B
bubcohen1
Guest
Hi everyone. I had a discogram and a nucleoplasty done on my L4-L5 and L5-S1 on May 15th. For those of you that don't know, a nucleoplasty is a procedure in which they fish a small wand into the nucleus of the affected disc and it dissolves part of the nucleus, thereby decompressing the disc and hopefully eliminating any bulges that may be pressing nerves, etc. I agreed to it because my only other option, besides just putting up with the pain, is a fusion. At 33 I'd like to prolong the fusion as long as possible.(I previously had a micro-discectomy on my L5-S1 in 2003.) My pain prior to the nucleoplasty was a 9 out of 10. The week after my procedure the pain was unbearable and almost sent me to the ER. My ortho Dr prescribed a Medrol dosepak and that seemed to help for the first few days. As soon as I stopped the sterioRAB the pain was back but was at a 7 instead of a 9. Now I am three weeks post-procedure and I am back to a 9 out of 10. My ortho Dr. has sent me for another epidural. The Pain Management doc that I go to for the epidurals wants to do this one under x-ray (I've already had 2 done under x-ray earlier in the year that did nothing). The soonest appt I can get is Aug 13. My ortho doc has taken me off Lortab (which was at least taking the edge off the pain) and switched me to Darvocet (which does nothing). Fortunately, my Pain Management doc actually believes in managing the pain. I'll see him this week to discuss pain management options. Granted, I don't want to be on pain meRAB indefinitely, but I am incredibly frustrated with this unrelenting pain. I thought waking up during a bone marrow biospy procedure was painful, but compared to the pain I have now, it was nothing. I guess the one benefit of beating aggressive bone cancer at 5 is that it has made me incredibly resilient.
I am looking for any experiences that people may have had with nucleoplasty recovery. My ortho doc is acting like I should be fine by next week. My Pain Management doc (who actually does the nucleoplasty as well) is saying that he tells his patients it takes 6 weeks. I am just curious to see what other's experience has been with this. I've been out of work on short term disability since May 15th. I can't even sit for more than 15 mins so going back to work seems impossible (my commute alone is 35 mins). On the other hand, I can't wait til after I have the epidural to go back to work because my FMLA (Family Medical and Leave Act) will have run out by then I'll be in danger of losing my job. I actually lost my last job when I injured my back in 2003 because I was out of work for 9 months. I would love to get imput from others about this, even if you've had a procedure which is remotely similar. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I am looking for any experiences that people may have had with nucleoplasty recovery. My ortho doc is acting like I should be fine by next week. My Pain Management doc (who actually does the nucleoplasty as well) is saying that he tells his patients it takes 6 weeks. I am just curious to see what other's experience has been with this. I've been out of work on short term disability since May 15th. I can't even sit for more than 15 mins so going back to work seems impossible (my commute alone is 35 mins). On the other hand, I can't wait til after I have the epidural to go back to work because my FMLA (Family Medical and Leave Act) will have run out by then I'll be in danger of losing my job. I actually lost my last job when I injured my back in 2003 because I was out of work for 9 months. I would love to get imput from others about this, even if you've had a procedure which is remotely similar. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!