Back Surgery Question

Silverbullet said:
Your all going through the wringer like me it seems. Last Tuesday I had my first epidural shot or shots . Made out fine getting the procedure done. About an hour after being home nothing was working right for me ,, body wise,, by eight that nite I was in the er , very dehydrated . By 1 am I was back home. This entire week my body has had weird reactions to the shot. I'm not sure it's helped yet I've been to sick to tell. I guess the nerves are to excited to calm down. I'm not looking forward to this again but he said it may take a few times to get relief . I'm almost ready to just go to Jefferson in Philly and get the lamenectame on the discs that are causing the pain. It's gotten so bad I hate to even move . Back to the pain Dr next Tuesday see what they say this time. Grumpy old man , I know what you and your wife are going through, been there. When it became to much trouble to go to doctors I found one that comes to me ,, believe me they're great , blood work xrays ,foot doctor . All come to me if it weren't for them I'd probably be dead . Don't know if they have them near you but check it don't cost any more.
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My wife has a bulged disc. She got an epidural and it worked great for for about 4 years. When her back started acting up again she got another one. That's been about 2 years now and she's still good. Definitely worth getting if you have the type of problem that responds to the shot. Give the shot a chance, it took a few weeks for it to reach full effect on my wife but she's delighted with the results.
 
I have three bulging discs one worse then the others. I will give the meds a chance to work , you have to realise I've been in savere pain for several years. I hold out as long as I can . I'm not a boo boo got to see the doctor guy. I'd rather not deal with any doctor or medicines. But it seems I'm stuck with them for life.
 
I have been dealing with back issues for the past 14 years or so. Oddly enough it was not easily diagnosed, aside from some short bouts with sciatica I really didn't have back pain. My main issue was various pain and weakness from my groin to my knees mostly affecting my left side. MRI showed herniated discs from T10 to L5. Epidural injections helped tremendously for me, my first series of shot lasted 3 years and each subsequent series lasted less in all the injections bought me over 10 years.Surgery was the only option when one of the herniated discs worsened and compressed against my spinal cord and wasn't able to feel or move my left leg. A neurosurgeon did a laminectomy and fusion at T12-L1 and it was the best thing I did, no real issues or restrictions in what I do. Follow through with the therapy and be patient, you will have good days and not so good days, lots of progress followed by times that seem like your going backwards but hang in there it took almost a year before I felt 100%. Don't be afraid to ask questions and find a doctor that you feel comfortable with, best of luck.


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One thing that has worked for me is an inversion table. Got one off Craigslist for 75 bucks. It doesn't work for everyone, but @a "c" note, it's worth a try.

Randy
 
Anything you can do to avoid surgery is good. (almost) Although my wife has had a hard time with her surgery (not the surgery itself, but a post surgical infection)
I have have problems with my neck/right shoulder/right arm since my 20's I was diagnosed as having stenosis in the C3 to C5 section of my neck.
My doctor at the time told me I had to have surgery IMMEDIATELY! I said "lets just see where this goes first" I've had several episodes of severe shoulder
pain and numbness of my arm an hand BUT I have always been able to alleviate this condition with pain pills and physical therapy. Things haven't gotten
worse in the 50+ years since my diagnosis. Surgical methods have improved immensely since that time and now my current doctor says unless it gets REAL bad
he wouldn't bother anything more than physical therapy. Yes it has impacted my life to some extent but I think that its just an inconvenience.
I find it hard to believe that stenosis in my 20's hasn't gotten worse in the following years. As far as my wife's problem it was a matter of not walking again and
having the major surgery. She is now almost 1-1/2 inches taller than she was and can feel her toes on both feet. That was the only sensible thing to do.
Don't let problems get too serious before you get the opinion of several spinal experts. What's good for one guy isn't necessarily good for everybody.
 
I got knocked off a ladder by a rogue limb I was cutting off a tree in 2012, fell about 9 feet & landed on my feet on soft ground fortunately but still suffered a compression fracture to my L4 vertebra. Although the neurosurgeon gave me a 50% chance of healing without surgery, 2 months later the vertebra was dissolving so surgery became a necessity. I don't remember all the details now but the doctor replaced the vertebra with a metal cage & fused 4 or 5 vertebrae plus did several laminectomies. For me, the first 3 to 4 weeks of recovery were a little rough but after that I was back in the shop for brief periods & I walked with a cane for 8 or 9 months. I didn't have much pain after surgery, mostly my back just felt a little tired after standing for a while which it still does but it's minor. Besides the neurosurgeon's skill I attribute the good outcome of this ordeal to God's mercy. I wish everyone else who's facing back surgery the same good results I had.
 
Wi, About 25 years ago I feel climbing down from a tree stand landing on my feet and buckeling down on the ground. I was able to get up and walk out of the woods . Maybe that fall started my misery. The adrenaline helped me get out and in my blazer . I hurt for awhile I remember .it was only 16' high.and I only weighed about 350 lbs. All that blubber had a soft landing but still all compression .I was just glad I didn't land on my bow and broadheads. Never really thought about that causing this year's later. Still on a wait and see with the epidural . Go to pain Dr on Tuesday see what he says then.
 
As most of you have experienced.... Back pain is something to pay attention to. I have had scoliosis my whole life, so back pain has come and gone without much for intervention. About eight years ago I went to VA with mid/lower back pain and they did an MRI.... report said that I had normal spinal alignment!! so VA up'd the narcotics to get rid of me. Miraculous healing for the scoliosis?

As time passed, I started having problems with bowel and bladder function, numbness in my feet and lower legs, instability, and the list goes on and on. About a year and a half ago my right leg started kicking uncontrollably and the doctor diagnosed it as RLS. I finally went to a private Neurologist last August and she ordered another MRI. It showed the disc between L1-L2 was pushed almost completely out of the spine and was deeply pressing on the nerve bundle inside the spinal canal. That explains all the secondary symptoms!

I had surgery just over three weeks ago to remove the disc and fuse the spine. Other than a whole bunch of strange nerve sensations from the waist down, everything is on the mend. I am looking forward to getting back to my shop work and perhaps even riding one of my Harley's as time passes over the next several months. Right now it's plenty of rest, planning my next shop projects, and spending quality time with my best friend and partner.

The moral of the story is to not just give in to the pain. If a doctor doesn't identify the cause.... get a second opinion. Don't wait too long to get an accurate diagnosis and try the less invasive treatments as they are offered. If it gets down to surgery, do your homework on available doctors and go for the best you can find. The longer you wait, the more potential there is for more and permanent damage.
 
Mrjbinok, man do I empathize with you. Mines been a forty year down hill drop. I've been going thru hell with my lower back. It's been about 12 years I've been in savere pain . Even a week in the hospital in 06 , and two weeks in a rehabilitation hospital then . It got so bad I slept sitting in my recliner for years but by the 09 I started not moving till or had too. Ended up with massive pulmonary embolism and dieing in the er , there anti clogging drugs broke it up and brought me back. But I was much worse lost the use of my legs then and it hasn't returned months in hospitals , nursing homes , emergency operation for clog kidney then another for stone removal . Now I have three bulging discs , going through the epidural shots trying for relief . Nerves are all.screwed up causing weird things in me. Bowel and bladder spasms in legs all kinds of things. It's been about 11 days since the shot , not feeling any pain relief yet. Of course the Dr said it may take more shots. Not sure I want them I ended up in the er the night of the last shot. Dehydrated and body in spasms. .I'm so ready to go to Jefferson in Philly. Or croak it's just to much. I've earned my dirt nap.
 
Silverbullet said:
Mrjbinok, man do I empathize with you. Mines been a forty year down hill drop. I've been going thru hell with my lower back. It's been about 12 years I've been in savere pain . Even a week in the hospital in 06 , and two weeks in a rehabilitation hospital then . It got so bad I slept sitting in my recliner for years but by the 09 I started not moving till or had too. Ended up with massive pulmonary embolism and dieing in the er , there anti clogging drugs broke it up and brought me back. But I was much worse lost the use of my legs then and it hasn't returned months in hospitals , nursing homes , emergency operation for clog kidney then another for stone removal . Now I have three bulging discs , going through the epidural shots trying for relief . Nerves are all.screwed up causing weird things in me. Bowel and bladder spasms in legs all kinds of things. It's been about 11 days since the shot , not feeling any pain relief yet. Of course the Dr said it may take more shots. Not sure I want them I ended up in the er the night of the last shot. Dehydrated and body in spasms. .I'm so ready to go to Jefferson in Philly. Or croak it's just to much. I've earned my dirt nap.
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Like I said.... If your not getting answers to all that is coming from nerve impingement and the spine, it's past time to find a second opinion and get to the root of the problem. Start with using the internet to search for competent doctors...... Start with Philly. There are several sites on the web that grade doctors on their work and practice. IMO shots and/or pills are a temporary band-aid for a deeper problem, and if the root cause isn't addressed it's just not going to get you very far. Be proactive!

Nerve function is what makes everything in your body work. When you have a spine problem or some other problem that is effecting that nerve path, those nerves will eventually die. Until that happens there is always a chance that the nerves will heal themselves in time and normal function will return..... at least to some degree. Find a doctor that might truly be able to fix the problem and get a referral to see that doctor. I consider myself blessed that by having the surgery to remove the disc, that my nerve problems will stop the downhill slide. My functioning is starting to improve and I am hopeful that as I heal from the surgery, and gain my strength, that I will be able to resume my normal activities. Hang in there!!
 
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