Spine Surgery for PGAD

[Hopeitworks]

Here is my experience and update on spine surgery for PGAD.

First, let me disclose there is no guarantee any surgery will be effective. But, since I had two herniated disc, I figured the surgery needed to be done either way. A bonus would be it curing my PGAD and taking away my back pain. Dr. Rubin and I figured it couldn't make me worse! The surgery I had was not technical for "PGAD" since I had anatomy concerns my insurance covered the surgery. Spine surgery in general for PGAD is considered experimental. Therefore, please don't think any spine doctor will recommend this surgery for you. Unless you have a spine surgeon that knows about PGAD or if you have anatomy concerns like I did.

Since my L4/5 Marcaine nerve block gave me 30 hours of PGAD relief my doctor and I figured it made sense to try surgery.

I had surgery at George Washington Hospital performed by Dr. Rosner located in D.C. on June 27th, 2018. My Aunt who is an RN came to spend two weeks with me. She took me to have the surgery and NEVER left my side for 2 two weeks. My husband started a new job so he just could not do it.

The staff, especially the nurses were great at George Washington hospital. They treated me very well and I over satisfied with the care I received.

The surgery was only supposed to be a 2-hour surgery. However, when Dr. Rosner got in there he saw more damage than anticipated. The surgery ended up taking 4 hours and I had to spend the night due to the staff having a hard time waking me up. Dr. Rosner replaced my L4-5 with a fake disc and had to removed that facet because it was not in good shape. I am not sure what he used as facet, but I will ask at my 6 weeks follow up. He allowed me to skip my 2-week follow up and instead send a picture of the two cuts instead of driving to D.C. Dr. Rosner also had to move muscles around and he said my nerves were so compressed he had never said anything as bad as mine. Dr. Rubin was not there but she was calling me and emailing me waiting to hear how the surgery went. It felt like she was with me since she did that. She ended up calling the doctor herself because she was anxious to hear how I was. She is a GREAT doctor!

The doctor ensured I was on strong medication and that my pain level was manageable. My discharge instructions were no BLTS (bending, lifting, twisting, and stretching) for 4 to 6 weeks. I discovered very quick I drop everything. But, at least I don't have to do the laundry! LOL! The doctor used screws to fuse my discs. What I have learned is I have to pay attention to what my body is telling me. I have to say it is okay to take a nap and etc:

It takes 18months for your nerves to heal. So time will tell! Dr. F is calling me on July 30th to talk about my Tarvlo Cysts.

Here is my timeline so far:
Had surgery June 27th.

No PGAD symptoms until five days post-op. It ranged from mild to severe but didn't last all day.

Post-op Day 7 I had PGAD mid-morning and at 9 pm that lasted about an hour each.

Post-op Day 8 PGAD started when I woke up and lasted all day!

Post-op Day 9 Woke up with PGAD and it became very mild around 4 pm.

Post-op Day 10 PGAD symptoms on and off all day. They ranged from severe to mild.

Post-op Day 11 Mild PGAD all day.

Post-op Day 12 barely any PGAD all day.

Post-op Day 13 No PGAD all day until 10 pm at night.

I have good and bad days with my spine. Some days hurt more because I overdo it.

[April]

Thanks so much for the update, Hope! I'm so glad you're doing okay, and it looks like your pgad may be declining! As I said on fb, my fingers and toes are tightly crossed in the hopes that this will work for you.

April

[Hopeitworks]

Thank you so much April for the love and support. I'm also glad to have you in the FB group! I do my best to keep this group up to date, but sometimes I forget.

[Violet M]

Thanks for the update, Hope. Wishing you all the best with your recovery. It sounds like you are in good hands with your doctors and nurses and hopefully you have found the right treatment that will cure your PGAD eventually.

Violet

[Hopeitworks]

Thank you!