medical question

[Jiffy]

Hello guys!
Have any of you ever had to have pins or screws in a bone in your body? If so, have you had them removed, and how did they do it? (for example, in the office, outpatient surgery, anesthesia etc).

My knee screws are killing me, and my dr says they need to come out. Last year when he put them in, he said that they would take them out in the office. So when I went back to the dr last week, he told me instead that they do it outpatient and have to put you under anesthesia. I dont want to be put all the way under anesthesia to do a surgery that just takes a couple of minutes (backing out 2 screws out of the bone)

Just wanted other peoples experiences.

Thanks

 

[TheWolfmanTom]

I think its just a general anesthesa.

 

[Jiffy]

Oh ok, so maybe not all the way to sleep anesthesia then?
That would be better.

 

[Craiger]

Sedation would probably be good enough. I can hardly feel anything when I get sedated for my spinal injections....and they usually take 3 to 5 minutes.

 

[li]

They can give you something other than putting you all the way out. I forget the name, but just ask the doctor.

 

[Jiffy]

Thanks Craig and Lisa. I hope that is what they do!
And I think these things are going to have to come out soon. I about kicked the doctor when he touched where the screws are to show me why it was hurting. And then kept pushing on them. I was really scared I was going to push his arm off of me due to reflex of him hurting me. I guess good thing I didnt.

 

[Craiger]

Thanks Craig and Lisa. I hope that is what they do!
And I think these things are going to have to come out soon. I about kicked the doctor when he touched where the screws are to show me why it was hurting. And then kept pushing on them. I was really scared I was going to push his arm off of me due to reflex of him hurting me. I guess good thing I didnt.

LOL! Sorry laugh...but the thought of you kicking the doctor caused me to chuckle a bit.

Hope he takes care of that, soon. I can certainly sympathize with ya.

 

[Pogie]

I about kicked the doctor when he touched where the screws are to show me why it was hurting. And then kept pushing on them. I was really scared I was going to push his arm off of me due to reflex of him hurting me. I guess good thing I didnt.

Would've been funny.

My husband had pins in his arm and wrist after a really bad fall from a 4th story window where his back was broken / wrist crushed and hand broken. He had just come out of hospital from being there due to his broken back when the pins had to come out. They also said in the dr office or anesthesia. BUT anesthesia would mean 2 days in hospital and he was fed up, so he opted for the drs office.

He wishes he'd chosen anesthesia. He said they gave a local, but it only nombs the skin. Then they pushed the ends of the pins through the skin, grabbed it with pliers . . . . and pulled them out. It apparently really hurt.

Sheeeesh, what people wont do to keep from spending time in hospital.

 

[Jiffy]

Oh my gosh Monique! Sounds like your husband had it very rough. I hope he is doing better now, that sounds like a horrible accident!

Ouch, pushing pins thru the skin and pulling it with pliers does not sound like much fun at all. I will have to talk to my dr when I go back, and see what he has to say. If he says he would no way recommend me to have it done under local anesthesia, and that I should be put under, I will do it. We will just have to see. I dont have to go back until July 14th. (unless I call him before then and say take these pins out now)

 

[staylor]

I don't mind being in the hospital...you get rest and the good pain meds...so much less pain and more rest when your there. There are none of life's little distractions there and you get waited on by hospital staff.

 

[Craiger]

About the only thing I have to compare to that, Monique, is something I had to have done after my first spinal surgery. I had to have a myelogram the morning before the surgery. I'll tell you....that was one of the most painful things I've ever gone through in my life. Literally felt like somebody had shoved a sword into my spine, then slowly ran it up to my head while I thrashed around on the table....but that's not what I'm writing about.

Two weeks after my surgery, I'd noticed a clear liquid coming from my incision as my shirt was sticking to my back. I just thought it was water, so didn't think much of it 'til the next day when it happened again. Called the doctor's office and told them what I was experiencing and wanted to know if it was normal. She asked me a few questions...like, was I having intense headaches? And if so, did they go away when I laid down. I was like, "Actually, yeah, I have!". After I'd answered the questions, she quickly asked if I could get into the doctor's office right then? I said, yes, but that I was at least an hour away.

Fast forward an hour and a half, I'm in the doctor's office and Dr. Young arrives in jeans and a T-shirt (it was his day off and he was home playing with his grand-daughter). Anyway, after he took a sample, he told me he thought it was spinal fluid. He gave me his personal cell phone number and stayed in contact with me through the entire weekend...asking how I was doing, if there were any changes, etc. When he realized, by Sunday, that it wasn't stopping on it's own, he asked if I could be back in his office by 9:00am Monday morning (when he opened).

Fast forward again to Monday morning....9:00am. Office already full of patients, but he has me brought in ahead of all of them and puts me in a room and has me lie down. He continues offering me glass after glass of water to keep me hydrated. He then informed me that he was glad he'd given me the antibiotic on Friday...that the sample he had tested not only proved that it was indeed spinal fluid, but that I had a staff infection, too. Evidently, not the really bad kind that can kill you, but bad enough considering the circumstances.

He then tells me he needs to stitch up the opening to keep the fluid from escaping. That, with the wound sealed up, the spinal fluid should stop leaking and the hole should seal itself up in my spine. He tells me he needs to put a few stitches in, but that he needed to give me three locals, first, to numb the area. As the locals equaled the number of stitches he needed to put in, he gave me the option of getting the locals or just going ahead and stitching it up without. I told him to just stitch it up. Once he got to the third stitch, he had to apologize as he needed to put 3 or 4 more in to really close it up. He asked if I was going to be okay...and, of course, I said yes. I'd been through much worse than that. So....in all, there were something like 7 stitches put in....and no local given. He told me I was pretty tough to go through that. I figured, "Eh...there's certainly been others that have gone through MUCH worse."

So....that's probably the only thing I have to compare. Though, I'd have to say, that first myelogram I had has to rival just about anything anybody's gone through pain-wise. Honestly, it took two guys to hold me down on the table it was so painful. That was probably the longest 30 to 45 minutes I've ever experienced in my life....and I hope none of you ever have to go through something like that. I've had two more since (both done at another facility), and neither was that painful. I won't say they were a walk in the park, but nothing like the first one.

 

[Jiffy]

Craig, the only thing I can think of to say to that is "Holy Crap! Ouch!"

 

[Craiger]

You know, Jen....after having had 5 surgeries in the last 3 years and being put completely out for each, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again (and likely will be pretty soon for lower back surgery number 4). I know there are risks involved, but with the technology we have today, they really do have this thing under control. I know what you need to have done is only for a couple of minutes, but if the pain is going to be so intense that you don't think you'll be able to handle it, being put out isn't all that bad.

Just saying....you know, if that's what they recommend for you.

 

[Jiffy]

Craig, that sucks that you may have to have another surgery soon.

I have already made up my mind that if he tells me he does not recommend me doing it any other way than anesthesia, I will do what he tells me.

 

[Craiger]

That's good. At least you've come to grips with it.

 

[Pogie]

Well don't exactly know the procedure you had, but I can relate to the headaches caused by a spinal leak . . . .

Had a lumbar punch a few years back to rule out meningitis and because of my old back injury they couldn't get the spinal needle in... took them 23 attempts, thought I would die.

Anyways due to this I had a spinal leak... and the headaches were really bad. Was lying down for 4 days, If i lifted my head more than a millimeter from the pillow it felt like my head would explode. So hoping I never have to have one done ever again.

 

[Craiger]

Well don't exactly know the procedure you had, but I can relate to the headaches caused by a spinal leak . . . .

Had a lumbar punch a few years back to rule out meningitis and because of my old back injury they couldn't get the spinal needle in... took them 23 attempts, thought I would die.

Anyways due to this I had a spinal leak... and the headaches were really bad. Was lying down for 4 days, If i lifted my head more than a millimeter from the pillow it felt like my head would explode. So hoping I never have to have one done ever again.

Yep....that's the kind of headaches I was having. Pretty intense.

A myelogram is where they stick a long needle into your spine and inject a die so they can see EXACTLY where the nerve (or nerves) is being pinched. The procedure involves lifting the head of the table so the die can run "down" through the nervous system. They had me stand up to take some pictures. My legs had completely locked up and I had no use of them. Had to hold onto a bar pin on the table to keep myself standing....and they want you motionless. Yeah, right! LOL! Once those were done, they laid me back down and lifted the foot of the bed to get the die to run back up through the pinched nerves and to my neck where they wanted to check the cervical portion of my spine as I'd been having issues with it, too. The die running through the pinched nerves is what was so painful. They found that I had a couple bulging discs in the cervical spine as a result. One would eventually rupture and result in my third spinal surgery.

I've had two additional myelograms since, but neither was as bad. Still, they do hurt.

 

[Pogie]

:-\

All I can say is I think you've got more guts than me . . . . OUCH !!!!!!!

And you say surgery no 4 is lurking . . . . Good luck, suppose it will be my fate too one day, when I get the nerve to get it checked. But for now Lotsa pain killers keep me sorta functioning.

 

[Craiger]

Same here. I'll be finishing up my latest round of pain meds this week. I think I'll need to try and ween myself off of them this time....for fear that I won't get anymore 'til surgery. The neurosurgeon doesn't like giving them out....and I'm done with pain management for a while.

 

[Jiffy]

Re: medical question Update

I will be having my knee screws taken out on Wednesday August 25th. They will do it at the outpatient surgery center. They are going to try to do it with just a local anesthesia and not put me all the way under, but will be prepared for that if they have to do it.

I will be glad to get these things out. And shouldnt really miss any work. I am off the week of my surgery. And the doctor had told me that if things go as planned, then even if I had the surgery on a Friday, I should be able to go back to work on Monday..