Who has had back surgery for a herniated disc??

[curraheeguns]

MRI verdict is in and I have two herniated disc's, one of which is pinching a nerve and a third disc which the doc says is "misalighned".

I am suffering "episodes" of severe pain up my back, neck and all the way across the top and side of my skull. These pop up with no warning while sitting, standing, walking ect. and last for 15min to several hours (12-16hrs). They go away as quickly as they pop up and while doing anything from sitting to trying to stretch.

What a "pain" in the......back.

I go to a specialist Monday morning.

This all started from carrying a crate of ammo, so watch yourself next time!!

 

[HandK]

Good luck I have lived with that for 15 years, mine is non operable, I know a couple of guys that have had it done as long as you get the arthroscopic it is allot less invasive, and you heal allot quicker with less chance of complications, I wish you well.

 

[mms]

I had three disks herniated like yours two were really bad. I had the surgery..... well worth it. the problem with me is they could only fix two with out having to fuse them and put in rods which is way more invasive and dangerous. so i still have one that gives me problem every once in a while but nothing like before... do your self a favor and buy an ultra firm materes now or you will be sleeping on the floor alot hope this helps

 

[gus1989]

Had surgery back in 87. Pain in lower back and all the way down my through my right leg to my ankle. It worked for me. I've had some recurring problems over the years, but it has never gotten as bad as in 87. I wish you the best.

 

[El Cazador]

My brother is about to have surgery for darn near the same thing. He says he can't even lay down to sleep anymore, and he can't sit for more than a few minutes at a time. Makes me grit my teeth just thinking about it. I really feel for all you guys with bad backs.

 

[Bigum1969]

I have had severe back pain over the years, with the worse hitting about four years ago. I literally could not sit, stand, lie down, anything. The pain was worse than anything I've ever felt in my life. I literally didn't sleep for about 2 weeks.

Eventually I got pain injections and that helped some.

I have herniated disks, but even worse, spinal stenosis.

I've managed to avoid surgery. I occasionally get spinal cortisteroid epidural injections. I've lost about 70 pounds and also walk 3-4 miles four times a week.

I feel your pain. Good luck.

 

[kybares]

Mine went past that, and the vertabrae actually cut off a sliver of the disc, and lodged inside the the tunnel the nerve bundles run in. Consideral pain. Surgery was the only option. My surgeon stated that 80% success rate is expected. What he did not tell me was that recovery sucked. One month prone, no standing, sitting, or walking. The disc's need time to heal or you will be back in pain in short order. That was ten years ago, and I am still mobile, but not w/o restrictions. Do not anticipate that after surgery you will be able to resume previous bad habits. Good luck, and I hope your experience has the same success mine has been.

 

[gus1989]

I occasionally get spinal cortisteroid epidural injections. I've lost about 70 pounds and also walk 3-4 miles four times a week.

Do not anticipate that after surgery you will be able to resume previous bad habits. Good luck, and I hope your experience has the same success mine has been.

I had one shot, it lasted a day. That's one thing the surgeon told me afterward was to stay thin and EXERCISE. I let myself get way out of shape and I think that contributed to some relapses. I always feel better when I do exercise, but pretty soon I fall back into bad habits. I'm working harder at it now. Walking helps a lot. So does swimming. So do stretching exercises.

 

[rhino]

I had an L4-L5 laminectomy on 01NOV2001. which ended up being emergency surgery due to a sudden onset of paralysis and lack of feeling below the waist that morning. Afterward the surgeon said it was the worst disk hernation/rupture he'd seen in his career. I'd been battling the pain for years, being confined to bed for more than a year at a time on three occasions between 1994 and that date.

Here is my advice: unless you have persistent numbness or worse (i.e. paralysis), exhaust all non-surgical procedures first. I fully understand the effects that the pain can have on you and it essentially suspended my life for eight years, but you do not want to have surgery if you can avoid it. The success rate of surgeries is probably slightly better now than it was 20 years ago, but it's still a pretty even split among making it better, negligible difference, and making it worse.

Another thing is that while MRIs are very useful tools, they also show a lot of disk abnormalities that don't and might never cause any symptoms. MRIs of people with no symptoms at all often show what looks like a disk that should be causing a lot of pain, but does not. MRIs are not the ultimate tool.

Again, if it's just pain (and I don't mean to diminish this by using the word "just," because it can be the worst pain known to mankind with no foreseeable relief), avoid surgery. If you have numbness/loss of feeling/loss of motor control, especially if it's getting worse, then it's time to consult a neurosugeon or orthopod who specializes in spinal surgeries.