This is the best explanation of this topic I've seen. My neurosurgeon told me exactly the same thing and talked me out of a fusion. My films showed no instability.
This channel explained MUCH better than what my neurosurgeon did. Thank you! Please, everyone, ask for a second opinion before doing any spine surgery!
Thank you. I had emergency spinal fusion lumbar 10 screws and a rod surgery. No back pain. Sciatica in both legs which progressed into increasing inability to walk. Yes. Disc slipping out etc. The MRI was gruesome I now realize. less than 60 hours after arriving at the ER on a Friday I was being operated on. I am grateful. This was no elective surgery. Yes. I've had back pain since. Episodes of sciatica which resolved with PT. But I'll never complain about what that neurosurgeon did for me. Never took pain medication before nor after surgery. I nearly lost my ability to walk and fortunately I was persuaded by others to finally go to the ER of a good hospital. I will never bitch and moan about fusion surgery. There are some bad ones though. My mother sustained a compression fracture in the thoracic region. After it had healed some quack in Toledo wanted to fuse it. She's 90. She saw my doctor for clear spinal stenosis in her lumbar region. He did laminectomy surgery at several levels and despite her age she bounced right back. She'd had sciatica some years back and the stenosis was diagnosed then. So be careful.
When will the spine surgeons treat the patients as humans not machines for the repairs? It’s so sad that so many people’s lives were destroyed by the fusions at the hands of the surgeons.
Your not kidding I am mentally drained.. I had spinal fusion had to had second one screws lose tilted … Haven’t worked for over a year not to mention the weight gain from the steroids and pain killers..
My nerves were being damaged by my condition and without fusion I would've been in a wheelchair and a colostomy. Had constant pain before and have constant pain now--BUT--I CAN WALK! so depends on the patient circumstances as to whether you should have fusion or not
It is my biggest fear. I had a cyst on my spine so it was removed and a herniated disk was found during surgery. I ended up with a hematoma and another herniation. I have had back to back surgery in 3 weeks. Now I'm in more pain than when I started. I think the next step is fusion and I refuse. I don't want it.
I had alif with a cage surgery, I am better than I was after my alif surgery, but it has not been a good situation. July 15th will be 2 years I have had alif surgery with the cage. I have numbness in my legs and feet, contant tingling in my calfs and feet, lower back pain and a list of other issues. I have been on pain pills and muscle relaxers since the day of my accident (drunk driver). I am now doing pain management. I wish there was a support system for alif patients. I would like to know how other patients are doing. I don't understand why you are being told it will only get worse. Are we to expected it to get worse? I had this surgery to get better. I would really like to talk to other patients that have has alif with a cage surgery?
I'm looking into multi-level lobectomy in my lumbar but I have scoliosis herniated disc bulging disc sciatica stenosis and osteoarthritis and I have not wanted to do this surgery for a few years now after reading the comments I'm not sure I want to have the surgery now
Isn't it possible to take any legal step against the surgeon you described? How can surgeons be allowed to destroy lives with such impunity? I must thank you for the information you shared, but I must admit that I found the tone in which you said, "unfortunately, yes", chilling. It sounded as though there's nothing one can do against the brazen malpractice, advertent or not, of surgeons!
Every state is different. My boyfriend had a spinal fusion due to degeneration. Immediately upon waking, he had severe pain in his right foot and a condition the dr called drop foot, so he lost much of the use of it. Months later, after routine check ups with the surgeon promising the pain would decrease, he went to Vanderbilt for a 2nd opinion. There it was discovered that the "cage" intended to alleviate the pinched nerves had slipped and was now pinching the same nerves even more severely. Now, 2 years after the original surgery, he is almost completely debilitated with a recent sudden onset of new intense pain in the lower back and right leg. We contacted 4 lawyers, 3 specifically malpractice attys, and in our state, you can only get compensation if you prove gross negligence. There is a very high threshhold of what the law will allow as such. And most hospitals have drs sign a statement that they will not testify against another medical practitioner.
I've had 3 failed back surgeries with fusions that have left me with constand L5 pain down my left leg, terrible back pain from the scar tissue and severe scoliosis from instability caused by bad surgeries. The first surgeon cracked the L4 facet joint while attempting a simple disectomy not because of bad luck but because the surgeon was inexperienced and did not follow the correct procedure and left me with instability and the beginning of scoliosis. The second surgery with a different surgeon, was an attempt to fuse the now unstable L4 joint which left me in severe pain and bed ridden for 6 month and still unstable. The following year a third surgeon refused the failed L4 fusion and also fused the L5-S1 joint which seemed to work but still left me in pain and still with scoliosis. Now I'm told my hardware has loosened and is causing stabbing pain when ever I move. All of these failures could have been prevented if the surgeons had taken time to do the procedures correctly instead of trying to get to the next surgery to maximize their profit. I've tried to find a surgeon to try to remove the loose hardware and correct the instability but none want to do a surgery for fear of making it worse. So please don't act like it's bad luck or just an oversight, these surgeons did not care about how they affected their patients but just went through the motions without regard for consequences and never accepting responsibility for the pain and suffering they caused.
I had broken rod in 2012 and left yhere they did find nit find it and in 2018 the broken put up out my back after 2021 ohter break i g tho same dochtrt and they cant find it agian dochter cant find the break in my stiil rod got leg pain neck pain and always tired sourgons they rlly did destroy mine life ann did go other doctter still cant find it so i did go neuro surgon they csnt do anny thing in my back so totaly fuckrd up
I’ve had to have two back surgeries, 1st I broke the screws and fusion, the 2nd one I’m 6weeks in and starting to have some issues but I don’t blame my surgeon, he was honest and told me all the risk, and I made the final call so it’s on me, now I hope I don’t have to have a third one but if so I still don’t blame him, he’s done a great job and there are just risk you as a patient must weigh out. So understand you have a 50/50 chance of not coming out the way you want or think it will be
At least they told you the risks my doctor didn't tell me anything. He hardly said two words to me and my family.I'm so sorry you're going through this. I only had one fractured vertebrae when I woke up out of surgery the doctor had broken my back ripping out ate healthy discs for my spine and giving me an 8 Ievel fusion. 13 screws in for rods all to fix one vertebrae and never spoke to my family or me or ask me if it was even allowed to do it he just did it when my mom asked why he did all that he said I did what I wanted to do and walked out. These doctors are getting away with this because of what we signed in the hospital and the hospital is backing them. This was all to cover up my work injury I found out later he was paid off by my employer. They paid his way through medical school so they did this as a favor to them because I was looking at getting a large settlement before surgery and now after surgery they're trying not to give me anything because they're saying it's cancer when all I had was a lesion caused from an injury the whole thing is very corrupt. Now I'm in constant pain and I am crippled. Can't use my arms my shoulders my neck everything is stiff worst part is I didn't even have any pain before surgery they just scared me into having it. If you're going to get any type of surgery do with a disc replacement instead. But I say just use other methods like chiropractor laser treatment inversion tables massage heat ice etc. Don't do a fusion.
Thank you for the video. I can't hardly describe the hell the last 15 years have been, since I had a 2-3 level cervical fusion. I lost 30# and almost died, the fusion did not take and I ended up having the hard collar for a whole year. I also seem to remember the allografts were coated with something called infuse that was allowed in 2007 only. anyway I have not been able to even watch a movie, because holding my head still causes extreme pain as does laying in bed so the head is stationary. 15 years of 2 hours sleep if I can get a hold of a sleeping pill. Of course now herniated discs. I had the surgery because of neck pain, no slipped or herniated discs were present. The worst part is no Doctor will listen to any of this. Totally left to survive from day to day. My lumbar however slips and has torn discs since I was young, but after the Cervical I have been afraid to tackle it.
Dr. Sahota in Kennewick, WA. He'll just be professionally straight with you whether you are gonna like it/agree with it, or not Common for first fusion to not take. Neither did mine.
I'm so sorry you're going through this. I only had one fractured vertebrae when I woke up out of surgery the doctor had broken my back ripping out ate healthy discs for my spine and giving me an 8 Ievel fusion. 13 screws in for rods all to fix one vertebrae and never spoke to my family or me or ask me if it was even allowed to do it he just did it when my mom asked why he did all that he said I did what I wanted to do and walked out. These doctors are getting away with this because of what we signed in the hospital and the hospital is backing them. This was all to cover up my work injury I found out later he was paid off by my employer. They paid his way through medical school so they did this as a favor to them because I was looking at getting a large settlement before surgery and now after surgery they're trying not to give me anything because they're saying it's cancer when all I had was a lesion caused from an injury the whole thing is very corrupt. Now I'm in constant pain and I am crippled. Can't use my arms my shoulders my neck everything is stiff worst part is I didn't even have any pain before surgery they just scared me into having it. If you're going to get any type of surgery do with a disc replacement instead. But I say just use other methods like chiropractor laser treatment inversion tables massage heat ice etc. Don't do a fusion.
I'm suffering from 3 herniated Discs' L-3 L-4 L-5 S-1. This is accompanied along with 24/7 sciatica pain, with spinal stenosis, and arthurites. To this day, I ABSOLUTLEY WILL NOT have this surgery, with the risk of making my situation even worse.
I wish I would have got multiple opinions before going into spine surgery. But I was in so much pain I was willing to jump on the 1st opportunity to help me. I had 2 surgeries 2 months apart. With my 1st surgery decompression of L1 through 5. I lost my ability to control my bowel bladder. Which everything was blamed on the opiate medication I was taking. Even though I had to straight cath. And left the hospital with a catheter. It would take 2 years of multiple doctor's appointments to figure out that I needed an illiostomy. I also had cervical fusion of 5,6 and 7. At 4 years I started getting a lot of odd symptoms that could not be explained. Profusely sweating and shoulder pain. And one thing I noticed is normal doctors don't know anything about the spine. They can't even interpret the MRI repot. I do a better job at determining the adjectives than most doctors do.At 7 years almost to the day . I am Now dealing with going back into surgery but I'm in so much pain I'm willing to do anything.. My herniation, bone spurring and degenerative disk is impinging the vascular nerve. Looks like it's happening above and below my fusion. My T2 Is also herniated but not as severe as 2,3,4. I'm having a really hard time finding videos on cervical fusion of the entire neck and the range of motion after. I also didn't realize with cervical fusion that there is an expiration date is an expiration date when the need for more surgery is. I would suggest for anybody undergoing spine surgery to go online and get into a support group and physical therapy. Because because rearranging your life life goals and the things you use to do it's a difficult process the only people who went through it can understand.
Hello my name is Joy. Im.42 about 2 be 43 in this month. I have really bad back in my s1 L5 with no cushion in between. I can barely walk or move around alot.. The Doctors told me that I need surgery because it's bone on bone. I am mentally tired of this pain..🤦🤦🤦 i really want someone to talk to so i can get a second opinion..please anyone i really need a second opinion.. They said i need a spin fusion
Always go to a good hospital that employs their surgeons the way teaching hospitals. Don't trust any surgeon who bounces from hospital to hospital. No accountability. No permanent staff. Guaranteed failure.
Had fusion surgery L5, 6 yrs. ago. I had constant pain and complained to the neurosurgeon about my sciatica. I explained that many years prior I had been in a car accident which involved a lap seat belt. I had a laparomy to remove 7"from my small intestine, appendix, and an an injured spleen. That same year I was also thrown from a horse. I was walking with a cane for weeks and suffered a small fracture on my ischia. I had lived with back pain for many years and just could not take it anymore. My neurosurgeon explain that my L5 was detached from my spine and that most likely that was the reason for my lower back pain. I kept asking about my sciatica but he stated that the pain could very well be from the L5 and not the sciatica. I went for a 2nd opinion, and that neurosurgeon agreed with the first. I have been in pain since my surgery with zero relief. I don't take anything for the pain except ibuprofen or acetaminophen which does nothing. I am always on my feet but there is only so many hours I can stand before my sciatic pain has me sitting or laying down and unable to move. I know I cannot undo what has already been done, but how can I get relief so that I can continue to live a somewhat normal life?
Praying for u. I’m supposed to get L5 S one spinal fusion next month! Been living with horrible leg and back pain for 12 years. But only after a lot of activity. I can still run a few miles and swim and come home and rest for an hour and feel fine. I have to get the surgery at Shands hospital, which is a teaching hospital. So medical students completing Their residency would be working on me, Man if this surgery messes me up I’m going to end up homeless in the streets! I have no family or no one to help me. Damn life was so fun and great, then I hit 40 and it got dead serious
Excellent video, very informative. I had leminectomy some 50 years ago. Had hit in vehicles also. I now have been having falls 5 in last six months dropped gate left side. Seen Specialist Nuro who advised I need L4/5 S1 fussion I have Spondylitis pars fracture, and stenosis T section fractures 10:11:12. Also C 5;6&7 bone spurs been advised to have fussion on neck I am very worried because 72 Diabetes neck gets me both arms fingers . Back goes into my groin buttons both sides can’t walk far need to lay down PAIN UNREAL. Don’t like having to take JUNK to live. On waiting list for fussion however with my luck it will stuff up and make me worse.
No acute lumbar spine fracture or posttraumatic subluxation. 2. Patient is status post fusion changes from T11 to 1. 3. Mild multilevel spondylosis of the nonsurgical levels. Chronic Changes ARE present. I have severe low back pain,and neck and shoulder pain, an loosing feeling in bladder and burning radiation down both legs ...had fusion surgery in 07
I am researching information on allergy from the metal implanted. I am allergic to it, had a Melisa test, and now, should I have my rides and screws removed? It’s like a taboo topic. No information at all.
I had 3 spine surgery in last 4 years and every time screws become loose ,I don’t know if I find bad doctor or I am not lucky ,my life is very difficult ,I can’t walking and pain all the time ,my legs crump and I can’t sleeping,it’s any way I can do any thing about it.
I sleep in a recliner now since my t2-t8 fusion after burst fractures from a motorcycle accident. I say sleep but I mean like 1 hour then awake from pain then sleep for a hour then up repeat...
I saw your response on you tube? Im 42 about to be 43 years old and my lower back has been giving me problems alot. I've done a MRI, and they said they my s1 L5 their is no cushion in between..the doctor said i have to have spine fusion?🤦🤦im really scared. I've heard too many stories that never turned out right.. I really need some advice please??
@@MacchiatoSwirlGirl i got a second opinion. And i do need a spinal fusion due to my situation with my back.. Its bone on bone. No cushion. In between the bone. My pain is worse than ever. Can't walk can't bathe myself or take a bath. I am having surgery this may on the 31st. I did all my researches with all the doctors. Im going with this, because im tired of this pain. I can't take it. Im constantly gaining weight, miss working out. I need this done
A great and informative video. Thank you. Just had S1/L5 fusion with decompression. Though in my case I had root nerve impingement as a result of spondylolisthesis! Only been 2 weeks now but am hoping for a good outcome with my recovery.
@@angelaclark5916 6 weeks post op and progress in now slow but progressive. Thanks for asking. I found walking further and further is the key. The pelvic lift exercise made my back worse
I hope tjhis DOES scare the hell out of you!!! DO get a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th opinion! Go to a teaching school as well, Not one of these quacks advertising all over the place, Also, if your Dr does NOT order a bone density test BEFORE surgery LEAVE!!! I just buried a dear friend who was wanting relief from pain, who doesn't? She did not listen to me warning her not to have "minimally invasive surgery". There is NO such thing! I told her the surgery would not get rid of the pain. She went in for surgery in Jan and died in the hospital six months later. How do I know what I know? Over a year ago now I had another three level fusion. (First one went OK , no complications. But as he said, any fusion will lead to another down the road) So 4 months after second surgery 20 years apart ,I was making zero progress. and going to physical therapy did more harm than good. Surgeon said I have bursitis. Well, turns out he was WAY off! The entire stucture has collapsed, no fusion, made worse when I learned I had osteoporosis. Like A house of cards it crumbled away. Scariest news? Hardware has migrated out of place and is now embeded in the Aorta and IVC vein. Any fall, any accident ,could push the hardware right through those blood supply and bleed out. My friend who died was ignored by her surgeon and was neglected when she displayed lack of wound site closing. She fought off an infection unti;l her poor body gave out. (I had also had a severe infection the rehab hospital ignored) All these years of pain and negligence has given me intense PTSD and I trust no Dr! I am in more pain than I was in befor surgery and wish I could go back. Most of us say the same! So buyer beware. I hope you are!!! I pray I save at least one person from this mess.
On the bright side after a few years your brain starts adjusting to the constant pain signals from your fusions in my case neck and back and your not freaking out so much. I think you start accepting the fact that you just have to live with it for the rest of your life and you have to adjust your habits and lifestyle accordingly. That unfortunately means loosing a lot of friends cause you can no longer keep up with them
It must be said that neck surgery has a much better chance of success. Don’t lump it in with lower back surgery. I had two disks removed 30 years ago and do not regret it.
sorry to hear about this. my back surgery went wrong also. on total disability. you found out your true friends family are.. Hope you feel better. keep safe. God bless you family.. amen..
It is so hard to find a pain Dr. Here .... I wish the Dr."s would have more sympathy for there patients. They are so scared to write for pain meds.... It sucks
Had laminectomy to cure leg pain. Result was back pain (didn't have it before) Then I had a spinal fusion. Result was worse back pain (disc implant and cage slipped out of place) Third surgery got cage and disc implant in place but now have May Thurner Syndrome (blood clots) and continued back pain. Now I'm looking at fourth surgery to remove bone spurs and remove spinal cage. I should have never had any surgery and gone to a chiropractor.
1st was L2 L3 - L4 L5 laminectomy and fusion ) not all connected together) went good for about 1 year then started having sever pain and heaviness in both hips. It felt like walking with 50 lb weights attached to my hips. New scans show loose hardware and 1 of the fusions did not take. (No fault of my surgeon). Just had a revision ( nov, 1, 23) to remove hardware with new and fusion and hardware from L1 - S1 connected together for the whole length. Was doing incredibly good. Walking without pain or pressure to hips. but on day 15 post op I woke up and could barely stand from nerve pain on both lower right and left side of surgery site. Doc gave me prednisone, been on it for 6 days and no change. It feels like something is trying to push its way out of my back. Scaring the hell out of me. I like my surgeon and don’t think he messed up anything. Just worried about the next steps if this doesn’t go away. Good luck to all of you Happy Thanksgiving.
When medicine runs like a business where a doctor's income is correlated with volume of procedures, pain and suffering of patients increases. It is human nature to be biased. Patients need to advocate for themselves for the best outcome.
I underwent a L4-5 fusion surgery for severe low back pain without any indication of instability and guess what that didn’t work. But what options did I have? The pain wasn’t getting any better over the years and left me unable to do any work or do anything. I’m only 27years old. Before getting the surgery I took cortisone shots and physio but that didn’t help me at all. So there was only one option to get back to some kind of normal again. I took it and gambled and failed.
My friend, I was in a very similar boat myself. I had a black fusion surgery at L2-3 _AND_ L4-5 at the age of 28. It permanently disabled me and left me in _WAY_ worse chronic pain than I was in before, and bedridden for the overwhelming amount of my days and nights. It absolutely destroyed my life and it’s been pure hell. Worst evwr decision of my life and I tried to off myself a few times because it was so difficult to except that my life has been destroyed. And then to pour salt in the wound, all of these pain management doctors and the government are being extra cruel by not treating our pain properly, taking our medicines away from us. This entire industry is so fucked up. I’m 46 now, but I felt like I have been 90 years old for the last 18 years.
I had four spine surgeries 3 discectomy lamectomies, and a fusion 2 years ago all on L5 and S1 I have been in severe pain this past year I had an MRI which showed some problems but not until Friday on a CAT scan found out that the right side never fused on my fusion and the left side has a fracture plus some kind of bridging going on I just don't know what to do and I need to find a great Surgeon to help me fix this mess I'm only 51 years old please help
I will never get one and I have spondyloloptosis. I am tired of surgeons throwing off and saying.."You should od had that fixed!" You cannot fix spondy. You cannot get a new spine. There are no guarantees. I had a pars defect and started out with grade 2 spondy
Hello Dr. Kimball Do you have experience with minimally invasive surgery for a giant thoracic herniated and calcified disc? I would be very interested in hearing from you. What is the best way to communicate with you? Thank you Excellent presentation.
What about getting a spinal fusion after a staph infection are away your disc? That happened to me & I wish I waited longer after the infection was treated to see if I had pain. Now I have a fusion & am in more pain than before
Hurt my back like 10 years ago. Never went to get check out. Sometimes I go years without pain, but sometimes I do make certain moves and it start to act up. Still not in crazy pain unless I do something crazy or workout wrong. Going to have my back checkout for the first time, want to see wat the damage!
What do you do When you had full.spinal fusion and fake neck im .losing my ability to walk they. .hurt.and losing strength this result. From drunk.driver and this was done years after i.had 3.
I am diagnosed with moderate to severe cervical spinal stenosis at C3- 5. The 1st surgeon said that I also have myelopathy, the 2cd opinion surgeon says that I do not... The first Dr. wanted to do a posterior laminectomy, the 2cd. Dr. wants to do an ACDF. My insurance won't pay for a 3rd opinion... I am confused and wondering. I do have arm weakness, but no gait issues, and no bladder or bowel issues. I have intermittent achiness and stiffness in the neck that is managable - my range of motion is good. I am 57. What would you recommend?
I thank you for not candy coating anything this the best video I’ve seen again thank you
Transparent and educational. The way it should be.
This is the best explanation of this topic I've seen. My neurosurgeon told me exactly the same thing and talked me out of a fusion. My films showed no instability.
This channel explained MUCH better than what my neurosurgeon did. Thank you! Please, everyone, ask for a second opinion before doing any spine surgery!
Thank you. I had emergency spinal fusion lumbar 10 screws and a rod surgery. No back pain. Sciatica in both legs which progressed into increasing inability to walk. Yes. Disc slipping out etc. The MRI was gruesome I now realize. less than 60 hours after arriving at the ER on a Friday I was being operated on. I am grateful. This was no elective surgery. Yes. I've had back pain since. Episodes of sciatica which resolved with PT. But I'll never complain about what that neurosurgeon did for me. Never took pain medication before nor after surgery. I nearly lost my ability to walk and fortunately I was persuaded by others to finally go to the ER of a good hospital. I will never bitch and moan about fusion surgery. There are some bad ones though. My mother sustained a compression fracture in the thoracic region. After it had healed some quack in Toledo wanted to fuse it. She's 90. She saw my doctor for clear spinal stenosis in her lumbar region. He did laminectomy surgery at several levels and despite her age she bounced right back. She'd had sciatica some years back and the stenosis was diagnosed then. So be careful.
When will the spine surgeons treat the patients as humans not machines for the repairs? It’s so sad that so many people’s lives were destroyed by the fusions at the hands of the surgeons.
Your not kidding I am mentally drained.. I had spinal fusion had to had second one screws lose tilted … Haven’t worked for over a year not to mention the weight gain from the steroids and pain killers..
Dr. I saw you on a Versace runway in Paris. Congratulations your great doctor and a top model
You are a Life Saver! Thanks a ton My hat is off to you.
did you fuse your spine?
Back surgery is a scam
My life has been destroyed. DONT HAVE A SPINAL FUSION!! I'm in constant pain 😢
Well if you had nerve damage there is nothing surgen can do anything about it
Whats your problem
My nerves were being damaged by my condition and without fusion I would've been in a wheelchair and a colostomy.
Had constant pain before and have constant pain now--BUT--I CAN WALK!
so depends on the patient circumstances as to whether you should have fusion or not
Spinal fusion surgery gave me my life back!!!! I should have done it years ago.
It is my biggest fear. I had a cyst on my spine so it was removed and a herniated disk was found during surgery. I ended up with a hematoma and another herniation. I have had back to back surgery in 3 weeks. Now I'm in more pain than when I started. I think the next step is fusion and I refuse. I don't want it.
I had a fusion with a metal cage! I've been told I'm only going to get worse!
I had alif with a cage surgery, I am better than I was after my alif surgery, but it has not been a good situation. July 15th will be 2 years I have had alif surgery with the cage. I have numbness in my legs and feet, contant tingling in my calfs and feet, lower back pain and a list of other issues. I have been on pain pills and muscle relaxers since the day of my accident (drunk driver). I am now doing pain management. I wish there was a support system for alif patients. I would like to know how other patients are doing. I don't understand why you are being told it will only get worse. Are we to expected it to get worse? I had this surgery to get better. I would really like to talk to other patients that have has alif with a cage surgery?
I'm looking into multi-level lobectomy in my lumbar but I have scoliosis herniated disc bulging disc sciatica stenosis and osteoarthritis and I have not wanted to do this surgery for a few years now after reading the comments I'm not sure I want to have the surgery now
Isn't it possible to take any legal step against the surgeon you described? How can surgeons be allowed to destroy lives with such impunity? I must thank you for the information you shared, but I must admit that I found the tone in which you said, "unfortunately, yes", chilling. It sounded as though there's nothing one can do against the brazen malpractice, advertent or not, of surgeons!
Every state is different. My boyfriend had a spinal fusion due to degeneration. Immediately upon waking, he had severe pain in his right foot and a condition the dr called drop foot, so he lost much of the use of it. Months later, after routine check ups with the surgeon promising the pain would decrease, he went to Vanderbilt for a 2nd opinion. There it was discovered that the "cage" intended to alleviate the pinched nerves had slipped and was now pinching the same nerves even more severely. Now, 2 years after the original surgery, he is almost completely debilitated with a recent sudden onset of new intense pain in the lower back and right leg. We contacted 4 lawyers, 3 specifically malpractice attys, and in our state, you can only get compensation if you prove gross negligence. There is a very high threshhold of what the law will allow as such. And most hospitals have drs sign a statement that they will not testify against another medical practitioner.
@@daysofsaltandlightsad to hear i wish you guys the best. God bless
I've had 3 failed back surgeries with fusions that have left me with constand L5 pain down my left leg, terrible back pain from the scar tissue and severe scoliosis from instability caused by bad surgeries. The first surgeon cracked the L4 facet joint while attempting a simple disectomy not because of bad luck but because the surgeon was inexperienced and did not follow the correct procedure and left me with instability and the beginning of scoliosis. The second surgery with a different surgeon, was an attempt to fuse the now unstable L4 joint which left me in severe pain and bed ridden for 6 month and still unstable. The following year a third surgeon refused the failed L4 fusion and also fused the L5-S1 joint which seemed to work but still left me in pain and still with scoliosis. Now I'm told my hardware has loosened and is causing stabbing pain when ever I move. All of these failures could have been prevented if the surgeons had taken time to do the procedures correctly instead of trying to get to the next surgery to maximize their profit.
I've tried to find a surgeon to try to remove the loose hardware and correct the instability but none want to do a surgery for fear of making it worse. So please don't act like it's bad luck or just an oversight, these surgeons did not care about how they affected their patients but just went through the motions without regard for consequences and never accepting responsibility for the pain and suffering they caused.
I had broken rod in 2012 and left yhere they did find nit find it and in 2018 the broken put up out my back after 2021 ohter break i g tho same dochtrt and they cant find it agian dochter cant find the break in my stiil rod got leg pain neck pain and always tired sourgons they rlly did destroy mine life ann did go other doctter still cant find it so i did go neuro surgon they csnt do anny thing in my back so totaly fuckrd up
It's a total scam don't do it
I’ve had to have two back surgeries, 1st I broke the screws and fusion, the 2nd one I’m 6weeks in and starting to have some issues but I don’t blame my surgeon, he was honest and told me all the risk, and I made the final call so it’s on me, now I hope I don’t have to have a third one but if so I still don’t blame him, he’s done a great job and there are just risk you as a patient must weigh out. So understand you have a 50/50 chance of not coming out the way you want or think it will be
How did you screw broke i am scared if my screw going to break one day
At least they told you the risks my doctor didn't tell me anything. He hardly said two words to me and my family.I'm so sorry you're going through this. I only had one fractured vertebrae when I woke up out of surgery the doctor had broken my back ripping out ate healthy discs for my spine and giving me an 8 Ievel fusion. 13 screws in for rods all to fix one vertebrae and never spoke to my family or me or ask me if it was even allowed to do it he just did it when my mom asked why he did all that he said I did what I wanted to do and walked out. These doctors are getting away with this because of what we signed in the hospital and the hospital is backing them. This was all to cover up my work injury I found out later he was paid off by my employer. They paid his way through medical school so they did this as a favor to them because I was looking at getting a large settlement before surgery and now after surgery they're trying not to give me anything because they're saying it's cancer when all I had was a lesion caused from an injury the whole thing is very corrupt. Now I'm in constant pain and I am crippled. Can't use my arms my shoulders my neck everything is stiff worst part is I didn't even have any pain before surgery they just scared me into having it. If you're going to get any type of surgery do with a disc replacement instead. But I say just use other methods like chiropractor laser treatment inversion tables massage heat ice etc. Don't do a fusion.
It's a scam.
Thank you for the video. I can't hardly describe the hell the last 15 years have been, since I had a 2-3 level cervical fusion. I lost 30# and almost died, the fusion did not take and I ended up having the hard collar for a whole year. I also seem to remember the allografts were coated with something called infuse that was allowed in 2007 only. anyway I have not been able to even watch a movie, because holding my head still causes extreme pain as does laying in bed so the head is stationary. 15 years of 2 hours sleep if I can get a hold of a sleeping pill. Of course now herniated discs.
I had the surgery because of neck pain, no slipped or herniated discs were present. The worst part is no Doctor will listen to any of this. Totally left to survive from day to day.
My lumbar however slips and has torn discs since I was young, but after the Cervical I have been afraid to tackle it.
Dr. Sahota in Kennewick, WA.
He'll just be professionally straight with you whether you are gonna like it/agree with it, or not
Common for first fusion to not take. Neither did mine.
I'm so sorry you're going through this. I only had one fractured vertebrae when I woke up out of surgery the doctor had broken my back ripping out ate healthy discs for my spine and giving me an 8 Ievel fusion. 13 screws in for rods all to fix one vertebrae and never spoke to my family or me or ask me if it was even allowed to do it he just did it when my mom asked why he did all that he said I did what I wanted to do and walked out. These doctors are getting away with this because of what we signed in the hospital and the hospital is backing them. This was all to cover up my work injury I found out later he was paid off by my employer. They paid his way through medical school so they did this as a favor to them because I was looking at getting a large settlement before surgery and now after surgery they're trying not to give me anything because they're saying it's cancer when all I had was a lesion caused from an injury the whole thing is very corrupt. Now I'm in constant pain and I am crippled. Can't use my arms my shoulders my neck everything is stiff worst part is I didn't even have any pain before surgery they just scared me into having it. If you're going to get any type of surgery do with a disc replacement instead. But I say just use other methods like chiropractor laser treatment inversion tables massage heat ice etc. Don't do a fusion.
@@DB-ih8ic😢😢😢😢
Thats so shit
I'm suffering from 3 herniated Discs' L-3 L-4 L-5 S-1. This is accompanied along with 24/7 sciatica pain, with spinal stenosis, and arthurites. To this day, I ABSOLUTLEY WILL NOT have this surgery, with the risk of making my situation even worse.
Smart!
Same problem with me... I will not have any surgery, I will grow old gracefully... If I end up in a wheelchair at least I know this pain
Go to Germany get disc replacement with Lp-Esp, I did!!
I wish I would have got multiple opinions before going into spine surgery. But I was in so much pain I was willing to jump on the 1st opportunity to help me. I had 2 surgeries 2 months apart.
With my 1st surgery decompression of L1 through 5. I lost my ability to control my bowel bladder. Which everything was blamed on the opiate medication I was taking. Even though I had to straight cath. And left the hospital with a catheter. It would take 2 years of multiple doctor's appointments to figure out that I needed an illiostomy. I also had cervical fusion of 5,6 and 7. At 4 years I started getting a lot of odd symptoms that could not be explained. Profusely sweating and shoulder pain. And one thing I noticed is normal doctors don't know anything about the spine. They can't even interpret the MRI repot. I do a better job at determining the adjectives than most doctors do.At 7 years almost to the day . I am Now dealing with going back into surgery but I'm in so much pain I'm willing to do anything.. My herniation, bone spurring and degenerative disk is impinging the vascular nerve. Looks like it's happening above and below my fusion.
My T2 Is also herniated but not as severe as 2,3,4.
I'm having a really hard time finding videos on cervical fusion of the entire neck and the range of motion after. I also didn't realize with cervical fusion that there is an expiration date is an expiration date when the need for more surgery is.
I would suggest for anybody undergoing spine surgery to go online and get into a support group and physical therapy. Because because rearranging your life life goals and the things you use to do it's a difficult process the only people who went through it can understand.
Hello my name is Joy. Im.42 about 2 be 43 in this month. I have really bad back in my s1 L5 with no cushion in between. I can barely walk or move around alot.. The Doctors told me that I need surgery because it's bone on bone. I am mentally tired of this pain..🤦🤦🤦 i really want someone to talk to so i can get a second opinion..please anyone i really need a second opinion.. They said i need a spin fusion
@@joydavis4905 have you talked to anyone yet?
Wish I understood the "expiration date" sentence.
Thanks for informative post. Sincere thoughts.
Had ACDF in 2019....3 years NO PAIN. No regrets!
Adjacent segment disease destroy the rest!!!!😅
Always go to a good hospital that employs their surgeons the way teaching hospitals. Don't trust any surgeon who bounces from hospital to hospital. No accountability. No permanent staff. Guaranteed failure.
You're a lovely soul. Thank you for your video.
My second surgery was C1 to T1
I have had 11 back surgeries. Fused feom T-1 to T-12. I hate my life....constantly in pain.....😢
Pain comes from sitting and not lifting weights , Pain improves with exercise.
Wow! 😧 Thats not nice at all 😢
Back surgery is a scam don't do it
@@tonymaurice4157 Explain?
@@SassyXR6007 because it doesn't work and then you're stuck with all this Hardware in your back pinching your nerves
and you cannot hold your the hospital or surgeon responsible that's part of the paperwork you must sign before your surgery
Had fusion surgery L5, 6 yrs. ago. I had constant pain and complained to the neurosurgeon about my sciatica. I explained that many years prior I had been in a car accident which involved a lap seat belt. I had a laparomy to remove 7"from my small intestine, appendix, and an an injured spleen. That same year I was also thrown from a horse. I was walking with a cane for weeks and suffered a small fracture on my ischia. I had lived with back pain for many years and just could not take it anymore. My neurosurgeon explain that my L5 was detached from my spine and that most likely that was the reason for my lower back pain. I kept asking about my sciatica but he stated that the pain could very well be from the L5 and not the sciatica. I went for a 2nd opinion, and that neurosurgeon agreed with the first. I have been in pain since my surgery with zero relief. I don't take anything for the pain except ibuprofen or acetaminophen which does nothing. I am always on my feet but there is only so many hours I can stand before my sciatic pain has me sitting or laying down and unable to move. I know I cannot undo what has already been done, but how can I get relief so that I can continue to live a somewhat normal life?
Praying for u. I’m supposed to get L5 S one spinal fusion next month! Been living with horrible leg and back pain for 12 years. But only after a lot of activity. I can still run a few miles and swim and come home and rest for an hour and feel fine. I have to get the surgery at Shands hospital, which is a teaching hospital. So medical students completing Their residency would be working on me, Man if this surgery messes me up I’m going to end up homeless in the streets! I have no family or no one to help me. Damn life was so fun and great, then I hit 40 and it got dead serious
My husband same problems, a year later
@@Karen-ys1kn My surgery was a success, it’s been five weeks after L5 fusion and for the first time in over 10 years I have zero back or leg pain
@@Karen-ys1kn Hopefully things don’t ever go south I can’t take any more trauma in this life praying for both of you
@@FromTheHood2TheWoods any update?
Excellent video, very informative. I had leminectomy some 50 years ago. Had hit in vehicles also. I now have been having falls 5 in last six months dropped gate left side. Seen Specialist Nuro who advised I need L4/5 S1 fussion I have Spondylitis pars fracture, and stenosis T section fractures 10:11:12. Also C 5;6&7 bone spurs been advised to have fussion on neck I am very worried because 72 Diabetes neck gets me both arms fingers . Back goes into my groin buttons both sides can’t walk far need to lay down PAIN UNREAL. Don’t like having to take JUNK to live. On waiting list for fussion however with my luck it will stuff up and make me worse.
No acute lumbar spine fracture or posttraumatic subluxation. 2. Patient is status post fusion changes from T11 to 1.
3. Mild multilevel spondylosis of the nonsurgical levels.
Chronic Changes ARE present.
I have severe low back pain,and neck and shoulder pain, an loosing feeling in bladder and burning radiation down both legs ...had fusion surgery in 07
I am researching information on allergy from the metal implanted. I am allergic to it, had a Melisa test, and now, should I have my rides and screws removed? It’s like a taboo topic. No information at all.
I had 3 spine surgery in last 4 years and every time screws become loose ,I don’t know if I find bad doctor or I am not lucky ,my life is very difficult ,I can’t walking and pain all the time ,my legs crump and I can’t sleeping,it’s any way I can do any thing about it.
This is horrible to hear. I pray you get relief soon. Unfortunately I’m in the same predicament.
I sleep in a recliner now since my t2-t8 fusion after burst fractures from a motorcycle accident. I say sleep but I mean like 1 hour then awake from pain then sleep for a hour then up repeat...
I saw your response on you tube? Im 42 about to be 43 years old and my lower back has been giving me problems alot. I've done a MRI, and they said they my s1 L5 their is no cushion in between..the doctor said i have to have spine fusion?🤦🤦im really scared. I've heard too many stories that never turned out right.. I really need some advice please??
@@MacchiatoSwirlGirl i got a second opinion. And i do need a spinal fusion due to my situation with my back.. Its bone on bone. No cushion. In between the bone. My pain is worse than ever. Can't walk can't bathe myself or take a bath. I am having surgery this may on the 31st. I did all my researches with all the doctors. Im going with this, because im tired of this pain. I can't take it. Im constantly gaining weight, miss working out. I need this done
@@MacchiatoSwirlGirli cant stress myself. I put everything in God's hands. I have 2 boys to think about. God will be with me🙏🙏🙏
A great and informative video. Thank you. Just had S1/L5 fusion with decompression. Though in my case I had root nerve impingement as a result of spondylolisthesis! Only been 2 weeks now but am hoping for a good outcome with my recovery.
How are you feeling now?
@@angelaclark5916 6 weeks post op and progress in now slow but progressive. Thanks for asking. I found walking further and further is the key. The pelvic lift exercise made my back worse
I’m glad for you. I can see how the pelvic tilt could do that
@@angelaclark5916 Are U waiting for spine surgery?
@@TonyG-iu4td Yes I had a visit with the surgeon yesterday and he said I need a TLIF L5S1
I hope tjhis DOES scare the hell out of you!!!
DO get a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th opinion! Go to a teaching school as well, Not one of these quacks advertising all over the place, Also, if your Dr does NOT order a bone density test BEFORE surgery LEAVE!!! I just buried a dear friend who was wanting relief from pain, who doesn't? She did not listen to me warning her not to have "minimally invasive surgery". There is NO such thing! I told her the surgery would not get rid of the pain. She went in for surgery in Jan and died in the hospital six months later. How do I know what I know? Over a year ago now I had another three level fusion. (First one went OK , no complications. But as he said, any fusion will lead to another down the road) So 4 months after second surgery 20 years apart ,I was making zero progress. and going to physical therapy did more harm than good. Surgeon said I have bursitis. Well, turns out he was WAY off! The entire stucture has collapsed, no fusion, made worse when I learned I had osteoporosis. Like A house of cards it crumbled away. Scariest news? Hardware has migrated out of place and is now embeded in the Aorta and IVC vein. Any fall, any accident ,could push the hardware right through those blood supply and bleed out. My friend who died was ignored by her surgeon and was neglected when she displayed lack of wound site closing. She fought off an infection unti;l her poor body gave out. (I had also had a severe infection the rehab hospital ignored)
All these years of pain and negligence has given me intense PTSD and I trust no Dr!
I am in more pain than I was in befor surgery and wish I could go back. Most of us say the same! So buyer beware. I hope you are!!! I pray I save at least one person from this mess.
You just saved me..... Thank you... May God bless you and heal your pain..🙏💜
My neurosurgeon did emergency surgery and saved my quality of life. 10 screws& a rod. Better than not walking.
On the bright side after a few years your brain starts adjusting to the constant pain signals from your fusions in my case neck and back and your not freaking out so much. I think you start accepting the fact that you just have to live with it for the rest of your life and you have to adjust your habits and lifestyle accordingly. That unfortunately means loosing a lot of friends cause you can no longer keep up with them
It must be said that neck surgery has a much better chance of success. Don’t lump it in with lower back surgery. I had two disks removed 30 years ago and do not regret it.
Adjacent segment disease destroy the rest!!!! 😅
DONT DO THIS SURGERY MY LIFE IS DESTROYED IAM ONLY 39
Hey I had t10 to sacrum I'm in agony every day and can't work! What was your fusion and can you work? Basically I had ten levels of fusion.
Mine too I'm only 41
My life is destroyr tho and dochter cant do anny thing about my back i have nerve s pain ever day and neck pain my life is been destoyt
Iam 32 years old
Forgot to mention I'm 46! Did concrete work all my life! They have already denied me of my SSDI.
Unfortunately fusion surgery has become a big scandal nowadays....😓😓😓
Well it helped me a lot from severe pain
I get my spine fused to make it stronger!!! 😂
I had spinal fusion with slippage of the plus two replaced disc in 2015 but know my is in so much pain I don't what to do.😢
sorry to hear about this. my back surgery went wrong also. on total disability. you found out your true friends family are.. Hope you feel better. keep safe. God bless you family.. amen..
It is so hard to find a pain Dr. Here .... I wish the Dr."s would have more sympathy for there patients. They are so scared to write for pain meds.... It sucks
Had laminectomy to cure leg pain. Result was back pain (didn't have it before) Then I had a spinal fusion. Result was worse back pain (disc implant and cage slipped out of place) Third surgery got cage and disc implant in place but now have May Thurner Syndrome (blood clots) and continued back pain. Now I'm looking at fourth surgery to remove bone spurs and remove spinal cage.
I should have never had any surgery and gone to a chiropractor.
1st was L2 L3 - L4 L5 laminectomy and fusion ) not all connected together) went good for about 1 year then started having sever pain and heaviness in both hips. It felt like walking with 50 lb weights attached to my hips. New scans show loose hardware and 1 of the fusions did not take. (No fault of my surgeon). Just had a revision ( nov, 1, 23) to remove hardware with new and fusion and hardware from L1 - S1 connected together for the whole length. Was doing incredibly good. Walking without pain or pressure to hips. but on day 15 post op I woke up and could barely stand from nerve pain on both lower right and left side of surgery site. Doc gave me prednisone, been on it for 6 days and no change. It feels like something is trying to push its way out of my back. Scaring the hell out of me. I like my surgeon and don’t think he messed up anything. Just worried about the next steps if this doesn’t go away. Good luck to all of you Happy Thanksgiving.
When medicine runs like a business where a doctor's income is correlated with volume of procedures, pain and suffering of patients increases. It is human nature to be biased. Patients need to advocate for themselves for the best outcome.
Yep, unfortunately people are desperate to get out of pain, they make a bad decision usually!!
I underwent a L4-5 fusion surgery for severe low back pain without any indication of instability and guess what that didn’t work. But what options did I have? The pain wasn’t getting any better over the years and left me unable to do any work or do anything. I’m only 27years old. Before getting the surgery I took cortisone shots and physio but that didn’t help me at all. So there was only one option to get back to some kind of normal again. I took it and gambled and failed.
My friend, I was in a very similar boat myself. I had a black fusion surgery at L2-3 _AND_ L4-5 at the age of 28. It permanently disabled me and left me in _WAY_ worse chronic pain than I was in before, and bedridden for the overwhelming amount of my days and nights. It absolutely destroyed my life and it’s been pure hell. Worst evwr decision of my life and I tried to off myself a few times because it was so difficult to except that my life has been destroyed.
And then to pour salt in the wound, all of these pain management doctors and the government are being extra cruel by not treating our pain properly, taking our medicines away from us. This entire industry is so fucked up.
I’m 46 now, but I felt like I have been 90 years old for the last 18 years.
My exact same situation at5/1
My back L5 bulge disk took 5 years to fix by getting better shape and strengthening lower back muscles
this was very interesting. You spoke about the lower back fusion, what about fusions in the cervical area?
@@MacchiatoSwirlGirl I have C2 to C3 and then C5 to T5
Let me correct that. I haven't had any operations, the fusions I have are deformities from birth.
You should get your neck fused!!!
I had four spine surgeries 3 discectomy lamectomies, and a fusion 2 years ago all on L5 and S1 I have been in severe pain this past year I had an MRI which showed some problems but not until Friday on a CAT scan found out that the right side never fused on my fusion and the left side has a fracture plus some kind of bridging going on I just don't know what to do and I need to find a great Surgeon to help me fix this mess I'm only 51 years old please help
I will never get one and I have spondyloloptosis.
I am tired of surgeons throwing off and saying.."You should od had that fixed!" You cannot fix spondy. You cannot get a new spine. There are no guarantees.
I had a pars defect and started out with grade 2 spondy
Hello Dr. Kimball
Do you have experience with minimally invasive surgery for a giant thoracic herniated and calcified disc? I would be very interested in hearing from you. What is the best way to communicate with you? Thank you Excellent presentation.
Are there films available from the case study?
When you're nursing surgeon says if it makes you feel any better I work for the hospital. 🏃 RUN 🤑🤑
What about getting a spinal fusion after a staph infection are away your disc? That happened to me & I wish I waited longer after the infection was treated to see if I had pain. Now I have a fusion & am in more pain than before
all because the GP sent to neurosurgery instead of physical therapy.
Did you mention DDD as a reason for fusion ? Annular tear.........ruptured disc or a fissure ?
Goody, I am going for my THIRD surgery in 3 weeks. After my last surgery 8 months ago, one of the screw is lose
I did my 3rds surgery because of loosing 2 screws of 6 and now after 1 year again another 2 screws loose .
Hurt my back like 10 years ago. Never went to get check out. Sometimes I go years without pain, but sometimes I do make certain moves and it start to act up. Still not in crazy pain unless I do something crazy or workout wrong. Going to have my back checkout for the first time, want to see wat the damage!
You should get your back fused!!!
@@imveryhungry112 Lolol
@odankiller9957 everyone need fusion!!!
Does reoccurent hearniation qualify for spinal fusion at l5 s1 level ??
life over
What do you do
When you had full.spinal fusion and fake neck im .losing my ability to walk they.
.hurt.and losing strength this result. From drunk.driver and this was done years after i.had 3.
what if it is just spasm and muscle pain in spine can it be nerve damage after sergery
How did you see slippage or diagnose "slippage" on her x-rays 2 months after surgery?
They do MRI's, PET scans, and xrays. Nothing hidden and they know what they're looking at.
I am diagnosed with moderate to severe cervical spinal stenosis at C3- 5. The 1st surgeon said that I also have myelopathy, the 2cd opinion surgeon says that I do not... The first Dr. wanted to do a posterior laminectomy, the 2cd. Dr. wants to do an ACDF. My insurance won't pay for a 3rd opinion... I am confused and wondering. I do have arm weakness, but no gait issues, and no bladder or bowel issues. I have intermittent achiness and stiffness in the neck that is managable - my range of motion is good. I am 57. What would you recommend?
Definitely get your neck fused now!!!!
‘Slipped disc’. ???…..no such thing!