Melissa Gilbert, 56, reveals plans for FOURTH spinal surgery

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...tant-pain.html

By DEIRDRE SIMONDS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 16:27 EST, 17 November 2020 | UPDATED: 17:04 EST, 17 November 2020

Melissa Gilbert revealed she recently flew from New York to California to undergo her fourth spinal surgery in a detailed Instagram post about her 'nearly constant' pain.

The 56-year-old Little House On The Prairie star previously endured her first neck fusion in 2001, a second one when she broke her back nine years later and again in 2016.

Writing about her most recent operation, the actress explained that the 'fusion had failed' and the hardware was boring a hole into her C7 vertebra.

During a consultation with Doctor Robert Bray in April, she was told she needed surgery 'for an artificial disc instead of a fusion,' which would spare her from having 'to do more fusions down' down her spine in the future.

'The catch was that I had about six months. Double catch, hello COVID-19,' she wrote. 'So I waited as long as possible. I’ve now reached the point where the pain is nearly constant and the fingers on my right hand are beginning to tingle.'

Gilbert explained: 'So we scheduled my surgery for this Thursday. Yet another catch, Dr Bray is in California so this morning I am flying there and yet another catch, COVID-19 is worse than ever.'

During her cross-country flight, the mother-of-two said she wore a 'mask, glasses, gloves, shield' and was 'Clorox wiping every surface.'

While she won't know if her surgeon will be able to give her the disc or have to re-fuse her neck, not getting coronavirus is her top priority.

'My only job now is to stay free of this horrible virus so I can have my surgery,' she noted.

Her journey to Southern California hit a brief snag after her plane was diverted to Tulsa, Oklahoma due to a faulty fuel gauge.

'A little hullabaloo and a fuel stick later...I kid you not, measured with a stick-like thing, we are back on our way to SoCal,' she captioned her second update on Monday.

The next morning, she shared a snap of her stunning view in Newport Beach, which overlooked a dock full of boats as the sunset reflected on the glistening water.

Over the past few years, she has been open about getting her breast implants removed and 'no longer doing fillers or Botox.'

'I’m grateful to my body for holding up through some major health issues and serious injuries. Right now I’m physically pain-free and relatively healthy and strong,' she told First For Women.

The former child actress is married to Timothy Busfield and a mother to her 31-year-old son Dakota, who she shares with ex-husband Bo Brinkman and son Michael, 25, from her first marriage to Bruce Boxleitner.