Back Surgery

[Brentastic]

I have that degenerative disc disease and I discovered a less invasive procedure called Vax-D. I haven't had it done yet, but I'd look into it if I were you, it's worth at least some research. Surgery should be the last resort. I have not done anything for my back yet and as a result I spend my entire day laying down. I've just heard/read too many unsuccess stories regarding back surgery and don't see it as an option right now.

[Chargerz]

I spend my entire day laying down.

 

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Sorry, Brentastic.

[whomper]

Funny you should mention that.  I gained an inch, but I wish I gained it horizontally!

 

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Keep pulling RR

[SuperBalla]

I have scoliosis...I haven't had surgery but I do have chronic back pain.

[NSab]

Back pain sucks, I have had 2 herniated discs and degenerative arthritis. You can't understand unless you have had a bad back.

[hoopsnakes]

Thanks guys. You've helped a lot.

[Gopher]

I have that degenerative disc disease and I discovered a less invasive procedure called Vax-D.  I haven't had it done yet, but I'd look into it if I were you, it's worth at least some research.  Surgery should be the last resort.  I have not done anything for my back yet and as a result I spend my entire day laying down.  I've just heard/read too many unsuccess stories regarding back surgery and don't see it as an option right now.

 

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A couple of words of caution about the whole Vax-D thing. I went through the Vax-D treatment at two separate clinics in two different states. Both were very adament (sp?) that it be done in a series of 20 sessions over 20 straight days. The length of the procedures were also very similar in both facilities..... usually about 45 minutes per session, plus about 10-15 minutes of cool down time to massage the affected muscles. In both clinics, they strapped me to a $500,000 machine that stretches you apart and makes space between your vertabrae for the discs to settle back into place.

 

There were some pretty significant differences in the two clinics, however. First, the results were different. The first clinic, I went through the 20 sessions about a year after my injury and had decent results. On a scale of 1 to 10, my back/leg pain went from about an 8 to a 1-2 because of the treatment. It flared up again about a year later, and I went back for 20 more sessions, and again had pretty good results. But, never did it completely take away my symptoms entirely.

 

The second clinic was what caused me to eventually choose surgery. For whatever, reason, each session of Vax-D made my pain increase to the point of nearly passing out on a couple of instances. At first, I was told that it was just "soreness" from starting the procedure and the muscles were not used to that type of stretching, but that it would get better after a few more sessions. I got to about 15 out of 20 sessions before I couldn't take it any longer. Not only was my pain unbearable, I was also having problems with this clinic playing "games" with my insurance company. Basically, they were failing to fax the proper forms when requested, then telling the insurance company that they had been faxed several times. It got to the point where I actually demanded the forms from the clinic and brought them to the insurance company myself.

 

Bottom line..... Every clinic that promotes Vax-D is different. I had fair (but temporary) results from one clinic and the other was a nightmare. However, they all have one major thing in common: They are promoting something that is NOT supported by medical research. Based on the fact that most medical doctors would never refer someone to Vax-D, the clinics that promote it have to find different means to bringing in patients. Thus, they do radio ads, newspaper ads, etc. And, once they hook somebody, they'll do anything they can to keep you because they have some VERY expensive equipment to pay for. The clinics do a very good job of convincing their patients that discs can "regenerate", which medical doctors will tell you is not possible. The clinics may convince you to go out and buy a bunch of vitamins and supplements such as Calcium, and to drink a lot of water. Granted, drinking a lot of water or taking Vitamin C, Calcium, Vitamin B6 and B12 may not be BAD for you, but it's not going to cause your disc to grow back. And, in my case, they wanted me to spend about $50 a month just in vitamins and supplements.

 

The clinics will also share with you a lot of their "success" stories..... people whose lives have been changed by Vax-D. When I originally went, their most famous success was Tracy McGrady. Vax-D was what "saved his basketball career." Well, if you look back at TMac's career, he has had chronic back problems. Not saying that the Vax-D didn't give him temporary relief, but it will not fix herniated discs permanently. A bulging disc, where it is enflamed and pushing out between your vertabrae.....maybe that can be fixed by Vax-D, which pulls your vertabrae apart with a traction-producing machine. A herniated disc, however, usually means the disc has burst open and some of the "crabmeat-like" material is floating around in your spinal column. If this is what you have, I can almost guarantee that Vax-D can only give you temporary relief at best.

Edited January 25, 2006 by Gopher

[NSab]

A couple of words of caution about the whole Vax-D thing.  I went through the Vax-D treatment at two separate clinics in two different states.  Both were very adament (sp?) that it be done in a series of 20 sessions over 20 straight days.  The length of the procedures were also very similar in both facilities..... usually about 45 minutes per session, plus about 10-15 minutes of cool down time to massage the affected muscles.  In both clinics, they strapped me to a $500,000 machine that stretches you apart and makes space between your vertabrae for the discs to settle back into place.

 

There were some pretty significant differences in the two clinics, however.  First, the results were different.  The first clinic, I went through the 20 sessions about a year after my injury and had decent results.  On a scale of 1 to 10, my back/leg pain went from about an 8 to a 1-2 because of the treatment.  It flared up again about a year later, and I went back for 20 more sessions, and again had pretty good results.  But, never did it completely take away my symptoms entirely. 

 

The second clinic was what caused me to eventually choose surgery.  For whatever, reason, each session of Vax-D made my pain increase to the point of nearly passing out on a couple of instances.  At first, I was told that it was just "soreness" from starting the procedure and the muscles were not used to that type of stretching, but that it would get better after a few more sessions.  I got to about 15 out of 20 sessions before I couldn't take it any longer.  Not only was my pain unbearable, I was also having problems with this clinic playing "games" with my insurance company.  Basically, they were failing to fax the proper forms when requested, then telling the insurance company that they had been faxed several times.  It got to the point where I actually demanded the forms from the clinic and brought them to the insurance company myself. 

 

Bottom line..... Every clinic that promotes Vax-D is different.  I had fair (but temporary) results from one clinic and the other was a nightmare.  However, they all have one major thing in common:  They are promoting something that is NOT supported by medical research.  Based on the fact that most medical doctors would never refer someone to Vax-D, the clinics that promote it have to find different means to bringing in patients.  Thus, they do radio ads, newspaper ads, etc.  And, once they hook somebody, they'll do anything they can to keep you because they have some VERY expensive equipment to pay for.  The clinics do a very good job of convincing their patients that discs can "regenerate", which medical doctors will tell you is not possible.  The clinics may convince you to go out and buy a bunch of vitamins and supplements such as Calcium, and to drink a lot of water.  Granted, drinking a lot of water or taking Vitamin C, Calcium, Vitamin B6 and B12 may not be BAD for you, but it's not going to cause your disc to grow back.  And, in my case, they wanted me to spend about $50 a month just in vitamins and supplements. 

 

The clinics will also share with you a lot of their "success" stories..... people whose lives have been changed by Vax-D.  When I originally went, their most famous success was Tracy McGrady.  Vax-D was what "saved his basketball career."  Well, if you look back at TMac's career, he has had chronic back problems.  Not saying that the Vax-D didn't give him temporary relief, but it will not fix herniated discs permanently.  A bulging disc, where it is enflamed and pushing out between your vertabrae.....maybe that can be fixed by Vax-D, which pulls your vertabrae apart with a traction-producing machine.  A herniated disc, however, usually means the disc has burst open and some of the "crabmeat-like" material is floating around in your spinal column.  If this is what you have, I can almost guarantee that Vax-D can only give you temporary relief at best.

 

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Wow, good first hand knowledge here!

[Brentastic]

A couple of words of caution about the whole Vax-D thing.  I went through the Vax-D treatment at two separate clinics in two different states.  Both were very adament (sp?) that it be done in a series of 20 sessions over 20 straight days.  The length of the procedures were also very similar in both facilities..... usually about 45 minutes per session, plus about 10-15 minutes of cool down time to massage the affected muscles.  In both clinics, they strapped me to a $500,000 machine that stretches you apart and makes space between your vertabrae for the discs to settle back into place.

 

There were some pretty significant differences in the two clinics, however.  First, the results were different.  The first clinic, I went through the 20 sessions about a year after my injury and had decent results.  On a scale of 1 to 10, my back/leg pain went from about an 8 to a 1-2 because of the treatment.  It flared up again about a year later, and I went back for 20 more sessions, and again had pretty good results.  But, never did it completely take away my symptoms entirely. 

 

The second clinic was what caused me to eventually choose surgery.  For whatever, reason, each session of Vax-D made my pain increase to the point of nearly passing out on a couple of instances.  At first, I was told that it was just "soreness" from starting the procedure and the muscles were not used to that type of stretching, but that it would get better after a few more sessions.  I got to about 15 out of 20 sessions before I couldn't take it any longer.  Not only was my pain unbearable, I was also having problems with this clinic playing "games" with my insurance company.  Basically, they were failing to fax the proper forms when requested, then telling the insurance company that they had been faxed several times.  It got to the point where I actually demanded the forms from the clinic and brought them to the insurance company myself. 

 

Bottom line..... Every clinic that promotes Vax-D is different.  I had fair (but temporary) results from one clinic and the other was a nightmare.  However, they all have one major thing in common:  They are promoting something that is NOT supported by medical research.  Based on the fact that most medical doctors would never refer someone to Vax-D, the clinics that promote it have to find different means to bringing in patients.  Thus, they do radio ads, newspaper ads, etc.  And, once they hook somebody, they'll do anything they can to keep you because they have some VERY expensive equipment to pay for.  The clinics do a very good job of convincing their patients that discs can "regenerate", which medical doctors will tell you is not possible.  The clinics may convince you to go out and buy a bunch of vitamins and supplements such as Calcium, and to drink a lot of water.  Granted, drinking a lot of water or taking Vitamin C, Calcium, Vitamin B6 and B12 may not be BAD for you, but it's not going to cause your disc to grow back.  And, in my case, they wanted me to spend about $50 a month just in vitamins and supplements. 

 

The clinics will also share with you a lot of their "success" stories..... people whose lives have been changed by Vax-D.  When I originally went, their most famous success was Tracy McGrady.  Vax-D was what "saved his basketball career."  Well, if you look back at TMac's career, he has had chronic back problems.  Not saying that the Vax-D didn't give him temporary relief, but it will not fix herniated discs permanently.  A bulging disc, where it is enflamed and pushing out between your vertabrae.....maybe that can be fixed by Vax-D, which pulls your vertabrae apart with a traction-producing machine.  A herniated disc, however, usually means the disc has burst open and some of the "crabmeat-like" material is floating around in your spinal column.  If this is what you have, I can almost guarantee that Vax-D can only give you temporary relief at best.

 

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Great post and info here Gopher!! Thanks for that. Yeah, they had me in the door at the clinic here in Chicago but I decided to wait because the cost was $3000 with insurance not covering it. What really irritated me is their constant calls to "see how I was doing". This was back in July and I just got a 6 month follow-up call a couple of weeks ago. The clinic here, whether reputable or not, has annoyed me to the point of no return. Again, thanks for this valuable info.

[keggerz]

I've tried all the conservative treatments. anti-inflamatories, chiro-care, PT., 2 epidural steroid injections, all resulting in little or no releif. All the pain is in my leg and butt. A concern of putting off surgery is long-term nerve damage.

 

I just want to be able to play golf by spring.

 

Old thread but one I have referred to many times.

 

I am having fusion surgery on my L4/5 and L5/S1, scheduled to be done on July 11th.

 

In the past 14 months I have had 4 epidurals (3 in the same location and 1 different), months of PT (a discectomy was discuessed but we wanted to see if PT would help 1st), had an MRI 3/15/10 and another about 6 weeks ago...that showed the one disc wasn't bulging as bad but it also unearthed an annular tear...and 2 weeks ago I had a Lumbar Discography and that showed that 2 discs were "bad" (which I found out today)....fwiw my pain was pretty much like hoopsnakes but I also have some pain at times across my lower back and occasionally will get some pain in my opposite leg and foot.

 

Exactly the same with me. I know one day I'll have to have it, but I'm staving it off till I really have to because the doc said once you've had it once, you'll be a regular.

I believe I am correct in saying that you did need fusion and had a successful surgery...hope I can have the same

 

A coworker of mine has been struggling with sciatica issues of late. It was so bad one of her feet was numb. She had some sort of injection in her back under a fluoroscope(?) or some such. Maybe it was the epidural steroid thing? Anyhow, she said she's sorry she waited so long to have it done.

sounds like my epidurals...barely got any relief from mine....doc said they do like max 3 in a 12 month period...I had 4 but one was in a different location.

 

 

1) Just when you think you've felt the worst pain possible, and it couldn't get any worse, it would get worse and you couldn't figure out what you had done to trigger it. The day when I crawled into the house was 4 months prior to surgery. I had been dealing with it for 7+ years.... That was the worst pain I have ever felt. Nothing else comes even close.

 

2) You get to the point where your pride gets tossed right out the window. The clinic I went to for the traction-like procedure was in a small mall. I can remember days, coming to and from my appointments, where I would literally drop to my knees in the middle of the mall because of the pain. In the back of my mind, I was thinking that the people walking past me had to think I was either A) Having a heart attach or A total nut job. On a couple of instances, people actually stopped and asked if I needed help.

I initially hurt my back in August 2008 when I was putting a canoe on a rack by myself...when it happened I felt like I got stabbed in the back and couldn't straighten up...but i walked hunched over to my truck and drove myself to Urgent Care....then when I re-injured my back in March of 2010 the pain was absolutely the worst I had ever felt...to put it in perspective my first pain in Aug of 08 felt like a stubbed toe in comparison...oh and like you, Gopher I too like to think that I have a high pain threshold but fighting thru the back pain has made me second guess myself more than once.

 

Have to say that I am slightly nervous about the surgery but from what I gather they have come a long way with back surgery or at least that is what I keep telling myself.

 

EDIT: I almost forgot but he said he would be using my own bone for the grafts and the bone he plans to use is the spinal bone that he cuts out of the way to gain access to the canal to remove the disc...in all the stuff I have just read I haven't heard of anyone doing that...anyone know if that is normal?

Edited June 3, 2011 by keggerz

[Ursa Majoris]

I believe I am correct in saying that you did need fusion and had a successful surgery...hope I can have the same

You are absolutely right and it's the best medical decision I ever made. I was in terrible pain except when sitting and now I'm not. Good luck, Keg - if yours goes as well as mine, you'll be very pleased.

[Chief Dick]

Good luck keg.

[Gopher]

Good luck, man. Sounds like you're making the right decision. You'll be in my thoughts.

[Chargerz]

You are absolutely right and it's the best medical decision I ever made. I was in terrible pain except when sitting and now I'm not. Good luck, Keg - if yours goes as well as mine, you'll be very pleased.

I agree. The terrible pain I had before my fusion surgery has never returned. Keg, I wish you the best with your upcoming surgery.

[keggerz]

You are absolutely right and it's the best medical decision I ever made. I was in terrible pain except when sitting and now I'm not. Good luck, Keg - if yours goes as well as mine, you'll be very pleased.

 

 

Good luck keg.

 

 

Good luck, man. Sounds like you're making the right decision. You'll be in my thoughts.

 

 

I agree. The terrible pain I had before my fusion surgery has never returned. Keg, I wish you the best with your upcoming surgery.

 

 

Thanks guys I really appreciate it...the hard part now is waiting 5 weeks and thinking about it over and over

[buddahj]

Best of luck Keg.

[keggerz]

Best of luck Keg.

thanks man

[rajncajn]

Hope it works out for you Keg, good luck.

[McBoog]

My disk herniated directly backwards into the spinal chord. My doc told me that the completeness of the herniation and the way it all popped out at the same time left me a millimeter or so away from being a paraplegic. The pain would bring tears to my eyes and take me to my knees. At 45 and with three small kids (5,5 & 2), I was scared.

 

Since mine was basically straight back, The areas of pain described in this post were on both sides of my body as well as a feeling of getting kicked in the snarklies every 5-10 minutes and had a deep ache 24/7 (which the pain meds did not help). I did notice that the feeling of having your legs dipped in lava had been left out.

 

I woke up from surgery and my first waking thought (after thank God I'm alive) was, "Hey, my balls don't hurt anymore!" Everything after that was gravy.

 

What some are calling a "diskectomy" I think are confusing with a Lumbar Laminectomy . Complete removal of the disk would require some form of fusion or disk replacement (and there are some newer techniques where liquid porcelain or other substance is injected into the voided space). With the laminectomy, they go in and remove the bulging part and leave the harder disk covering in place.

 

My improvement was instant, though not total (but slowly improving and manageable without pain meds) and I was back to work (desk work with a GOOD chair) in a couple weeks. The therapy was extensive but worthwhile. Well worth doing! I had one of the best docs around and was very happy with how it all went.

 

After about six months, the pain started to return. My doc wanted to do a two level fusion (S1/L5 & L4/L5). I entered a year long battle with OWCP (I blew it out at work) and continued to get worse.

 

I was offered my current position here in Houston and decided to take it and worry about changing doctors and fighting with OWCP later (anything to get out of DC!!! ) My doctor in Virginia referred me to a doctor here at Rice and said that he was one of the few outside of his group that he would trust to operate on him. I got all the approvals from OWCP and off I went, fully expecting to face another battle with OWCP and an eventual two level fusion.

 

Now for the importance of a second opinion. Remember my first Doc wanted to do a two level fusion on me requiring months of grueling rehab.

 

Well, after a "fresh" MRI, the doctor here in Houston told me (at 50 years old) that I was too young to have a fusion, and that he didn't think it was necessary anyway. That my back had healed nicely and was as stable as anyone else'. He explained that because the disk was not as think as it was before the laminectomy, as I healed, everything had to settle into place and adjust to the new configuration (something the body does very well). As everything "settled" (I am now about a 1/2 inch shorter) the nerves in the area were compressed. He suggested a much less severe alternative where he would go in and widen the channels that the nerves run through, decompressing them and relieving the pain over time as they healed. He did warn that I would never "be like new", but my quality of life should be as close to normal as possible IF everything went right.

 

I agreed to the procedure and was surprised at how quickly OWCP bought off on this less intrusive alternative. Everything went well except for having the derma (covering of the spinal chord) nicked and I had to stay in the hospital four days instead of one, The headaches because of the spinal fluid leakage were as bad, if not worse pain than any of the back pain I had experienced! They lasted for about three months, but are gone now (and were well controlled with a med for headaches).

 

I did eight weeks of aqua therapy. INSIST on aqua therapy. My results were far superior to regular therapy!

 

I am doing well, back to muay thai (kick boxing - I skip the full contact) and am doing almost everything I did before, just more carefully. I am skipping the skiing and shredding on a short board (but still can't resist a long board on a perfect day ).

 

The techniques of today are far superior to even ten years ago, so that should hearten you. If you can hold off on the real invasive stuff (like fusion) for a few years, I am sure it will get even better! Make sure you ask what your procedure will do in terms of limiting what you can have done in the future. I for example, can no longer have the disk replacement surgery and I would have liked to have had that option as I know a few people that have had it with excellent results.

 

I know this was long, but the whole process is long. Some, like me (thank you God ), are fortunate to have great results overall and that is why I wanted to share this with you. Some, like the poor bassturd that works for me, has had seven surgeries and seems to get worse every time. He is a pill addict and I feel very badly for him. I will be amazed if he will be able to walk when he hits 60.

 

Good luck and God bless!

[rocknrobn26]

Good luck Keg!

[Skippy]

Good luck Keg. I read your story and think it is me typing. I feel like Ursa must have felt when I sit here and say that I know mine is coming but I do everything I can to delay it.

 

Let us know how it all goes and maybe you can help me get over the hump that is holding me back. One thing that I know that I should do is lose a ton of weight first. I know that will make everything go much more smoothly. Might even make my neck and back feel better while losing but my doctor says it won't. Don't get me wrong, he still wants me to lose another body but he said that my pain is not because of it.

[keggerz]

Hope it works out for you Keg, good luck.

Thanks, appreciate it.

 

My disk herniated directly backwards into the spinal chord. My doc told me that the completeness of the herniation and the way it all popped out at the same time left me a millimeter or so away from being a paraplegic. The pain would bring tears to my eyes and take me to my knees. At 45 and with three small kids (5,5 & 2), I was scared.

 

Since mine was basically straight back, The areas of pain described in this post were on both sides of my body as well as a feeling of getting kicked in the snarklies every 5-10 minutes and had a deep ache 24/7 (which the pain meds did not help). I did notice that the feeling of having your legs dipped in lava had been left out.

 

I woke up from surgery and my first waking thought (after thank God I'm alive) was, "Hey, my balls don't hurt anymore!" Everything after that was gravy.

 

What some are calling a "diskectomy" I think are confusing with a Lumbar Laminectomy . Complete removal of the disk would require some form of fusion or disk replacement (and there are some newer techniques where liquid porcelain or other substance is injected into the voided space). With the laminectomy, they go in and remove the bulging part and leave the harder disk covering in place.

 

My improvement was instant, though not total (but slowly improving and manageable without pain meds) and I was back to work (desk work with a GOOD chair) in a couple weeks. The therapy was extensive but worthwhile. Well worth doing! I had one of the best docs around and was very happy with how it all went.

 

After about six months, the pain started to return. My doc wanted to do a two level fusion (S1/L5 & L4/L5). I entered a year long battle with OWCP (I blew it out at work) and continued to get worse.

 

I was offered my current position here in Houston and decided to take it and worry about changing doctors and fighting with OWCP later (anything to get out of DC!!! ) My doctor in Virginia referred me to a doctor here at Rice and said that he was one of the few outside of his group that he would trust to operate on him. I got all the approvals from OWCP and off I went, fully expecting to face another battle with OWCP and an eventual two level fusion.

 

Now for the importance of a second opinion. Remember my first Doc wanted to do a two level fusion on me requiring months of grueling rehab.

 

Well, after a "fresh" MRI, the doctor here in Houston told me (at 50 years old) that I was too young to have a fusion, and that he didn't think it was necessary anyway. That my back had healed nicely and was as stable as anyone else'. He explained that because the disk was not as think as it was before the laminectomy, as I healed, everything had to settle into place and adjust to the new configuration (something the body does very well). As everything "settled" (I am now about a 1/2 inch shorter) the nerves in the area were compressed. He suggested a much less severe alternative where he would go in and widen the channels that the nerves run through, decompressing them and relieving the pain over time as they healed. He did warn that I would never "be like new", but my quality of life should be as close to normal as possible IF everything went right.

 

I agreed to the procedure and was surprised at how quickly OWCP bought off on this less intrusive alternative. Everything went well except for having the derma (covering of the spinal chord) nicked and I had to stay in the hospital four days instead of one, The headaches because of the spinal fluid leakage were as bad, if not worse pain than any of the back pain I had experienced! They lasted for about three months, but are gone now (and were well controlled with a med for headaches).

 

I did eight weeks of aqua therapy. INSIST on aqua therapy. My results were far superior to regular therapy!

 

I am doing well, back to muay thai (kick boxing - I skip the full contact) and am doing almost everything I did before, just more carefully. I am skipping the skiing and shredding on a short board (but still can't resist a long board on a perfect day ).

 

The techniques of today are far superior to even ten years ago, so that should hearten you. If you can hold off on the real invasive stuff (like fusion) for a few years, I am sure it will get even better! Make sure you ask what your procedure will do in terms of limiting what you can have done in the future. I for example, can no longer have the disk replacement surgery and I would have liked to have had that option as I know a few people that have had it with excellent results.

 

I know this was long, but the whole process is long. Some, like me (thank you God ), are fortunate to have great results overall and that is why I wanted to share this with you. Some, like the poor bassturd that works for me, has had seven surgeries and seems to get worse every time. He is a pill addict and I feel very badly for him. I will be amazed if he will be able to walk when he hits 60.

 

Good luck and God bless!

Thanks for all the great info and continued sucess to you with your back too..one thing I will say is that Worker's Comp hasn't really given me any issues to date and it is going on 1 1/2 years.

 

Good luck Keg!

Thanks Tom.

 

Good luck Keg. I read your story and think it is me typing. I feel like Ursa must have felt when I sit here and say that I know mine is coming but I do everything I can to delay it.

 

Let us know how it all goes and maybe you can help me get over the hump that is holding me back. One thing that I know that I should do is lose a ton of weight first. I know that will make everything go much more smoothly. Might even make my neck and back feel better while losing but my doctor says it won't. Don't get me wrong, he still wants me to lose another body but he said that my pain is not because of it.

I will keep you updated and fwiw, my weight skyrocketted up to 205 (normally around 165-170)...I got sick due to some meds and then they put me on a steroid for around 3 or more months and that is what packed the pounds on...I asked my doc if the added weight could be part of the problem and he said most assuredly, NO.

 

Good luck Skippy and I hope things improve for you because I know what you are going thru.

[keggerz]

Thanks for all the great info and continued sucess to you with your back too..one thing I will say is that Worker's Comp hasn't really given me any issues to date and it is going on 1 1/2 years.

And just like that Worker's Comp decides to be a bit prickish....back when I first got injured (in the first month or so) I asked if I could get a 2nd opinion....I was told Yes/No...Yes if I wanted to pay for it on my own and no that worker's comp wouldn't pay for me to get a 2nd opinion....Today, almost 15 months to the day I get a call from a "nurse" saying that she was calling on behalf of my employer and Sue (worker's comp adjuster) to schedule my 2nd opinion....like I said, this is 15 months after the injury and after THEIR doctor (worker's comp panel physician) has had me go thru 2 different PT sessions (1 for about 6 months then another for about 2 months), 4, yes FOUR epidurals and a lumbar discography oh and a follow up MRI a little more than a year after the injury....what pisses me off is that all of a sudden now that surgery is scheduled for July 11th they want me to get a second opinion....I called and talked to the lady above my claims adjuster and she wouldn't answer some of my questions saying, "I am not going to answer that because I feel as if you are baiting me." Well, duh yeah I was because it is about as transparent as it gets as to why they want me now to get a 2nd opinion...how in seven hells can I even trust the doc that I now have to see...deciding on surgery wasn't something that was just a spur of the moment thing and is something that I do honestly worry about in one way or another every day....not to mention my quality of life the past 15 months has basically sucked...but I guess I should find solace in the fact that the people handling my claim have my health as their top priority

 

Edited June 13, 2011 by keggerz

[Ursa Majoris]

And just like that Worker's Comp decides to be a bit prickish....back when I first got injured (in the first month or so) I asked if I could get a 2nd opinion....I was told Yes/No...Yes if I wanted to pay for it on my own and no that worker's comp wouldn't pay for me to get a 2nd opinion....Today, almost 15 months to the day I get a call from a "nurse" saying that she was calling on behalf of my employer and Sue (worker's comp adjuster) to schedule my 2nd opinion....like I said, this is 15 months after the injury and after THEIR doctor (worker's comp panel physician) has had me go thru 2 different PT sessions (1 for about 6 months then another for about 2 months), 4, yes FOUR epidurals and a lumbar discography oh and a follow up MRI a little more than a year after the injury....what pisses me off is that all of a sudden now that surgery is scheduled for July 11th they want me to get a second opinion....I called and talked to the lady above my claims adjuster and she wouldn't answer some of my questions saying, "I am not going to answer that because I feel as if you are baiting me." Well, duh yeah I was because it is about as transparent as it gets as to why they want me now to get a 2nd opinion...how in seven hells can I even trust the doc that I now have to see...deciding on surgery wasn't something that was just a spur of the moment thing and is something that I do honestly worry about in one way or another every day....not to mention my quality of life the past 15 months has basically sucked...but I guess I should find solace in the fact that the people handling my claim have my health as their top priority

 

Sadly, Keg, it is all about the Benjamins. It's that simple. Can you spell R-A-C-K-E-T?

[rocknrobn26]

Read it all...it sucks! Did I ever tell the story where I was rear ended, my car was totaled, I hurt my neck (had 4 verts fused a couple of years later), by a City truck, and it cost me ~$300???

All I can say to you is keep punchin'! Don't let the bureaucrats get you down or make you give up.

My best to you Keg!