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I was born and raised in the good old hills of Ky. I have always been a very active
person {working, raising 3 children}. I love the outdoors,swimming,fishing,camping,hiking
and searching caves. I have always thought of myself as a survivalist since life hasn't
always been good to me. I had to work hard to get where I am now, and I suppose that's
part of the reason I am in the shape I'm in now. I was injured at work on January 20.1995. I went to stack a box on a pallet and all of
a sudden I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my back and down my legs. The pain was so bad it
took me down to my knee's. I filed a report but I wouldn't go to the doctor cause I was
afraid they would put me off work and I just couldn't afford to be off work. I went for 2
months in pain before I finally decided to go to the doctor. Well, the quack I seen didn't
do any kind of test on me except a pregnancy test, she thought I might have been pregnant
in my tubes. when it came back negative she then told me she thought it was just pulled
muscles. She gave me muscle relaxers and pain pill's and sent me on my way with no follow
up appointment. I didn't go back to the doctor again {even though the pain was still
there} until November 1995. This time they told me I was just having muscle spasms gave me
some more muscle relaxers but no pain pills I guess they thought I was just wanting drugs.
Three days later my legs went numb and I was in so much pain I couldn't even move. I was
so scared all I could do was lay there and cry. My husband called his doctor and he seen
me first thing the next day he examined me and told me there was no way that was my
muscles he said it had to be inside my back so he ordered a MRI, put me in p/t and gave me
some good drugs I got to where I could walk again and the numbness in my left leg was gone
but I still had numbness in my right leg. When the MRI results came in it showed I had a
bulge at L4/5 and a large herniation at L5/S1 so the doctor sent me to a neurosurgeon. The
neurosurgeon told me he was surprised to see me even walking as bad as it was, he
recommended surgery right away {laminectomy and Discectomy } but workers comp had denied
me. I talked to my medical insurance carrier and they agreed to pay for it but if I won a
suit against w/c I would have to pay them back. {{{and I did win a suit against w/c}}} So
I had surgery on January 5, 1996. The surgery went well and I felt like a new person for a
week any way. I started getting migraines so bad I was praying to just die. When I went
for my post-op visit the doctor discovered my dura had ruptured so back to surgery I went.
two weeks after they patched my dura I was able to go back to work. I done real well for
two years then my symptoms came back. I was put through traction, heat therapy, shots you
name it Nothing helped. My doctor ordered another MRI and it came back I had another large
rupture at L5/S1. At this point he was considering a fusion at that level but since I had
a bulge at L4/5 he wanted to do a discogram to see if it was giving me problems also, and
of course it was, and it also had a leak in it. After having the discogram I got down and
couldn't get out of bed for over a month. The doctor then told me he was going to go in to
do the Discectomy but once he got in if he thought it needed fused he would go ahead and
do it on the one level. I had surgery on April 29, 1999, but he only done the Discectomy
he said he felt like it would be all I needed since the rupture was so large. I never got
any better so now he says the only choice is fusion but w/c needed a second opinion with
their doctor. He ordered a new MRI and it shows up L5/S1 has ruptured again so he tells me
fusion is my only option. {w/c didn't like that to well LOL}. I was supposed to have
surgery on the Sept. 20.1999, but w/c didn't have it approved in time, so now it is
scheduled for Sept. 23.1999. If anybody wants to e-mail me I would be glad to hear from you. kyshiner@aol.com Janice has been kind enough to offer anyone interested to e-mail her.. Return to 'Other People's Stories'
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The Surgery:The Week Before * The Day Before * The Day Of * In The Hospital * Going Home * Let's Talk Pain * Home Again! Other Areas:Created and Maintained by Leslie Davidson.
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