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Posted 8/25/2014 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
I have been dealing with lower back pain and numbness and tingling in my left leg. I have been told I have degenerative disc disease and a bulging disc.

I am in chronic pain and have tried PT (about 32 sessions), accupuncture and an Epidural Cortizone shot. The Epidural lasted for ten days.

I am limited on what I can do and my quality of life has decreased dramatically. I also cannot perform my normal job.

I have been told that there is nothing else that can be done unless I choose to have a Fusion in the L4-L5 area. I am extremely concerned about moving forward with the surgery as I have read not so positive comments from others that have had the surgery.

I am wondering if I should just live with the pain and not risk having the surgery and encounter further challenges with my back. However, if I do not have the surgery now, will it be needed in the future? Could my lower back get worse?
Posted 8/25/2014 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hello OverlyConcerned & welcome to the chronic pain forum. Sorry to read what you have going on with your health.

The very first thing I would do is get a 2nd opinion with a board certified, fellow shipped trained neurosurgeon. I would not let an orthopedic surgeon do surgery. The neuro's do brain surgery & have tons of experience dealing with nerves. The ortho's specialty is more along the lines of bones & joints.

None of us here are drs & even if we were we couldn't make this decision for you. We all speak strictly from experience. These fusions are done every day & not all of them are failures. Many people do have surgery & return to work. A lot depends on your mental makeup about the surgery, in other words do not make a decision to have it unless you feel good about the decision. Also what a patient does once they go home after surgery is what determines how well they do. It can take anywhere from a year to 18 months to completely heal from a fusion, not 6 weeks either. Drs tend to talk textbook talk when speaking about healing & that sort of thing.

Can your condition get worse, sure it can. If you have nerve involvement sometimes waiting too long to have anything done can result in permanent nerve damage. Educate yourself about your condition, the surgery & what to expect after surgery. A very good website devoted to the spine is SpineUniverse.com.. Ask questions from people that will give you accurate & reliable answers. Careful about talking to individuals because when it comes to surgery some people really like to embellish their experience & all that will do is scare the pants off of you.

Keep in mind here some of these folks surgery did not have a good outcome for whatever reason, so if you don't get a glowing report remember why.

Take care.
Posted 8/25/2014 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
^^Ditto^^



FYI: I've had what's called 'spinal reconstruction' of L1-L5 and I have to tell you,....I understand your apprehension, and I get it, there's a lot of horror stories out there.

I am NOT one of them. I am forever grateful that I had the surgery done. I *do* think I waited too long (I was fearful)...and it cost me. But I had the most amazing surgeon, and while yes I'm still in pain, it is sooooo worth it because it's a fraction of what it was when I first gimped into his office.

He WAS my second opinion! As Susie mentioned, it's really important....

I wish I had people to talk to before my surgery. Not just ones who were keen to express bad experiences, but also to know that there really and truly are people out there who are happy they followed through! :)











M.
Posted 8/25/2014 9:36 PM (GMT 0)
Are you seeing a pain doctor? Have they discussed getting facet joint injections (different from epidural) and seeing if nerve ablations will work?

I get lumbar facet nerve ablations (burning) done about once a year, so far. It stops nearly all my lumbar pain. It's not surgery!

The doc has to be an anesthesiologist. Not all pain doctors have the training to do this, which may be why they just say go get fused.

I'd at least get a second opinion!
Posted 8/25/2014 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
As one that has had a L4-L5 fusion and laminectomy I would definitely encourage you to get a second opinion as others have stated. If you just have a bulging disc and are having sciatica then I wouldn't recommend surgery for only those. I have a herniated disc as well and had horrible sciatica for about 8 months which was excruciating but all of a sudden it just stopped.

My surgeon had said that the bulging material usually dries up and stops pressing on the sciatic nerve that is causing all the problems so we opted for the wait and see method before doing another surgery for the disc. Aqua therapy and walking are good for the back as well as heat/ice and a good muscle relaxer and anti-inflammatory. Surgery is a major step and I really had no choice because I had lost most of the use of my right leg and started experience numbness in the nether regions which is not good.

It's a hard call to make because if you have nerve damage then you don't want to ignore that as it can become permanent. I have permanent nerve damage for going so long without treatment and it's not a pleasant thing. So I guess the best thing to do is get an mri, talk with a neurosurgeon about all the options and then get a second opinion. Best of luck to you.

Lynn
Posted 8/25/2014 10:17 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with Straydog/Susie seek out a 2nd opinion...don't go with anyone whom is surgery crazy, try to find the best in your area. someone you can trust...
Many well wishes...and prayers as this will not be an easy decision for you....
Posted 8/26/2014 12:11 AM (GMT 0)
I have spinal stenosis due to herniated discs and spondylolisthesis, and a lot of pain. I was very overweight. I lost a good amount of the weight and my pain reduced. Furthermore, I started taking LDN just recently and that has also helped me quite a bit with the pain. My research shows that sciatic pain from herniated discs take 6 months to improve. The level of benefits from with or without surgery is the same after 6 months. I would wait at least that long before considering invasive procedures. Ice packs in the lumbar area also help as well as Lidoderm patches. No narcotic pain meds will help nerve pain. Neurontin helps as long as it is used on a short term basis starting at the lowest dose of 100mg and increasing only when pain increases again.

Stretching your butt muscles will also help with the pain. Check you tube videos by searching under "sciatica pain" to show how to stretch.
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