His age isn't as big a factor as his health is and the likelyhood that he will lead an active life following surgery. Just before my thoracic spinal fusion my OSS did a thoracic fusion on a 78 year old man. I asked him about someone that age going through such an invasive surgery and he told me that possibility of recover was good and he had too many years left to go through the amount of pain he was suffering at the time.
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1979 spinal issues, 1993 lumbar microdisectomy L3-4, 1996 360 3 level lumbar fusion L2-5, 1999 open thoractomy fusion T8-9,
2002 C3-7 herniations and T4-7 herniations, 2004 total disability, a new limited life -
Well my gp will now give me 28 tabs at a time, but tells me, with a lecture, !!! to make them last me as long as possible. Well I can get four hours of sleep from each tab, and that is fantastic. Otherwise nothing. It is so difficult to get my GP to believe this. I could almost be in danger of becoming an alcoholic instead, because on the nights when I do not have a sleeping pill, I have an enormous slug of brandy, to help me sleep, and it does not always work, like tonight. So what do I do???? I don't really want to own up to that because I do have a very strong will, and I would like to hit that one on the head. I have already stopped taking fentanyl patches, which was extremely hard....a bit like coming off heroin, only my doc told me it was possibly worse. I sweated, shivered, and felt like I had flu for two weeks. I did it completely cold turkey, and I did it because it was not working for me any more. So the end result was not pain relief. I still had loads of pain, but, lo and behold, I got my brain , and my sense of humour back. Also I stopped falling asleep when driving. So I did regain some quality of life. I am now taking a great deal of pain killers, Tramadol, but They do not have the same side effects somehow. Oh it is such a balancing act truly.cardiac ablation 1997. prolapsed disc 1992. L5S1 fusion 2003 (failed, bad screw in spinal canal) Lumpectomy 2005, Carpel tunnel bilateral 2005.Prolapses bowel, bladder, uterus, V. Vault rectocele,repaired.2005. Sacral implant failed 2006. further prolapsed bowel. Subsequent ileostomy, removal of colon, rectum,. 2009. removal of bad screw, more metal work L4/5/S1 to stabilise.2010 cervical ADR 2 levels. Hypothyroid. retired 2003, further cervical stenosis problems. on pension& disabilityComment
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Marijo, going off the patch had to be a form of H@**. It is a shame your doctor is so resistant to your use of a sleeping aid. Hang in there and keep working on getting enough sleep as pain makes it difficult to get enough sleep.1979 spinal issues, 1993 lumbar microdisectomy L3-4, 1996 360 3 level lumbar fusion L2-5, 1999 open thoractomy fusion T8-9,
2002 C3-7 herniations and T4-7 herniations, 2004 total disability, a new limited lifeComment
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