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Man I've said that plenty of times myself, I think a lot of people have. It doesn't matter how much attitude you have or how strong you are. You can be the strongest person on Earth but when it keeps taking and taking from your mental resources for coping, they inevitably run out at some point or another. Then it keeps demanding and taking even after you have nothin left to give.... that's when you get deep depression and maybe suicide.Quote:
Originally Posted by Purple Banana
Well, to each his/her own. If that's the course you want to take, so be it. If you want to be a sissy and bail, that's your decision.Quote:
Originally Posted by mrdevious
If you want to listen to some advice from people who have real-life experience with your exact problem, maybe you just might learn something about coping with your problem and living a happier life.
But, if all you want to do is bellyache, don't expect a lot of sympathy because there are a lot more people a lot worse off than you who are ahead of you in the sympathy line.
If you really are feeling suicidal, get professional help immediately.
For fuck sake man I wasn't talking about ME commiting suicide, I was just explaining the process shared by everybody with chronic pain and why some of them lose the ability to deal with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by PharmaCan
Hey, PharmaCan. Thanks for the info.
Well, you know, I may not be having the same type of surgery you had because both neurosurgeons gave me the exact same approximate length of surgery: 3 hours. And I had them both explain the procedure in detail and no one went through the the anchoring/suturing of the esophagus. They said they simply intubated, opened, and retracted, emphasizing vertical instead of horizontal retraction to spare the key structures on each side. Perhaps you had a bigger, wider section of your spine worked on. It could also be my anatomy. My surgeon told me I have a long, thin neck, which is true. I also haven't had that myelogram or nerve response test you were talking about. No one's done that to me, but perhaps that's because it's earlier in the deterioration process for me or because this mostly is affecting my spinal cord rather than the emanating spinal nerves. They certainly didn't present that to me as a part of the surgery. I'll ask more questions just in case, but from everything I've read about the procedures they've said I need, 3 hours is about right. Oh! and I'm not having both an orthopedic surgeon and a neurosurgeon. Just a neurosurgeon and assistant neurosurgeon. That's how I prefer it, actually. They're perfectly qualified to do the vertebral bone work and know far more about the delicacy of the nerves and spinal cord. I'm keeping track of all the questions this discussion has raised and will be sure to ask them.
It's interesting that another difference in our experiences is that I've had just the opposite response in relation to being encouraged to have the surgery. The surgeons, two top doctors at different medical centers, have both been very keen on saying it needs to happen and needs to happen soon to spare me permanent spinal damage or paralyzing damage as a result of a fall or car accident. Unfortunately it can't happen quite as soon as we'd like because I'm having heart rhythm trouble and have to have an electrocardioversion to convert me back into normal rhythm before I can undergo the neurosurgery. And before they can cardiovert me, I have to stay on anticoagulants for three solid weeks. So the surgery's at least a month out, probably more like five weeks, which includes time to get off the anticoagulant after the cardioversion. Certainly no one has even remotely attempted to talk me out of it. Except myself, of course.
The cervical collar sounds ghastly, but I suspect I'll feel safer with it on, and I'm told people adjust to it fairly quickly. I don't have much pain now and am not on any pain meds at the moment (nor do I want to be), and I have a pretty high tolerance to post-op pain. I just hope they'll order me NSAIDs instead of opiate analgesics like the push-button MS because I simply don't have efficient opiate receptors and those meds just don't work on me. A pharmacology professor told me this year that I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum from those people who have a particular sensitivity and can easily become addicted. In my case, it's almost like resistance. Anyway, I'll take Advil or IV toradol any day! I'm glad to hear the post-op pain wasn't bad. I dread it if I end up having more trouble swallowing because I'm already having some of that. Feels more like uncoordinated swallowing, really, which I guess is what it is.
Dave'll like the end of your post. I'll be sure and tell him he has something to look forward to after I get the collar off! My dad was with me at the most recent appointment, and so I didn't get to delve into any details about restrictions on my sex life, but I know there are going to be some.
OK, I've had about enough of thinking about this for now. Need to think about something else for a while. Thanks again for all the info!
BG - It would not surpise me at all if, in the last ten years, the techniques have been refined to the extent that they have the surgery down to three hours.Quote:
Originally Posted by birdgirl73
They may have retracted my esophagus up instead of lateraly - I just assumed it was to the side because of the orientation of the x-ray when I saw it.
Since you have 5-6 weeks 'til your surgery... there's a Doc, I think he's in Arkansas, who claims to be doing these proceedures with scopes and lasers. I can find his website and give it to you if you are interested.
As far as sex, or any other activity goes, you just need to remember that you want to move your neck as little as possible. Probably the safest position for you would be on top, where you have complete control of your body movement.
Hey, PharmaCan, thanks so much for the responses. You know, you don't actually have to requote my posts in order for me to recognize that you're responding to them since you've conveniently used BG. Just a space-saving thought!
I'll ask about the history of the length of surgery and all the other questions I have. Yes, I'd like to hear who's working on minimally invasive spinal surgery in Arkansas. I'm guessing that's in Little Rock at the medical center, but perhaps I'm wrong. The sad thing is I have network restrictions just like everyone else. Our insurance is unlikely to pay for an out-of-area hospital stay unless it'd be markedly cheaper there. I'm sure they'd balk at any extra expense involved with the newer technology, the cheap turkeys. I'd still be interested to know.
I expect they did retract your esophagus laterally. That's pretty much the only option with that structure. It's anchored at the top by the throat and mouth and at the bottom by the diaphragm and is held in place along its length by various muscles and tendons and the surrounding anatomy. There's almost no vertical movement to be had there. It executes vertical movement with peristalsis, but the tube itself doesn't have much up-and-down give.
My apologies, Mr. D, for totally hijacking your chronic pain thread, but this has been such an informative side-discussion for me. PharmaCan, they said it'll be about a three-month timeframe until full recovery and bone fusion are complete. Was that what they told you? And how long were you on driving/car-riding restrictions? I'll stop bugging you after this, I promise!
BG - Actually I post the quotes because, if you have multiple questions, it's easier to scroll up and down in this box.
Three months is about what they originally told me. But it depends on how quickly the bones fuse, and that is going to vary from person to person.
When I had the surgery I was living on an island in Puget Sound, Washington State. It was really rural, no signal lights, light traffic, familiar roads. So I was driving the day I got out of the hospital. Driving the car isn't so much the problem as is being observant. Remember, you will be doing all of your turning with your waist and back, not your neck. In all honesty, BG, I was in such a protected environment traffic wise (the only accidents we ever had on the island were when a drunk would drive their car into a ditch), I don't really think I'm qualified to answer this question.
You're going to feel pretty fragile when you get out of the hospital. Just keep in mind that those screws CAN move and the inherent fear, mixed with a little common sense, should tell you what you can and cannot do.
MrD - Glad to hear that, bro. I thought you WERE talking about yourself. Suicidal thoughts aren't something to fool around with, so I hope you'll excuse my little scolding.Quote:
Originally Posted by mrdevious
Live long and prosper!
Nah don't apologize birdgirl, it's all about pain so it's all relavent. This thread was for anybody to discuss their feelings on the matter. I really hope your surgery goes well for you, it'll be nice to feel a lot more normal again. I know it's been said, but make sure you let us know how it goes! And good luck.
Yeah, I can't believe there are still doctors who don't believe people about Fibromyalgia. Besides, there are still many types of pain that we can't test for, and most likely many causes we have yet to understand. There's one disease I read about that causes intense pain in the head and face, so bad that it has a higher suicide rate than any other chronic-pain condition (I'm glad I don't have that). They don't even have a method for looking at soft-tissue damage either!Quote:
I also suffer from Fibromyalgia, as a matter of fact that was my first diagnosis before finding out about the arthritis. It is truly painful and sometimes debilitating. And you are right, a lot of doctors will not recoginize it as a condition, as they would rather say it is all in your head. I know what I feel and I know that if my mind had control over it, I would feel a hell of a lot better than I do.
I don't know what causes fibromyalgia (of course), but considering that fatique and cloudy thinking tend to come with it, there are obviously consistent symptoms to this disease that's supposedly "all in your head". Again, it baffles me that they can't believe pain nerves could fire of their own accord because of a disorder in the brain.
Although, do you now know that it's not fibro and just arthritis, or do you have both? Either way, I'm sorry you have to deal with that man. There's this muscle-rub cream called "Lackota" that's supposedly from an old native american remedie, but it's supposed to work pretty well for muscle pain anywhere. I haven't tried it myself, but I think I will soon and maybe you should too.
Hot baths after an ice-pack treatment are good too, that way you can get both the inflammation and the muscle tension that comes with it.
Also try some chewable Vitamin-C at a dose of 3-8 grams a day. Experiment with doses to see what you get results from. Don't worry, the dosage has to be well into the hundreds (of grams) before it gets toxic or harmful in any way. You'll want to throw in some vitamin-E too to help with the absorbtion and staying-power of the C.
And lastly, excessive consumption of meat and refined sugars can aggrivate inflamation, so watch those. You don't need to cut them out, just don't eat a lot.
I saw a really cool cane at Sport's Chalet a few days ago. Actually, it was supposed to be a hiking stick, but it was a cane - a really sturdy, collapsible one. It telescoped down to about 12", so it would be a lot less conspicuous to carry when you didn't need it.Quote:
Originally Posted by mrdevious