What if I don't? Can something bad happen?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jeff2263
  • Start date Start date
J

Jeff2263

Guest
I have a bulging and hernitated disc in L4-L5 and S1. One of these discs are really pushing into my spinal canal. If I don't do surgery like my neurosurgeon has recommended, can that herniated disc do more damage to my spinal canal?
 
If you're nerves are compressed, then yes, you may cause nerve damage. I had a fusion at L5/S1 after several months of a very squished nerve. The fusion relieved the pain, but the nurabness in my foot is still there. the doctors said it may take many months to go away, and it may never go away. So if an MRI shows your nerve badly compressed, then you might want to consider the fusion.

Take Care,
David
 
Hi Jeff

I had the same thing. I don't know what nerves were being compressed, but two microneurosurgeons said I had the worst case they had seen and the MRI showed all black at the L4-L5 area, meaning that there was severe nerve compression. They were very worried about the weakness and nurabness in both my legs and concerned about me possibly experiencing the condition where it presses on the nerve that controls your bladder, bowel, sexual feeling so I had surgery within 2 weeks of my diagnosis. The surgery went very well indeed. I was in physical therapy over a couple months and after that I was working out and living a pretty normal life. I had surgery at the end of May 2007.

Well, I started having some issues in Deceraber ....lower back pain and some nurabness in my upper right thigh (no pain or weakness though) and they did a MRI again and it showed that everything looked fine. Well, follow up with microneurosurgeon was basically to address the lower back pain and monitor the nurabness. Oh yeah, and to go back to physical therapy and keep the back exercises up (I had quit doing them over the holidays...my bad). The nurabness dissipated after a few weeks. The back got better too for about a week and then boom, last week I had such severe pain in my leg I thought I was going to die. This time, I have total nurabness in my shin and the pain was so bad they gave me morphine and sent me home with pain killers, muscle relaxers, and lyrica (for nerve pain control). They are sending me for epidural injections, an EMG and nerve control test and also a CT myelogram (which is stressing me out just thinking about it). Apparently, I also have DDD and something else that was mentioned on my first MRI analysis (cant recall what it is) that may be playing a factor in this. Might be that the surgery was the best thing. I think having sex with my boyfriend might have caused this flare up and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced problems after becoming sexually active post back surgery????? It was 6 months before I became sexually active post back surgery so you would think that wouldn't be an issue, but maybe it jarred something out of place. I'm really not that acrobatic though ;)

Just for the record though, I don't regret the surgery. It alleviated the pain and prevented permanent nerve damage and got me back to feeling good. Right now, I'm just annoyed I don't know what is causing my current problem. Grrr.
 
It really depenRAB on how compressed the nerve is. In my case my nerve was severely compressed and I had horrible pain in my foot and all down my leg and actually at that point was like the nerve had given up. I lost the use of my left calf. Try walking without being able to use your calf muscle. I could not walk normally at all. It was L5-S1 a severe herniation.

I felt I had no choice but to have surgery. Mine was a microdiscectomy. The day of my surgery I could already use my calf muscle again. So it was pretty obvious that was the right choice. I do after about 3 years still get nurabness in my left foot but I can walk forever and go on two hour bike rides. I feel great.

I would recommend getting a second opinion. I would have but after searching out the Orthopedic Spine Surgeon I was referred to I found out he was the best in the state and that people travel to see him so I felt he knew what he was talking about.
 
Hi Jeff,
I hate to say that the longer the nerves are compressed between the disc & the vertebre it can cause permanent damage. Are your nerves compressed? if your getting pain that is moving down into your buttocks & from there into you leg then yes the nerves are probably compressed. Now please don't take what I say to heart, ask your dr. what are the risks if there is no surgery. He can go over it all in detail much better than we can since he has your films and he's the dr.. I can only tell you what has happened to me.

I do know it took many yrs for my diagnosis and I am now permanently disabled, receiving disability, at 46 yrs old. I did not have a bulging disc I had almost no disc at one level and the vert's had moved almost 50% out of alignment. Your case is different.

I also know people that had bulging discs and after intensive therapy and over a year of it they were fine with no surgery. So you see why I say ask your dr.

I wish you the best and please keep us updated.

God Bless

Carol
 
I had a laminectomy in June 2007 for a herniation and broken off large fragment at L5-S1. It was 23 days from injury to surgery and I now have permanent nerve damage. If you have nerve pain, I would follow the surgeons advice before you have permanent damage.

Deb
 
Hi Jeff - I'm sort of where you are right now. I've had more than 10 spinal surgeries - all fusions or re-fusions. But right now I'm suffering from two vertebral fractures at T3 and T4. These fractures ARE collapsed inward toward and pushing on my spinal canal causing me loss of bladder control, nurabness around my chest area, right foot and leg and severe pain in my upper left leg. I was in the hospital for 5 days last week for a diagnosis and am only home now while waiting for a surgical date. The longer your spinal canal is compromised and nerves are being compressed, the more likely that you will have permanent nerve damage. If I don't hear from my surgeon's secretary by tomorrow with a surgery date, I'm going back in the hospital through the emergency room until they can fit me in the schedule. Don't ignore your symptoms and get whatever help is appropriate as soon as possible. All the best - K'Mac
 
I had 3 months from injury to my first surgery and I have permanent nerve damage as a result of waiting just three months. If you search "dermatome charts", I am nurab in the L5-S1 dermatome area. I can't feel about 1/4 of both feet, and up my legs. When I shave, I have to be really careful because if I cut myself, I won't know it unless I look for blood. I won't feel it.

I am unstable and have to wear special shoes to help me keep my balance. I am 41 and went on to have 3 surgeries that year, literally within 12 months until I was finally stabilized. Started with just a laminectomy/discetomy at L5-S1.

If I could go back and do anything different, I would do 2 things. One, I would get treated 2 months earlier. And Two, I would have followed all the rules after the first surgery instead of following my regular life and reherniating.
 
I've never had spinal surgery nor bulging disks, but elsewhere I have read many painfully sad tales of fusions that had to be revised more than once.

Jeff's sounRAB like a good case for getting a second or third opinion from a qualified back specialist, maybe someone with expertise outside the surgery discipline. Osteopath maybe? But ask another surgeon also. Good luck.
 
hi jeff,
I'm in same boat,been like this since 2005.I got L5 S1 trouble,the one disc I had discectomy on in 1995 has gotten smaller,so some of the nerves are compressed,was scheduled for fusion couple of times but chicken out.My doctors all had different ideas,one even said be best you can live without surgery cause it doesn't help.But under Worker comp its hard to believe what is going on.I do have scar tissue and arthritis.Also i avoided the anterior approach since I heard of the risks and severe abdominal pain,but now I hear that with posterior too.I still can get out of bed,I do no more hard work,rest when I can,I'm happy if it would stay like this but I doubt that.I feel my body eating away by arthritis,my shoulder hurts,my knee,headaches lately.odd as it is,if I use an antibiotic for a cold,my back feels like new,strange.
 
Back
Top