?? Loose screws??

[88Jess]

Hi, long story short, I had a disk removal and ALIF done at L5 and S1  about 6 weeks ago. Went great! Got all my feeling back in my legs and could walk. After thanksgiving, I squated down to get my shoes and fell backwards, jarring my back. It hurt, called doc, he said pulled muscle. Last week he sent me back to work, light duty for 2 hrs, but between kids and driving to n from, I was up a total of 8 hrs, between sitting and standing.  Since then my back is horrible! The pain is right in the vertebrae. Walking feels like someone is hitting my low spine with a hammer. I feel like I did when first waking up in hospital after surgery. Can anyone tell me if it sounds like a loose/broken screw? I keep calling doc and he still says pulled muscles? Any ideas?

[88Jess]

Well my work comp is going to cover the bone stimulator. I picked it up on Fri and I seen the price tag an wow! Very expensive device, it better work! Mine will run for 2 hours at a time, but I can restart it about 30 min after I shut it off and then run it again if I want. The doc said it won't hurt anything to run it more. I do notice my back feels stiffer when its running, especially if I'm up walking around the house. If I lay down it don't bothery back. It does however make the outside of both my legs tingley. That lasts till the stimulator turns off then goes away. All the doc said is they are slight side effects of it. The device is suppose to intensify the electrical charge the body naturally gives off when its trying to heal a broken or fractured bone. That's what all the paperwork says anyway. I go back in 3 weeks and we will see if has done anything. I will keep posting on how it works. Thanks!

[Tuckamore]

Thanks Jess for the update. It is appreciated.

I'm glad that you were assertive and finally obtained some answers. It's sad that we have to be not to nice to get a medical provider to respond to our complaints of pain. Thank goodness for health care advocates like your husband. I have one of those too.

I assume you mean a Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) when you say Bone Stimulator? Do your research on this device. There are pros and cons.

Some insurance companies will not cover this procedure or the SCS.  It's a bit pricey - and results can vary. I hope this will be the answer for you.

I'll look forward to more updates from you. Good luck my dear.

~Tuck

[Abbadon517]

Thank goodness you found out ...I believe I might have lose screw in neck plate in back of my throat. Cadaver bone in neck ...plate n screws  scares me ....food n pills get stuck .....hard to swollow.  I hope you get all your issues taken care of. My best to you

[88Jess]

Oh wow, that sounds scary. I really hope that they figure out what's causing food n stuff to get stuck. It's no fun sitting and waiting for answers. Best wishes!

[88Jess]

Well it took my husband calling up the doc and getting not so nice to him to finally get them to do a ct scan. I had the scan done and indeed it is a loose screw. The top one is loose in the bone. This was right before Christmas and doc said we have to try a bone stimulator first and if that don't work then surgery again to put rods and screws in the back of my back. But doc couldn't get me the stimulator till after Jan. I should find out on friif I can get one or not through ins. I'll keep posting how it works and updates. Thank you!

[Tuckamore]

Hello and Welcome Jess - fellow Wisconsinite!

I am so sorry to hear about your pain. We can relate! I'm just as sorry to hear that your surgeon is neglecting your pleas for a reason/answer. It makes me very angry when our pain is dismissed. We know our body better than anyone else. If you claim this feels like bone pain I am inclined to agree with you.

However it's impossible to determine if your pain is do to muscle/soft tissue injury or a change in the hardware recently placed in your spine - without diagnostic scanning.

Has your medical provider offered any suggestions on how to treat your current flare? Heat? Ice? PT? If not ask for suggestions - so you can heal more quickly.

I know another surgeon or practitioner will probably not see you - even for a consult.  Surgeons don't like to take on another colleagues "work" or patient. I suggest that you keep contacting the surgeon that performed the surgery - or your personal PCP. The squeaky wheel gets oiled. Don't be afraid of being seen as a problem - be concerned with finding answers to your new back pain.

That said - if it is a muscle or soft tissue it will take some time to heal. In several weeks your pain should be improving. If that is not the case and your practitioner(s) will not consider other possibilities you may want to go to go to ED/ER. They will most likely do a scan (MRI or CT) to help determine the source of your pain.

Please let us know how you are doing.  I'll look forward to hearing from you again soon.

Take Care,
~Tuck