Back Pain

Hi Guys And Gals, I Am Going To Have Surgery On Oct. 18, To Have A Pain Pump Implanted Beneath My Skin And A Tube To Directly Administer Morphine Into My Spinal Cord. I Am VERY NERVOUS About Having This Done! So, I Was Just Wondering If Anyone On This Forum Has Had This, Or Know Anyone That Had This Type Of Surgery, And If it Has Helped With The Intense Pain That My Doctors Have Said That Surgery Wont Fix The Problem In My Back.

I Am VerY Nervous ( 'Scared' To Use The Right Words,,,,lol) Of Any Surgeon Messing Around My Spinal Cord!

Thanks For Any Input On This Subject!

One Scared Mustang Guy,,,,Dave

I've had pain for 30 years and 2 back surgeries in the last two years. I never heard of such a thing. What exactly is your back ailment? I know a doctor from Duke that does some nice work.

Thats pretty serious, make sure you explore all options including talking to more than one Dr.

My wife lives with constant back pain ...and from what I see her going through it's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

She's had surgery, but that's been a discectomy where they tried shaving the bulging disc ...didn't work so well.

What you just described sounds pretty radical.....hope you've researched this and talked with a few experts in the field.

The other thing that hurts about back pain is that people see you on your feet so they assume you're okay.....they don't realize that its constant

Hey Dave -

I can't offer more than support and prayers. Hope everything works out OK. I agree with getting another opinion.

Hey Dave -

I can't offer more than support and prayers. Hope everything works out OK. I agree with getting another opinion.

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+1 too all the above.

I can only send my thoughts and prayers to you and your family. I'd have to say that a permanent morphine drip installed internally or taking morphine on a daily basis orally sounds EXTREME. I'm not in the medical field, but the only situtation that I've ever seen someone take morphine on a daily basis is when I had to administer it to my Mom in home hospice care. Not fun, she had cancer and the morphine was the only thing that would cut the pain. Please get a second and third opinion!

I'm going to assume you have tried an inversion table, steroid injections, seeing a chiropractor, and physical therapy before this route was recommended. Surgery does not help in a lot of cases and is risky when they start messing with the discs and putting in new parts. The pain pump sounds like a way to mask the problem but not cure it so it must be far worse than I've experienced. I have little feeling in my left heel and sciatic never pain sometimes but loosing weight and going to my chiro every two weeks has keep me from going back on the operating table. I had minor surgery about five years ago and I can't say I'm better off but then again maybe I would have been worse by now. I am just a lot more careful in lifting anything heavy. I hope it works out for you.

My wife has had 3 back fusions and now suffers from "Failed fusion syndrome". She too lives with constant back pain. Her doctor is going to be implanting a "Stimulator" in her back next month. In a nutshell it deadens the nerves in her back to decrease the pain instead of going the morphine pump route.

I wish you the best and hope it works for you

I've had pain for 30 years and 2 back surgeries in the last two years. I never heard of such a thing. What exactly is your back ailment? I know a doctor from Duke that does some nice work.

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Hi Mark, Well to Start ,,,, I Have Three Herniated Discs In My Lower Back, Were One Is Broke And Cocked at an angle And Putting The Squeeze On My Spinal Cord.

I Have Two Herniated Discs In My Neck

I Have Spinal Stenosis

I Have Osteoporosis (That Female Bone Disease)

Also Degeneratve Disc Disease

I Have Also Had THREE other Surgeons Opinions, and They Are Saying The Same Thing....They Really Dont "THINK" That Having Surgery Will Help In Fixing, Or Relieveing The Pain I Am Having

This Has Been Going On For Almost Five Years. Wow Mark, I Just Cant Imagine Dealing With thirty Years Of This Pain,,, You, My Freind Have A High Tolerence For Pain!!

My wife has had 3 back fusions and now suffers from "Failed fusion syndrome". She too lives with constant back pain. Her doctor is going to be implanting a "Stimulator" in her back next month. In a nutshell it deadens the nerves in her back to decrease the pain instead of going the morphine pump route.

I wish you the best and hope it works for you

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HI, my LAST surgery Was The Stim, That Didnt Work Very Good For Me, But Ive Talked To Alot Of Successful Stim Patients.

I Am Wishing Your Wife Good Luck In Her Upcoming Procedure. I DO Hope This Helps Her, Back Pain Is A Horrible Way To Go Through Life.

Hey Dave -

I can't offer more than support and prayers. Hope everything works out OK. I agree with getting another opinion.

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Thank You Very Much Doc!!!

I've had pain for 30 years and 2 back surgeries in the last two years. I never heard of such a thing. What exactly is your back ailment? I know a doctor from Duke that does some nice work.

Click to expand...

Hi Mark, Well to Start ,,,, I Have Three Herniated Discs In My Lower Back, Were One Is Broke And Cocked at an angle And Putting The Squeeze On My Spinal Cord.

I Have Two Herniated Discs In My Neck

I Have Spinal Stenosis

I Have Osteoporosis (That Female Bone Disease)

Also Degeneratve Disc Disease

I Have Also Had THREE other Surgeons Opinions, and They Are Saying The Same Thing....They Really Dont "THINK" That Having Surgery Will Help In Fixing, Or Relieveing The Pain I Am Having

This Has Been Going On For Almost Five Years. Wow Mark, I Just Cant Imagine Dealing With thirty Years Of This Pain,,, You, My Freind Have A High Tolerence For Pain!!

Click to expand...

1st surgury actually came out of the blue since I had never had a problem with my neck. The osteoartritis built up inside my neck vertebrea and pinched off my spinal coloumn (bottom has been pinched for years) They actually had to shim open C4-C7. Second was L4,L5,S1 fusion that I put off untli I couldn't stand it any more. Pain to me has always been a relative thing. I just keep busy enough to keep it out of my mind and when my body tells me to stop, I stop.