Met to spinal cord surgery ahead!!

[lyrikos]

Hello to everyone on the forum....after some days of ignorance and wondering what has happened to my father,we discovered looking at the MRI and CT scan that a met is pushing the spinal cord and this is the cause of my fathers inability to walk and even turn his body on bed....comparing older MRIS and CT scans he is improved .some mets even dissapeared but we were not so lucky on this new met that affected his legs...the good news is that the neurosurgeon said that it can be removed and following physiotherapy will make him stand on his feet again and walk normally....so chemotherapy side effects on peripheral neuropathy was a flase alarm...also this means that he can continue his taxotere cycles....anyone else with same experience?

Nick

[scarlino]

Awesome news for you all!

[Charlean]

My husband has passed away but 7 month prior, was paralyzed from the chest down due to spinal cord compression on the T2,T3, T4 vertebrae. He had the surgery but due to medical ignorance and delays, the surgery didn't happen for 4 days. The neurosurgeon told us you have 72 hours to correct or the chances of recovery are next to none. Not sure how long this has been a symptom but you might ask him about this so that you don't get your hopes up falsely. My husband did acute rehab and long term therapy and never was able to regain his legs. I wish you the best. It was a very difficult time and I hope this surgery is successful for you. God bless.

Charlean

[lyrikos in reply to Charlean]

What exactly means delay and ignorance? I am.sorry but.they told us that my father after physiotherapy will be ok...didnt.quite understand what u said...so to your husband they performed a bad surgery?

[Charlean]

No, surgery was good, but the timing was bad. He was having weakness in his legs for about a week. He went to see his oncologist and stumbled out the door. They didn't identify the compression and the next day he got out of bed and fell. Couldn't stand after that. When nerves are compressed and there is paralysis, we were told that they do not repair themselves once paralysis is complete. The hospital did tests and waited before they contacted the surgeon. He was angry about the delay because he felt it might not help. But since it was about 90 hours after paralysis set it, he tried anyway. Not sure how much he is able to use his legs right now. My husband couldn't stand at all. He had very slight feeling but that was it. After surgery he could lift his lower leg slightly but could never stand. Look up spinal cord compression from prostate cancer. You will find a lot of information. aafp.org/afp/2002/0501/p183...

I don't want to sound negative but I don't want you to have them eliminate facts. I wish you the best. Charlean

[Charlean in reply to Charlean]

I forgot to answer your question of ignorance and delay. My husband had bone mets in his spine. He had paralysis of both legs so they should have recognized spinal compression..but for two days they did scans of his neck and stomach for a stroke. Then finally they looked at his spine and saw the compression. To me, that was ignorance on their part.

Charlean

[lyrikos in reply to Charlean]

I am.sorry but you are not helping at all....my father is like.this for ten or.more days...so you are telling me that he will not recover? God ...for what is he doing the surgery then?The surgeon said that he will recover...now you are telling me that probably he will not because he is like tgat for two weeks....what should i think now? What should i expect? That he will not walk again?

[Charlean in reply to lyrikos]

Please do your own research and ask the doctors point blank. As I said, I have no idea how bad his legs are. Can he stand at all, or is he totally paralyzed? I would talk to the surgeon and ask him if he truly believes he will walk again. Otherwise, the surgery is difficult and for what purpose. I am not his doctor, I just wanted to share my experience because we will not told facts initially. If I am not helping, I apologize.

[lyrikos in reply to Charlean]

No he cannot stand...but.he fells his legs....he is not.paralysed...he has reactions to exterior signals and he.moves his legs a bit....at no point did the surgeon said that he will not recover...he said and i quote " you will need a lot of physiotherapy to recover"...thats all....what i am.asking is this...is what happened to your.husband a general rule in this or not?

[Charlean in reply to lyrikos]

This is a very informative site.

aafp.org/afp/2002/0501/p183...

Treatment should be initiated as soon as spinal cord compression is diagnosed. With prompt treatment, there is an 89 to 100 percent likelihood of preserved ambulation in patients who present without walking difficulties. The likelihood of subsequent ambulatory function drops to 39 to 83 percent in patients who present with impaired ambulation, and to 10 to 20 percent in those who present with paralysis, unable to walk.

My husband and another fellow on this site both lost complete use of their legs. While in acute rehab after his surgery, there were two other men there for the same reasons and one of them walked again as far as I know but he had surgery the same day he noticed weakness in his legs. Paralysis is not as uncommon as you would think but if they lose the use of their legs, it is not often that they regain it. Again, ask and research.

[lyrikos]

What is all this? So my.father according to your neurosurgeon has no chance of recovery? My.fathers legs have sensitivity and he can feel the touch of others...he moves his right leg ok not so much and his left.leg less....he lost his strength and cant walk but our neurosurgeon didnt say anything about not recovering....why are u telling me this now? Is this a rule for everyone? I am.shocked now

[Charlean in reply to lyrikos]

Everyone wants to hope for the best. Each of us wants to hear positive things and so we hear only the good sometimes. However, all too often, we are not given the whole story. I am in no way trying to disappoint you or take away your hope. I am not sure why they haven't already done this surgery because the research states it is important to do it quickly. Some research says within 48 hours. It appears that you don't want to hear this and I am scaring you so I will refrain from saying more. I wish you the best.

[lyrikos in reply to Charlean]

I see....the doctors team.never stated that this will happen to my father...he stated that he will need acute rehab....so what you are saying is that they made a big mistake by.not performing syrgery immediately and waiting five days ....my father doesnt have paralysis ,althiugh he cant walk....it seems that your husband had a bigger mass than mine because in our case.this was.found.in one.vertebra and it was not in three like yours....i just cant understand why since they are one of the best teams in country didnt know that they had to perfom surgery immediately....so this is a big question for me....at no.point they did say that my.father will not walk again as they should do according to your.research....so among.other things.they lied to me and my.family...i dont know how possible.can be this but for.sure.i will.let u know what happens as soon as i ask them today after surgery...as i did my iwn research i found out that there are other factors also that determine the course of patients rehab....where the mass is located ,how big.the mass is etc....also i entered a forum of people with spinal cord compression and i saw there that they recovered...others faster and others slower....so we will see what happens...of course i believe the sooner the better but at no time.did i see abiut the three days period...my father up.until two.weeks had ambulation....niw he feels everything in his legs but he doesnt have the power to walk...he.even moves.his legs in the bed....so i expect today to.hear what doctors have to say....thank you for the info...i will keep you updated....sorry for.your.husband

[Sisira in reply to lyrikos]

Lyrikos,

You have to look at these different replies whilst maintaining your calm and cool. Though they are real experiences worth paying attention to, each one is not matching exactly with your father's condition. But faster you act is always better in situations like this. Do not count too much on surgeon's words either unless they have proven their credibility in treating spinal chord compression because this is a serious condition.

My blessings for your father's quick and complete recovery!

Sisira

[lyrikos in reply to Sisira]

Thank u for your reply Sisira...of course the sooner the better....my father was late abiut two weeks...he was.never paralysed ...he had weakness in legs so that he xouldnt walk...he came out of surgery three hours ago....the doctors are of course reliable because they treat spinal cord compression for years now...we asked and we learned about his team...so i choose to trust their.words...now as i see he moves both of his legs...he didnt before( at least the left one)....i hope that day by day he will be better and eventually he will be able to gain his muscle strength again...and i agree that every person is different....

[Sisira in reply to lyrikos]

Glad to hear that your father is in safe hands ( This I think is a rare privilege! )

My heartfelt wishes and support for lifting your hopes and father's full recovery soon.

Sisira

[lyrikos in reply to Sisira]

Thank you once again Sisira for your support...I also wish that everyone has the best respind to treatments and not to have any more problems again....best of luck to all of you

[AlanMeyer in reply to lyrikos]

I'm not expert in all of this, though I do have a pinched nerve in my spine that, for a while made it impossible for me to use my left leg properly and walk without a walker.

I think that there are different ways and different places where nerves can be pinched or compressed. The effects are different and the prospects and timing requirements for treatment can be very different.

My problem started three months ago. I have a lot of pain in my left leg and could not get the quadriceps working right. I've been doing physical therapy and, while I still have significant pain and still have problems with the quadriceps. I am recovering my ability to walk and climb stairs. Yesterday I walked 1100 yards in one go and hope to do more today. I can now get around the house just fine without a cane or walker and can drive my car without problems. I will probably get spine surgery to correct the underlying problem but have been told by a neurosurgeon that I should have at least six months before I'm at any risk for permanent damage and he thought it was more likely a year.

The key thing, I think, is to find a good neurologist and/or neurosurgeon who can properly diagnose the problem and explain the prognosis and the treatment options. It may be that your father is facing long term problems but it may be that he's not. I think that other people's experience, mine included, just don't tell you much about what your father is likely facing. It requires an expert looking at your Dad's actual scans to make a determination.

Best of luck.

Alan

[lyrikos in reply to AlanMeyer]

Thank u Alan best of luck to you too..

[ChuckBandChar]

In 2013 my husband lost the ability to walk and had severe pain in his back. He was in a wheelchair. The MRI showed bone met to the spine had wrapped around his spinal cord. He had surgery and had a titanium plate placed to support his spine. They tried to remove all the cancer but were only able to remove half of it. Thery put cement in and treated him with radiation. He was in the hospital for two weeks. When he was released he was walking again; slowly and with a walker, but on his own. He has fully recovered and walks a few times a week. He is now 59. He had a wonderful surgeon who advised us he would be able to walk again. Best of luck to your father.

[lyrikos in reply to ChuckBandChar]

Thank u very much for your reply...i wish u all the best...i dont get.my.hopes high but.for.the.moment i see good signs....

[Blair77 in reply to ChuckBandChar]

Pretty amazing! So happy for you guys!

[chalaan in reply to ChuckBandChar]

Hello,

Can you tell me where your husband was treated and the doc's name?

[ChuckBandChar in reply to chalaan]

He was treated in Sacramento at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Jasper Gogia performed the surgery. He has since moved to San Jose. He was a fantastic surgeon specializing in spinal surgery.

[chalaan in reply to ChuckBandChar]

Thank you so much. I am in Boston. I will contact his office for a recommendation here.

[ChuckBandChar in reply to chalaan]

wishing you the best.