Minor to severe spinal stenosis down my entire Lumbar column and minor spine instability at L4-L5 is now a thing of the past with minimally invasive surgery performed February 19th.
As soon as I went on Medicare a little over a year ago I put getting my pain issues resolved as my top priority. Pre-Medicare I self diagnosed the pain I was having as Piriformis Syndrome post hip replacement. An ultrasound later confirmed I had an inflamed Piriformis and scar tissue on the Piriformis. But in the end it was my back that was limiting my life style. The Piriformis tissue urned out to be a minor player in the pain issues I was dealing with.
Before going on Medicare the cost of further testing and what that might lead too was a deterrent. Finally with Medicare and a Medicare Supplement in hand I got my pain issues figured out. It was my back that was causing nearly all the pain. The last three months in particular saw my pain escalate and made it clear my back was shot. I had surgery February 18th. What would have cost about $15,000 out of pocket prior to having Medicare and a Medicare Supplement now cost me $0. This could easily be a whole other conversation but I keep my politics out of my blog.
I learned from an earlier
back surgery eleven years ago that I should only trust my spine to a neurosurgeon. Based on my personal experience from eleven years ago and meeting with many doctors it is my opinion (and only my opinion because of what I went through eleven years ago) that Orthopedists seem to view the spine as a column of bones whereas a neurosurgeon sees the spine as a conduit for our entire nervous system. Where an orthopedist seems to think fusion with rods and screws regardless of diagnosis a neurosurgeon thinks of maintaining spinal function with fusion used as a last resort when the severity of spine instability warrants a more aggressive approach. The surgeon who repaired my back eleven years ago got me back on my feet again.
The only instability issue I had was at L4-L5. The rest of my lumbar was stable but with moderate to severe stenosis. A combination of foraminotomy, partial laminectomy and discectomy were used to deal with the stenosis. The L4-L5 instability issue was corrected with a COFLEX device. I was up and walking the day after surgery. Now after two weeks of recovery I have to force myself not to overdo it. I'm anxious to get back on my trike and also to start hiking again. Other then some back stiffness I can walk again without pain.
All the years of exercise has paid off. There's not much you can do about stenosis. For many it comes with age and life, But spinal instability can be minimized with exercise and a strong core. This was confirmed by my surgeon who said my back muscles were strong and it took a little effort to open them up to gain clear assess to my spine. My recovery is progressing quite fast for which I credit my commitment to exercise, weight lifting and of course riding my trike. I remember all the times I dragged myself into the garage to lift dumbbells and exercise. Now with a free gym membership through my Medicare Supplement Plan and it's Silver Sneakers benefit I can drag myself into the gym to exercise more productively.
That sums it all up. Now I'm ready to move on.
My neurosurgeon Dr Amir Vokshoor operates out of West Hills, CA and Santa Monica, CA.
