- hips and pelvis are OK
- Dynesys hardware is stable & secure - apparently the x-ray would display a halo effect around a screw if it was moving/unstable.
Soooo... my hip pain could be muscular or could be caused by inflammatory chemicals or could simply be post-op trauma/pain. Mr Shepperd again stressed that it's still early days for me and that it will take time for things to settle. However, he's not being complacent - I've got an appointment for 12th May and if things are not any better by then he will be injecting my spine for the pain and hopefully to help me heal.
I mentioned this blog and the support group on Facebook, no surprise to him - he too is a member of FB!!!! I really hope he pops in someday and posts an entry.
2 comments:
Brilliant news Kelly...bet that has put your mind at rest so that you can continue with your recovery...xxx
Hi I'm glad you are doing well......
whilst having a look on facebook I was surprised to see so many people who have had bad experiences for 1 reason or another. What does concern me is the lack of knowledge or should i say the correct knowledge that is posted on the site about spinal surgery with the Dynesys. For example there is one one person who has had the operation in the Uk but has moved to the US but because she didn't have bone graft or spacers this person thinks that someone is at fault as it wasn't put in correctly. this advice would be correct if you lived in the US and a US surgeon did the operation as it has a different license in the US. It should only be used as an adjunct to a spinal fusion meaning (graft or/and cages)
The indication for the UK is different.....it should be used for dynamic stability. Which means we don't put cages into the disc space as you would do for a fusion as we don't want to achieve a fusion but to conversely keep the motion segment mobile and to maintain sagital balance.
What I would say is that it it very important for anyone who has been offered Spinal surgery / Dynesys that they choose the right Surgeon who does the operation for the correct indication and who does it how the company advises, this way a more favourable result is achieved. The company that make it have invested a lot of time money/ resourses and have the biomechanical expertise after years of testing to come up with how this operation should be done. Unfortunately it isn't always adhered to.
It's also worth noteing that you do not need HA coated screws if this is done correctly. Depending on your bone quality your surgeon may or may not choose to use them. But it's worth pointing out that these have only been available in recent years and not everybody uses them.
I think what else is worth pointing out that Halos' around screws can easily occure with standard pedicle screws. A lot of the success is reliant on a good pair of skilled hands and of course judgment.
What also is worth pointing out is that that fact that bupa and PPP don't pay for this Procedure is a copout and they are denying patients an operation that could prove more beneficial than a more distructive fusion, as don't forget in the UK we don't have to use bone graft or cages as we are not using it for this purpose. This also makes the procedure in the UK totally reversable leaving an option to fuse at a later date if needed.
There is of course one important point to be made.....and that is that all these products/devices are a foreign body to living matter and everyone is different. Not everyone can share the same success as the next person sadly and we have to be able to manage our expectations from Surgery differently. Sometimes little knowledge can be dangerous.
I hope you continue to recover well and wish you all the best.
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