LAST SURGERY FROM CAR WRECK

[DaveKell]

I just wanted to put this out there as to where I've been the past two and a half weeks. A trip through hell comes first to mind. I went into the hospital at 5am on the 17th for a 9 hour lumbar spinal fusion surgery. With 19 prior major surgeries on my abdomen, I knew full well the questions I needed addressed concerning the post op pain management. My inability to pin the surgeon down on specifics almost caused me to cancel the surgery but my wife argued this is the perfect time of year to have it. My surgeon finally convinced me I'd be kept comfortable after the procedure during the five days following stay in the hospital. It's the only lie he told me to date.

My timing actually couldn't have been worse to have surgery of any kind. A few governmental agencies involved in the war on drugs and recently charged with handling the opioid epidemic have created a crisis in health care for pain patients. Since they weren't making any headway against the drug cartels, they put a softer target in their focus. Heavy handed dictates have been dispensed as to dosage limits doctors can prescribe that are creating an epidemic of patient suicides. Doctors have been forced to radically cut dosages to long established chronic pain patients. Many doctors have been ordered to begin radical tapering of their patients from narcotic meds. Some doctors, afraid of having their licenses revoked, immediately stopped prescribing pain meds altogether. I read a story of a couple married for 40 years where the husband had been in badly needed pain management for years. His doctor dropped him, along with most of his pain patients. Because of the high dosages he was on he couldn't find another doctor to take on his care. He and his wife drove to a local park where they went and sat at a picnic table so the husband could use a handgun to shoot himself through the heart. This is happening frequently but is largely not reported by the main stream media. This crisis flies in the face of statistics that plainly show upwards of 90% of opiod overdose deaths involve illicit drugs.

I had a very big back surgery and was given vicodin pills for the post op pain. This was far from my first rodeo so I knew to insist on IV pain meds. The only IV meds I was given were muscle relaxants. The surgeon even tried to assure me this was the best course of treatment. I argued that the radical stress of unbearable pain was thwarting my recovery but he wouldn't budge. I literally writhed in agony for 5 days before being released with a two week vicodin prescription. I can honestly say there were many times I wished I had one of my guns to end my predicament. There would have been no hesitation, it was that bad. My recovery at home is going the slowest of any previous surgery. I'm supposed to spend as much of the day as possible up and moving around. Instead I spend a lot of time lying down trying to freeze myself into comfortable positions.

I have an appointment next week to have big sutures from a 14 inch incision removed at which time my surgeon will be getting the strongest possible reprimand I can do in a civil manner. If you're facing any surgery soon I'd suggest making your doctor commit to your comfort with adequate pain management. Of course, implant surgery is excluded since a lot of guys end up not even taking their narcotic pain meds anyway. Right now when I'm up I feel like I'm walking around with a 6x6 fence post embedded in my lower back. I'm no longer ever considering my gun but can assure you I wouldn't be here now if I'd had one in the days following my operation. I'm doing my best to screw on a positive outlook in light of this but the progress is painfully slow. Anyway, it's good to be back and looking forward to the day when I can once again utilize my implant.

[radioradio]

Dave,
Wow, sorry to hear your most recent story.
Wish you the best for a speedy recovery.
Hope you’re bionically active again soon.
Bob

[ETGuy71]

That’s quite a story. So, sorry you had to deal with this, but glad you pushed through.
You are correct in that the powers that be aren’t addressing the “opioid crisis” correctly!
Punishing true pain patients because the prescribing doctor is afraid he may be audited is terrible patient care! Yes the prescription drug issue is multifaceted because of abuse, but again you shouldn’t punish someone in real pain!
Glad you’re on the mend and getting back to being whole again.

[bldoink]

Dave,
You have my full sympathy. We went through similar 2 years ago when they were already tightening up on the opioids. My wife had a ruptured disk and the weight for surgery, for several reasons, was long and delayed. She was in excruciating pain with no position that allowed relief. They never gave her adequate relief which left me pissed. Afterwards the surgeon stated that her disk rupture and in nerve impingement was worse than he anticipated. I don't know if that played a factor in the insufficient pain meds or not.

My son is a felony public defender. The majority of his case load is meth and opioids, with the opioids being an increasing percentage of the cases. He also advised that the majority of the opioids cases involve opioids that have been resold by people that have prescriptions for the meds. His experience is that the resale of prescribed opioids is a big and growing problem even with the tighter controls. I'm guessing that the real problem is unethical doctors profiting in some way. The legit doctors and their patients are suffering as a result. I wish I had the answer. I'm guessing that just going after the unethical doctors, the real solution, is just to resource intensive.

[Larry10625]

I just wanted to put this out there as to where I've been the past two and a half weeks. A trip through hell comes first to mind. I went into the hospital at 5am on the 17th for a 9 hour lumbar spinal fusion surgery. With 19 prior major surgeries on my abdomen, I knew full well the questions I needed addressed concerning the post op pain management. My inability to pin the surgeon down on specifics almost caused me to cancel the surgery but my wife argued this is the perfect time of year to have it. My surgeon finally convinced me I'd be kept comfortable after the procedure during the five days following stay in the hospital. It's the only lie he told me to date.

My timing actually couldn't have been worse to have surgery of any kind. A few governmental agencies involved in the war on drugs and recently charged with handling the opioid epidemic have created a crisis in health care for pain patients. Since they weren't making any headway against the drug cartels, they put a softer target in their focus. Heavy handed dictates have been dispensed as to dosage limits doctors can prescribe that are creating an epidemic of patient suicides. Doctors have been forced to radically cut dosages to long established chronic pain patients. Many doctors have been ordered to begin radical tapering of their patients from narcotic meds. Some doctors, afraid of having their licenses revoked, immediately stopped prescribing pain meds altogether. I read a story of a couple married for 40 years where the husband had been in badly needed pain management for years. His doctor dropped him, along with most of his pain patients. Because of the high dosages he was on he couldn't find another doctor to take on his care. He and his wife drove to a local park where they went and sat at a picnic table so the husband could use a handgun to shoot himself through the heart. This is happening frequently but is largely not reported by the main stream media. This crisis flies in the face of statistics that plainly show upwards of 90% of opiod overdose deaths involve illicit drugs.

I had a very big back surgery and was given vicodin pills for the post op pain. This was far from my first rodeo so I knew to insist on IV pain meds. The only IV meds I was given were muscle relaxants. The surgeon even tried to assure me this was the best course of treatment. I argued that the radical stress of unbearable pain was thwarting my recovery but he wouldn't budge. I literally writhed in agony for 5 days before being released with a two week vicodin prescription. I can honestly say there were many times I wished I had one of my guns to end my predicament. There would have been no hesitation, it was that bad. My recovery at home is going the slowest of any previous surgery. I'm supposed to spend as much of the day as possible up and moving around. Instead I spend a lot of time lying down trying to freeze myself into comfortable positions.

I have an appointment next week to have big sutures from a 14 inch incision removed at which time my surgeon will be getting the strongest possible reprimand I can do in a civil manner. If you're facing any surgery soon I'd suggest making your doctor commit to your comfort with adequate pain management. Of course, implant surgery is excluded since a lot of guys end up not even taking their narcotic pain meds anyway. Right now when I'm up I feel like I'm walking around with a 6x6 fence post embedded in my lower back. I'm no longer ever considering my gun but can assure you I wouldn't be here now if I'd had one in the days following my operation. I'm doing my best to screw on a positive outlook in light of this but the progress is painfully slow. Anyway, it's good to be back and looking forward to the day when I can once again utilize my implant.

OMG Dave, that is absolutely horrible. I am really glad you are ok, although I sympathize with the hell you have gone through. I am going to be going through it before long I think. My doctor tells me, every appointment I go to that, the CMA is nagging them to get their patients off of narcotics. I honestly believe that I will be confined to bed if they pull the crap they are pulling in the USA. It bothers me a lot. Every once in a while I forget to take my meds and I go through a little private hell until I either remember or until the next dose is due. Feel better soon my friend.

Larry

[DaveKell]

Here's a little update because we all know how much I like talking about my surgeries! I saw my neurosurgeon on Friday for him to take the sutures out since he didn't use dissolving ones for the final close. I had to grit my teeth feeling the 20 pound test fishing line zipping out of my huge incision. Fortunately I never developed a hint of infection and have passed the point at which guys my age having this surgery have up to a 20% mortality rate. I hated being told I have to be trussed up in the full torso back brace apparatus all day I'm out of bed for another 4 weeks! Can't hold my guitar properly to play with that damn thing on. In all honesty, the pain has improved a great deal. Right now though it stays at the highest levels it reached with my prior 18 major abdominal surgeries. I never truly knew what pain was until I had this monster back fusion. Time will tell if I get the maximum benefit it was intended to provide.

Awhile ago my wife went with me for a walk down our rural street. I reached the front of the second house away from me before having to turn back. That's an appalling fitness level after where I was before. But a few days ago even that short jaunt would have been out of the question. Surgeon says I'm okay for sex whenever I feel like it... I just need to figure out how with my Star Wars storm trooper body armor on! I'm probably gonna hold off on that a good while yet until I've racked up a few more recovery milestones.

I have an appointment on Monday with pain management where I'm certain they are going to set me up on a tapering schedule. I'll live with a little more pain for awhile to be getting this shit out of my system. After 14 months on it I'm fully dependent on it and that's a position I despise being in. I know the withdrawal episodes I'm heading into, been there done that. It gets so much harder the older I get. This is last mention of this event until someday when I might post about some great sex finally last night!

[bldoink]

I'm sorry you've had such a tough go of it. I wish you a speedy and full recovery and that you're back in the saddle soon.

[DaveKell]

This is last mention of this event until someday when I might post about some great sex finally last night!

Okay so that last comment it turns out isn’t the case. Haven’t had sex in two months. It’s the last thing I’m thinking about! I’ve had another visit with neurosurgeon since the one when he removed the stitches. I saw new xrays of my now perfectly straight spine and learned I had a 9 level fusion. That’s 5 more than what’s considered excessive. My attorney assures me State Farm will be paying out a small fortune for this before long along with a separate settlement to my wife for her injuries. My attitude has improved a slight bit from the early days of enduring the suicide level pain. I’m still waiting for the last of the intolerable discomfort to let up and to be able to chuck this fucking cumbersome full torso brace apparatus. No guitar playing and songwriting happening and no weekly jam session or songwriter circle attendance for a few months now. Everything that previously defined me still on hold. Incredibly inadequate pain management as well (thank you government dictates on narcotic prescribing due to opiod epidemic). Can’t remember a time I was so down. I’m holding onto numerous reassurances from 3 others who’ve had same surgery it will all be worth it in the end, but it’s an end my surgeon says could be months away yet. All of this because of an incredible asshole who was distracted in traffic. I’d give anything for 5 minutes alone with him in an alley. I’m still cycling the implant all the while trying to become accustomed to the very noticeable hardware in my body along my spine. This WILL pass and become a distant memory in time, but life sure sucks right now! Be immensely thankful if you can go about your daily activities unimpeded. I’m still aware of the fact that countless men returning from battle would gladly trade places with me, but I’m so ready to be done with this!

[Larry10625]

This is last mention of this event until someday when I might post about some great sex finally last night!

Okay so that last comment it turns out isn’t the case. Haven’t had sex in two months. It’s the last thing I’m thinking about! I’ve had another visit with neurosurgeon since the one when he removed the stitches. I saw new xrays of my now perfectly straight spine and learned I had a 9 level fusion. That’s 5 more than what’s considered excessive. My attorney assures me State Farm will be paying out a small fortune for this before long along with a separate settlement to my wife for her injuries. My attitude has improved a slight bit from the early days of enduring the suicide level pain. I’m still waiting for the last of the intolerable discomfort to let up and to be able to chuck this fucking cumbersome full torso brace apparatus. No guitar playing and songwriting happening and no weekly jam session or songwriter circle attendance for a few months now. Everything that previously defined me still on hold. Incredibly inadequate pain management as well (thank you government dictates on narcotic prescribing due to opiod epidemic). Can’t remember a time I was so down. I’m holding onto numerous reassurances from 3 others who’ve had same surgery it will all be worth it in the end, but it’s an end my surgeon says could be months away yet. All of this because of an incredible asshole who was distracted in traffic. I’d give anything for 5 minutes alone with him in an alley. I’m still cycling the implant all the while trying to become accustomed to the very noticeable hardware in my body along my spine. This WILL pass and become a distant memory in time, but life sure sucks right now! Be immensely thankful if you can go about your daily activities unimpeded. I’m still aware of the fact that countless men returning from battle would gladly trade places with me, but I’m so ready to be done with this!

Oh that's aweful that you are having to go through all of this crap. I know what you are saying though... I am on 600mg Codeine Contin, 1800mg Gabapentin and 100mg Amitriptyline... oh, and lets not forget 81mg ASA daily. My doctor keeps telling me that he is being ordered to cut back but, so far he is leaving me alone. I think if he ever does cut back I will be in so much pain that I will gain 300 pounds from lact of activity. I really hope you get better soon and welcome back to Frank Talk.

Larry

[David_R]

Brothers, I don't even know where to start in telling you how sad I am about your health situations. I wish I lived closer to you so I could possibly help in some way, but I don't. (I wanted to insert the crying emoji but it seemed too inappropriate.)

David