Herniated Disc... Had one?

FEAR NO FISH! · 01-27-2003, 10:23 PM

I just got the MRI results back that show a
problem between my L4 and L5. My right leg
has numb and dead spots down the side. I
can't walk without a bad limp. Has anybody
ever had surgery to correct or help with a
problem like that? I have years of abuse
from 700 pound squats and 650 pound
deadlifts. I am living on pain meds and
have been referred to a neurologist. I do
not like the meds but would be a basket
case without them. I went 10 days until I
couldn't take the pain anymore. Springer
season is gonna be rough, still gotta fish
though! :shocked:

Snapset · 01-27-2003, 11:49 PM

FNF, that sounds very similar to what my dad had a couple of years ago. He had the cortisone shots, and they were very painful and helped only for a few days. He went in for the surgery and his back is now in better shape than he was in before he hurt his back.

If you would like more details on the surgery or surgeon, let me know, I will get them for you.

BTW, he found that having tight hamstrings aggravated the nerve problem, and by stretching them out, it helped a lot also. It has also worked for me. Especially when I sit for a long time in a boat with a twist in my back, one hand on the tiller........... then a big fish hits and yanks me even farther. Ouch. Maybe you should just give up fishing.

[ 01-28-2003, 12:52 AM: Message edited by: Snapset ]

fishchaser · 01-28-2003, 12:26 AM

My husband had the same numbers, L4,L5. He had his surgery @ 7th day Adventist in Portland. He went in one day, came out the next. I picked him up with the camper and the boat attached and drove straight to the Mts. What a better way to relax and rest but in a beautiful pristeen picture perfect view of Mt. Hood.

Well as I was saying, He had no problems, two weeks later, he was back to work on light duty. He didn't return back to full duty for another 2 weeks. That was '96.

He says now he might have another disc herniated, cause he's starting to get the numbness back, but in a different spot.

Thumper · 01-28-2003, 05:46 AM

Steve --- Three years ago I herniated the same disc (L4/5) and one other. After an MRI my neurologist suggested a course of prednisone treatment and after a few weeks it was much better. It slowly improved thereafter and after lots of mild weight work my back is now about normal again.

The neurologist is the way to go. He doesn't make his living doing surgery and can triage you impartially.

Get that back well. The summer steelies are schooling up!

01-28-2003, 06:49 AM

Nerta has had this done to him. E mail him and ask what he thinks about it. You might even know him as he went to school in the Tri Cities area and has family there still.

[ 01-28-2003, 07:51 AM: Message edited by: Keta ]

FallRiverGuy · 01-28-2003, 07:46 AM

Four years ago I herniated the same disc (L4/L5) and have never felt such pain. Could not even lift my heel off the ground when standing on that leg only. After much counsel I opted to go with nonsugical methods. Basically I was more afraid of the possible side affects of having back surgery than the time spent in physical therapy.

What I learned is that most doctors worth their salt will tell you that there is no difference in recovery with surgery and without surgery after 5 years. So the difference between having surgery and not, is the recovery time. I decided that the longer recovery time out weighted the potential problems associated with surgery. Any time you have back surgery there is always a chance that there will be complications and I was not willing to take that risk.

Instead I had a cortisone injection. The relief was amazing for me and only required one shot. I was prepared to have three. I also had physical therapy 3 times a week for about 3 months. The most beneficial part of the physical therapy was using a machine called the MedX Lumbar Extension Machine. The MedX ( link ) isolates the small muscles in your lower back and strengthens them allowing the spine to keep straight. This also did wonders for me. I was going to give this treatment regime three months to provide substantial improvement (which it did). If that did not work I was going to have an Endoscopic Discectomy ( link ). If I was going to have surgery I wanted to have the least invasive procedure possible. The Endoscopic Discectomy is an outpatient procedure that allows for a quicker recovery than traditional surgery.

Four years later I am at 90% and feel that I made the best choice for me. If your life style does not allow for the recovery time need for nonsurgical procedures then you may want to opt for surgery. Just make sure you have a very good surgeon.

Good luck and hope you feel better soon. Let me know if you have other questions.

[ 01-28-2003, 08:48 AM: Message edited by: FallRiverGuy ]

FEAR NO FISH! · 01-28-2003, 08:43 AM

Thank you everyone for sharing your back
problems with me. It is heck getting
older. I never thought that something
like this could happen to me but then
again I never thought I would ever get
Bells Palsy either. I am recovering from
that also. I now have 3/4 of a smile back
and can close my left eye. Life sure has
a way of giving you new challenges. BRING
ON THE SPRINGERS!

My smile kind of looks like my avatar image. Only my teeth look a lot better.

[ 01-28-2003, 09:45 AM: Message edited by: FEAR NO FISH! ]

Straydog · 01-28-2003, 08:45 AM

I herniated L3 about 25 years ago playing intramural football in college. [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img]

At the time, the Doc wanted to cut but gave me bad odds of recovery with worse case scenario being loss of use of my legs...... I said
"no!".

Opted for hospital stay in pelvic traction and intense exercise program.

25 years later I still have problems with it going "out" about once a year or so. When that happens I usually spend a day or two flat on my back and let the healing begin.... again.

I do my exercises religiously and swear by them. Glad I didn't get cut except those rare times I am in such pain I could just pee myself. Only once a year or so if I watch what I do, how I do it and how much of it I do.

DriftR · 01-28-2003, 08:55 AM

Same story for me. Working in construction all my life hasn't been great for the lower back. I too believe in stretching exercise each and everyday. My right leg would get numb then it was miserable. I did PT then got into stretching and using an exercise ball. Man that thing at first was a real killer but after a while really helped the stretching. May opt for surgery one day but until then just stretch.

SteelieSteve · 01-28-2003, 06:43 PM

Injured L5-S1 in April, operated in July and the nerve problems have stopped in my legs but my low back is far from good. I'm still taking it pretty easy when it comes to lifting. Had more than 60 days of physical therapy and I've found that my back feels better without all the constant exercise. Walking is the best thing for you.

Good luck with your recovery

STGRule · 01-28-2003, 07:39 PM

Husband had a lower lumbar lamectomy (sp?) (L3/4) seven years ago. His was acute enough that we had to make multiple trips to the hospital to get hooked up to the morphine pump. Finally after he could no longer walk he was put in the hospital to try drugs to bring down the inflammation before surgery. They finally gave up and had to do the surgery anyway. It took him most of a year to recover completely because of it. He had no choice between surgery or not. It worked in the end.

King Kong · 01-28-2003, 07:48 PM

FNF,
I have had two back surgeries. One for ruptured L3-4 and the second for L4-5. Major bummer. Recovery time is reasonably fast. It really slows you down for a while though. I have found that I was not back to 100% until I was 8-12 months post-op. You will definately have to stop the habits of lifting heavy things without assistance. That is a hard one for us macho men. I could recommend a few great neurosurgeons in the portland area if you need them. E-mail me with your phone number and we can talk live about it if you would like.
Best of luck.

Kevin.

Rocky · 01-28-2003, 08:39 PM

FEAR NO FISH, I had my surgery (think its called a lamanectomy, which is trimming the disc) for the same thing in 93 or 94 after 15 years of dealing with it, just couldnt take it anymore. one of the best things for that is rest, which is hard to do but having said that, I would have the surgery again in a heartbeat if I had to do it again, I was in one day and walking around at the knife show the next but slower than everyone else. The recovery is kind of a hassle and you do have to take it easy but for me it was/is well worth it and nowdays even though they are dealing with your spinal cord these are very common operations. good luck whatever you do.

rocky

kenai · 01-28-2003, 09:19 PM

I had a similar problem, called degenerative disc disease, not really a disease but the damage is caused by a lifetime of construction work, weightlifting, genetics, etc. First symptom was severe lower back pain followed by numbness in the leg and foot. I tried the PT for quite a while and after many visits to the physical terrorists I developed a severe limp. The docs decided it was time for a surgery called ray cage fusion. They removed the disc and implanted a valve spring looking device in its place and packed it with bone from my femur. Sounds bad but it really healed fast and I havent had a twitch since (3 yrs now). all I can say is it worked for me but everyone says surgery is the last option. Man I'm happy for modern medicine, my dog was even starting to avoid me cause of my attitude. send me an email if your interested in more detail.

Wood N' Fish · 01-29-2003, 07:38 PM

FNF ------ I think your problem is related to the dark side! Anyone who is addicted as you to ev-nin fishin, has got to hurt! :tongue: Please come back to the mother Ship! "hang in there, don't go for back surgery, or any other invasive treatment, before multiple diagnosis. :shocked:

FEAR NO FISH! · 01-29-2003, 10:03 PM

I had my visit to the neurologist today. Had my wife accompany me as I don't drive well on pain meds. After stripping to my briefs he ran a battery of tests on me. I think these tests would have worked just as well with my clothes on but my wife told me later it was probably for his entertainment. When it was all said and done and after seeing the MRI, he advised me to see a neurosurgeon ASAP. He was concerned over the lack of strength and feeling in my right leg. I get to see the neurosurgeon on Friday morning. Will know more then.

FEAR NO FISH! · 01-31-2003, 12:34 PM

The neurosurgeon and I had our
consultation a little while ago. After
reviewing my MRI and symptoms, he
performed some more tests. He asked what
I would like to do. I said let the
cutting begin. He scheduled me for
surgery on this coming Thursday. I should
be ship shape by Springer season!

FallRiverGuy · 01-31-2003, 12:56 PM

Good luck with the surgery. Heres wishing you a speedy recovery. During PT just repeat: springers, springers, springs. :grin:

skrimmy · 01-31-2003, 04:48 PM

FNF, wishing you a speedy recovery.

riverrat · 01-31-2003, 05:30 PM

fnf.....i had back problems for over 20 years....did all the therapy, traction, exercise and drugs.....finally opted for the surgery this year....my problem was herniated and ruptured discs plus degenerative discs and some artharitis....i had a lumbar lamenectomy on july 25th, the doctor repaired 4 dics in my lumbar area.....on august 12th had a cervical lamenectomy which repaired 3 discs in the cervical area......i went back to work the first of october and i feel great.....still have some problems with my right leg and foot being numb, but the process of nerves healing takes time....total recovery should be about 9 months....i must add that my neck is great and i can tell each day that my back is improving....like i said i suffered for over 20 years.....had dr's that wanted to cut, but none would ever give me better odds than 33% better, 33% same, 33% worse....those odds were not good and that is why i passed....i finally went to a nerosurgeon who has a 96% success rate and does over 200 surgerys per year.....i would recommend him to my mother.....anyways my point is to make sure that you have a surgeon who is qualified with a great success rate and has a lot of experience.....ask your doc those questions and if he is not the best cancel your surgery and find the best.....you only have one neck and back....by the way there is no structural damage with the lamenectomy's and you will be able to do anything that you used to do.....i can!!!!!!

love2fish · 01-31-2003, 05:40 PM

FNF,
I had 75% of my L4/5 removed 2 years ago this month. After 30 years of construction work, my back finally gave out. My only advice is to follow the doctors advice. Two days after my surgury, I pulled the motor out of my pickup, and changed a tire on a '64 T-Bird. It was hard to just lay around. Big mistake, I now have lots of scar tissue and my back hurts every day for a couple of hours in the morning. [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img] It does seem to be getting a little better now. Let it heal slowly, and don't try to do anything to soon.
love2fish

kenai · 01-31-2003, 05:44 PM

Do yourself a favor and at least ask the doc about ray cage fusion. The good news is the disc is totally gone and can cause you no further grief, lamenectomies clean up the disc and can re herniate. the bad news is the disc is totally gone and you lose some mobility. Ask your neurosurgeon.

Spoiled Daddy · 01-31-2003, 08:57 PM

FNF,

I had herniated the L4/L5 disc about 6 years ago and finally had surgery in Feb 2000. It was the best thing I ever did.

No matter what kind of surgery you do, please remember to take your recovery seriously and slowly. It was very hard for me to lay around for several days and then take weeks off work to just lay around some more. But... do it if you can. I went back to work too early (2 weeks after surgery) and should have stayed home the full month the DR suggested.

My biggest adversary is my big gut. If you have extra wgt on, loose it and I bet that will speed your recovery along more than anything. I fight my wgt all the time and feel the best when I drop 25-30 lbs.

Best of luck! :smile: Spoiled Daddy