Steve's Back

Back on June 13, 2008, Steve underwent major back surgery.  He was diagnosed earlier that year with Degenerative Disc Disease and therefore he had to have a spinal fusion.  It was a tough time to say the least.  A hard, major surgery.  Recovery included five days in the hospital, three weeks of physical therapy and months of just general healing.

The Dr that did the surgery was recommended as one of the best in the area.  He was highly recommended to us by our family Dr who we hold in high regard.  We really liked him-he seemed knowledgeable and had great bedside manner.  We trusted him and really thought he held our best interest at heart. 

Steve's back never really got to a good point.  We went back to Dr. Gallaher several times over the years, even having a couple of MRI's, the last one being in 2010.  When we went to Dr. Gallaher for the results, he told us all the hardware looked good and that the screws had backed out of only two of his patients throughout the years.  We took his word and went about our business thinking that this was all just part of it. 

Later in 2010, through the grapevine, we learned that Dr. Gallaher had "gone off the deep end," turned in his medical license and left the country.  Again, we didn't think much of it, just thought it was too bad that the area was loosing a good Dr. 

Fast forward to 2013.  Steve's back has just gotten progressively worse.  To the point that he's missing a day or two a week from work because the best, most comfortable position for him to be in, is flat on his back.  It's effected every area of our lives.  He's gotten cortisone shots with no relief.  He's been on different pain meds with little to no relief.  I finally asked him a couple of weeks ago if it was time to go to a Pain Management Dr.  And to my surprise, he said "yes." 

That says a lot right there about Steve.  He is NOT a fan of pain management due to his Mother's abuse of pain killers.  So for him to agree that it's time to look into that, tells me that he's in a lot of pain.

Thankfully, we've developed a wonderful relationship with not just our Family Dr, but with his Nurse as well.  I called her the next morning and asked who they recommended.  She suggested we go to a place in town that combines Neurosurgeons with Physical Therapists and start there. 

So off we went.

Our first appointment was with the PT, Joe Paul.  How cool is this-Joe Paul was the therapist who got Steve rehabbed and back to work back in 1993 when he had his first big car accident!!! And Joe Paul remembered Steve!  In fact he said "I don't forget my Police Officers."  :)  Long story short, he wouldn't touch Steve until one of the Dr's saw him first. 

The next day we got in to see the Physician's Asst, Michael Valentine.   Dr Valentine is awesome.  Such an attentive, caring, man.  Fabulous bedside manner, which I love.  He scheduled Steve for an MRI to look and see what it shows.  The xrays they took in the office showed that there was perhaps a "gap" where the fusion DIDN'T take.  I went home and pulled out Steve's old medical records to see if we had missed that fact before.  Come to find out, on the report of the last MRI Steve had done in 2010, at the ordering of Dr. Gallaher, it clearly says that part of the fusion did NOT fuse.

Dr. Gallaher had never bothered to tell us that.  The a#*h*#$!  My husband has been in constant, progressive pain for the past three years and the bastard didn't bother to tell us.  Keep in mind too, that throughout this whole process, I finally posed the question to Dr. Valentine, asking if "Dr Gallaher did us more harm than good."  His response was "Your feelings are validated." 

UGH.

Wednesday of this week, we went to an Interventional Pain Management Dr and he did a "diagnostic pain shot."  They numbed the skin on his back and then poked a big 'ole long needle in and wove their way to his spine.  They injected only 1 cc of "contrast" which is what includes the pain medicine.  1 cc is not a lot and the Dr doesn't know why he couldn't get more to go in.  Steve said it was the most painful thing he's ever experienced, outside of the spasms he had after his initial back surgery. 

The point of the shot is to see if they were to "close the gap" if that would help the pain.  If it did, then that means the gap is where the pain is coming from and that gap would need to be fixed.  If it didn't work, then that meant the pain was coming from somewhere else (hips, mainly) and we'd have to pursue that.  We prayed for the first option.

God answered our prayers.  The medicine helped ease the pain temporarily.  This is not something that can be done all the time so we are thinking another surgery is in the near future to permanently fix the place that didn't fuse.  I have to call the Dr first thing Monday morning to get an appointment with the Dr and we'll know for sure after that appointment.

It was so nice to have my husband back for a couple of days this week while the medicine was still working!!  As dreadful as another surgery sounds, we feel a complete peace about it and are anxiously looking forward to it.  My husband is far too young to be in as much pain as he is.  We need this to work....for once and for all.

To be continued................................................................................