Age: 82
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Surgical practice: Bone & Joint Clinic of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Procedure: eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF®)
Surgery Date: May 29, 2013
Life Prior to Surgery: Mae’s back problems began a long time ago—longer than she can even remember. It all started with slight discomfort in her left buttock that escalated into numbness and tingling in the side of her leg and all the way down to her foot. “I tried to overcome the pain over the years by simply ignoring it,” she says.
However, as time passed, the pain got worse and affected her right side as well. Mae tried different physical therapists that had been recommended to her and even other pain management specialists and acupuncturists, but none of these helped her significantly. In February 2011, she underwent her first back surgery. Initially, it seemed to be a successful procedure. Mae felt fine for a while but, unfortunately, the pain returned two years later. After an MRI, she was told that only surgery would give her the relief she needed. She was referred to a spine surgeon.
Mae saw her spine surgeon in March 2013. He had her view the MRI, pointing out that her spinal column was out of alignment, crushing nerves in two places. This was the reason why she was feeling such intense pain in her back and down her legs. None of the pain medications prescribed by all of her physicians alleviated the pain. The surgeon arranged to have her see another doctor for an epidural injection, which provided a little relief, but of short duration. “I pleaded with my surgeon to schedule my operation as soon as possible because the pain was so debilitating. I couldn’t stand it anymore,” Mae recalls. “Because of his volume of patients, the earliest date available was on my birthday, but I took it anyway!”
Situation Today: Mae underwent XLIF surgery on May 29, 2013. The relief from the back pain was almost instantaneous. She is thrilled to finally have relief from the pain. “It was a matter of my quality of life and I’m so happy I had the surgery,” she says. Mae is pleased to be taking care of herself, which she was previously unable to do. She does have some slight limitations in regards to bending, lifting, or twisting. However, the pain she had before the surgery is gone. Mae recently went to Las Vegas and plans to do more traveling with her husband. Her son, who is in the Army and stationed in Seoul, Korea, invited them to meet him and his family in Guam for Thanksgiving. “We had a great time. We hadn’t seen our nine-year-old grandson in a year. It was wonderful to watch him snorkel and wind surf, share delicious meals, and play miniature golf with him. I am thoroughly enjoying life now!”
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