Today is November 24, 2021, the day before Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for. One year ago, I had back surgery. Before that, for two years, I could barely walk a block without excruciating back pain. My pain would be so intense that I would have to stop in my tracks and sit or lie down. The pain sent a jolt throughout my entire body —the type of pain that makes you see stars. My back pain was impacting my life. I couldn’t walk or run anymore like I used to. I would often run 15 miles a week, but now I couldn’t walk a block without intense pain. I was frustrated, to say the least. I wanted my active life back.
I vividly remember, in December 2019, I was 15 minutes into Christmas shopping when I had to stop and go home because my back pain became unbearable. Standing, sitting and walking was challenging.
Go back in time four years and that’s when it all began. It first started with pain in both my hips and lower back. The pain was right at the bursae joint on my hips and the lumbar area in my back. I tried everything— physical therapy, heat, ice, prescription medication and nothing helped any of the pain for an extended period. I even tried platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, where doctors draw blood then put it in a machine to separate the platelets, and afterward, inject the tumbled blood into the site of pain. This procedure supposedly accelerates the healing of an injury to tendons, muscles and joints. I was so desperate for something to work that I paid $700 for that procedure because insurance would not cover it.
At first, doctors felt it was my hips causing all the pain. My case was difficult to diagnose because I had pain in my hips at the bursae, lower back and legs. I received steroid injections in both hips for two years. The injections helped in the beginning, but the relief slowly dissipated.
Finally, a friend, who was also a doctor, recommended that I see a specialist at Andrews Sports Medicine in Birmingham. She said they were the “gold” standard for orthopedics. I was once again referred to another pain management specialist. Ugh! but I was willing to try again. I also tried physical therapy to try to strengthen my core. I tried TENS, which is a small unit that sends electric pulses to the site of pain to stimulate the nerves and muscles. The physical therapy usually worked for a day or two, but I could never really stand for more than five minutes or walk very far.
I was receiving cortisone injections up to four times a year for nearly two more years. In early 2020, my pain management doctor said I had already reached my yearly limit for the injections. The next step was for my pain management doctor to refer me to an orthopedic hip surgeon at Andrews Sports Medicine in Birmingham.
Again, we were not sure if my hips were causing the back pain or vice versa so I chose to deal with the hip pain first. Dr. Benton Emblom was my hip specialist. He was amazing. We tackled the left hip first. Dr. Emblom removed the bursa and lengthened the ITB band. After a short recovery and crutches, my left hip felt better. My right hip was still painful, so months later I had surgery on my right hip. I followed up with physical therapy at Physiolete in Tuscaloosa after both hip surgeries.
The surgeries, in my eyes, were minor and I only had to use crutches for a couple of weeks. I had great physical therapists who helped me with strengthening my core, back and hips. Physiolete was awesome. Some of the best physical therapists around. The pain seemed manageable. I always felt better after a therapy session. I was feeling good! My back even felt a little better.
I thought all of my pain was in the past but then when my hips healed, and I felt brave to try to walk a mile— it hit me like a ton of bricks! The pain shot down both legs. Here we go again. Sigh.
My back pain continued to worsen. I, again, went through months of cortisone injections, topical medication, ice, TENS and physical therapy for my back.
I went back to my pain management doctor and told him I was done with injections and medication. He then felt it was time to see a spine specialist at Andrews Sports Medicine. In 2021, I was referred to Dr. Andrew Cordover at Andrews Sports Medicine in Birmingham and THAT was the best thing that ever happened to my back. An updated MRI along with contrast X-rays showed degenerative discs were pushing on my sciatica nerves on both sides of my lumbar.
Dr. Cordover explained that a relatively new robotic back surgery eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF) would allow for less invasive surgery, one to two-night hospital stay and a quicker recovery time; although, full recovery would still take anywhere from six months to one year. Dr. Cordover said that the XLIF surgery allows for a side incision instead of cutting directly into the back, which could sever and damage nerves. He recommended fusion surgery on two levels of my lumbar. Thank God for new technology.
I don’t like surgery and Dr. Cordover is not a proponent of surgery except as a last resort. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I made the decision and set my surgery date for November 4, 2020.
The morning of the surgery I arrived with my husband for my 6:00 a.m. surgery. We didn’t wait in the waiting room very long before getting called back from prep. I remember getting prepped for surgery and getting an IV in my arm and that’s about all I remember before waking up in a room in St. Vincent’s hospital. I’m told that during surgery Dr. Cordover had to find screws small enough for my back. Glad they are small, but they look huge on x-rays.
I spent two nights in the hospital for recovery. The first night flew by and the next morning Dr. Cordover asked if my pain was manageable enough to go home. My answer was no, I wasn’t ready, so I stayed another night. By the next morning, I was ready to go home.
The last night of my stay the nurse and physical therapist refused to help me out of bed to go to the bathroom. They said they couldn’t help me because they might hurt me. I was only asking for a little assistance to prop myself up as it was difficult for me to roll over and sit up on my own. I did manage to force myself up on my side, then out of bed and up with a walker, but it was excruciatingly painful. The pain brought tears to my eyes. I will say the nurse and staff were great during the first night and I received help getting myself in an upright position, then I changed floors and staff for the second night. So, whoever was working the night shift the second night, I wonder why she even wanted to become a nurse. What’s more amazing is that the physical therapist was not willing to help either. I got sidetracked here, so back to the story.
I was happy to be going home. My recovery at home was a challenge the first week because I needed help for everything, to get in and out of bed, to take a shower and to go to the bathroom. I had the best caregiver and nurse in the world—my sweet husband. He changed my bandages, cooked, helped me get dressed, shower and everything we take for granted when we are healthy.
I had to use a walker for a couple of weeks, then crutches, and finally a back brace for several weeks. I wouldn’t have made it through the recovery without my husband.
Fast forward a year and I am crying tears of joy. It’s been one year since I had back surgery on my lower back and I’m here to report that it’s one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made for my health.
I can walk two miles without excruciating pain and I even ran for a block or two the last few weeks. I can also lift 20 pounds without feeling pain. I am so thankful to Dr. Cordover and the staff at Andrews Sports Medicine for giving me my active lifestyle back. I just wish I didn’t have to wait four years with dozens of injections and pain meds!
I will see Dr. Cordover one last time in December for a follow-up to make sure my back has completely healed from surgery I sure feel like it has. I will miss my visits with Dr. Cordover and his sense of humor, but I don’t miss my back pain. I know surgery is a last option, and I hope anyone experiencing severe back pain that limits their quality of life, finds relief whether it’s through physical therapy, injections or surgery.
I also hope my story helps others suffering from debilitating back pain to continue to push forward and talk to their doctor about their options.
On this day before Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my successful recovery from back surgery.
Everyday Edith 