammation. Also, the synthetic cortisone is designed to act more potently and for a longer period of time (days instead of minutes).

What is a "Steroid"?

According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the term "steroid" is a chemical name for any substance that has a characteristic chemical structure consisting of multiple chemical rings of connected atoms. Some common examples of steroids are:

Vitamin D
cholestrol
estrogen
cortisone
Steroids are critical for keeping the body running smoothly. Various steroids have important roles in the body's reproductive system and both the structure and function of membranes

What are Corticosteroids?

Corticosteroids or glucocorticoids, often just called "steroids", are drugs closely related to cortisol, a hormone which is naturally produced in the adrenal cortex (the outer layer of the adrenal gland). Corticosteroids act on the immune system by blocking the production of substances that trigger allergic and inflammatory actions, such as prostaglandins.

Corticosteroids include:

Betamethasone (Celestone)
Budesonide (Entocort EC)
Cortisone (Cortone)
Dexamethasone (Decadron)
Hydrocortisone (Cortef)
Methylprednisolone (Medrol)
Prednisolone (Prelone)
Prednisone (Deltasone)
Triamcinolone (Kenacort, Kenalog)

Their are technical differences between cortisone, corticosteroids, cortisol but of and in itself, they are all one in the same.
The biggest differences are the natural occuring in the body that have a short term anit-inflammatory and control affect that is part of the fight or flight effect in the body, vs the synthetically made, which is used for medical purposes and has a long acting affect on the body.

Synthetically or naturally made by the body, cortisone is cortisone is cortisone. It can be called cortisone, corticosteroids, cortisol, they are essentially one in the same.

Cortisone of all types is a strong anti-inflammatory."


Rich, hope my daughter's info helped you understand better that the docs use the term "cortisone" correctly when referring to steroid or cortisone injections.

I found this info on line about kenalog

riamcinolone (trade names Kenalog, Aristocort, Nasacort, Tri-Nasal, Triderm, Azmacort, Trilone, Volon A, Tristoject, Fougera;) is a synthetic corticosteroid given orally, by injection, inhalation, or as a topical ointment or cream.

Fran

Carrianne,

I couldn't really find any info on coffee being a problem for those of us with spine issues other than from some chiropractic sites.

I take that info on those sites with a ton of salt, not a grain of salt. Too many of them claim to be able to cure major diseases without any medical care or drugs.

When I asked my ortho docs, the one I used for my tendon problems with my arms, my spine doc and the pain doc, they all said that coffee was fine and not a problem. Just remember to keep hydrated in the summer.

Eye doc said the same thing about hydration with the floater problem, but that coffee, tea etc was fine to drink. I would know that I was not getting enough "fluid" no matter what time of year it was, because the floaters would get worse when I wasn't drinking enough.
They sure do and I have always been a big water drinker anyways.

I know that there where reports in the new over the past few weeks that drinking soda was bad for bones, but that's a separate issue from coffee.

In my own experience, after each of my ESI injections and I was back in the observation room, the nurses always asked me if I would like something to eat and drink. I was offered coffee from Dunkin' Donuts, tea, hot cocoa, coke, juice to drink, and toast, scrambled eggs to eat.

My ESI"s where done in the surgical center that my docs have in the building that their offices are in and the staff does nothing their but out patient ortho and various types of spinal injections. All spinal surgeries are done in the hospital.
Mine where done in March through May o 2006, but a friend of mine just had an ESI done there 3 weeks ago and nothing has changed.

So my thoughts are that coffee is safe to drink with spine issues of all kinds.

Like you Carrianne, I can't live without my coffee, several cups throughout the day and evening; so much so that after my surgery and I was able to drink more than just some water, my best friend who was with my hubby had a large coffee from Dunkin Donuts waiting for me right by the bed.
Talk about how to start a new day of no pain in the leg, with a fresh cup of brewed coffee.

Fran

Hello Fran,

So very nice of your daughter to provide information on cortisone and the synthesized derivatives of it used in medicine.

How do I say this properly - The derivatives do have the same basic structure of cortisone, however, they do have significant differences also. As one small but significant difference the chemical in Kenalog has a hydrogen atom which was replaced with a floride atom. There are other differences too. Those differences provide a compound which has a much longer life than the parent cortisone produced in our bodies and I'm sure provides a somewhat different function/reaction. Being a stickler for compound details it bothers me when doctors use the term "cortisone injection" when that is not true. To me doctors should explain to the patient exactly what he is going to inject and its purpose. DON'T MISLEAD people. WE need to know EXACTLY what medication the doctor is giving to us. How else can we properly check it out on the internet.

As an example, one very old insecticide was DDT. And DDD was an "impurity" and degradation product. This then followed a degradation to DDE. All somewhat similar in structure, but definitely different compounds. A horse is not a mule, is not a donkey.

I congratuate your daughter in pursuing an MA in both chemistry and biology and education. Truly amazing. I wish her the very best. Back in my working days I was a research chemist though not in the pharmaceutical area.

Take care.

RichT

Moderator - Sorry for going off topic, however, I do believe it is an important issue.