Yesterday I went to see a spinal surgeon at Salford Royal about my back. The operation I had on my spine in 1990 went well at the time, but recently my left leg has been suffering from severe pains when I walk more than a few hundred yards, or even stand up for more than a few minutes.

Anyhow, when I arrived I was told I needed more x-rays because the surgeon wanted a better view than the x-rays I had in September provided. Once I’d had these done (and is there anything more degrading that wearing a gown with work shoes?) I saw the surgeon, who explained that the surgery I had in 1990 was phased out just a few years later. Because of my Scoliosis (a deformity of the spine) I had a steel rod known as a Harrington Rod inserted into my back and attached to my spine. The rod works in straightening out the spine, but it makes the spine flat so that it can’t bend. This means that my nerves are being squashed, causing me to lose circulation in my leg.

Gutted.

He advised that I have a CAT scan in a few weeks so that he can see the lower part of my spine more clearly and see whether the rod has fused with it OK, which he believes it hasn’t. If this is the case (as is probable) the best course of action will most likely be for me to undergo surgery again to have the steel rod in my spine removed and the new technique (which I haven’t researched at all yet) implemented.

I’m not looking forward to this, but as the surgeon rightly stated – if I don’t have it done my leg and back is only likely to get worse. It’s a case of have it done now or risk the act of walking becoming increasingly more difficult.

So it looks like spinal surgery again for me, 18 years after I last had it done! Whoopie!

Darren Jamieson

Darren Jamieson, aka MrDaz, is the Technical Director and co-founder of Engage Web and has been working online in a career spanning two decades. His first website was built in 1998 and is still live today.

    

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