Kyphoplasty Part 2

abrub

I just had my second kyphoplasty - this time on vertebra L4.  That vertebra was intact when Kyphoplasty 1 was done on T11 on September 15.  However, a significant nursing error while removing my kidney stent resulted in L4's breaking on the 29th.  To make a short story long...

After kyphoplasty 1, I wasn't getting pain relief.  However, I'd had a kidney stent placed the day before, and while that relieved another certain very painful area, I didn't realize how much general pain the stent was causing me in the same areas that had been painful, and were to be addressed by the repair of T11.  The pain was pretty intense, so my urologist decided he could remove the stent and did so on Sept. 29.  All went well until he left and the nurse came in to clean me up and help me get dressed.  She took my feet from the stirrups and dropped them to the ground, putting me in a painful over-arched-back position.  I felt something pop, but didn't think much of it, while realizing she should have helped me ease into position.  My Urologist (Dr. T) asked me to get a CT in the next few days to see if my stone was gone. (It was, as was the hydronephrosis.)

I was a bit sore, but went home without issue.  The next morning, I awoke in severe pain, and realized that the dropping of my legs had strained every muscle in my lower back. Friday I had the CT requested by my urologist, and the pain kept getting worse, not better.

In the meantime, my interventional neuroradiologist's (Dr.L) nurse  kept calling; wanting to hear of improvement in my back pain, and not happy with my reports.  I told Dr. L about the CT scan, and as soon as he got his hands on a copy (several days later, as the scan was performed in Saratoga and the disc had to be sent to Sloan Kettering in NYC) he saw that in fact, T4 was now broken and causing my pain; it wasn't strained muscles; it was a vertebral fracture.  He told me this on Thursday the 7th, scheduled me for a new kyphoplasty as quickly as he could.

Kyphoplasty yesterday went very smoothly, and lo and behold, my pain is in fact gone!  I feel like a new woman.  Spirits are back up.  Last week, I didn't know how I could go on living in such intense pain, for which nothing helped.  Now I can't wait (well a few weeks) to get back on my bike!

Sometimes it feels like magic!

Alice

 

myAZmountain

So glad to hear your pain is relieved!

Sounds like quite an ordeal you had to go through....really glad that the end result is feeling much better! As a former nurse hearing what happened to you makes me cringe. The person that allowed your legs to drop like that should be reported,, in my opinion.  Sounds like the IR office is very attentive and concerned which is wonderful!

abrub

She may have been reported.

MSK is acknowledging that this was their error.  At least my dr yesterday (who was not part of the procedure where the incident occurred) apologized on behalf of the institution.

Trubrit

What a journey....

this damned disease is taking you on. 

While I am VERY sorry to hear about the break in your T4 - do you think it would have eventually broken? Not that that would make this any better, but now it is all mended and you can look forward to getting back to your bike - canoe - walking, BUT not until the Doctor tells you it is OK.  I've been down the path of not being patient, and suffer to this day, for it. 

We are all routing for you. 

Tru

Annabelle41415

Awww

Sounds like you have been through the ringer and back again.  So glad that after all that you are feeling better.  Hope that it continues and you keep smiling - you deserve some big time relief after all that.

Hugs!  Kim