Do I live in pain or see Mr Knight? Please help

[zimstar]

I was wondering if someone could offer me some advice on whether you feel a visit to Mr Knight of the Spine Foundation would be worth the pain and travel? (Although I am only in Leeds)
I had a spinal fusion L4/L5 and may of been L3 too (I can’t remember) I had an accident while doing a sporting event called Zorbing when I was struck in the back by a large bale of hay.
My fusion was in 2006 (I think) carried out by Mr Dunsmuir in Leeds (privately).
I have had no improvement at all and am on Oxycodone 80 mg 2x daily and diazepam for when I get spasms but my gp refuses to supply any more than 14 a month. I have been on gabapentin (a long time ago) and various other drugs including patches, anti inflammatorys, MST and other pain relievers on top of the Oxycodone. I also see Karen Simpson (pain management specialist in Leeds) she has given me different injections including Facet Joint injections, epidurals, and dorsal blocks all which work but only for a short time and my insurance company will only fund 1 per year.
I am now 36 and had my accident in 2003. I do not have a quality of life, I can’t work, I can’t sit, sleep, stand or walk for long and am in continuous pain.
I have recently returned from my holiday and the plane journey once again ended in traumatic pain and am now laid up in bed again. However previously have been ambulanced off the plane which is traumatic for my family to watch.
Once winter arrives I am nonexistent as the cold makes it a whole lot worse and pretty much from end September to March I am laid up in bed.
I am at a point where I feel I can’t continue like this I have a horrible existence and finding the meds I am taking are also causing me horrific stomach pains. I have seen m daughters life pass by and now she is about to go off to uni and I have missed out in a huge chunk of her life. I suffer from depression and my long term partnership with my boyfriend suffers as I get incredibly angry with myself that I don’t live just exist.
I contacted Mr Dunsmuir and he said he doesn’t know of anything else that can be done. I am unsure that because I had the fusion done that my options of anything else to help me is limited if not ended.
Any advise anybody can offer will be greatly received, I spoke with Bupa today but they have to speak with someone else with regards to funding seeing you (I am unsure why this is) but they said they will come back to me soon. I have my last dorsal block done in January but this time it only lasted 6 weeks or so and cannot have any more until January next year according to Bupa policy.
I don't know where else to turn or what else to do I am now of the feeling if noone is unable to help this is going to be my existence for the next 50 years.

 

[ferret_lover01]

If you have failed fusion, then you are a very difficult case.

However, seeing a surgeon with such a reputation and knowledge always makes sense.

I vote for your visit to Martin Knight.

 

[gaiasloft]

Hi Dawn74 and welcome to Healthy Pages!

From a medical point of view, whether or not you can be helped often depends on the description, name or specific diagnosis for the problem.

To an alternative therapist, the precise diagnosis is often less important, as recovery is not in the capacity of the practitioner, but in you - especially now you are out of immediate critical risk. The way that a practitioner helps is in understanding the obstacles to healing, and how easy those obstacles are to influence.

In your case that might include:

The nature and severity of the original injury.
The effect (benefits and damage) of the surgery.
Your general health, age, nutritional status.
Medication load.
Emotional and practical support.
Stress and workload.
How well your basic needs in life are being matched.
etc
etc

A couple of these may need explanation:

'Chronicity' of the symptoms of pain - pain is learned, the longer you have been in pain the more easily it can be felt. It may remain for some time after the cause has been removed. Like an annoying tune in the brain it does eventually leave, providing you are not being constantly reminded of it. Similarly, it may not require much reminding to keep the pathways open.

'Mechanical ease' - the human frame is normally very good at dissipating forces, when it is working well we would say that the various structures are in mechanical ease. Following an injury, the balance of leverages changes, and the result can be to focus forces instead of dispersing them. In which case stress and strain may be an ongoing problem.

Following an injury, there is also a reaction by the body - muscles tighten, connective tissue shortens, and we carry ourselves differently, all to try to limit further damage while we heal. These are all protective adaptations.

The problem is that when those adaptations remain long after they are needed, they begin to create more problems than they solve. In time they can limit recovery, and even lead to further stress and even new injury.

The good news is that there are many practitioners who help unravelling these patterns of adaptation - this is often the big opportunity to make a change. It is also the way to begin unravelling ongoing 'causes', instead of merely mitigating 'effects'.

So recovery is mostly you, and only partly practitioner. I am constantly impressed by the ability of the body to recover, once a few basics are taken care of.

In spite of the marvellous rocket science now available, so often the real area needing attention involves just a few basics. So if the rocket science hasn't worked so far, it is not because you are a 'difficult case', nobody can make that assessment over the web. So do not be discouraged on that score, ok!

The bad news is that choosing a practitioner is a problem, one we discuss time and again here in HP.

My advice, as always, is to ask friends, family and colleagues whom they have been to for various problems - you may be surprised at the amount of local knowledge. Then contact the practitioners they respect, and discuss your problem.

Hope that helps!

Best wishes and mend well.

 

[siqtmuyf]

Thank you. Have you seen Mr Knight i am a little concerned that before i have been seen i an told of an operation for me to have and that operation is done wide awake. I had a horrific discography done before my fusion repeating that isnt something i want to do. I still have the instrumentation in and wondering if that comes out it may help with not have 12 screws and a 12 inch metal rod up my spine.
I just know i cant go on like this i hate everything about my life and have no future it is that bad.
Sometimes i wish the accident had paralysed me at least then the pain and spasms i have i wouldnt feel and that is an awful thing to think.
I am going to have the scans and xrays see mr knight then with the information i get go and talk with my pain specialist for her opinion. My private med doesnt cover mr knight and was told nhs funding is rare. i find it hard to take in that in the 21st century people live n such agony and alot of medical staff ignore you because they dont know what else to do.
If it wasnt for my partner and 17 year old daughter i wouldnt be here now and that i know for sure :'( Thank you for your input x

 

[CelebsFero]

Hi Dawn

I am so sorry for your situation. I have seen Mr Knight. It cost £200 for the appointment which was over an hour long and very detailed. You will need a current mri and also weight bearing xrays, (up to about £500) ring his office and they will explain and can also refer you if necessary. http://www.spinal-foundation.org/


Do discuss any future operation thorughly, find out where and what and what result you can expect, as MK can only work on one side, one level at a time and it may need more than one operation! Each one costing around £10,500 depending on what needs to be done, obviously take that only as a very rough guide, as everyone is different.

He is not a miracle cure though and as you have already had a fusion your options are limited but it sounds like that did not touch the actual site of the pain?

The operation is done under deep sedation and intravenous painkillers. In this state MK will access the area by using a small incision and then an endoscope and then gently probe the area to find exactly what is causing the pain, then operate. As you already know what the pain is like it is easy to say yes thats the spot. It's scarey but for many it is worth it.

You will at least get an in depth and up to date evaluation of ALL your options from MK as he will go through them, the ones he can do and also ones he doesn't like open back.

I suppose I bet add a disclaimer that this is written from my experiences and yours may be very different? But, Good Luck xxxx

 

[Imran M]

hey there am same situation as you apart from Ive not had spinal fusion yet! Am thinking of seeing martin knight but would say if you don't see him or speak to him you will never know so go and see him plus there is a phisio that I saw and he is not a normal physio he does wonders with this treatment he learned using needles but the only problem is he is in london hes name is steve and his practice is called the varney practice check it out it might be far but think about it if he cured u or helped you wouldn't it be worth it! he helped me after I had a spinal decompression on my L4/5 area of my spine and trust me he knows hes stuff but am left with an intermittent pain from the constant pain I used to have before the surgery in 2009 and I swear by him he is excellent I would recommend him and yes it's far but if he helped you can you imagine how much your life would change? it changed mine and he got me back to work but I'm trying to get rid of my intermittent problem now but he has helped a lot.

I hope this helps!

 

[Corey]

Please see my reply on the other MARTIN KNIGHT post!!