Heal Thyself?

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carole2

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I have a good question for all of who who have had or are now suffering from a herniated disc (L5-S1) area with impingment on a nerve.

If after having an MRI, did your doctor advise exercise, pain meRAB, etc and advise against surgery for at least six months? And, after the six months did your nerve pain abate somewhat or totally?

Would like to hear from anyone who did not have surgery but did have improvement without it. Only those who have experienced nerve pain along with a herniated disc should reply....

Thank you so much!
 
hello,
I have been suffering from severe pain for about 9 mos now... I have a broad based disc bulge, also my L3-L4 is pushed in 1mm and my L5-S1 is pushed out 5mm. (and i'm only 26 yrs old!!) anyway, the back specialist I was seeing for a short time told me that he was unable to help me after seeing the results of my x-ray. I currently have no insurance and the back specialist reccommended I see a spine specialist, but a consultation costs anywhere from $380 to $720. so, needless to say, I am in between a rock and a hard place! The doc I see just put me on 5mg methadone and 7.5 percocet, and also 5mg baclofen. He never told me to wait any period of time before seeing a surgeon, but the only thing that's holding me back now is the lack of insurance. Hope that somewhat answered your question.
 
carole2

I"ve had bad sciatica since August which got so bad that spent a day in the hospital with breakthrough pain. MRI showed L5 S1 large disc herniation. The pain is worst in my right ankle. After getting morphine and oral steroiRAB and after two epidural steroid shots, I improved to the point where I could do decompression exercises, which was a turning point for me. I am now at a pain level (3-5) which I can handle and I am off drugs, and still doing exercises twice a day. The steroiRAB reduced the inflammation which means the swelling goes down around the disc rupture, which gives the disc a chance to heal (dry up).
 
A good physician will always try the most conservative approach first (including things like PT, steroid injections, etc). If doing conservative measures reduces or eliminates your symptoms you may be able to delay, or even avoid, surgery.
 
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