a little advice from my friends

7mmag6 · 10-10-2005, 03:39 PM

My wife is having incredible pain all the time from a botched surgery on her c-2 spine, she is now part time disabled. I have taken her to the best in nm(aint saying much), now im considering the mayo clinic in phoenix. I understand they have great neuro-surgeons. well the problem is im not so sure she will get much relief or help. Im dam afraid they are going to say that they cant do anything for her surgically. she is in terrible pain. dang funny I fight wars, beat my old bod to death, and im healthy as a bear.My poor wife, dont know what to do. any suggestions? from my brothers in arms

Ctwo · 10-10-2005, 04:13 PM

It is a sad proposition. My Mom has cysts in her spine that are causing her great pain as well. Not much hope for surgery for her either. Supposedly they are hereditary.

We both are watching grandma slowly fade away after having several strokes in the last 3 years (probably related to VIOXX), but she is still somewhat there, just enough to feel pain and discomfort. She is in a nursing home and has been in Hospice for almost a year now, but she is getting better enough to get off hospice. The nursing home wakes her at 5am by turning on the big overhead flourescent lights, pulls down the covers and rolls her over for a new diaper. She says they are so rough and the ordeal is quite a shock from a sound sleep. Then later in the day, they let her sit in her wheelchair for 4 hours until she gets a sore. She is paralyzed on half her body and can't speak, just mumbles.

Anyway, her comment is that they treat animals better than they treat people. She has no hope, what do you think they would do to a dog like that? She is as miserable as can be.

My step father had some needle surgery on his back that worked out OK. It had something to do with inserting an electro-thermal needle and cooking the tissue.

Dale · 10-10-2005, 04:28 PM

7MM.....I can't speak of your wife's medical condition because I don't know anything about what she is experiencing...other than to say to say I feel for her.

I can say the Mayo Clinic has a reputation of being the place to go when there is no other place to go and all neurological help is gone.

They ain't miracle workers and they ain't cheap but most will tell you the staff there will work with you and stand by you when other Doctors and hospital staff will throw their hands in the air in wonder and then shuffle you on out the door to bring the next wallet in.

Whatever you decide I wish you and your wife the best...yepper...fer sure!

troy2000 · 10-10-2005, 06:57 PM

My mother's spine started crumbling during her last years, and the pain became intense. She saw a pain specialist, and wound up with a morphine pump in her belly that spot-delivered tiny doeses of morphine to the worst places. It was no cure and it didn't block everything, but it made life bearable again without leaving her zoned out on massive quantities of drugs in her bloodstream.

It took some serious !!!!-raising to get her the appointment with the pain specialist, partly because she was on medicare and partly because the idiot GP's assumed she was just a morphine junkie trying to get bigger fixes (they had never even looked at her xrays!). But when he examined her, he scheduled the surgery for less than a week later.

Good luck and God bless.

Otter · 10-10-2005, 07:29 PM

After I got shot down in the OH58 I had compression of the lower spine, we hit hard and it was like someone pulling the chair out from under you when you go to sit from a hundred feet. A doctor told me to try inversion, so I made a set of hooks to tie around my ankles, put a bar up in the basement and started my bat impersonations. It worked.
I started with five minute work outs, simple turning and bending up at the waist, worked my way up to fifteen minute work outs. Best thing I ever did for my back.
I understand that now they have a contraption that you can stand on lock your feet into and turn yourself inverted. Try your local gyms to see if anyone has one and give it a try.

"Life is to important to be taken seriously."

rebel727 · 10-10-2005, 10:27 PM

All you can do is try. If you don't take her you'll never know and she won't get any better. A slim chance is better than no chance.

Rockabilly88 · 10-13-2005, 01:36 PM

I don't have any advice, but I'd like you to know you'll be in my prayers.

dave375hh · 10-14-2005, 01:41 PM

7MM,
I'd suggest a Pain management clinic to do an evaluation. I used to get injections in my spine that left me pain free untill I'd do something stupid and cause a ruptured disc to irritate a nerve. I finally had to have sugery on the disc, but a total of four injections kept me going for five years untill untill the rupture displacement got too great to overcome. Two of the injections lasted for 18 months each. My wife had the same type of injections that cured her migraines with only two shots 15 mos apart. Her last shot was in 1983, and still no migraines. If the shots only work for 24-36 hrs. then it's time for sugery. I know what she's going through, I've been there, and I hope she comes out OK!

dhermesc · 10-17-2005, 08:38 AM

GO TO MAYO.

They have the best care and treatment that can be found in the US. We are still holding them in reserve in case my son's epilepsy worsens.

Mandy · 10-18-2005, 07:24 PM

She'll be on my prayers my friend.

jerry · 10-18-2005, 08:02 PM

Moms going through pretty much the same thing. I'll let ya know if I learn anything from her experiences. 'Till then, thinking of ya's.

Snakebite · 10-18-2005, 08:28 PM

Get her to Mayo!

My uncle went there a few years ago with some problems. No doctor where he lives had a clue as to what his problem was. He would suddenly get very dizzy and lose his balance. It got so bad he fell and broke his hip.

The Mayo clinic checked him thoroughly and worked with his limited income and lousy health insurance many retired people have. Those doctors seemed to care more than the regular family doctors that see 100 patients a day. They WANTED to fix him up!

They could not cure him entirely but they did diagnose it. Something no other dr. had done. The Mayo Clinic is great and they spent a lot of time, money and effort trying to fix him.

10-10-2005, 03:39 PM	#1
7mmag6 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 337 Images: 1	a little advice from my friends My wife is having incredible pain all the time from a botched surgery on her c-2 spine, she is now part time disabled. I have taken her to the best in nm(aint saying much), now im considering the mayo clinic in phoenix. I understand they have great neuro-surgeons. well the problem is im not so sure she will get much relief or help. Im dam afraid they are going to say that they cant do anything for her surgically. she is in terrible pain. dang funny I fight wars, beat my old bod to death, and im healthy as a bear.My poor wife, dont know what to do. any suggestions? from my brothers in arms

10-10-2005, 04:28 PM	#3
Dale Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Too Dang Hot, Arizona Posts: 4,284	7MM.....I can't speak of your wife's medical condition because I don't know anything about what she is experiencing...other than to say to say I feel for her. I can say the Mayo Clinic has a reputation of being the place to go when there is no other place to go and all neurological help is gone. They ain't miracle workers and they ain't cheap but most will tell you the staff there will work with you and stand by you when other Doctors and hospital staff will throw their hands in the air in wonder and then shuffle you on out the door to bring the next wallet in. Whatever you decide I wish you and your wife the best...yepper...fer sure! __________________ "It confuses me how some people can vigorously go against the 2nd. Amendment and still call themselves patriotic"-me

10-10-2005, 07:29 PM	#5
Otter Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Vermont Posts: 980 Images: 6	After I got shot down in the OH58 I had compression of the lower spine, we hit hard and it was like someone pulling the chair out from under you when you go to sit from a hundred feet. A doctor told me to try inversion, so I made a set of hooks to tie around my ankles, put a bar up in the basement and started my bat impersonations. It worked. I started with five minute work outs, simple turning and bending up at the waist, worked my way up to fifteen minute work outs. Best thing I ever did for my back. I understand that now they have a contraption that you can stand on lock your feet into and turn yourself inverted. Try your local gyms to see if anyone has one and give it a try. "Life is to important to be taken seriously." __________________ Life is too important to be taken seriously.

10-10-2005, 10:27 PM	#6
rebel727 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Heidelberg, Mississippi Posts: 1,635	All you can do is try. If you don't take her you'll never know and she won't get any better. A slim chance is better than no chance. __________________ North-1 South-0 HALFTIME!

10-13-2005, 01:36 PM	#7
Rockabilly88 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: NC Posts: 166	I don't have any advice, but I'd like you to know you'll be in my prayers. __________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------- " Red flags.... May day.... theres gotta be a better way! Red tanks, Mass graves, and red liars always get their say! Cos The only good comie is a dead commie its about time we learned... the only time our people are gunna taste freedom's when the last red flag is burned" - Ian Stuart Donaldson :guitar: :gangster:

10-10-2005, 04:13 PM	#2
Ctwo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 344	It is a sad proposition. My Mom has cysts in her spine that are causing her great pain as well. Not much hope for surgery for her either. Supposedly they are hereditary. We both are watching grandma slowly fade away after having several strokes in the last 3 years (probably related to VIOXX), but she is still somewhat there, just enough to feel pain and discomfort. She is in a nursing home and has been in Hospice for almost a year now, but she is getting better enough to get off hospice. The nursing home wakes her at 5am by turning on the big overhead flourescent lights, pulls down the covers and rolls her over for a new diaper. She says they are so rough and the ordeal is quite a shock from a sound sleep. Then later in the day, they let her sit in her wheelchair for 4 hours until she gets a sore. She is paralyzed on half her body and can't speak, just mumbles. Anyway, her comment is that they treat animals better than they treat people. She has no hope, what do you think they would do to a dog like that? She is as miserable as can be. My step father had some needle surgery on his back that worked out OK. It had something to do with inserting an electro-thermal needle and cooking the tissue.

10-10-2005, 06:57 PM	#4
troy2000 Resident Armed Liberal Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 10,017 Images: 9	My mother's spine started crumbling during her last years, and the pain became intense. She saw a pain specialist, and wound up with a morphine pump in her belly that spot-delivered tiny doeses of morphine to the worst places. It was no cure and it didn't block everything, but it made life bearable again without leaving her zoned out on massive quantities of drugs in her bloodstream. It took some serious !!!!-raising to get her the appointment with the pain specialist, partly because she was on medicare and partly because the idiot GP's assumed she was just a morphine junkie trying to get bigger fixes (they had never even looked at her xrays!). But when he examined her, he scheduled the surgery for less than a week later. Good luck and God bless.

10-14-2005, 01:41 PM	#8
dave375hh Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 587	7MM, I'd suggest a Pain management clinic to do an evaluation. I used to get injections in my spine that left me pain free untill I'd do something stupid and cause a ruptured disc to irritate a nerve. I finally had to have sugery on the disc, but a total of four injections kept me going for five years untill untill the rupture displacement got too great to overcome. Two of the injections lasted for 18 months each. My wife had the same type of injections that cured her migraines with only two shots 15 mos apart. Her last shot was in 1983, and still no migraines. If the shots only work for 24-36 hrs. then it's time for sugery. I know what she's going through, I've been there, and I hope she comes out OK! __________________ Dave 375 H&H

10-17-2005, 08:38 AM	#9
dhermesc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: East Central Kansas Posts: 1,762	GO TO MAYO. They have the best care and treatment that can be found in the US. We are still holding them in reserve in case my son's epilepsy worsens. __________________ Liberty is for those that claim it.

10-18-2005, 07:24 PM	#10
Mandy Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico Posts: 1,641	Hope She Gets Better She'll be on my prayers my friend. __________________ :assult: :assult: :assult: :assult: :assult: Better be judged by 12 than carried by 6. _________________________________ If you gonna die, die with your boots on ! Iron Maiden _________________________________ The deeper you go, the better it feels ! Divers Motto :uzi: :uzi: :uzi: :uzi: :uzi:

10-18-2005, 08:02 PM	#11
jerry Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 11,199 Images: 9 Blog Entries: 1	Moms going through pretty much the same thing. I'll let ya know if I learn anything from her experiences. 'Till then, thinking of ya's. __________________ Joe the plumber is screwed

10-18-2005, 08:28 PM	#12
Snakebite Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tucson, Mexico Posts: 1,844	Get her to Mayo! My uncle went there a few years ago with some problems. No doctor where he lives had a clue as to what his problem was. He would suddenly get very dizzy and lose his balance. It got so bad he fell and broke his hip. The Mayo clinic checked him thoroughly and worked with his limited income and lousy health insurance many retired people have. Those doctors seemed to care more than the regular family doctors that see 100 patients a day. They WANTED to fix him up! They could not cure him entirely but they did diagnose it. Something no other dr. had done. The Mayo Clinic is great and they spent a lot of time, money and effort trying to fix him.