Need Advice

[ladyashley81]

15 years ago I had a microdiscetomy on L4-L5 disc herniation. L5-S1 was also herniated, but not as badly, so the neurosurgeon did the surgery on only L4-L5. I had immediate success with the surgery (I was 15 years old at the time). I started having the old symptoms again a few months ago, but dismissed my fears thinking my back pain was due to carrying heavy books (I'm a grad student) and sleeping on an old mattress. I came home for the holidays and my back got steadily worse. A friend recommended I start seeing a chiropractor. I did, and really felt relief from my buttock and leg pains. I was also experiencing muscles tightening up in my legs and lower back, severely limiting my range of motion. On New Years Day, I was at my parents house and feeling fine, and then all of a sudden pain started radiating in waves down my legs and I could not move without being in excruciating pain, and could not bend at all. I took muscles relaxers and pain meRAB, and went to the chiropractor again that Monday. He was able to adjust and help the pain immensely over the course of two days, but insisted on an MRI, knowing that I had re-ruptured the L4-L5 disc. I got the MRI, and the results, and sure enough the disc was ruptured again, this time approx 5mm. The chiropractor said I really needed to go see an orthopedic or neurosurgeon to at least consult about options. So, I did so, getting two separate opinions. Both doctors said I could try a pain block because it's standard procedure, but that ultimately because of the weakness in the leg developing, along with this being a re-rupture, I would require surgery again. I am not a big fan of surgery, at all, so I was really reluctant. I rearranged things to be closer to home in case of surgery (moved back from another state to be with my family). I talked to my chiropractor again and he said he would continue to help me as long as I wanted with the pain, but surgery would probably be necessary. All of that was a week ago. The difference between a week ago and now is immense. Now my pain is very minimal. It is still there (buttocks, and ache down right leg depending on my position). Granted I have had extremely limited activity recently, but I am thinking that the chiropractor adjustments are helping enough that I can avoid surgery. The doctors and chiropractor don't think it will last long. My question is - how many people reinjury their lurabar disc after surgery and avoid another surgery? I am definitely not living my normal lifestyle right now, but my pain is low and I am not any any medicine. I go to the chiropractor 3 times a week and do exercises at home to stretch the muscles. Has anyone else ever gone from immense pain, to the point of scheduling surgery, then in the course of a week be drastically different and feel like surgery is not necessary? Or am I delusional and the pain will come back? My doctor is worried about nerve damage because of the MRI results - and you can see the herniation across the room on the scans. Anyone ever had the pain leave and stay gone, or does it come back? I have also not had any pain blocks.

 

[maltluver]

Ladyashley, it sounRAB like you have a really good chiro...normally I don't recommend them to back patients, but on occasion there are those who are good with these kind of problems. However, I do agree that surgery is something you are really going to need to consider seriously if you have nerve impingement which is indicated by the progressing leg weakness. At some point, that damage becomes permanent and there can be no fix for it.

Perhaps you would feel more certain of your decision if you get another opinion, perhaps from an orthopedic spine specialist. With nerve involvement, there really isn't a lot of room for procrastination, in my opinion.

Please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.

Carol

 

[ibake&pray]

i agree with carol. Unless you are willing to continue to live your life as you are RIGHT NOW-no sports, styaing inside and resting----you will eventually-as in sooner rather than later, need the surgery. You are living in a dream world. Even your chiro has told you thzt surgery is the option.

the problem is-and I suffered from this-is that if you let it go, you stand the risk of doing permanent damage to your nerves, and once that occurs, there is no way to undo it. YOu can wait, but not long. Don't allow your distaste of surgery cause you to lose use of your leg. That is far worse.

 

[Baybreeze]

Hello Lady,

That actually does happen to me constantly. I did have surgery a little over 4 yrs ago for lurabar stenosis, which included removing disc material. Before I had surgery, though, I was in real bad shape. I had stenosis at several levels caused by bone overgrowth, ligament thickening & buckling, and disc herniations. I steadily got worse until I couldn't go on anymore and decided on surgery. My surgery went very well and did help me a lot, but only a couple months out, I reherniated and had some other issues. I was able to get a nerve block, which helped, though the sciatic pain does come and go.

I also keep herniating the same discs over & over as well as other discs in both my lurabar and cervical spine. It seems like I can only go a few weeks and then it happens again. I've had several instances where the pain was so intense I was afraid I might need surgery again, but luckily the incidents have, for the most part, resolved somewhat over time using different methoRAB. Recently I had a lurabar ESI and had almost no nerve pain for just about 2 weeks. All I did was walk in a store for about 15 minutes, then bam, I was struck with severe nerve pain again that I could hardly walk. Saw my new PM, who got me set up w/ another ESI, but mentioned that I may have to be prepared to get surgery. Also, I will probably end up getting surgery on my cervical spine as well. I just had another lurabar ESI last week and it once again helped my nerve pain greatly, but I'm so worried about the pain attacking me so intensely again when it wears off.

Like I said, mine keep happening at the same levels as well as other areas. If I was able to just keep taking high doses of steroiRAB all the time, I think I would feel pretty good....but that is just not possible. It might avoid surgery for me, but the long term consequences of long term steroid use may be worse than any surgery.

I just know how it feels since I've already had major spine surgery and all my spine problems just keep recurring. I really don't want surgery again on my low back and never want it in my neck, but I fear it's in my future as well.

I think you will just have to decide and you'll know when and if you're ready to do it. I waited some time before my lurabar surgery, but the pain got too unbearable and didn't have much quality of life left. That's when I decided I didn't care anymore and I just wanted the pain to end, so I had the surgery.