Back Surgery
 

Well i went to the dr about my back upon you guys advice and they let me know from the x-ray that I have 2 bones the L5 and the S1 are touching because of severe deteration and they are saying the only thing to do is surgery, I don't know about this. Do you guys think I should get a second opinion? She is sending me to see a neuro-surgeon. I feel like I am a snowball rolling down a hill getting bigger and bigger and will end up having back surgery that I may not need. Again I come to you all for advice and opinions maybe some of you have had this before and can tell me what you did.:(

I don't think I'd be asking for medical advice from anybody on this board.

Well as I said there are a lot of members here, even a couple of drs and I know there are some people on here who have had back problems so I think its ok to talk to people on here about things.

2nd opinion do research. Fusing back vertibrate your last option.

You should definitely get a second opinion when it comes to something like this.

Is this the appropriate location for the first joke about the amount of time you've spent on your back over the years? work related, repetative injury joke?

That's exactly what is wrong with my back, only my doctor said I was too young to have surgery, for fear that it would cause more surgery down the road. He recommended Epidural Steroid Injections first. They're expensive, but surely you have good insurance working at a hospital.

The neuro surgeon suppose to talk to me about what they plan to do, but my dr said she didn't think shots would be an option for something like this. My brother in law had two bones replaced in his neck when this happened to him.

Do you all think they are gonna talk about putting in 2 other bones or a spacer or what? I have never had any surgery before and don't really ever see the dr about anything till now and I am scared and confused on what the hell to do.

Yes I have great insurance but the dr said injections wouldn't do any good at this point. She said this is what is causing all my leg and foot pain also.

yea go ahead get it off your chest I know you want to.:D

Get a 2nd opinion....back injuries can linger. My uncle has had 2 back surgeries now and my dad has had 1. My aunt has had 1 so far and seems to be doing well as well as my uncle. My dad has other problems so its on/off with him.

Get a second opinion, but it does sound like you'll need sugery.

I don't know I'm just an amateur gynecologist. Not my field of study.:dom:

If I knew for a fact it would make things better and I wouldn't have any further complications I would do it, but I am scared I will have major problems later, I just don't know:shake:

http://www.spinaldecompression.us/

Let me know if you have questions.

Did your back cause you to have leg and foot pain? They also said I have arthritis in my spine. God being 44 sucks!! :mad:

So they can do this non invasive? What exactly does that mean? They don't actually have to cut my back open?

..

Look I agree w/ Spott, yet again!

Sorry man I could of used some backup when the falcohaulics were giving me a hard time in the parking lot.

as far as medical advice on the board, one of our smartest guys on here took out a cyst near his eye with a hot poker

I blew that same disc out of my back a few years ago and had to have surgery. All they did was go in and take out any remaining loose disc material and did some enlarging of the nerve canals in my spine since they said I had stenosis. I believe the Doc called the procedure a lumbar laminectomy.

My GF this summer. She was all kinds of worried cause the Dr. said she needed surgery. Everything turned out ok though.

Her (39 y/o 5'2" and 145 pounds) and I (33 y/o 5'7" 195) moved Railroad ties about 6 months ago. Not regular railroad ties, but railroad ties that had been sitting in a drainage ditch (street run-off) for about 2 years. We moved a couple of them out of the ditch and saved the ones that were sunk in the mud for last. The first few were probably close to 250 pounds or so...not too bad. But then we got to the ones that were water logged. We both got it out of the mud and when she straightened up....OWIE!!!! She hurt her back really bad....Keep in mind she's a small girl to be doing stuff like this, but she's full of gusto.

So I helped her to the house and helped put ice on it while she called the chiropractor

After going to the Chiropractor (who told her to stop lifting heavy stuff like that) a few times she finally went to the Dr. and got x-rays. Dr. told her that she'd have to have surgery on her Budging Disk. She was almost inconsolable.

Got an appointment for a neurosurgeon and .....

The surgeon said that she didn't need surgery!!! Just some pain meds and a TENS unit. If that didn't help in 6 month then the discussion of surgery would be revisited.

It's not a little over 6 months later she's had 3 epidurals of cortisone, some pain and muscle relaxant meds, and uses the TENS unit every other day. We don't think she will need surgery.

Moral of the story....visit the surgeon first. See what they have to say. If they say surgery then I'd get a second opinion just to be sure.

Neurosurgeon has more experience with that sort of injury than the Dr. so they will be able to tell you more about your options than your General Practitioner.

Yes, I did. My foot would go numb. I need a three level fusion, but I'm trying to put it off for as long as possible. Just changed insurance, so I've got to find a new doctor.

Try having your back now 13 years ago.

I've sold implants (screws/rods/biologics) used in spinal surgery for the past 15 years throughout the Midwest area, and have spent many an hour in surgery with dozens of surgeons. The level of expertise amongst the community of spine surgeons is extremely variant. The most important thing you can do is research the quality of work done by surgeons in your area. While most, if not all, are well intentioned, the differences in aptitude and knowledge is frankly frightening.

In Tennessee, Kevin Foley is highly regarded, as are a few others. Spine surgery done by anyone less than a top-tier surgeon is much more of a crapshoot than you think. Find out who the best is in your area and go to them - you don't want to have to do it twice - end of story.

Anyone in the Cox network in Southwest Missouri?

In all fairness, the heat was just for sanitary reasons.

Watch the video that explains the whole procedure. It is totally non invasive with over 80% success ratio.

I did that about three years ago. I guess I'm part of the 20%. :(

It's good if you've just got a herniated disk, but I don't know what it would do for deterioration. It creates space for the disk, but I don't think it's meant to strengthen your spine. And it's expensive. It was $3600 three years ago, and it was done by my chiropractor. If you do look into it, make sure your insurance covers it.

I had a 360 fusion done about 7 years ago by Dr. Paul Olive. I was told by a number of people in the medical proffesion he was "The Man" when it came to back surgey in Springfield. He did an excellent job on the part of my back he worked on.




PS

At the time he was part of the Cox network.

Which network? If my insurance doesn't cover him, then it's a no go. I'll have to run his name through the website and see what I find.

Ah. Thanks!

At the time he was part of the Cox network.

what a drag it is getting old
 

I feel your pain, cervical fusion in 2000, lumbar lamencetomy at 3-4-5 in 2004, and again in 2006. Dr. said it was only the 2nd case he had seen where the bone grew back into the spine. Unfortunately, you will have to live with some pain from now on. Surgery can eliminate the numbness and perhaps keep you out of a wheelchair.

Most GOOD Drs. will tell you surgery is the last option. Sometimes for stenoios they go in from the front, around your belly button. They have a lot of organs to move around, then put back in place.

Being a Chiefs fan I understand that chronic pain will be no big step for you. Remember, just wait till next year.

While badgirl isn't a Chiefs fan, I am. 3-4-5 is what I would need done. My doctor said I still had mobility and control of my leg, and that my bladder wasn't affected. Along with my age, that's why he suggested putting off surgery. I'm not old! :((

Here's a strange take on it, but it's good advice. If you know any lawyers in your area, ask them to talk to a med mal attorney for you ... a lot of times they can tell you who the best surgeons are, and which ones to stay away from.

Best of luck ... I got decent results from my 2 back surgeries. I'll never be 100%, but the massive reduction in my back pain made them both worth it.

been off for a few days and just caught up on this thread. Luv, back in october of last year I couldnt walk for 3 weeks and now I still at times have my leg buckle under me and the pain is almost unbareable at times. I didn't know about it affecting the bladder. What is this you speak of? I hate to get into a pee thread but at times I have a very very hard time with it. I have to strain really hard to urinate, is there a possibilty my back is affecting it? I haven't discussed my problem with this to my dr cause I thought it was unrelated and It doesn't happen all the time.

If you really have disc degeneration there isn't any other way to fix it than a surgical procedure...it isn't something that will just heal.

Duh!!!

Well what exactly are you asking.....you said a surgery you "may not need" how else should I interpret that?

evidentally, if its not to bad you can have some kind of shots. My Duh was to you saying it wouldn't heal itself. That part I am aware of.

Did they explain to you how often you need those shots and the size of the needle that is used....

No:shake:

I'm going to give you a hint it's like an epiderrel however you spell that needle...it's rather large.

I once had a spinal tap, anything like that needle? It was pretty big, but they numbed my back in that area and I had so much pain meds through a IV that it didn't hurt at all.

Bullshit, surgery is not the answer for degenerative disc disease in any way, shape or form.

By the way it's called epidural and all that is, is a shot of lidocaine, which numbs everything because the other ingredient of the shot, usually depo-medrol or some other form of steroid that shrinks the tissue, burns a lot going in.

The problem, when it works, and many times it doesn't, the tissue is numbed and the swelling goes away, so the patient thinks their better. Problem, feeling better is not being better. The symptoms have been masked. Symptoms your body gave you to let you know you screwed up and didn't take good care of yourself. It's a mechanical problem. The vertebrae stop moving properly, usually due to some injury, so the disc does not get any fluid imbibed into it, it begins to dry up, or dessicate, (like dessicated dried fruit) it then begins to thin closing the size of the whole where the nerve is, usually ending up causing you pain.

I've been treating conditions just like this non-surgically for 32 years.

Thank you and I know your a chiropractor, right? I have know I have degeneration for about 12 years its just recently started giving me serious trouble.

Let me ask you about something Luv mentioned in a post she said it can affect your bladder, whats that about cause I do have problems with that but I haven't mentioned it to the Dr. Could it be from my back problem?

I hope I have the right person, your the dr right? Floridachief? Same person?

Yes to I'm the doctor, Floridafan and yes it can affect your bladder. A nerve has two types of fibers, motor and sensory. Motor tells the tissue what to do and sensory fibers relate it to its environment. Example, when you shake someones hand, you squeeze their hand, that's the motor portion of the nerve telling the muscles in your arm and hand to contract and squeeze and you feel the persons hand in yours, that's the sensory portion of the nerve doing the feeling and telling the brain your being touched.

How severe is the bladder involvement? You really should tell your doctor.

Personally I would not have surgery for degenerative disc disease but you may be so severe you waited too long and you might need surgery. Tough call without reviewing your MRI and x-rays.

Spinal decompression has helped many people with exactly what your complaining of. Everyone responds differently. Some people follow doctors orders, some don't. Some continue to do the very things that caused the problem others stop and follow directions, everyone is different.

You are completely unique and need to have someone evaluate you. Take your records with you.

I have a CD with my x-rays on it and my MRI is waiting for approval from my insurance co. I have been told by my dr to take them to the neuro surgeon she is referring me to.

As far as my bladder goes, its very hard for me to urinate at times I have to strain really hard and if I stop straining it stops. This doesn't happen all the time, but at least a few times a month.

I will be sure to tell her on my next visit.

Your insurance company should ok an MRI immediately. Keep in mind that the second half of the neurosurgeon's name is surgeon. They usually recommend surgery with symptoms you are describing and it is not in their best interest to refer you elsewhere.

Before anyone posts about their doctor and how wonderful they are and how they would never do that, give me a break. I've been dealing with doctors and sending referrals for 32 years and doctors do what's best for them, trust me.

In fact down here in Florida right now their is a class action suit against a lot of the most well thought of neurosurgeons and spine orthopedic surgeons for doing hundreds of unneeded surgeries on immigrants for $30,000 a pop after car accidents. It's very hush hush but details are beginning to leak out. It was a money making scam. I have heard that one of the doctors on referrals was doing $700,000 a month in services. I have been shocked by the names I've been hearing that are involved. So with that said you need to get advice from someone who does not have a money making vested interest in your condition.

I've heard patients say that they don't won't to offend their doctor by getting their records and seeking another opinion. Think of it this way. If you were told your car needed thousands of dollars worth of work and you weren't 100% sure that it was the way to go, would you not seek another opinion? If a doctor gets mad at a patient for seeking another opinion, you need another doctor. Get a number of opinions and look at different forms of care.

One last thing about surgery, you can't unscramble an egg. Once surgery is done that's it. 70% of all back surgeries fail and the patient is back for another surgery within 2-5 yrs. I believe its because they don't address the cause of the problem, altered mechanics, or improper movement of the bones, and only address the herniated disc or spurs etc.

I hope this helps. God Bless and good luck.

As my doctor described it to me...you wouldn't have control of your bladder. The nerves would be deadened, so you wouldn't be able to sense that you had to go before you went.

Epidural Steriod Injections. Been there. Done that.

Wow, you're old.