Another Set Back

Hi all,
I have been struggling for the past year with swelling in my legs-especially the left one which has my total knee replacement. After a couple of trips to the doctor and some lasix, we seemed to get it under control when in April I noticed a new pain in my upper thigh of the left leg. AFter a trip to the GP, she suggested going to the back doctor since I hadn't seen him in a year and a half. He switched hospitals and is on the far north side of Indy-doable, but not real convenient to see him. I finally got in this week and after doing Xrays, he delivered some bad news. The area above my fusion (L-3 through S1) is now starting to deteriorate to the point of needing surgery. My original fusion and hardware looks great. This was a known risk and with my arthritis, one that I assumed would eventually happen-just not this quickly.

The doctor knows I'm not ready for another surgery yet, so suggested trying steroid injections to see if they will handle the pain. He referred me back to the old pain management guy and I 'm okay with him. Here's hoping the injections work for a while. I'm not ready for surgery.

Have a good weekend, Diana.