Pinched nerve solutions? NEW UPDATE: Surgery scheduled!

[dislaney]

Oh no.


So I just got the call from my doctor. I need to have surgery immediately. I am waiting for the surgeon's office to return from lunch to set up the appointment. Apparently I need a "Discectomy".

My L5 is "obliterated".

I am so scared right now.

Don't be scared. I've had this done and it was the best thing I ever did. My back is so much better than it was before the surgery.

 

[Jennasis]

Don't be scared. I've had this done and it was the best thing I ever did. My back is so much better than it was before the surgery.

Thanks. I needed to hear that. HOw long was the surgery and hospitalzation? How long were you laid up? Did you have to do P/t after?

I'm very fortunate at least in that the doctor who ordered the MRI and is sending me to the surgeon is a very good friend and is sending me to "the best" guy.

I have never had surgery and this just terrifies me.

 

[kwelch10377]

Thanks. I needed to hear that. HOw long was the surgery and hospitalzation? How long were you laid up? Did you have to do P/t after?

I'm very fortunate at least in that the doctor who ordered the MRI and is sending me to the surgeon is a very good friend and is sending me to "the best" guy.

I have never had surgery and this just terrifies me.

Until a month ago I had never had surgery either. I had no idea what to expect and was very nervous and kept getting annoyed at people who would say, oh you will be fine, don't worry. I got myself all worked up over nothing. I only had my gallbladder out, so obviously a little different than your surgery, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'm not going to tell you not to be nervous, because I'm sure like me you still will be, but I will say having the surgery was worth it.

 

[Jennasis]

Until a month ago I had never had surgery either. I had no idea what to expect and was very nervous and kept getting annoyed at people who would say, oh you will be fine, don't worry. I got myself all worked up over nothing. I only had my gallbladder out, so obviously a little different than your surgery, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'm not going to tell you not to be nervous, because I'm sure like me you still will be, but I will say having the surgery was worth it.

Thanks. I am trying to keep my brave face on. DH had shoulder surgery last August (torn labrum...outpatient) so he keeps doing the "it's no big deal" thing too. I just try not to think about the things that could go wrong. I'm a worrier like that.

 

[tiggger1]

Not all chiropractors are bad. I had sciatic pain and went to one and he was horrible.

The one I see now insists on xrays and/or MRIs before seeing patients. He's very very careful with his treatments and has patients do follow up xrays or other tests periodically so he's not going in blind. Sounds like a lot of you need to find a better, more experienced chiropractor

I love my chiropractor. He has been a godsend.

What people need to remember is that by the time most first timers have been in pain for a while. Which means your muscles/tendons are used to the wrong position. After you are adjusted to the "correct position" your muscles are sore because they are not used to be where they are supposed to be.

 

[JessicaR]

If the procedure can be done minimally invasive you could go home the same day! You can read all about it here. This a an excellent spine site. I had spine surgery for spondylolisthesis that kept me in the hospital for 9 days. The outcome has been worth it.

http://www.spineuniverse.com/treatments/surgery/lumbar-discectomy-minimally-invasive-spine-surgery

Write down your questions and ask your doctor so you can be prepared. Wishing you the best outcome and a quick recovery!

 

[Jennasis]

Wow Jess! Thanks for that info!

 

[tonilea]

I had back surgery in 2005. Before surgery excruciating pain, in post-op I felt 110% better. Sure, I had pain at the surgical site, but the shooting pain down my leg was gone.

I have to say, I am not as good as NEW, but as long as I exercise regularly - and that is key - I don't even have to take ibuprophen very often.

ETA - I had a laminectomy/discectomy on my L5/S1. I went home the same day. I was back at my job within two weeks, with lifting restrictions.

 

[LJC1861]

I have had two spinal surgeries, but mine were for herniated discs in my neck. I know that the lower back presents more challenges, but I have a feeling that you will come out of this feeling SOOOO much better, and quickly. Like others have said, my pain was GONE as soon as I was out of surgery. I also had numbness in both hands/arms prior to surgery that was gone instantly after surgery.

I highly recommend Spine Universe. It answered so many questions for me prior to my surgery. I also recommend, if you have time, doing some PT prior to your surgery as well as after. PT before both surgeries made me stronger and better able to heal afterward.

Also, and this is crucial.....keep yourself in as positive a frame of mind as you can muster. You need to be confident in your ability to heal and you WILL heal faster.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Linda

 

[dislaney]

Thanks. I needed to hear that. HOw long was the surgery and hospitalzation? How long were you laid up? Did you have to do P/t after?

I'm very fortunate at least in that the doctor who ordered the MRI and is sending me to the surgeon is a very good friend and is sending me to "the best" guy.

I have never had surgery and this just terrifies me.

I actually went home the same day I had surgery. My pain was immediately gone. I did have some surgery pain but it was gone fairly quickly. I did lots of exercises afterwards but the ones that helped the most were the ones that worked on strengthening my core. I am so much better now.

 

[disadventurer]

Oh no.


So I just got the call from my doctor. I need to have surgery immediately. I am waiting for the surgeon's office to return from lunch to set up the appointment. Apparently I need a "Discectomy".

My L5 is "obliterated".

I am so scared right now.

Had this done in 2003. Had it done by neurosurgeon. Incision is about 1 inch. Had pain down my leg and I thought is was just a sore muscle in a pilates stretch. Turned out I had foot drop and didn't even know it. It is amazing how your body compensates. Would never have my back done by chiro again. Firmly believe in core, walking and pt. Good luck to you and don't wait.

 

[minkydog]

Oh no.


So I just got the call from my doctor. I need to have surgery immediately. I am waiting for the surgeon's office to return from lunch to set up the appointment. Apparently I need a "Discectomy".

My L5 is "obliterated".

I am so scared right now.

Well, aren't you glad you didn't mess around with that chiropractor! You could have had a very unhappy ending.

My DSis had this done last year. Except she wasted 6 months fooling with a 3x/week chiropractor before she finally took herself off to an orthopedist. Her MRI was awful--the disc was completely torn and she had a small bone fragment in the spinal canal. she was in surgery within 12 hours! Its a real wonder than she's not paralyzed.

She woke up from surgery with NO BACK PAIN> her worst complaint was a sore throat from being put to sleep. She had several weeks of PT which helped her get back to normal and she has had no further problems.

 

[JessicaR]

I just saw that you had your MRI and less than an hour later you got a call to say you needed emergency surgery. I'm guessing you may be preparing for that as we speak. I just read through from the beginning and man were you in bad shape. Thank GOD you didn't continue with the chiropractor. That doctor should have ordered x-rays at the very least before touching you! Makes me angry.

Try and update us when you can. Till then positive thoughts for your procedure. I hope you wake up feeling better.

 

[Jennasis]

I just saw that you had your MRI and less than an hour later you got a call to say you needed emergency surgery. I'm guessing you may be preparing for that as we speak. I just read through from the beginning and man were you in bad shape. Thank GOD you didn't continue with the chiropractor. That doctor should have ordered x-rays at the very least before touching you! Makes me angry.

Try and update us when you can. Till then positive thoughts for your procedure. I hope you wake up feeling better.

I know right?

My MRI was at 10am (actually 10:17am by the time stamp on the DVD they gave me). I got home about 11ish and I got the call at 11:30m from my doctor/friend who ordered the MRI. The tech had told me to expect results in 24-48 hours, but my doc was ALL OVER IT and got me the results super fast!! Good to have friends with pull. I said to DH that I knew it wasn't good news when I got a call that fast.

So my appt with the surgeon is at 9:45am tomorrow morning, and I am bringing my MRI's from today, my original MRI from 16 years ago (yes I still have it) and my spine x-rays from earlier this year. That should make us fully armed to decide the best course of action.

 

[Jennasis]

Surgery it is. Tuesday morning (my referring doc was floored they got me in so quick, but I told the scheduling nurse I could do it ASAP and they happened to have a cancellation). The surgeon feels confident they can get me pain free, but the numbness and weakness MAYB be permanent. Will have to wait until after surgery to see.

Say a prayer for me if you can. I'm less scared, but still worried.

 

[Micca]

Surgery it is. Tuesday morning (my referring doc was floored they got me in so quick, but I told the scheduling nurse I could do it ASAP and they happened to have a cancellation). The surgeon feels confident they can get me pain free, but the numbness and weakness MAYB be permanent. Will have to wait until after surgery to see.

Say a prayer for me if you can. I'm less scared, but still worried.

The upside is it sounds like a fix is in the works! That's great! I don't blame you for being nervous, but I sure hope it goes well for you.

If you don't mind me asking: Is this a procedure they can do with a local of some kind, or do they put you out completely? Just curious, if you'd prefer not to go into feel free to ignore me(I'm used to it)

 

[HeatherH]

I am SO glad you got in to a good doctor who took the RIGHT steps to diagnose you, and that you will be getting your surgery so quickly!

I only wish I had done the same thing many years ago, rather than go to a chiropractor who COMPLETELY misdiagnosed me and made things worse.

Truly, the surgery now is MINIMALLY invasive. Once you recover, you should be feeling much, much better. I have several friends with great success stories.

Good luck to you!

 

[Jennasis]

The upside is it sounds like a fix is in the works! That's great! I don't blame you for being nervous, but I sure hope it goes well for you.

If you don't mind me asking: Is this a procedure they can do with a local of some kind, or do they put you out completely? Just curious, if you'd prefer not to go into feel free to ignore me(I'm used to it)

They can in certain instances. In some cases, they go in with a needle and "deflate" the disc. That requires a local. For mine, they open a small 3cm hole and go through that. I hope they knock me right the heck out!

 

[disadventurer]

Surgery it is. Tuesday morning (my referring doc was floored they got me in so quick, but I told the scheduling nurse I could do it ASAP and they happened to have a cancellation). The surgeon feels confident they can get me pain free, but the numbness and weakness MAYB be permanent. Will have to wait until after surgery to see.

Say a prayer for me if you can. I'm less scared, but still worried.

Glad to hear they got you in quickly. You will be feeling better real soon. I remember I had no back pain--it wall all in the hamstring. Mine were bone fragments as well so no time to wait!! A week from the surgery you'll be doing better. You are in my prayers.

 

[mom2kazkids]

Thanks. I needed to hear that. HOw long was the surgery and hospitalzation? How long were you laid up? Did you have to do P/t after?

I had this done in 2000 and was back to work in 1 1/2 weeks, though I sat and watched monitors in the ICU (I am an RN). Once I woke up the pain I had was completly gone. Numbness to the leg lasted a while though. I can tell now when I have a heavy day at work, cuz some of the numbness comes back. I had problems at l5 s1, but had a slight bulge at l4-l5.