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  • bran808
    Participant
    Post count: 3

    Hi, I’m not sure what to expect or do at this point. I’ve had 2 ACDF surgeries. The affected vertebrae are C4-5, C5-6, and C6-7. The first surgery was done in 2013, about 6 months after that I was in involved in a motor vehicle accident which ended up causing a whole lot of complications and pain. The second surgery was done in 2015 to address the issues that I brought up (for a year they claimed nothing was wrong or that they couldn’t see anything wrong – I paid for and received a third-party MRI from out-of-state and that showed issues with the 2 lower vertebrae). A couple of months after the surgery I experienced severe pain in the cervical area as well as increased nerve pain down my left side. It’s to the point where I’m basically bed-bound due to the pain. They took x-rays and said nothing was wrong. My pain management doctor reviewed the x-ray and noticed that the screws on the bottom ACDF were cracked in half and it did not look like there was any bone growth over the fusion. NS ordered a CT scan and MRI to disprove the broken screws and lack of bone growth. End result is that the CT came back as even more clear that the screws are broken and that bone has not fused.

    To make matters worse I was hospitalized last month for a week with an unknown cause for full-body paresthesia. They did find multiple lesions throughout the spinal column and in my brain. None of these issues existed in prior MRIs done in 2013, 2014, and 2015. I’m guessing it’s unrelated but it’s hard to dismiss the coincidence of timing that this shows up at the same time. Prior to this I was a healthy, active, male. I’m ex-military so physical activity was kept up.

    Is it possible that the broken screws are the cause of the issues? Can it be fixed? Is a year and a half post-operation with no bone growth concerning? The ACDF from 2013 is healing fine, just the bottom 2 aren’t. Likelihood that the parestheisa is related? Neurologist stated that it may be, but it’s hard to tell.

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    Your history is typical for a pseudoarthrosis (lack of fusion) in your lower cervical spine. Also, it is typical for some professionals to have the lack of awareness to recognize these fusion failures. When these fusion failures occur, the motion can cause recurrent compression of the nerve roots and also cause neck pain due to motion. Pseudoarthroses can be fixed.

    The “multiple lesions throughout the spinal column and in my brain” could be from multiple sclerosis or other demyelinating diseases. These disorders would not be related to the pseudoarthrosis.

    Dr. Corenman

    PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
     
    Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
    bran808
    Participant
    Post count: 3

    I’m sorry I completely missed this reply due to life circumstances. You were right it came out to be Multiple Sclerosis. Being treated with Copaxone and Ampyra.

    The ACDF’s have not resolved itself. NS still insists that nothing is wrong but the pain and numbness have been getting significantly worse over the years. When he last looked at my MRI (late 2018) he stated that there is no compression of the nerve canals. I’m concerned that an MRI is a snapshot in time. So as the body moves throughout the day so does the compression of nerves.

    I really need to consult with surgeons in CONUS. According to the NS, the pain I’m experiencing is an acceptable byproduct of surgery. I disagree wholeheartedly. Only problem is that I’m not sure how I would go out about seeking care outside of Hawai’i, especially with insurance. I was deemed 100% disabled and was put on SSDI in 2017 and backdated to 2014. I’m on Medicare at the moment. I’m turning 39 in a few days…I don’t want the rest of my life to be like this. Even if the pain can be reduced I’d welcome that. Any suggestions on how to move forward with seeking care out of state?

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    You can contact large universities (UCLA, Straub in HI, UCSD) that take Medicare and send them your images. Some of these programs will take Medicare and should be able to at least give you an idea of what you have and what to expect.

    Dr. Corenman

    PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
     
    Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
    bran808
    Participant
    Post count: 3

    Ok, I will try contacting different University Hospitals. I tried Straub but they asked if I had previous surgery and when I said yes they said sorry we cannot assist you. It sounds ridiculous but for some reason Hawaii NS will not see another NS’s patient. I’ve had one doctor who just moved to Hawaii give me a second opinion. His first consultation was to do a revision. Then subsequently after he spoke with the first surgeon it turned to wait and see.

    I appreciate the advice and hope there’s a chance at living normally. Thank you very much!

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