Back Surgery.

[buzzstpoint]

So it seem the stress never ends.

Been dealing with back pain for years now.. Currently seeing a Pain Specialist.
I've have 2 epidural injections and 2 Coccyx epidural disc Injections that have about a week pain free..
What do I have you may ask?
I have degeneration of the L5 S1, plus bulging disc into my sciatic nerve with creates pain and numbness down my leg. Plus back pain and spasms. Also have degeneration starting in my L4.

Last week my pain specialist has recommended that I see a surgeon. This is freaking me out.. I'm stressing inside and trying not to show it.. I have an appointment on the 17th to talk with him and see what he recommends.

Big issue my Specialist say is my job.. I currently am a maintenance manager of a hotel. So it's a lot of physical work.. He says like banging your thumb with a hammer, if you keep doing it, it will never get any better... So the stress of possibly having surgery, and getting a different job after 12 years is crazy.

[tobee43]

so sorry buzz

it's hard when our bodies decide to fail us and we can no longer do what you use to. who knows? maybe this new doctor may have some different ideas?

i'll be praying for you!

[GoingDown]

Weigh all your options carefully before you decide on surgery.

I also do a lot of physically demanding work and I too have sciatica which creates horrible pain and numbness down my leg.

But I have found exercises which really help to greatly reduce the pain and numbness. They mainly involve getting down on the floor on my back and slowly and gently raising my legs and then pulling my knees (one at a time!) into my chest-- all while I am flat on my back. And I hold it there for as long as possible. It takes a few weeks of doing this every day before you feel any results, but after awhile, I noticed a huge difference. You have to do it every day. That is the key.

Another thing that helps is riding a bicycle. Doesn't have to be a long ride, but every day go on a bike ride to stretch out your back. It really helps me.

I have been able to avoid surgery on my back so far.

[buzzstpoint]

I have stretches that I used to do, but they were discontinued with my pain specialist. Said the stretches my last doctor put me on wasn't helping my disc. They were actually pushing it out further. I do have an inversion table that used to work.. But now seems like it's no longer effective.

Aspects of life have changed as well. I used to have cars in my driveway every week working on them after work. Something I love to do. Now something as simple as changing oil hurts me. So I had to give that up.
In the last six months I have been laid up because of work several times.. A hard days work will keep me in bed for a day or two.
Simple tasks are painful.. Walking around the store for 20-30 minutes puts me in a lot of pain. kneeling, bending, ladders.. you name it.. later this week I'm suppose to caulk around toilet bowls in the hotel.. I'm sure a day or two of that I'll have to call into work.

Facing the reality of having to switch jobs is hard. I've always had physical jobs. But someone I know said they can get me in interview in a call center... Oi...Not sure if I can handle that..

I'll have to see what this new surgeon has to say, he may not even want to do anything. Unlikely, but you never know right?

[IamOld]

Best wishes to you buzzpoint...but if the bulging OR burst disk hasn't reabsorbed by now, and is pushing on nerves, it has to be fixed...

[LadyInTheRed]

My brother in law had two back surgeries in the last couple of years. Before the surgeries, he was in terrible pain and it showed in his mood. He tried non-surgical methods, but they didn't help much. The first surgery didn't go so well. More pain without the expected benefits. His second surgery was 6 months ago. His daughter got married last weekend. He is still on pain killers, but I saw him happy and having a good time for the first time in years! He sure did tear up the dance floor! I had forgotten that he wasn't really a grump.

Buzzstpoint, it sounds like you have tried non-surgical methods. If a surgeon says he can help you, try not to fear surgery too much. Yes, it will be painful and recovery will be difficult. But the eventual results may be well worth it. That said, also be sure to fully educate yourself regarding a surgeon's recommendations before going forward with surgery. Get a second opinion too.

[buzzstpoint]

Best wishes to you buzzpoint...but if the bulging OR burst disk hasn't reabsorbed by now, and is pushing on nerves, it has to be fixed...

Yeah, my 1st MRI was in '07 my last one was this summer and we see progressing degeneration and the bulge is getting worse.

Lady, I have my good days and my bad. It's sad when my 12 year old know when my back is hurting me.. He said to me the other week that he trys not to bother me so much because I'm too crabby then...
I do have pain killers, but can't take many of them in the day time,
We've tried many different medications to ease the pain but many of them I didn't take too well. My last one was Cymbalta. That made me sick and tired. He wants me to try Lyrica. I dunno about that but hey, I'm game to try anything at this point.

[ValleYum]

I have had back surgery twice. I had issues at L4-L5 and L5-S1 where they were pressing on nerves and I had no choice other than the surgical option. I had laminectomies both times. Both times, the relief was INSTANTANEOUS.

I practically danced out of the hospital 2 hours after my 2nd surgery when on the way to the hospital I could not even put my buttcheeks on the car seat. About 3 days after the surgery, you have a brief pain episode for about 2 days (they said it was to be expected due to swelling caused by the surgery) but then I was fine. I was doing housework within a week and totally back to 'normal' within 2-3 weeks.

I did not have a super physical job but from what I understand, depending upon your physical rehab post-op, many people can return to work - of course every person's work situation is different, too.

Stress exacerbates pain - I know this is true for me. Hopefully you will have super experiences like I did. If you want further info, please don't hesitate to PM me.

I tried Cymbalta and Lyrica (had bad side effects from both) but got the best results from Neurontin (gabapentin) for the pain from the nerves. Rotating between Flexeril and Robaxin helped with the muscle spasms. Also, they make a patch that you can put on your back that has Lidocaine in it (the numbing stuff) - called Lidoderm - it was a godsend. All the above is RX only. I also used a TENS unit - which was hit or miss - sometimes it was wonderful and sometimes it made things worse. Those new Salon Pas patches (over the counter and about $1 each!!) with Capsaicin in it helped me the other week when I overdid during Thanksgiving.

Best wishes to you and yours.

[buzzstpoint]

Flexaril work for about 8 months on me, then made me super tired. It was all I could do to get through the day, As soon as I got home I fell asleep (3pm) and slept all evening and night.
Gabapentin was horrible for me. Gave me violent and super vivid dreams, to the point either my wife wouldn't sleep in the same bed or I would wander around the house at night making sure I didn't do what I dreamt. Scary. I don't take too well for a lot of medications.
Currently he has me on Norco (Had Vicodin but mad me sleepy), That seems to take the pain but not the spasms away. I used to have Soma, and that worked well for my spasms, but my he wont fill that for me.. Says he doesn't like Soma so he wont prescribe it.
He did on my last visit gave me a form for a Physical therapist to get a Tens belt.. But he didn't think it would work, said not many people get relief from it. Sounds like he's out of options and just throwing things out there. Could be the reason he wants me to talk with the surgeon.

[keepsmiling]

Good luck. I've got a messed up back too, all that stuff you guys have mentioned. No fun when it's acting up.
Save surgery for last tho, try everything else first. People I know have good and bad results; the good news is that they are getting better at simplifying the operations. Be sure to stay on top of the latest innovations.

[AngelinaCat]

I had 'spondylolisthesis', wherein vertebrae L4 (and everything above it), was moving forward out of alignment with L5. I had had this condition for years as the result of a childhood accident, but never it was not caught and treated at the time. By 1996, I was in such pain, and distress after trying all the homeopathic, chiropractic, and other remedies, that I went to a surgeon at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX where we were living at the time. When the x-rays came back, the surgeon greeted me NOT with "Hello, how are you", but "YOU ARE IN TROUBLE!"

My spine from L4 and up, was 75% off the rest of the stack, with the result that if I did not do something quickly, I was going to be paralyzed.

I had a two stage spinal fusion surgery beginning on Nov. 7, 1996, and the second stage was done Nov. 12. This realigned my spine and I was fused from L3 through S1. I have two titanium rods and nine bolts in my back.

I can say that when I woke up from surgery #1, I had very little pain other than the usual surgery wounds, etc. Even the anesthesiologists fussed at me because I was not using the morphine pump at the level that they expected. I had no pain, relatively speaking.

This is now 15 years later, and I can say that I have been 99% healed. I still have a little 'annoyance' now and again at my hip where they harvested the bone for the fusion graft, and every now and then I feel the weather. But I can walk, run, bicycle, and do whatever I want. I can do physical work like working in the garden, or tinkering with a car--even to climbing the rigging of a Tall Ship.

The key is getting a surgeon that you are confident in. Good luck to you and you have my prayers going with you!

[kornellred]

Spinal problems are so common that most neurosurgeons these days are practically nonchalant about the whole matter. In 1999 I had my first lumbar surgery: L1/L2 and L4/L5 discectomy/laminectomy and some other unpronounceable clean-up work. When I regained consciousness in the recovery room after the surgery, my surgeon said that he "nicked" the dura (sheath around the cauda equina) and I would have to lie flat for four days until the drain tube in my spine flowed clear fluid instead of blood. Two weeks after the surgery, I felt so good that I almost forgot that I ever had any back problems. I was already over 50 years old at that time.

My back stayed that way for about 10 years when the pain in my back and numbness in my legs returned. I had another MRI which showed that my lumbar spine is a mess, with stenosis and cord compression at every level to one degree or another. I took the MRI to a neurosurgeon in 2010, who told me that, quite frankly, my spine was not even close to as bad as I thought, despite the strong negative language used by the radiologist who interpreted my MRI results.

Long story short: my 2nd lumbar surgery was performed through a 3/4 inch long incision; it took all of an hour to accomplish, and I was home 2 hours after the anesthesia wore off. Because I am in my 60's I can no longer work for a living, so I am on Long Term Disability until age 66 and I also collect Social Security Disability.

Surgical techniques are extremely advanced these days. Like I mentioned, back problems are so common that surgeons will not react at all unless you complain loud enough. Take some pain meds and come back and see me when you can't stand it any longer!