04/09/2025
Three days of doctor consults and MRIs has been grueling and painful, but we are thankful…and we have reliable results and a plan. I’m happy to report relatively good news. First, Lola’s back pain is not congenital and doctor believes he can insert tiny “wedges” in a minor procedure that will give her satisfactory relief as soon as he can schedule it. For my part, the hospital techs were able to get clear images of the suspect L-5 vertebrae. It is nearly impossible for me to lie on my back without moving. The overlapping two, 13 inch scars on my spine are still tender. Lying still on the hard table of the MRI machine is excruciating! My neck, shoulders, and legs quickly tie themselves in knots (muscle cramps) that I cannot bear and it is painful to remain still. Getting clear images while suffering this torture is nearly a miracle! The neurosurgeon needed clear images. And we got them.
Doctor had told me months ago, that the L-5 vertebrae was in bad shape. Insurance would only pay for him to decompress 4 vertebrae and so he picked the four worst ones and after a difficult recovery and the removal of the stainless steel rods and screws thirteen months later, I began to improve. By June and July, I was almost pain free…I had not had such little pain in 15 years. Lola and I were giddy with joy. I had hurt so bad for so long it was hard to believe I wasn’t hurting anymore. Six back surgeries! A morphine pump implant! Titanium disk spacers! Bone spur debridement! And now so little pain, so much joy!
Then, I rolled out of bed Saturday morning, August 9th, with sciatic pain second only to the pain levels during my month in Mercy Rehab. The clear images showed that indeed, part of the L-5 vertebrae had disintegrated! My spine had collapsed onto the nerve, triggering intense, unrelenting pain. And my neurosurgeon was in Europe! It could have been tragic, but for people in doctor’s staff who helped me get through the worst of it. The best part is that I got to see the doctor only minutes after getting the MRIs done. And he had a plan. And it is hopeful.
First, he refilled pain management drugs. He sent a STAT referral to the surgeon who implanted the morphine pump to deliver a round of epidural spinal injections that will give me a better measure of relief while we process the insurance paperwork and prep me for spine surgery #7. Only THIS time, an incision only about an inch long with a much better recovery turnaround.
So THIS is what your prayers have accomplished for me! I am profoundly grateful! Now, the T-12 vertebrae is still in bad shape and two vertebrae in my neck are “ticking time bombs.” Neither of these, however, will impact the sciatic nerve. While much less pressure on them and careful management, I shouldn’t suffer this degree of pain again. I just want everyone to know that your prayers mean everything to me. Your prayers are effective. And again, Thank you.
