Parkinson's, Sciatica, and the NEUROSURGEON

       Today I  had an appointment with the neurosurgeon.  He is the same surgeon who did Olivia's spinal fusion about 4 years ago.  He is so  hard to get an appointment with because he is such a well known and respected surgeon who gets excellent results. I had to wait about 3 months to see him and I was cancelled twice and they rescheduled me.  Today was the day!  He read all of my records and asked me a lot of questions and pulled up my MRI test of my spine. He examined me and then we chatted. He showed me exactly where he thought the problem was.  He thought my MRI looked pretty good! The doctor gave me a slip to get a CAT scan. He said that he thinks I have a fracture inside  one of my joints in my spine.  If I  do have a fracture inside one of my spine joints, the only fix is a spinal fusion.  That scares me because I remember how terrible is was for Olivia and she was young, healthy, and thin! It took her about a year to recover and I don't want all of that pain.  He told me to try one more steroid shot first and then we can discuss surgery! I am good with that!! I will definitely get another shot first!!
       
        Parkinson's was with me the entire day, of course.  When I am nervous, I think about my Parkinson's symptoms more. I think my gait freezes more because I think it will. A reader posted on my last blog and told me that Parkinson's never wins and we are stronger than that. There are definitely days when Parkinson's wins with me.  I never give up and I am always trying to resist Parkinson's power over me but Parkinson's is controlled by my brain and so am I controlled by my brain!!  I really wanted to go back home and not see the surgeon but I knew I had to go get his opinion. 




     A fractured spine is treated by surgery and bracing depending on the type and severity of the fracture, explains the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. After treatment, the individual then needs to undergo rehab in order to regain mobility and strength. I think I have  compression fracture. 

Types of Spinal Fractures

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There are many different types of spinal fractures: Compression, Burst, Flexion-distraction, and Fracture-dislocation. Each of these types of fractures are described. Other terms your doctor may use to describe a fracture include stable, unstable, minor, and/or major.
  • Compression Fracture: This type of fracture is very common in patients with osteoporosis, or patients whose bones have been weakened by other diseases (such as bone cancer). The vertebra can absorb so much pressure; if there's a sudden force of a lot of pressure, the bone may not be able to handle the stress. The vertebra can fracture then.

    A wedge fracture is a subtype of compression fracture. With a wedge fracture, part of the vertebra—usually the anterior (front) part—collapses under pressure and becomes wedge shaped.
  • Burst Fracture: Burst fractures are caused by severe trauma (eg, car accident). They happen when the vertebra is essentially crushed by extreme forces. Unlike compression fractures, it's not just one part of the vertebra that's fractured. In a burst fracture, the vertebra is fractured in multiple places. Because the vertebra is crushed completely, bony fragments can spread out and cause spinal cord injury. Burst fractures are more severe than compression fractures.

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