Hello to all my Gather friends! As so many of you know, I have been trying to figure out what is really going on with my back and what to do with it.
It seems that the L5 disc has herniated and it is leaking the chemical compound into my nerves, which is what is causing the major pain that I have. Since it has been so long already, and I have been going through this for almost 1 year he says that I am not one of the lucky ones that heal themselves. Of course, the fact that I am a smoker probably has not helped that. It seems that the surgeon says that since it looks as though the disc is not repairing itself that I have two options, I can either continue on the path I am already on...which is NOT helping or have surgery to remove the damaged disc and fuse that area.
Now, this sounds very scary to me, but I am soooo tired of being in this much pain! He seems to think that I would have a very good success rate, AS LONG AS I STOP SMOKING! He WILL NOT operate on me at all unless I quit smoking 2 weeks before surgery and promise to stay quit for at least 3 months after. He says that he feels really good about how the results would turn out for me.
So, he gave me a week to think it over and make a decision. My mom wants to go with me for my appointment next week, but it seems to me that I really do not have much choice. I have tried ALL of the conservative methods of dealing with this issue, and have had NO relief. I am in pain EVERYDAY!!! And I can not continue on this path. It looks that I do not have much choice in this matter. It looks like I will be having surgery.
I really do not know what else to do. It is a scary thought, and I do not want to have surgery on my back, but I have been looking at it like this: I am already in so much pain everyday that if it helps some...it would be better than it is now. If it does nothing, at least I tried to fix it. If it really works, I have gained everything and if it does not, I haven't really lost anything.
Make sense??? What are your thoughts??
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Comments: 29
Good luck and keep us updated on what you decide to do.
I've never heard of that condition, tho. Interesting.
Hey Tess...do you want me to flag this one as spam? At least you'd know it was flagged by a friend...hahahaha.
My daughter does not have sugery as an option and there is no relief for her at this time. The epidural shots did not work.
God bless and I do hope you quit smoking for good. ;)
Good luck and take care.
Danielle, I know that your daughter is having a very tough time, and I am SO sorry for her pain...and the pain that it causes you as her mother. We never like to see our children suffer. The epidural shots did not help me either and I know how frustrating it is to know that so many people get INSTANT relief from those. Please know that I am praying for both of you all the time.
John, I think you put it in the best of terms, even if it is simple terms! LIVING IN PAIN STINKS!!! You are quite right, and I guess I will have to go through with it in order to have ANY CHANCE of normalcy in my life again.
One of the biggest problems with all of this is the fact that I have not been able to work, and that not only DRIVES ME CRAZY, it has caused such a financial hardship on our household. Not only am I not bringing in an income...I am costing us so much with my constant doctor bills. It is just too much to bear sometimes!
I am working on the smoking. I think I will write an article about that today.
I was told a while back that doctors were working on a bendable replacement for these kinds of problems so doctors don't have to fuse them together. You might ask around about that and see if it has been manufactured yet. It is like a vinal or something that bends when you do.
You do need to stop smoking before surgery thou. It will help a little and I can see why he is saying that. You need to strengthen up your veins so the blood can flow more freely during surgery. I will be praying for you. I have back pain because of Sciatica. That is no fun either. But mine isn't every day.
I will send my happy, confident and healing thoughts your way:)
I am going to ask him about it regardless, if for no other reason...to see what he has to say, but the area that they would be fusing is on the L5 and honestly there is not much movement in that area of the spine. I would be more inclined to try out a new device, such as the artificial discs if it were higher up in my spine where movement is a lot more critical. L5 is down there right above the tailbone and I am thinking I should be fine with the fusion there.
Does anyone disagree?
I wish that the chiro would have helped me more. I went for a few months and I would feel better until I started moving around again. I am glad that you get relief from going.
I wish you all the luck and will do my best to be around for you if you ever need to talk. I am going to send you a connection request right now.
I know what you mean about not being able to work too. I had a hard time adjusting, especially when I lost my job entirely and had to apply for social security disability. It's not much, but at least we can make the house payment.... ;-)
Good luck and take care.
Good luck . I quit smoking last October . My doctor sprung it on me on my maintenance visit (I go to the VA . ) I wasn't even thinking about Quiting . She said there was this new drug called chantrix . Not telling anybody what to do . But , after smoking for fifty years I quit . You will have recovery time . Use it to quit . Again good luck .
Larry, I am hoping to quit without having to use the medication. Did your insurance pay for the prescription? Congratulations on having quit. I wish you all the best with it.
My problem was very similar to yours...L5 S1! My uncle told me to get a second opinion, but I had confidence in my doctor. He was a Neurosurgeon. BIG MISTAKE! This man really messed me up. (I got a horrible back infection and everything...I think that is one of the reasons your doctor wants you to quit smoking!) To make a long story short, I finally ended up with the doctor my uncle wanted me to see in the beginning who was an Orthopedic surgeon who specialized in adult and children's spines. This man changed my life! He gave me my life back!!
I am so glad that I had the surgery because I couldn't function without it! The Orthopedic surgeon fused my back, I have rods & screws. Because my case was so bad, they went in through my stomach, hollowed out part of the spine and put a cadaver bone in for support. I AM SO GLAD THAT I HAD THE SURGERY AND THAT I HAD THE RIGHT SURGEON!
You will be fine, just do your homework and make sure you have the right doctor. I hope that I didn't scare you. I just wanted to let you know the importance of the right doctor. I will keep you in my prayers. Please keep me posted on how you are doing. :)
DO ANY OF YOU KNOW OF SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT I SHOULD ASK HIM????
I HAVE A LIST STARTED FROM THE QUESTIONS MY MOM AND I BOTH HAVE, BUT WILL WELCOME ANY SUGGESTIONS THAT YOU CAN OFFER.
My boyfriend had back surgery 20 years ago and has had no problems until December 2007. He is now waiting to have surgery again, had to fix some problems with his heart first. He has 2 disks that have ruptured, number 5 and 6, I think.
Best of luck to you, keep us posted!!!!