Anyone had a herniated disk?

[mill4023]

DW has been having back and leg pain for the last couple months.
She just had an MRI and according to her doc, she has a ruptured disk and also has torn ligaments. He's sending her to an orthopedic surgeon and it looks like she's going to need surgery.

So if anyone has had something similar, can you tell me about it?

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

Husband ruptured disks L4 and L5 in his back. Spine is divided into I think 3 parts...lumbar (low) thoracic (chest) and cervical (neck). His was in the area right at his waist. He had tremendous pain, couldn't stand straight and had numbness and tingling going down his left leg. In all honesty, he was dragging his foot behind him, hunched over like Igor when we went to the doc. He had a laminectomy performed by a neurosurgeon, was off work for 10 weeks and had to do a ton of walking as his PT. It was same day surgery and the post-op instructions were no riding in a car after he gets home for 6 weeks! Now, 9 years later he is doing just fine.

Hope that helps.

 

[LindaR]

I know that she is in ALOT of pain. I would highly.....HIGHLY recommend medications, physical therapy, steroid shots.....anything....before surgery. That should ALWAYS be the LAST resort!

That being said, I have had two spinal surgeries. The first was not bad but the results lasted less than six months (laminectomy). The second was a spinal fusion and recovery was 8+ months. I have permanent nerve damage down my leg. Due to harvesting my own bone (instead of donor bone) from my hip, I have arthritis and Osteoporosis. I have pain every single day of my life.

I learned many things the hard way. I would get a second opinion (from a neurosurgeon - the brain AND spinal cord are their areas of expertise).

It is really up to you guys to research and learn all you can BEFORE committing to surgery!

 

[LJC1861]

I have had 2 spinal fusion procedures done....one at C 6-7 and the second at C 5-6. The first was done in 1996 and used bone harvested from my hip and the second was done in 2004 using bone from the bone bank. The second was MUCH easier than the first. The first was done by an orthopedic surgeon who specialized in back surgery and the second was done by a neurosurgeon.

Prior to both I had a long course of physical therapy. Both surgeons asked if I had tried alternative therapies and would not operate until I had. I found that the PT helped in my recovery.

I would definitely get a second opinion, and ask all the questions you can think of. I would also recommend checking out www.spineuniverse.com This website was very informative, and even has diagrams of what the surgery looks like and what to expect.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[ORMom2Four]

Dh and I have both had herniated discs. Mine never got any treatment, only diagnosis in the ER, since we did not have health insurance. It took a LONG, LONG time, and was very painful, but I recovered from it (with some lasting nerve damage to my leg). If we had insurance, I would have done the surgery in an instant. The pain was like nothing I have ever experienced before, and it was non-stop.

Dh had surgery, and did great for awhile. It was about 12 months later when the same disc herniated again, and he was back in surgery.

His last surgery was last Sept. I hope that was his last one, but he was talking to a guy pre-surgery who was in there for his 4th surgery to fix his!!

Good luck to your wife with whatever treatment she decides on!

 

[Bayoumama]

I had 1 herniated disk and 1 bulging disk in my lower back. I always had lower back trouble and one day I just couldn't get out of bed. I went to my primary physician and he gave me cortizone shots and then after about 4 days I felt back to normal. This had happened before so I knew I had to seek further for a cure.

Someone referred me to a chiropractor at SpinalAid Centers of America. There is a doctor in my town affiliated with them. He sent me for an MRI which revealed the herniated disk. I went through a round of decompression sessions (like being in traction for 20 minutes at a time). After that I had some physical therapy sessions and I feel fine. This started in January and I finished my sessions in March. I continue physical therapy once a month to keep the muscles in my back strong because I am very active.

I did NOT want surgery and would still refuse it. That's just my opinion. Check out their website for more information www.spinalaid.com. The website gives very detailed information about how the decompression works.

I can't tell you the number of people I talked to in that office that were very satisfied. So far I am very happy I did it.

 

[HsvTeacher]

Since she has a diagnosis of a herniated disc, whatever she does, make sure she doesn't see a chiropractor. I went to one before I knew my disc was herniated, and my neurosurgeon said it did more harm than good.

I had surgery in June 2007. The disc material had leaked down into my spinal column (according to the neurosurgeon, most likely from going to a chiropractor), so I ended up having nerve damage in my right leg. However, opting for surgery was the best decision I've ever made. It put an end to constant, excruciating pain. Two years out, I am completely pain free.

Hope your DW feels better soon!

 

[rwdavis2]

My wife does anesthesia and this sees this a lot. First, she would recommend a neurosurgeon and not an orthopedic surgeon. Second, back surgeries do not have a great success rate. Once you start down that road you usually need more.
BD

 

[beckyb29]

I am currently recovering from surgery that was just done on July 6, so I am still less than two weeks out.

I had a herniated disc in L5, which was pressing on my sciatic nerve...causing major major pain in my leg. Once I had the MRI and was diagnosed, I tried everything. Oral steroids, PT, chiropractor(sorry, but in my opinion that can't help this condition and was a huge waste of money), and even had 3 epidural steroid injections. Nothing worked, but I couldn't live with the pain I was experiencing...not to mention I was taking so much Ibuprofen, Vicodin, and muscle relaxers just to make it through. I didn't want surgery, but knew I was killing my kidneys by taking all of that everyday, plus it didn't ever get rid of the pain-just made me able to live my life somewhat easier.

I wasn't really impressed with what I'd read about Ortho's and this surgery, so I got a neurosurgeon. I had a microdiscectomy, and woke up from surgery with no leg pain. It's a slow healing/recovery process, but I would go through it again in a heartbeat. I'm limited as to what I can do-no driving for 4 weeks, no lifting more than 5-10 lbs for 8 weeks, no beding, twisting, etc. I have to do a lot of walking everyday, but other exercise is out of the question for awhile. To me, it's been totally worth it.

I hope your DW gets better soon!

 

[Aristomommy]

A disc herniation and rupture are two different things and require different approaches depending on severity.

I would definitely recommend a neurosurgeon with a conservative approach, not a orthopedic surgeon. If there is a rupture it may need to be repaired right away, but a herniation can be treated without surgery. This may include injections, physical therapy and pain management. Surgery should be last option, since the success rate isn't the best and it can lead to more surgery later on.

HTH

 

[Claudia1]

Wow, I was just going to post a question about cortisone injections! I have a herniated disc and just finished a Medrol dose pack. (Didn't sleep for 3 days but that is another post......)

I have had pain since January and it is pressing against my sciatic nerve, causing lots of pain, numbness, and some dragging of my foot. I've had 3 rounds of oral steroids prior to the dose pack and PT and am scheduled for a cortisone injection Wednesday.

I knew that surgery was a last-ditch effort but I'm glad to read your responses.

My question is this: how long will my leg(s) be rubbery? I know I can't drive but I'm not sure how long I will be affected.

 

[LindaR]

Are you meaning how long will your leg be "rubbery" due to the injections?

If that's not what you mean, you leg can give out or be rubbery, etc. until your disc heals or is fixed, or the leg can suffer permanent nerve damage (I have that in my right leg/foot).

Before my first back surgery, the shots did not work at all for me. Before my second surgery, they gave me a tiny bit of relief (and I was very thankful!). There is no way to know (until you try) whether they will work for you.

 

[Jeafl]

Wow, I was just going to post a question about cortisone injections! I have a herniated disc and just finished a Medrol dose pack. (Didn't sleep for 3 days but that is another post......)

I have had pain since January and it is pressing against my sciatic nerve, causing lots of pain, numbness, and some dragging of my foot. I've had 3 rounds of oral steroids prior to the dose pack and PT and am scheduled for a cortisone injection Wednesday.

I knew that surgery was a last-ditch effort but I'm glad to read your responses.

My question is this: how long will my leg(s) be rubbery? I know I can't drive but I'm not sure how long I will be affected.

I am on my third round of medrol dose packs, and my doctor won't give me any more. I had a particularly bad episode last summer where I was in excrutiating pain non-stop and the steroid dose pack did NOTHING. I did have the coritsone injections and the doctor said it would take up to 48 hours to work. Well, it took about a week for it to start to kick in, and I was not pain-free until about 2 weeks later. Unfortunately, it only lasted about 8 months and I was back where I started. The rubbery feeling may or may not go away after the cortisone shots. Mine did not go away entirely, but it did get better.

I am at the end of my line here, and will probably end up with surgery. I would DEFINITELY have a neurosurgeon do any kind of spinal surgery. My orthopaedic surgeon was the first one to tell me that. That is their area of expertise, orthopaedic surgeons are better with bone issues, not nerve issues.

Good luck to all of you with disc pain. It is the worst pain I have ever felt, and I have had 3 kids with horrible labors. Childbirth is a piece of cake next to nerve pain. At least with childbirth you know it has to end at some point. I've been suffering with back pain for 10 years with no end in sight.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

I am not an advocate of surgery. However, when my DH came home from work hunched over and dragging his leg we immediately went to a neurosurgeon. He told us AFTER an MRI that my DH could go the cortisone route and that it would offer some temporary relief but that since DH had 2 bulging discs and 1 that was ruptured surgery would be his best bet to ensure that there is no long term nerve damage. He told us that the disc issue would not go away with the shots and that only surgery would fix the disc issue (by essentially trimming them back). He went through all the risks associated with surgery and the shots and we chose the surgery.

I will say that DH has no permanent nerve damage (which is good). He will sometimes have back pain IF he over does it or he fails to do his back exercises (which he needs to do daily) but he doesn't have the debilitating oh my god can't walk pain and hasn't had it since surgery!

I'm just saying all this to give another perspective to surgery. Most people say that it's the "last thing" they would ever do, etc. I can tell you that it's probably the best thing DH has done (besides marrying me and having our sweet DS ), but you really need to talk with your neurosurgeon and listen to all the risks and benefits associated with every kind of procedure and then make up your mind. We went in thinking no surgery....no way...unh uh! Then we listened to the doc and decided that it was the best way...so just have an open mind and you will make the right decision for your particular circumstance (and, unfortunately, your circumstance will be different than everyone else's!).

Karen

 

[LJC1861]

I totally agree with the previous poster. Surgery is not something I would advocate, but in my case was the right decision.

I went through chiropractic and physical therapy to see if htat would help. During that time my pain increased and I was rapidly becoming hooked on pain killers....NO way to live and be able to function.

For me surgery, and the risks that come with it, was the way to go. My surgeon explained the risks and so did SO many of my friends.

I went in to the surgery with a very positive attitude. I KNEW I was going to be better, and for me it worked.

I personally feel that the more positive you can be about your surgery, your overall health and your recovery...the quicker that recovery will happen.

Linda

 

[luvmy2sams]

Good luck to all of you with disc pain. It is the worst pain I have ever felt, and I have had 3 kids with horrible labors. Childbirth is a piece of cake next to nerve pain. At least with childbirth you know it has to end at some point. I've been suffering with back pain for 10 years with no end in sight.

I agree completely. When I was dealing with my herniated discs, I told my DH that I'd rather repeat my 2 c-sections without any anesthesia than endure another minute of the nerve pain. It's indescribable!

I had sporadic back problems following the birth of my DD, and they culminated with a couple of herniations at the end of 2004. I, too, had the shooting leg pain and had difficultly doing anything. I spent months trying everything I could to avoid the surgery. I tried physical therapy, wore a TENS unit around the clock, and tried at various times muscle relaxants, pain killers, injections, and steroids. You name it...it was pumped through my system. When the second round of steroids failed, I was begging for the surgery. A neurosurgeon performed a laminectomy/microdiscectomy on L4-L5 in July 2005. I woke up from surgery pain-free.

I hope your wife feels better soon!

 

[mill4023]

A disc herniation and rupture are two different things and require different approaches depending on severity.

Maybe you are thinking of a bulging disk.
From the Mayo Clinic website:
"One cause of back pain is a herniated disk, sometimes called a slipped disk or a ruptured disk."
"When a herniated disk occurs, a small portion of the nucleus pushes out through a tear in the annulus into the spinal canal."

Thanks to everyone who posted. It helps to get different opinions and hear about different situations.

The appointment that DW had last Friday was with a P.A., so it was a total waste of time. No offense intended to any P.A.'s, but when she's already had an MRI and already been diagnosed, there isn't much for a P.A. to do.

She has an appointment tomorrow with the dr. He is an orthopedic surgeon, but he's part of a group of 7 surgeons at a spine center. All of them have extensive training in spinal surgery and that is all they do. I know some have recommended a neurosurgeon, but personally, I would feel more comfortable with someone who is a spinal specialist and does nothing but spinal surgery.

We will have more info tomorrow after the appointment. DW has a couple of friends who have gone through the same surgery and both of them wish that they had done it sooner. Both suffered through a year or two of chronic pain, trying all kinds of other treatments, with little success, before having surgery. Both are doing great now.

Also, they are not talking about a spinal fusion or anything like that.
If they do surgery, they will probably be doing a microdiscectomy.