Going Under The Knife

Going Under The Knife FARM HOME Health 31-4-5 I began feeling a severe pain down my right leg about a year ago whenever I walked or stood for a half hour or so. The pain kept getting worse so I started consulting doctors, who discovered I had a broken vertebrae in my lower back. This type of fracture normally happens when you're a child and takes years to work itself loose. I consulted several doctors and they all agreed I needed fusion surgery to stabilize the disc or I'd have much worse problems down the road. Fusion simply means attaching a loose vertebrae to a fixed vertebrae below it by "growing" new bone between them. After gathering a lot of information, both in person and on the internet, I settled on a doctor and scheduled the big day. During the 6 1/2-hour operation, the doctor made a 12-in. incision in my back, cutting away all the "unnecessary" bone around the vertebrae and also removing the soft disc between the two vertebrae. Then he packed the open area with my own ground-up bone which had been mixed with a special protein that makes it grow. He then inserted four large titanium "lag bolts" and two rods to secure the two vertebrae while the bone "grows" and hardens. Once the fusion hardens û it takes about 6 months û the metal hardware will serve no purpose. However, they generally don't take them out because they're buried under layers of skin and muscle. I can't even feel them. The 8 days I spent in the hospital and the last couple months of recovery have been very difficult. I have to wear a big plastic brace for several months. But in the end, it seems like a small price to pay to be able to once again take my dog for a walk - not to mention attending all the big farm shows we cover on your behalf!

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