15 days away from spinal surgery

"George Herbert Walker" wrote in message
...
In article , Stan Cox
wrote:

winnard wrote:

C4 disk in my neck has a bone spur sticking into my spinal cord. It
causes
my left arm and shoulder to burn constantly. On the MRI picture, you
cannot
even see the spinal cord, because it is so compressed. If I use the
arm
too much, I am in such pain that I cannot breath without doubling over
in
agony. I got the epidural shots into my spine, to no avail.
So, I'm getting the disk fixed so I can go back to work soon, and ride
again.


Good luck with the surgery. It's certainly not something anyone would feel
comfortable having a chiropracter/or play around with, even if they might
be able to do some good. Neck manipulations are the only things they do
that every now and then seem to directly result in disaster- although
surgeons don't have such a great record either, perhaps rather worse.

I am assuming though that you accidentally described it wrong, in several
ways: C4, the fourth cervical vertebra, is a bone, not a disk. The disks
are referred to by the adjacent vertebrae, e.g. the C3/C4 disk. I presume
you mean you have some kind of spinal canal stenosis, which can result
from
a variety of factors; or else a herniated disk, so that it is the disk
that
is compressing the spinal cord. The disk is not bone-like, it is more like
a ligament but has a complex structure. In either case they do not fix the
disk, although they may remove it, fuse the vertebrae, and other things.
Probably you would get a decompressive laminectomy, which means sawing off
the backs of the vetebrae.

They do not seem to have explained the operation correctly or completely
to
you, nor its potential for fixing or not fixing the problem. This is not a
guaranteed fix by any means. This operation should only be considered
after
several months of conservative treatment fail, and the epidural shots are
not exactly that. One is supposed to start with physical therapy,
including
strengthening and stretching excercises, and changed posture, and
anti-inflammatory drugs too. Bones remodel all the time and these things
can change with time and new stress distributions.

I highly recommend you do some independent research into this and ask your
doctor some more pointed questions so that you know exactly what you are
getting in to and why.

--

I said disk out of habit. The disk looks fine, the vertebrae is the part
that needs fixed.

winnard

"George Herbert Walker" wrote in message
...
In article , Stan Cox
wrote:

winnard wrote:

C4 disk in my neck has a bone spur sticking into my spinal cord. It
causes
my left arm and shoulder to burn constantly. On the MRI picture, you
cannot
even see the spinal cord, because it is so compressed. If I use the
arm
too much, I am in such pain that I cannot breath without doubling over
in
agony. I got the epidural shots into my spine, to no avail.
So, I'm getting the disk fixed so I can go back to work soon, and ride
again.


Good luck with the surgery. It's certainly not something anyone would feel
comfortable having a chiropracter/or play around with, even if they might
be able to do some good. Neck manipulations are the only things they do
that every now and then seem to directly result in disaster- although
surgeons don't have such a great record either, perhaps rather worse.

I am assuming though that you accidentally described it wrong, in several
ways: C4, the fourth cervical vertebra, is a bone, not a disk. The disks
are referred to by the adjacent vertebrae, e.g. the C3/C4 disk. I presume
you mean you have some kind of spinal canal stenosis, which can result
from
a variety of factors; or else a herniated disk, so that it is the disk
that
is compressing the spinal cord. The disk is not bone-like, it is more like
a ligament but has a complex structure. In either case they do not fix the
disk, although they may remove it, fuse the vertebrae, and other things.
Probably you would get a decompressive laminectomy, which means sawing off
the backs of the vetebrae.

They do not seem to have explained the operation correctly or completely
to
you, nor its potential for fixing or not fixing the problem. This is not a
guaranteed fix by any means. This operation should only be considered
after
several months of conservative treatment fail, and the epidural shots are
not exactly that. One is supposed to start with physical therapy,
including
strengthening and stretching excercises, and changed posture, and
anti-inflammatory drugs too. Bones remodel all the time and these things
can change with time and new stress distributions.

I highly recommend you do some independent research into this and ask your
doctor some more pointed questions so that you know exactly what you are
getting in to and why.

--

I said disk out of habit. The disk looks fine, the vertebrae is the part
that needs fixed.

winnard

In article yGx%c.28179$Ka6.4934@okepread03, "winnard"
wrote:

"George Herbert Walker" wrote in message


I am assuming though that you accidentally described it wrong, in several
ways: C4, the fourth cervical vertebra, is a bone, not a disk. The disks
are referred to by the adjacent vertebrae, e.g. the C3/C4 disk. I presume
you mean you have some kind of spinal canal stenosis, which can result
from
a variety of factors; or else a herniated disk, so that it is the disk
that
is compressing the spinal cord. The disk is not bone-like, it is more like
a ligament but has a complex structure. In either case they do not fix the
disk, although they may remove it, fuse the vertebrae, and other things.
Probably you would get a decompressive laminectomy, which means sawing off
the backs of the vetebrae.

They do not seem to have explained the operation correctly or completely
to
you, nor its potential for fixing or not fixing the problem. This is not a
guaranteed fix by any means. This operation should only be considered
after
several months of conservative treatment fail, and the epidural shots are
not exactly that. One is supposed to start with physical therapy,
including
strengthening and stretching excercises, and changed posture, and
anti-inflammatory drugs too. Bones remodel all the time and these things
can change with time and new stress distributions.

I highly recommend you do some independent research into this and ask your
doctor some more pointed questions so that you know exactly what you are
getting in to and why.

--

I said disk out of habit. The disk looks fine, the vertebrae is the part
that needs fixed.

winnard


Good luck again with the surgery.

I won't say anything more, except perhaps for the benefit of others: they
don't fix the vertebra either, they just saw off the back half. This is
surgery, not rocket science.

--
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

Please excuse the inconvenience allegedly caused by our son. Send
us the bill for all the damages, and we can settle this to your
satisfaction, without any need for a public record of the incident.

Most Sincerely, George and Bar

(George Herbert Walker) writes:

In article yGx%c.28179$Ka6.4934@okepread03, "winnard"
wrote:

"George Herbert Walker" wrote in message


I am assuming though that you accidentally described it wrong, in several
ways: C4, the fourth cervical vertebra, is a bone, not a disk. The disks
are referred to by the adjacent vertebrae, e.g. the C3/C4 disk. I presume
you mean you have some kind of spinal canal stenosis, which can result
from
a variety of factors; or else a herniated disk, so that it is the disk
that
is compressing the spinal cord. The disk is not bone-like, it is more like
a ligament but has a complex structure. In either case they do not fix the
disk, although they may remove it, fuse the vertebrae, and other things.
Probably you would get a decompressive laminectomy, which means sawing off
the backs of the vetebrae.

They do not seem to have explained the operation correctly or completely
to
you, nor its potential for fixing or not fixing the problem. This is not a
guaranteed fix by any means. This operation should only be considered
after
several months of conservative treatment fail, and the epidural shots are
not exactly that. One is supposed to start with physical therapy,
including
strengthening and stretching excercises, and changed posture, and
anti-inflammatory drugs too. Bones remodel all the time and these things
can change with time and new stress distributions.

I highly recommend you do some independent research into this and ask your
doctor some more pointed questions so that you know exactly what you are
getting in to and why.

--

I said disk out of habit. The disk looks fine, the vertebrae is the part
that needs fixed.

winnard


Good luck again with the surgery.

I won't say anything more, except perhaps for the benefit of others: they
don't fix the vertebra either, they just saw off the back half. This is
surgery, not rocket science.

Um, there a other procedures besides laminectomy. How do you know
they are not doing a corpectomy with a cadaver graft and anterior
instrumentation?

Not rocket science for sure. I think one can do rocket science over
the internet.

In article , Jim Smith
wrote:


Um, there a other procedures besides laminectomy. How do you know
they are not doing a corpectomy with a cadaver graft and anterior
instrumentation?

Oh sure. Or perhaps they will amputate the leg, in the spirit of
Bush-Cheney allopathy that is working so well in the war on terror.



You might try reading what the prospective patient wrote. And also a more
detailed description of the operation you described.

--
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

Please excuse the inconvenience allegedly caused by our son. Send
us the bill for all the damages, and we can settle this to your
satisfaction, without any need for a public record of the incident.

Most Sincerely, George and Bar

(George Herbert Walker) writes:

In article , Jim Smith
wrote:


Um, there a other procedures besides laminectomy. How do you know
they are not doing a corpectomy with a cadaver graft and anterior
instrumentation?

Oh sure. Or perhaps they will amputate the leg, in the spirit of
Bush-Cheney allopathy that is working so well in the war on terror.

Leg? that makes no sense.

Aha! That word! 99 percent of the people I have run into who use the
word "allopathy" have some sort of agenda. Maybe that is what is
going on here.

You might try reading what the prospective patient wrote. And also a more
detailed description of the operation you described.

He mentioned stenosis. Lots of folks prefer an anterior approach for
decompression these days, particularly if you are dealing with an
ossified posterior longitudinal ligament. Discectomy? Absolutely!
Corpectomy? Why not! Get out the Carl Zeiss and your favorite rongeur
and go to town! just don't nick a vertebral artery! Laminectomy?
Laminoplasty? Those are sooo 90s!

Lots of good outcomes with cervical spinal surgery, not the case with
lumbar surgery for sure.

In article , Jim Smith
wrote:

(George Herbert Walker) writes:

In article , Jim Smith
wrote:


Um, there a other procedures besides laminectomy. How do you know
they are not doing a corpectomy with a cadaver graft and anterior
instrumentation?

Oh sure. Or perhaps they will amputate the leg, in the spirit of
Bush-Cheney allopathy that is working so well in the war on terror.

Leg? that makes no sense.

Well, at least there is one thing in the post you understood.


Aha! That word! 99 percent of the people I have run into who use the
word "allopathy" have some sort of agenda. Maybe that is what is
going on here.

Modern (past couple of centuries or so) medecine is not allopathic. The
Bush-Cheney approach is metaphorically so.



You might try reading what the prospective patient wrote. And also a more
detailed description of the operation you described.

He mentioned stenosis.


What I said still stands.

--
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

Please excuse the inconvenience allegedly caused by our son. Send
us the bill for all the damages, and we can settle this to your
satisfaction, without any need for a public record of the incident.

Most Sincerely, George and Bar