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Posted 12/16/2012 12:16 PM (GMT 0)

Hello there. I haven’t been on the forum pages lately mainly because I became a new grandmother, experienced depression ., Yet it is a part of my Bipolar II and my psychiatrist said that my chronic pain is causing another depression. So I had a lot of medication adjustments done and pain medications adjustments done. I had a steroid injection done to my back on both sides of my spinal column. I have several bulging discs with a herniated disc with a displaced nerve root. I have made up my mind to see a Spinal Surgeon about my back issues because I am having so much problems with my back.  The pain is unbearable and affects the way I walk and dos my activities.  I have had spinal ablations done and nothing worked for cutting the back pain. Steroid injections have not helped for long. My daughter who lives with us is against us is against it because she is afraid of the things that might go wrong. And she have to care for me all the time. Right now she helps with the house work. My husband is supportive and is  afraid too. The surgery will be in the L5- S1 region. I want the surgery because I don’t want the pain as I have every day and how sharp it gets. Has anyone experienced this before- the surgery? The family divided on the course of treatment on the back surgery?school started for me and my depression started up again. It was the was worst one  I depression  I ever

Posted 12/16/2012 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
HI there...Congratulations on becoming a new grandmother! That is at least cause for some celebration:)

I'm sorry to hear of your continued back issues...

If I may ask a few questions as I wasn't quite sure I understood where you are in the process.

You say that you have made up your mind to see a Spinal Surgeon....Have you already done this and they are saying you definitely need surgery?

When was the last MRI that was done to see what is going on?

Surgery is kind of tricky when it comes to spine/disc issues. It's usually done first and foremost to prevent any further nerve damage and relieve the pressure off of them as well as the spinal cord.

It's also best to get at least 2 (even 3 if you can) different opinions from Board Certified Neurosurgeons or a BC Orthopedic surgeon (Fellowship trained as well). Making sure that they are not associated with one another.

If more than one surgeon is suggesting the same thing, then you can feel better about the decision. Same thing with having done pretty much everything you can non surgically from Physical Therapy, traction, TENS unit, medication, injections, etc.

If the majority of your pain is nerve pain, you have a much greater chance at having this lessened with the surgery. I was able to go off Cymbalta after my last surgery and the nerve pain now is minimal.

So, if it's been awhile or you have not yet ever seen the type of Dr. I mentioned above, they will want to do a MRI and most likely a nerve conduction study to see exactly where the damage is and then recommend the type of surgery that will best.

Unfortunately on the boards here, it's a bit of skewed information on surgeries as most all people who had great success and never looked back don't post on the boards! LOL

My mom had her two level spinal fusion back in the mid 80's and hasn't had any issues until the last 5-7 years.

As far as your daughter goes.....you can certainly tell her that you understand that she is worried for you, but maybe she can even come with you on one of the appts. to see the surgeon so they can help talk her through things and explain it more.

And if she continues to "complain" about having to help you out if you need it afterwards....I would say that she can find the door and go stay someplace else! LOL...Ok..that's a bit harsh...but seriously....it's YOUR home....she is obviously needing to rely on you all and getting help from you right now if she is living there! So that is totally a selfish thing for her to say that I just don't have tolerance for!

It's great that your husband is supportive so that is a good thing..

We are here to support you either way on what you decide...

Keep us posted.
Posted 12/16/2012 7:43 PM (GMT 0)
As a little FYI back surgery has come a long way in just the last few years. There are many minimally invasive procedures that are able to be done, sometimes on an out patient basis or only requiring a day or so in the hospital and people are often able to resume min activity in a day or 2 and full activity within in a few weeks.

I can't say if this type of surgery is available in your area or if it would be right for you but it is something to ask about. More and more hospitals and surgery clinics are getting the equipment and training up their spine surgeons on this type of procedure all the time.

Two things I do suggest you do. 1. Ask a lot of questions. Make a list of questions you and/or your family may have and write down the answers as you get them. 2. Get a 2nd opinion if at all possible preferably from a doctor who is not part of the same practice as the 1st doctor you see.
Posted 12/16/2012 8:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi millymilan,

Congratulations on becoming a new grandmother :-)

I'm sorry to hear about your depression and chronic pain. I think you should definitely get your back checked out to see what's causing the pain. Your daughter should think about the positives that will happen if you go for surgery and she must also remember that you may feel better and not be in so much pain. I'm glad your husband is supportive.

Let's us know how it goes if you decide to visit the surgeon.

Hope you feel better.

Take Care

UA
Posted 12/16/2012 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hello and welcome to the CP section of HW. Unfortunately many of us have had spinal surgeries, which left us in chronic pain. Many, including myself, have had the L5-S1 as the primary issue. Because we are chronic pain, we have a higher than average rate of surgical failure. We have great information, but may be a little partial to non-surgical options. If you have no other choice in this matter, I highly recommend getting several board certified neurosurgeons to give their opinions before undergoing a surgery.

I wish you all the luck in the world!
Posted 12/16/2012 10:49 PM (GMT 0)
I forgot to mention that I had a MRI done this year. It showed that I had "a very large herniated disc with a displaced nerve root in the L5 region" I have been getting steroid injections in the L5- S1 region. I see the spinal doctor tomorrow morning for the inital appointment. I am anixous about it because I am tried of waking up in so much pain and having trouble walking due to pain. I use a wheeled walker for my walking. Prior to this I was seeing a Pain Managament doctor. They were very helpful in recognizing the back issues, but felt I needed the surgeon to see how to handle the enlarged disc and the pain I get in both legs. I have been getting pain in both legs in the outter aspects of my leg. I am seeking some sort of relief from this pain and being able to walk like a normal person. I know things can happen but I do want to get this looked at and see what he thinks he can do for me.
Posted 12/16/2012 11:18 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for sharing more...

As I mentioned...if they have had you try pretty much everything from physical therapy, TENS unit, traction, injections, etc. and they still see that the herniation is bad enough to need surgery, then that is the way to go.

As Jim wrote, there are a lot of different types of surgery and maybe all you need is a microdisectomy. It's good news that it's only on one level...

As long as you get a couple of opinions from the top Drs., you can feel confident moving forward..

I've had 3, two-level cervical fusions and for the last 6 years I have had 3, severe herniations. Two in my lumbar and one in my lower cervical/upper thoracic. My Neurosurgeon, PM , and I have decided that we are holding off on anymore surgeries unless absolutely needed. I have my "flares" a few times a year to where it gets so bad that I can't move for a few days..But most of the time I get by with walking each day, stretches, muscle relaxer, and other modalities like massage, acupuncture, and my TENS unit.

I'm really shocked that they have not done immediate surgery on you if you are so bad you are in a wheelchair. If you have been using that for many months then unfortunately your other muscles have probably atrophied and can actually make the nerve pain and issues worse with putting pressure on them all day long with sitting and then sleeping. So I just want to caution you that it may be a bit longer recovery for you if you haven't been exercising much these last months/year.

May I ask what Dr. prescribed the wheelchair to use instead of surgery?

Hopefully you will find a wonderful Dr. that will be able to fix the herniation and then get you back walking again quickly!
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