Anyone else with titanium plates and screws in their body?

[memorylane]

I had one inserted at C5-6 with bone from my hip for a herniated disc that occured where I worked at the time. From January 3 when it happened to Sept. 21 when they fixed it, my neck didn't even really hurt but within a few weeks after, oh boy! And then less than a year after that, I get a severe whiplash to the neck from a school bus hitting me on my motorcycle and the pain is even worse and also includes blurred vision episodes that I can basically cause myself and all sorts of cracking, popping, crunchy type noises with any neck movement yet the after fusion MRI and after wreck MRI supposedly showed no changes.
Also, the back of my neck gets and or stays hot to the touch about 85% of the time.
I've run this by medical talk boards online and yahoo answers and on and on and cannot seem to find a solution to this issue that has continued to keep me on painkillers since the beginning.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Mahalo!

[lensperson]

Fellow forum member, I am praying that your pain will diminish as

time goes past.

Gregg Allman did not survive a similar crash

[Amati]

Gregg Allman did not survive a similar crash

Must be someone else .. Gregg isn't dead. It just seems he should have died from earlier drug use (but I think he's clean now).

[matapule]

I've run this by medical talk boards online and yahoo answers and on and on and cannot seem to find a solution to this issue that has continued to keep me on painkillers since the beginning.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Mahalo!

I have a titanium joint in my big toe as a result of arthritis. I have had it for about 12 years. I do not experience any problems or pain. I do not set off security at the airport either.

monuia lelei, memorylane

[MyopicJoe]

My condolences, MemoryLane. I've only had chronic pain a few weeks or months at a time, but even then I was miserable. I can't imagine years of it, plus side effects.

I've never had titanium plates and screws, and I haven't suffered your injuries. For what it's worth, try reading the first three chapters of Pete Egoscue's book "Pain Free". The first three chapters outlines his theory. The other chapters give you exercises, but if you decide to try them out, you should probably take it slow and careful, due to your injuries.

There are no Egoscue clinics in Hawaii, but if you're on the mainland and happen to be near one, you might want to check them out. I've never been to one myself. I've only followed what was in the book.

Best wishes.

[Leo Lakio]

There are no Egoscue clinics in Hawaii, but if you're on the mainland and happen to be near one, you might want to check them out.

Memorylane's in Oklahoma, so the nearest is probably the one in Austin, TX - Egoscue Austin, 3724 Executive Center Dr. #100, Austin, TX 78731; 512-527-0030

[memorylane]

Many mahalo's for the replies!! My MRI results show slight protrusions above and below the fusion, C3-4 and C6-7 (I had C5-6 fused). Lovely.
Doc didn't make it sound like he would offer further treatment at this time but also because I am only 5 weeks post op on the shoulder tear caused in the wreck.
He asked me if I was wearing a helmet, lol. I don't because of the extra pressure it puts on my neck but I also am inclined to think it might have completely broke my neck had I been wearing one due to where they sit and end at the base of the neck.
Well, at least he is going to be more willing to continue my current painkiller now seeing that I truly have a reason to be in the pain I say I am in
I have been praying for God's promised healing touch for quite awhile now. Hopefully soon!!

Thanks again!!

P.s. Doc said I wouldn't be able to feel the plate and screws but has no reasoning for the constant hot neck. He is also going to be looking into the record's from the doc who did the fusion and wants to see what the protrusion for which the fusion was done looked like.

[TATTRAT]

Every thing I needed to know, I read about on the bone smart forum. I have a nice new addition, that forum was amazing and helpful. I would take any questions or concerns there and see what answers they may have.

[Kaonohi]

I had one inserted at C5-6 with bone from my hip for a herniated disc that occured where I worked at the time. From January 3 when it happened to Sept. 21 when they fixed it, my neck didn't even really hurt but within a few weeks after, oh boy! And then less than a year after that, I get a severe whiplash to the neck from a school bus hitting me on my motorcycle and the pain is even worse and also includes blurred vision episodes that I can basically cause myself and all sorts of cracking, popping, crunchy type noises with any neck movement yet the after fusion MRI and after wreck MRI supposedly showed no changes.
Also, the back of my neck gets and or stays hot to the touch about 85% of the time.
I've run this by medical talk boards online and yahoo answers and on and on and cannot seem to find a solution to this issue that has continued to keep me on painkillers since the beginning.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Mahalo!

First: Conventional medicine is hardly imnoipotent.
GOD is not always compassionate...
But what she intends is inscrutible.

Where do we go?

My titanium knee replaces a non-functional knee that was dying. I am grateful. I have a card that tells airlines that I m not dangerous.
They don't believe me.

Welcome to the 21st Century: paranoia, denial, etc.

Painkillers are somewhat helpful, but get ready for adjustments that don't work,and some that do. Best of luck.

I am in constant pain:* On a 1-10 dscsale, I gt as high as a 7, but normal is a 4/5. Sometimes Iget down to a 2-3, but it's rare.

The pain is the worst. The interventions almost so.


OOPS! I think I trapped a rat in my attic.... false alarm luckey I live Hawaii. no?

* Frulk you, detractors. YOU try nto live with it and be perfect!

[Leo Lakio]

I have a card that tells airlines that I m not dangerous.
They don't believe me.

Well...not for your knee at least! Maybe the TSA monitors HT and knows too much about you.

[Kaonohi]

Well...not for your knee at least! Maybe the TSA monitors HT and knows too much about you.

Wow! Since most of my recent trips have been to the NW coast, I think Leo is ratting on me.

My spelling and typing were unforgivable last night. It was a high pain day. My hands get stiff, my arms ache and I get lazy in typing and correction.

I should have mentioned that my chronic pain is not associated with the titanium knee (left side), but with nerve damage subsequent to a broken neck and damaged spine (central cord syndrome). In the same incident I broke my right femur and a titanium brace was placed in the hollow inside. THAT hurt a lot because the rod wasn't pushed in high enough, and the threaded tip would scrape the back of my kneecap. After the bone fully healed I had the rod removed (but kept it as a souvenir).

I am not going to publicly mention the pain meds I'm taking, but it's a lot. Sometimes they work fairly well, too. Memorylane, our injuries are in the approximate same area, and if you think it would help you to know what helps me, Let me know in a PM, and I'll share it in a return PM.

Hang in there - medicine gets better all the time. Have faith in time.

I've used a TENS unit, tried chiropractic and acupuncture with little result. Only Chiropractic worked a little bit for a short while. Narcotics and alcohol (especially together) is what works best so far; I know the combination is dangerous, so I'm cutting out the alcohol.

[memorylane]

I find it hard to believe this little plate and screws isn't setting something off because I never had heart attack like pain that begins in my left shoulder blade whenever lying flat on my back before.
Also would really like to know why the back of my neck is hot all the time. Some say a sign of infection but infection to or from what?? It's been that way since the fusion in 2010.

[lensperson]

Some years ago a scrapyard in Portland , Oregon found a new and white hot problem.

The back lot was huge heap of Titanium scrap metal

An accident set the mass on fire and the temperature soon climbed to a level

normally seen only on the surface of the sun.The glare of the burning mass looked

like a huge flashbulb except it did not turn off after a millisecond.

No amount of water could extinguish that blaze. Titanium will burn in Nitrogen

once ignited and consume until satisfied

The resultant nitride will turn to an oxide on contact with water.

Don't try this at home.

[Kaonohi]

I find it hard to believe this little plate and screws isn't setting something off because I never had heart attack like pain that begins in my left shoulder blade whenever lying flat on my back before.
Also would really like to know why the back of my neck is hot all the time. Some say a sign of infection but infection to or from what?? It's been that way since the fusion in 2010.

Overdue time for a second or third opinion - while you yet live.

There ARE other doctors... see one or more. It's worth the money; it's your life.

[memorylane]

I am thanks to a school bus slamming into me on my motorcycle last Sept.
And thanks to that, I now have protrusions above and below the fusion at C3-4 and C6-7.
The doctor that a lawyer sends you to to tell you what needs to be checked on said it doesn't seem like the doctor that did the fusion should have done it and the doctor he sent me to wants to see the MRI's before the fusion for I don't know what reason.
All I know is no one is cutting my neck open again to fix crap knowing how much pain the supposed "fix" has caused thus far!