by BALTIMORE, MD. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Doctors told an 88-year-old man he was too old for back surgery and would have to live with severe pain for the rest of his life. Now he’s defying the odds and inspiring hope for elderly care.
88-year-old Larry Craver always loved helping his family.
Mary Craver, Larry’s wife, says, “He would do anything and fix anything. Just very energetic.”
But as he grew older, that energy turned into debilitating back pain.
Larry says, “When I’m in a lot of pain, I can’t think. I certainly can’t help other people”
So severe that it became unbearable to walk. Doctors told him that 88 was too old for surgery.
Mary says, “They just said this was permanent. No doctor thought you would survive the surgery. He told me in great pain that he did not want to continue living and that was really difficult for me to hear.
Then finally…a break. A neurosurgeon was willing to take into account a patient his age.
Timothy J. Chryssikos, MD, PhD, neurosurgeon at Univ. from the Maryland Medical Center says, “We met him and he was certainly not a vulnerable 88-year-old.”
X-rays showed scoliosis… a cyst on his spine. and a condition called spondylolisthesis) – where a vertebra slips out of place.
Doctor Chryssikos says: “I suspected these were not the main causes of his symptoms.”
That’s why he opted for a standard decompression using an operating microscope instead of a risky open back surgery with spinal fusion.
Doctor Chryssikos explains: “Our goal in the surgery was essentially to remove bones and ligaments from the back that were contributing to this severe compression of the nerve roots.”
Six months later, Craver is not only walking pain-free. He does push-ups from the dresser in his bedroom.
Mary says, “Doing things he wasn’t able to do for years. He has a new lease on life.”
Open spine surgeries like those doctors performed on Larry Craver have slightly larger incisions than minimally invasive surgeries, but are considered less painful and have faster recovery times than spinal fusions. That’s because the technique involves making smaller incisions that typically cause less damage to the surrounding muscles. Larry is already working on his new goal: swimming… he and his family planned a beach trip with lots of snorkeling for his birthday.
Contributors to this news story include: Shernay Williams, producer; Chuck Bennethum, editor, and Daylan Jones, videographer.
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