Mirna — Long Island, NY
For over a year, I tried every kind of therapy to ease the pain that I was experiencing. I narrowed the pain down to an incident on a sailboat trip. The mate pushed me out of the way because a boom was going over. After that moment, I felt a little click and then some pressure.
After a week, the pain was still present. While at work, if I twisted to say "Hello" or when someone came into my cube, I felt a sharp pain. It felt like someone took an axe and just went down my back and right leg. My toes were tingling.
At that point, I tried going to some different doctors. I tried a chiropractor and even acupuncture. I took steroids, all kinds of anti-inflammatory medications, and even cortisone. Everything was temporary. It got to the point where I count not sleep. I would go to work while taking steroids and felt like I was swimming. I went to water therapy three or four times a week. It was painful, and sometimes all they could do was put me in hot water, and try to get me to relax. My pain continued to worsen. At one point, I went to the emergency room. The staff there thought I was on drugs—that is how much I was shaking and how much pain I was in. If it had not been for my husband, they would not have examined me.
For a while, I could not drive. Just pushing the gas pedal forward or using the turn signal was hard. The pain shot up and my back went numb, so I had to pull over and park.
I could not shower, reach up to the shelf for my serving plate or bend down to get my pots and pans. I could not even open doors to go into buildings. I had to use the handicapped doors that automatically open.
During that time, I used a cane to walk—just to take "baby" steps. When I went grocery shopping, I had to lean on the cart and rely one hundred percent on my niece, nephew or son. The people at the cash register would ask me if I was okay. I relied on a lot of assistive devices. I had metal crutches, a walker, and a reacher. I even had a seat riser for my toilet and a bench in the shower. While taking a shower, I also had to hold on to the wall or I would slip.
I read about Dr. Jeffrey A. Goldstein on the Internet, about his affiliation with some of the local hospitals, and that he had a great success rate. I asked my primary care doctor and he actually knew and had referred people to Dr. Goldstein, so he gave me a referral to see him.
He took an X-ray and sent me to have an MRI. My condition had worsened since my first X-ray, which had been taken by my primary care doctor. We compared the results. While examining me, Dr. Goldstein also asked me a lot of questions. Do you know how it got here? Do you know what is happening? Do you know why it is happening? Show me how you lay down? How far can you walk? He diagnosed my condition as spondylolisthesis, and suggested that I try physical therapy to treat it. I could not sit down in his office because of the pain, and after my third return visit, Dr. Goldstein saw there was no improvement. He went over all my options, including surgery, which was ultimately my decision.
The week before my surgery, I was bed ridden. The pain medication and therapy were no longer helping. I wanted the operation! Dr. Goldstein was very kind and straightforward: he told me what the success rate was for each course of treatment. He and his staff are very caring.
After the surgery, I went to rehabilitation at a sports center, and my progress was slow. The last time I was in Dr. Goldstein's office, he asked me to touch my toes. I said, "Are you kidding me?" Granted, I was two inches from the ground, but I was not there two weeks ago, and I was not there a month after the operation.
Every now and then I can feel my back muscles tighten, but it is not a sharp pain. I just pushed myself too far. Recently, I have caught myself running three times. It is like discovering yourself all over again. My favorite activity is swimming, and before my surgery, I could not do it. Now I can swim. I was recently in California and went swimming. I forgot the scar was even there. When I saw my reflection in the mirror, I said, "Oh, I have it back." I also started walking two miles a day, three or four days a week. I have signed up to walk two races for charities in the New York area. One is for breast cancer, a 5K, and the other is for leukemia.
I feel a hundred percent better, and am happy that I'm not in pain. I was initially afraid of surgery – I thought I would be paralyzed. If I had not gone through with the surgery, and if Dr. Goldstein had not taken the time to educate me, I would probably still be in great pain.
As you read this please keep in mind that all treatment and outcome results are specific to the individual patient. Results may vary. Complications, such as infection, blood loss, or nerve damage are some of the potential adverse risks of spinal surgery. Please consult your physician for a complete list of indications, warnings, precautions, adverse events, clinical results, and other important medical information.
