I had a spinal fusion in 2004. Two seven inch titanium rods are all that keep my spine from collapsing and chrushing my spinal cord. The surgeon said I had severe sciatic nerve damage that would probably never regenerate. I could be paralyzed for life if a screw broke. He stated that the nerve damage occurred within the past year. All I know is I hurt more after the surgery than before. The placement of one of the screws is pointed inward toward the sciatic nerve. More than likely, the nerve damage ocurred during the surgery. After many pain doctors failed to relieve my pain with shots and opiods, I stopped taking any pain medicine at all. My wife persuaded me to look into any new treatment in 2022. I went to a neurosurgeon who told me good news, the screws were stable, and bad news, the surgery should never have been done in the first place. I have a rare birth defect, transitional sixth lumbar vertebra. Such vertebra are misshapen and never should be fused. He recommended a pain specialist. I first saw Dr. Pretti Narayan in early 2022. She performed an ablation on my lumbar and sciatic spine and the pain almost went away for the first time in 18 years. She said that the ablation might need to be repeated in six months. In the meantime, she assigned me to NP Ashley Carlile, for monthly followup and for mild pain relief prescriptions. It was two and a half years later that Dr. Narayan decided I should have a steroid injection in my sciatic nerve, not another ablation of my full spine. She and Ashley have given me my life back (no pun intended). I have recommended Dr. Narayan to an 87 year old friend who had refused to see a doctor. His ablation was a complete success. I have learned the hard way that not all doctors are created equal. I whole-heartedly recommend Dr. Preeti Narayan and her staff at Alliance Sspine & Pain in Cartersville, GA 30121. (15 Medical Drive, 770-929-9093
Carroll T. | Jul 22, 2024
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