Dealing with chronic back pain

I thought it only fitting that my first blog discuss back pain and back surgery since I got interested in blogging while recovering from my latest back surgery. I had my first lower lumbar fusion in 2001. The surgery was wildly successful. I had two discs fuses and could no longer live a normal life. I was able to return to work and go through the motions of living. I couldn't, however, run a vacuum, do laundry, garden, or do anything considered by normal society as "risk taking."

Prior to back problems at age 29, I was very active and enjoyed water skiing, riding sea-do's, dancing, running, and having a lot of fun. Five years after the first surgery, when I was almost free of pain medicine, my 16-year-old dog Mitzy (half lab and half chow) began the walk toward the rainbow bridge and left me some smelly messes on my carpet. My husband was deep sea fishing ten hours away, so off I went to the Wal-Mart at 10:00pm to buy a carpet cleaner. I bought the cleaner, read the directions and built the darn thing, and cleaned the nasty carpet. The next day some all-to-familiar pain returned to my lower back, left leg, and left hip. Urgh. I saw my Physiatrist (physical therapist and MD), got the MRI she ordered and started down the road of physical therapy to prevent a second back surgery.

Once I knew I was destined for another surgery, I saw a local neurosurgeon and talked to him about disc replacement. He didn't do them or suggest them, but I checked the surgery out for myself. I saw another neurosurgeon who is located two hours from my house (I live near a large metro area, but had to travel to find a surgeon who was involved in the clinics trials for disc replacement). He did the necessary testing and determined that I was a perfect candidate for the new procedure. Everything looked good for the new procedure until my insurance carried decided it would not pay for a multi-level disc replacement. I went through all of the available appeals and was still rejected. So instead of having a surgery that might have given me a chance at a normal life, I was left with two alternatives: 1) have the surgery that my insurance would cover or 2) go out of the country where I could get the disc replacement surgery from very reputable surgeons for between $50K and $80K. Further discussions with my insurance company revealed that if I went out of the country for surgery that they would not cover any post-op medical services.

You know, $50K to $80K is a lot of money, but a re-fi of the house would give me the cash to head to Brazil or Germany. Paying for my post-op meds, physical therapy, and potential additional surgeries, however, was not an option or a risk I was willing to take on.I ended up going back to the local surgeon and having the "traditional" lower lumbar fusion surgery. For me, this meant the removal of previous "hardware" and the removal of the remaining discs between L4 and S1. New titanium pedical screws and rods (with stabilizers) were installed and the ten inch incision closed up.

The good news, 6 months post-op, is that I can walk without the use of a cane, crutches, or wheel chair. The bad news is that I have new and worse pain down my left leg and in my left hip. My right leg goes numb when I stand or walk for more than about ten minutes. The pain in my back is constant and unbearable. I have to use more pain management medications than prior to surgery to be able to function at a sub-normal level.

I have had a lot more time for watching tv and wandering around on the internet. I'm a pretty good Texas Hold 'Em player (only for fun), and have been working on my first novel. It has nothing to do with back problems or surgeries though! I also decided to start my own blog.

I have read several bloggers work and most include links throughout each blog. As a beginner, I have saved a link for last. Check out local radio personality Frank Murphy's Blog and homepage at http://www.frankmurphy.com/. He is hilarious on the radio and knows more trivia than anyone I have ever met. He is quirky when it comes to vacations, he visits the weird things this country has to offer. Think about the excitement as he pulls up to largest ball of twine or the huge thermometer in the Mohave desert!

All for now. Comment if you have had similar experiences or need information regarding dealing with chronic pain and/or being unable to clean the baseboards at your house.