I have many spinal issues and have had a spinal fusion (paid for by myself) 6 years on I am still in pain and life is grimm. Have seen a spinal surgeon in London privately (I live on the Isle of Wight) He has looked at year old mri/ct scans also paid for by myself and see I have a screw pressing on a facet joint and the fusion never fused, he is suggesting facet joint injections plus new ct and mri scans he told me to go to my GP and ask for a referral to him through the choose and book scheme to him at a London Hosp that accepts it and he will be happy to treat me under the nhs. So this morning I have been to my gp who is really nice but he pulled a face and said although its a good idea in principal it doesnt work in certain areas? and doubts I will be allowed to be seen on this system. He has taken all the details and the secretary will deal with it and I have to wait for a letter as to wether I will be allowed but it will take a week plus. Is this right from what I read on the nhs website it was my right I have paid thousands out on physio, osteopaths, accupuncture plus never asked a thing from nhs, I have bupa cover but not for my spine. I wondered if anyone one here could advise me on what my true rights are. Thank you in advance
Hi, so sorry to hear you are still suffering after all these years.,if a screw from previous surgery impressing on your facet joint can you not go back to that surgeon and have him repair the problem as surely this is an error on the surgeon. I think you can be asked to be referred to a certain surgeon as I was under a orthopedic surgeon but wasn't happy, I just didn't feel comfortable with him and he never really listened to what I had to say so I asked to be referred to a neurosurgeon that I knew of and my pain consultant did this for me. I think it may have to be within your nhs area though but not certain. Certainly worth trying though. I wish you the best of luck and hope things get sorted for you. I am 11 weeks post surgery on a 3 level spinal fusion and things seem to be going well altough still get lower back pain and the days I push myself I suffer more but guess it's still,early days. Let me know how you get on. Take care.,Sarah
Hi thank you for your reply I did go back to the surgeon who did my op but he said oh that doesnt matter just be tough and do physio I did try for over a year but it got me no where which is why i wanted another opinion. I wish you well a 3 level fusion is a really big thing. When I had my fusion it appeared to be going well I even travelled to LA 6 months later to visit a friend but unfortunately it hasnt been as good as I was hoping for. I was under the impression the choose and book was so you could go anywhere in the country not just locally thats what it says on their website. Good luck with your recovery I am sure you will do great. Take care
Hi I am sorry to hear you are still suffering. I don't understand how it works with different areas so i do hope someone will be able to advise.
I to paid for my physio, facet joint injections, nerve blocker injections and i paid for my
Discectomy which i had 9 months ago and for a fusion at 2 levels which i had 6 weeks ago.
im getting low back pain and still taking tramadol and diazapam but its early days. If i do more housework and when I say more i don't mean overdoing it i see tone laid up the following day.
you must be in a lot of pain let us know how you get on.
Hi Hythe
I am sorry to hear you are still suffering al those years after your spinal fusion I.
I am having the same problems since I had mind done last year In fact I have had 4 ops on my back the last one being the spinal fusion plus rods and scaffoling as I call it,,lol put in.I also had fractures of the sacrum and the bottom of my spine .I was given facet joint injections but they havent hekepe what so ever...
I wish you luck for the future and hope you can get the help you need
Take care Joyce x
Hi Laura I am in a similar situation to you. I had a three level, well two were fused with bone graft rods and screws and a third was stabilised with a flexi rod and screws 10+ weeks ago now and I am still taking all the meds as before the op. I have just in the last 2 weeks reduced the tapentadol which works same as tramadol but a new drug and more effective but I do still get pain. I do find the more I do I hurt more and suffer the next day. I am in less pain than before surgery but still have pain. I also have a sciatic type pain in my buttocks both sides and coxyc from sitting that I had before surgery. I had gone but has returned with the more I do. My surgeon says he thinks it's memory pain but I'm not convinced about that and I find it's only there if I sit. Mainly when I stand up I feel it. Like you say it's early days and hope this is just due to surgery and things still repairing. Time will tell. Take care Sarah x
Hi Sarah,
Bless you. You have been through a lot. I can. Relate to you. I also had cages and screws. My spine was unstable if i stubbed my toe it would shoot up my spine and hurt so bad. I don't have stabbing pains now but my back gets uncomfortable but i guess i haven't used my muscles. Did you have your fusion through your tummy or back? How do you find turning over in bed and sleeping? It's early days for our recovery. Let me know how you are getting on its good to know someone in the same boat x
Hi Laura my surgery was through the back so they do say that it takes longer to heal due to cutting through the muscles. I am doing my physio exercises every day and go to physio each week. I walk lots every day and do a little on a static bike most days. Trying to get active again slowly. I am a fitness fanatic and have exercised all my life so this slow process is frustrating but things are moving forward. I just feel I've hit a point where things not moving forward. Did they go through your tummy or back. Keep in touch as nice to know someone in same situation. Take care Sarah x
Hi there,
You have my symphty on all of this. I was lucky enough to have all of my back surgeries done on the NHS and I can honestly say other than 1 of the surgeries I can't complain. My 1st op they screwed 2 of my vertebrae together with a spacer inbetween and put a cage round that. I didn't have much in the way of physio for that op. Everything went well and I was fine still in pain as that was something he stressed that he couldn't get rid of. So for about 18 months I was fine and like you I went off and had a holiday in SanFran. When I next saw my surgeon after the MRI he said he had no choice but to take out what he had done and just go right up my back. That was a shock I can tell you. So that's what he did resulting in 14 titianium screws, 2 rods and 2 cages over 7 of my vertebrae. I felt fantastic, in a lot of pain of course, loads of physio and they were so good to me. I felt really good for some time but in constant pain but didn't need sticks to walk with but since then and this is over a period of 10 years and 4 more surgeries I now can't walk anywhere without sticks but I can walk just always in pain. I have an amazing GP that's been a great help but I can't fault the NHS for any of what they have done and I'm surprised that you choose the go private when there is such a great number of surgoens out there that could have done it for you. I reserched the surgoens before I went ahead with this and although mine is very abrupt he is dam good at his job.
I wish you well and hope you get it all resolved and I'm sure if you did some research you will find out all the answers you need and hopefully get the results you need.
Hi Sarah
it must be a very slow process for you as you said you were a fitness fanatic before surgery. I had the surgery through the tummy they say its less invasive. It's 6 weeks tomorrow since surgery. I have had no physio yet but starting week 7. I am seeing the orthopaedic consultant who did my operation in the morning. Do you bath? I was told not to but i need to find out
when i can start bathing again i like having a soak. Showers are ok.
i walk everyday and i find myself stooping forward i don't know why that is.
Hope your feeling ok?
laura x
Hi Laura
i also started physio at week 7 and had my first follow up,at week 7. Write down everything you want to discuss at your consultant apt, I did as you forget when you are in there. I think he thought I was made with my ongoing list but there are so many things they don't tell you when you leave hospital. I drove just a couple of miles for the first time today to drop my youngest at school but wore a back brace that I purchased on the advice of my surgeon. I didn't have a bath for the first 8 weeks, but I have had a couple in the last two weeks. Showering is better as stretches the sciatic nerve sitting In the bath but I do love my baths. Work on really holding your core In when you walk. It will help on stooping forward. So shoulders back and suck tummy in. Hope that helps. Let me know how you get on with your surgeon.
sarah x
Hi Sarah,
thank you for your message and kind words.
i slept badly last night i had pain on my right side of back into my hip hurts badly turning over in bed. I spoke to surgeon about it, he got the nurse to take blood tests 2 in particular an ESR and CRP which can show inflammation or infection and i should have results in 2 days. I've started taking ibroprufen. He s going to see me next tues and do a CT guided injection into sac joint so i hope that relieves pain.
Thats good you drove today its all small steps isn't it.
i will try the holding my stomach in while walking. I came home from hospital and went to bed i was shattered.
I am going to try and walk longer tomorrow. I walked around the supermarket tonight and holding onto the trolley was comfortable. Lol.
how did you find the back brace while driving? I find it very supportive
x
Hi it's my sac joint on my right hand side of back that also gives me pain and also around hips. I will be intrigued with what they come back with for you and If the injection works. Good luck with it all. Hopw things settle down for you. I've been busy pottering around the house today and cooking, ironing etc and my back feels it tonight. Hence I'm still up,at nearly 1am....
I hope you get some sleep i find the nights long.
isnt it coincidental that we both have right sided sac joint pain. Does it feel like a weight in your back
bless you with your back from pottering but its hard not to isnt it
x
Yes the area above it is also tender on touch. I really feel it when I walk or turn a certain way. Was just going to see how it settles until my next apt with surgeon. Watching the rubbish. TV that I have recorded on sky during the day. 😃
Oh Sarah i feel it when I walk and turn its so frustrating. I keep telling myself its only 6 weeks today since my fusion. It fees stable my spine as even a cough or sneeze before it i braced myself for bad pain it frightened me. Thank goodness for Sky lol. X
Same I have lost that nerve stab when u cough or sneeze, I used to scrunch myself up to support back for it. Sciatic pain is awful, so,glad that has gone but just hope the back pain will go and this isn't the end result but people keep telling me its only been 10 weeks.....where abouts are you from? I in a little village in Surrey and the surgeons and doctors are really good in this area on nhs which im truly thankful for. My surgeon mainly does private work but takes some nhs referrels so all my treatment and surgery has been in a lovely private hospital under the nhs.
It's as if you are writing about me Sarah i would crunch myself up or try and sit on a chair and brace myself for a sneeze. My darkest moment was being awoken early hours of the morning 6 weeks before surgery as if someone was stabbing me in the back my body jolted hard and i was frightened.
i used to go to Redhill and Reigate in Surrey my ex husband works there.
i live in a village called fleur de lis outside Cardiff. Snap everyone tells me oh it's early days. I am so gad you had great help on NHS with a brilliant surgeon.
I had to pay privately my op was 10k long story
Hi Sarah
how is your week going? I have had a low day today