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Quoted message said:Please help - herniated disk problem
My cousin who is 51 years in California has a herniated disk. He has
tried Vicodin, Hydrocortisone, Ice, methacarbamol, Naproxsyn etc. for
the past 6 months. Also Steroids. No relief. Lots of pain. Waist to
ankle. Pain keeps him awake at night at times.
Similar situation here, at least as it looks on paper. I'm now 51 but I
had a laterally herniated L4-L5 8 years ago. I still have it but it's
better. I work with and around it pretty well and have lifted in three
PL meets over the last two years. "awake at night at times" isn't a lot
of fun but it's better than what I had. I was on Percoset 24/7 and woke
up whenever it wore off so I sort of sleep in several short stretches
when I could. After 2 weeks of that, my back had calmed down enough
where the doctor could actually perform a decent examination, and after
another week, I got a cortisone shot which made a huge difference for
me.
You and your cousin should be doing some reading if you haven't already.
Start with "Treat Your Own Back" by Robin McKenzie, and continue with
anything by John E. Sarno.
Quoted message said:His MRI shows his herniated disk is very large and the neurosurgeon
says it is too late for physical therapy.
Get a second opinion. Physical therapy sometimes isn't much fun - I had
gotten off Percoset when I started mine and went back on it after the
first PT session for several days - but it very often works if you do
what they tell you. I had to do exercises on the hour, every hour I was
awake for quite some time.
Quoted message said:The neurosurgeon said he would do a microscopic surgery as an
outpatient situation. That the actual surgery would last about .30
minutes and he would walk out without any pain and without a
wheelchair. He almost guarantees that there will be minimal pain after
the surgery except for the stitches.
The problem with the surgery is that it can be a better means to a
lesser end. Some people who have it, even though they feel better
sooner than they would without it, never return to full functionality in
terms of athletics. I'd say if your cousin is the active type, try to
avoid the surgery. If he's not, the surgery makes more sense although I
still think it's best avoided if at all possible.
Quoted message said:He specializes in spice surgery and has been in business for almost 9
years.
He will make a one inch slit and swell the muscles so according to the
doctor it will be minimally invasive. The total time in the hospital
will be about 4 hours.
So the questions are:
- How dangerous is this surgery ?
- How complicated is it ?
- is the above method the latest and best available techniques or
should he be using some other way to do the surgery
- what are the negatives of such a Herniated disk surgery.
- I went on the internet and there isn't any information on this
surgeon, where and how can I find out about him
- Since the Neuro Surgeon has only 9 years experience, is this
sufficient or should he look for some one with more experience
- once the surgery is done, what are the chances of this problem
recurring ?
- is that disk going to be weak after the surgery ?
You should get at least two opinions. My back doctor is an orthopedist
who specializes in low back pain and he made it very clear that, even
though I was a borderline case in those term (i.e., if my injury had
been any worse, I would have had no choice but to have the surgery),
avoiding surgery is the best thing to do, at least at first. If you
feel you've given it your best effort and still want the surgery, that
option is usually still available.
You and your cousin should be doing some reading if you haven't already.
Start with "Treat Your Own Back" by Robin McKenzie, and continue with
anything by John E. Sarno - gee, did I say that before? Well, it's
important.
-S-
http://www.kbnj.com
