Rehabilitation and Recovery-Broken Spinal Rods http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods
I also have an indwelling catheter, continous urinary incontinence as a result of a neurogenic bladder, I have tried all the various drugs for infections, they are just chronic and have had no success.  Recenlty my neriologist suggested botox injections into the bladder, and/or bladder augmentation.  Have not been able to follow up as well, I am off topic here, back on to what I wanted to discuss today...lol

3 weeks ago a very large bruise (1/2 the size of my hand) appeared on my right buttock, not on any bony protrudance.  I had no idea what caused it, had not fallen or bumped my cheek to my knowledge.  I have had 2 previous skin flap surgies on my right ishial so am very cautious and check my skin every night, that is why i know it just appeared 1 day.  It was quite hard and hot.  I decided to stay off it, pretty much 24 hr/day for a few days to see if it would clear up.  It went through the regular stages of bruise, clearing up ever so slightly and turning green/yellow around the edges.  Continue to stay off it allot for 2 weeks, it is still hard and hot, I feel what seems to be a small circlular area near the middle.  Suddenly one day after sitting up quite a bit, I had some errands to run and such, a small hole appeared and some liquid drained out, we put a bandaide on it (BTW my husband was keeping an eye on it and photographing it for me as it was in a spot even with a mirror I really could not get a good look at it), the next night,more drainage, husband changes the dressing, photo and what appears to be silver we can see clearly, we thought it was just reflection of the lights??  Following evening, hubby removes the dressing and a metal rod 3.5" long and .8" in diametre slid out onto the bluepad I was laying on...you can imagine my husbands surprise!! Holy Cow!  my response was what? immediatly i thought the opening had doubled or something.
It was as you can guess, the broken rod!! Next morning after discussing with my rehab nurse (thank goodness I have contacts at the hospital as I am dealing with PT's to order a new w/c) she told me to go to the nearest hospital to get xrays, and some antibiotics.  I go in the morning and of course have to wait forever, have to convince the emerg room doctor to order the x-rays, after asking 3 times, begging him and telling him my doctor sent me to the hospital specifically for them, gheesh!! he didn't see any point in it, DUH, we want to see if there is more metal where it shouldnt be.  so frustrating.  well anyone i have talked to (minus the emerg room dr of course, he said he has seen this happen many times) have never heard of rods moving that much to the point of leaving the body through the gluteous maximus, maybe through the back!  In fact my first experience with broken rods, approx 1 year post injury my rods slipped and started poking through the skin around the t10 level, well never broke the skin, but they operated and just removed the rods at that time.  I guess they figured my back was fused and ok by then and did not need the external support.

My question today, has anyone heard of broken rods that have migrated south and exited the body?  

I have an appt next week with the ortho dr who will review my latest x-rays and compare to the previous set(s).  Not sure what is next.  In the meantime now I have to have a home care nurse come in and assess the wound (which they do not classify as a pressure sore, so that is good), more of a surgical wound, it is still open and perfectly round. Will be getting a CT or MRI to see how far the tunneling goes, not sure how long it has been moving, hopefully it was slowly moving and the track/tunnel has collapsed onto itself, not leaving an opening up to the bone in my spine.  and that there is not much under mining in the wound.
of course infection of the bone is the major worry right now.

I can keep you up to date if anyone is interested.  But I am curious if anyuoe has heard of this happening before.  

Have a good one. :) 
excuse any typos, i'm on my side and not terribly confortable typing this way, need to set up voice command typing soon, arms are starting to get sore from laying on hehe]]> en-us Sun, 08 Jul 2012 22:39:30 GMT http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=195308#tr__195308 http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=195308#tr__195308 my latest xrays have shown that I am quite mobile in the spine and that the rod that was not broken, is bent and is out of the bottom screw, so the plan for this fall «(after summer) is to have surgery to take out the broken rod and bent rod, before it breaks or before the rods start moving and causing more problems.  the surgeon will leave the screws in just in case they are needed another time, there is no need to remove them really as they are not causing any problems, apparently they are secure!!  my other option was to remove the rods and then have them replaced with longer ones that would go down to L3 probably, this would require some spinal fusion, some evenmore major surgery and as there is no guarentee they would remain in place and not break i do not even want them anymore.  if i was a little less active and did not tranfer in and out of my chair a number of times each day, including my car where i take apart my chair and twist and turn my back in order to bring my chair across my chest and into the back or passenger seat of the car.  if i was less active and in  a power chair then i might think about getting my back `fixed` but loosing all that mobility right now would really suck and then to have them possibly break is really scary to be honest.  i hope once these rods are gone, my back will feel alot better...the upper rods which are fine and stable »(between t1-t10 approx) will stay put and they are not causing too much pain, last night i twisted my back somehow, not even sure what happened, but felt like i broke my bloody back it was so painful for many hours.

well until the next update...oh btw my surgeon says for the surgery to remove the rods I will be in the hospital maybe overnight but most likely will be sent home the same day!! crazy is all i can say, i will be in so much pain and always with these surgeries am worried that with my transfers which i will have to do 100% on my own as i have no one who can help me, i am worried to rip out the staples, i recall after my last surgery when they put these lame extensions in how sore i was and everytime i moved felt like my back was ripping open, oh joy! something to look forward to after summer yeah yippeee HeHe

hope everyone has a super day, Marney]]> Sun, 08 Jul 2012 22:39:30 GMT Marney http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=185716#tr__185716 http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=185716#tr__185716
After reading your post, I feel that I have to make a comment about MRI's.  I have corresponded privately with you and I have told you about my rods.  Just because you have rods doesn't automatically deny you the use of this technology.  I have had several MRI's and haven't had a problrm.  They were concerned the first time but no problem.  As you are aware, my instrumentation is extensive and the MRI found where a wire was making it's way into the spinal cord itself, but since the rods are packed in bone, there's nothing they can do right now, it's a wait and see thing.  Although if things got critical they might try something, I am too old and have been this way for almost 46 years and it would be too dangerous "IF" they found someone willing to do it but unfortunately, they are a necessary evil

I hoped and prayed for years for a cure for SCI, and now my hope is a cure can be found for those that are just starting this journey, but there is nothing that says we can't be helped to be confortable. Talk with your physician and ask the reason why they can't do an MRI if they think it's necessary.



























]]> Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:58:01 GMT Wayne http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=185488#tr__185488 http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=185488#tr__185488
I will be getting at CT scan this week to see if there is any internal tracks or infection I suppose, or to see if anyother instruments are floating around where they shouldnt be LOL
not feeling too too bad overall, just tired of course from being in bed for so long, but so gratefull that i did not need surgery on the wound, it was packed daily and then every 2nd day with mesalt until it was less than a cm deep then it was just covered with a dry dressing and within a few days was completely healed. 

 I can't get an MRI i guess because of the rods in my back distorting the image so i have had x-rays an heopfylly the CT will show anything that is not normal.

i'll keep you posted, btw i think this is a pretty freaky thing, but i would suggest to anyone who has broken rods to either have them replaced or removed...don't do like me and do nothing...i hate surgery and seem to get worst after each one, but hey what can you do :)

my recommendation for any wound, pressure sore or other, stay off it in bed as much as humanly possible, i was in bed for a month and got up for 1-2 hours max a day, brutal but worth it!!

have a good one, until next time, Marney]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 03:19:28 GMT Marney http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=185201#tr__185201 http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=185201#tr__185201 Sat, 07 Apr 2012 15:07:24 GMT ken http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=181813#tr__181813 http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=181813#tr__181813

Sometimes it is just nice to know you are not the only person out there dealing with these issues.

Sounds like you should stay off the street, away from any cars, you are like a car magnet hehe j/k trying to make you laugh :P

Hey as for the mitrofanoff, my urologist has mentioned this procedure and i am in the midst of many tests that are pre-requists to any bladder procedures, apparently they need to know what type of bladder i have! ??Duh I say "human" LOL
now "FIX IT"  

not sure if i have any recourse to follow through lawyer wise, my doctor told me the rods were broken a while back and gave me my options: do nothing, have them removed, or have them repaired basically, I decided at the time option 1 as i cud not handle anymore surgies, after each 1 in the past i seem to come out worse.  

aging with a SCI is such a joy.

thanks again for your msg & well wishes, anytime u need to vent...just holla!!

M]]> Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:09:14 GMT Marney http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=181791#tr__181791 http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/rehabilitation-and-recovery/2012/03/15/broken-spinal-rods?tr=181791#tr__181791 Hi Marney, 
I promise to try and not complain about my ails.  It took 6 months for me to get my new custom cushion and all the while dealt with a wound. However my life has been a joy ride compared to yours.
Have you tried to see if you can get second opinions from another medical facility? Also about the treatment you have received? Personally I think you need to get a good lawyer. 

I'm T4 complete from a car crash in '82 (and many more since). Never had any surgery on my back despite T4, 5& 6 being shattered. That doesn't include a bunch of broken ribs and the fact I've been hit three times by cars while in my chair. Although a few years ago I broke both femurs and it has messed things up a little. 

I hope things settle down and you find the right medical care. BTW, have you checked into mitrofanoff catheterization? 

PEACE.

]]> Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:13:50 GMT The Token Gimp