My back injury and the surgery that changed our lives

Well my life seemed to be fairly stable. I was in a job I was good at and enjoyed. I was happily married with 3 children in a home we built ourselves. I was on top of the world so I thought. But then it all began to change in early 2006. That was when I seriously hurt my back whilst at work. From there I battled my employer of over 10 years as I fought to keep my job, and their insurer as I tried to get the treatment and surgery I needed, and this dreaded workers compensation system that we have here in New South Wales.

It is such an unfair system that is geared around the insurer and the employer. The average person thinks it is there to provide security for the time when something goes wrong on the job. When you hurt yourself needing care and rehabilitation to get you back to where you were before the injury. If you think that is what it's for I am afraid you are sadly mistaken and I truely hope you never need to use it. And if you are one of the poor buggers paying out your high workers compensation premiums thinking at least it is there if I ever need it, well I am sorry the news is all bad.

Since I hurt my back I have had my claim approved, denied and then after a long and lengthy battle finally approved again at the last hour in the Workers Compensation Commission. I have lost my job that I had for over 10 years because of my injury. They told me to "go away and fix your back and then come back here and we will give you your job back". Well sorry but I thought that is what workers compensation was for. To look after me and fix me up when you are hurt on the job. To give me the necessary spinal surgery, to rehabilitate me and get me back on the job. I was wrong. I was told "it is a game and you better start to learn how to play if you want to get anywhere"

So amongst all the pain and agony and the depression when it all seems just too hard, you have your family there too. They are the innocent ones who did nothing wrong in all this but who also go along for the ride to hell and hopefully back and suffer along with you. They also now have worries: like how we are all going to survive, where will we get the money from to live, how to pay the bills, how will we ever afford the enormous cost of the spinal surgery that Dad needs, and ask are we now going to lose our house and everything too?

And while you battle the old employer and battle their insurer, you now are forced to deal with all the legalities, the solicitors and lawyers too just so you can get your 'compo' claim reinstated to cover the big pile of bills you had to somehow deal with. And all this takes its toll as your body tries its best to firstly recover from the shock of the injury and then the spinal surgery. The surgery that required two discs being removed from my spinal column in my lower back to be replaced with one artificial disc and another replaced with a little cage filled with bone fragments and something called BMP2 and all held together with titanium screws and a titanium plate.

And while all that is happening you all try to survive after losing your main source of income. Over the next 8 months the only money coming in is from the part time wages of my wife. She takes on extra hours. You cut corners to try keep things as normal as you can for the kids. You start having to somehow pay people to do the jobs around the home you used to do. And on top of all this you feel guilty for putting your family through a living hell. Your life gets turned upside down, but you somehow feel lucky because it could have been worse. Some poor people end up in wheelchairs or die on the job.

So now its about 8 to 9 months since my surgery and I am trying to let my body do its bit as I go through the recovery phase. I am trying to protect my fused spine as the fusion does its bit and the bone grows. I do not want to cause a problem after going through the spinal surgery or do something that stops me from fusing properly.

For anyone who has had a back injury, they look for the miracle cure. The thing that will fix their problem and get their life back. But it isn't that easy. Your GP probably doesn't give you the answers you need and you start searching for them yourself. This bad back you now have needs fixing and you may be looking at spinal surgery which all seems way too scary.

So what is a Hybrid Surgery? What is an artificial disc replacement, and which one should you get? What is fusion all about? That part of my story is to come. It isn't an easy road to take but it is now a necessary one for me and my family.....