On 9/25/07 11:33 AM, in article , "VtSkier"
wrote:


Vinnie,
This sounds like what my ex-wife will be going
through for a "synovial cyst" in the lumbar
region. What was the reason for your surgery?
You may have said, but I frequently ignore
rsa completely when the noise/information ratio
gets too high.

Let's see I was born with an inherent weakness in the spine -
Spondylolithesis. I damaged the L5 (Lumbar disk) in a ski accident in 1969.
Slightly dislocated it - pushed it forward. I would intermittently suffer
from lower back pain and sciatica but was able to live with it for 4 decades
- until I became a nurse - it migrated more forward - total displacement
about 1cm and things were getting very dicey - constant pain and occasional
loss of muscle control in the legs. The only workable solution was a L5/S1
Fusion/Decompression with Titanium. Most Lumbar procedures will mirror what
is happening to me. You spend two weeks trying to get comfortable with the
staples and the new bone arrangement. Actually, knock on wood, I'm doing
well at this stage. You have to be patient and follow the prescribed
regimen-too much too fast does not work in your favor in this case.
Everything - bones, muscles and nerves need to find their new equilibrium.
You can go stir-crazy, though.