[misscath007]

I previously posted in the chronic pain forum my doctor's recommendation for surgery for the herniated disc. I am getting a second opinion this week and don't know what I will do if this doc recommends surgery also. I have a couple of valid concerns about going through with it; one being the amount of recuperation time. It might be minimally invasive surgery but the recovery will be at least 3-6 months or more. I have researched spinal fusion and it's not a minor procedure; I am just afraid.

Had a short stint of physical therapy but rather than trying more sessions, my doc is insisting surgery is the way to go...well duh, he's a surgeon! What kills me is that my insurance will cover surgery but not for 20 more lousy days of PT. Just makes me so angry that I have to fight for everything.

I am also quite concerned about pain medication; namely the lack of it. I was told that my surgeon will supply me with pain meds for a period of two weeks post op. What if I need it for longer? My primary flat out refuses to prescribe narcotics for ANY reason. She refuses to give me anything stronger than tramadol. That might be all I need after 2 weeks but what if I am still in serious pain? My pain tolerance level is low unlike some people.

My primary will not give me any opiates for pain right now, suggests that I find a pain mgmt doc but there are none that take my insurance. I suppose I will have to make more phone calls to the idiot insurance company. As you can imagine they are NOT fun to deal with.

There are only 2 ortho surgeons in my area that will accept my insurance, and they often will not prescribe for longer than a couple of weeks. How am I supposed to cover seeing a pain mgmt. specialist out of pocket? I suppose I will have to see if my dad can help me. This might seem like a trivial matter but it is one I am very concerned about. I just don't know what to do.

Thanks for listening, sorry this is so long.

[Travelinglady]

I can certainly understand your concern, MissCath. Maybe some folks who have had such surgery can speak to you about it. I suspect that two weeks would likely get you through the worst pain anyway. Let's see what the second doc says. Maybe you can ask him these questions.

[misscath007]

Thanks Payne. I may be putting the cart before the horse but I just worry about these details. In a positive case scenario, I would not need the pain meds for longer than that but what if it is not a positive outcome? I have emailed with someone from another support board I am on, she had a more involved fusion years ago and said she did not need heavy pain meds for more than ten days.

I need to remember to make a list of questions for the doc. Worry is really starting to do me in. I also have the hematologist appt this week. That is for the discrepancy on my MRI with the bone marrow signal. My sister is telling me not to worry prematurely, but I have nothing to do lately BUT worry. The signal could be caused by other things other than a blood illness.

I'm just a worry wart.

[-jimi-]

When I crushed a disc in my back I let it heal on its own. It gradually got better over two years and today I have no ill effects from it. But then again I had no other involvement from it than pain.

[Leed]

Can you get prior authorization from your insurance company to allow you to go to a certain pain management doctor? Many times if your insurance company does not cover someone, you CAN get them to authorize you to go if you get PRIOR authorization from them. You might give that a try, and then they'll pay for it. It's worth a try -- then you can get stronger pain meds which I suspect you're going to need = and you need NOW.

Just an idea. I've heard it done many times before. Good luck! Hugs, Lee

[misscath007]

That's an idea, Lee. I will look into that.

I had my second opinion appt with the doctor today. His office was in a downtown area I am not familiar with and I had a hard time parking. Then when I got there at 1:45 for my 2:00 appt, I was told that the doctor was running 45 minutes late. His office is in a large medical bldg connected to a large downtown hospital. I was told to go downstairs for coffee and to come back at 2:30. So I walked across to the hospital(there is a walkway connecting the two buildings), must have been a good 1/4 mile one way. I'm not up for long jaunts so it took me about 20 minutes to get from one building to the next.

Got back to the office at 2:30 but did not see the doctor until almost 3:00. I had not taken any pain meds bc I had a long drive. Well I did see the ortho surgeon for 5 whole minutes after waiting over an hour to see him. All he did was look at my MRI, asked me how my pain was, how long I had back issues(25 years) & his recommendation that surgery will most likely help. Then I was hustled out of there because "I have a waiting room full of patients I need to see". Non committal *and* rude. he was a young guy too.

I did have a chance to quickly ask him if there are any alternatives to surgery. He mentioned PT, I said I had it. He mentioned epidurals, I said had them in the past, they don't work for long. Not to mention that my insurance company won't pay for them. Well he said that surgery might be your best option if you decide that your pain & disability are seriously interfering in your life.

I would say yes, that is a fact. I have also spoken to another person by email who had a more involved surgery and did well afterwards. So I will most likely be going forward. After I get my D&C of course. Want to get that out of the way first. I pray I am doing the right thing.