Lumbar Back pain..Surgery?

Do I need surgery or can I wait?

I am a 57 yr old female. In January 2016, I was getting out of my car and suffered sever R lower back pain. I could not move. My primary prescribed muscle relaxers and lidicaine patches. they really did not work. I have constantly been on infrared heating pad, deep massage, stretches and walking. My pain is bearable with severe episodes about 1 every week. My legs are both tingling now. I had x-ray and MRI 4 days ago. She referred me to orthopedic surgeon .. awaiting appt date.

MRI shows:

Severe Scoliosis 43 degrees with degenerative ends plates from T11 to L3

L1-L2 disc bulge

L2-L3 broad disc bulge small spurs on facet joints with mild spinal stenosis

L4-L5 broad disc bulge with moderate left intervertebral foraminal stenosis

T10-T11 nueral foramen may present a perineal cyst or neuroma/schwannoma

Does this look like I need surgery or I can put it off?

Thanks

Thanks, I am just scared and waiting for the date of the consultation. I don't want to have any surgery but I thought others with the same problem could tell me if they had to have surgery or waited.

Thanks

Thanks Susie. If the Orthopedic Surgeon recommends surgery, I will get my 2nd opinion from a Neurosurgeon. I don't feel I need surgery or want it. On the the other hand, I don't want to wait so long and have permanent nerve damage. I am sure the surgeon can calm my fears about the nerve/spinal compression.

thank you both!!!

Alci Thanks.I am considering your option.

My Primary ordered a second MRI today but with contrast this time so they can see the neural cyst better. She said it will probably need to come out, will see what the second MRI shows.

Thank you all !!!

Is the cyst something new or has it been there for awhile & the drs have been monitoring it? Its a big gamble to have surgery based n the amount of pain a person is having. You can always end up in more pain. Take care.

straydog said...
Is the cyst something new or has it been there for awhile & the drs have been monitoring it? Its a big gamble to have surgery based n the amount of pain a person is having. You can always end up in more pain. Take care.

Susie,

I have never had an MRI on my back so I really don't know. the neural cyst is at T11. My pain is low right about L4-5. Pain radiates to groin and to front of leg with a pulling sensation during the severe episodes. my severe episodes a happening faster. In beginning was about every 3 weeks. Now 2 times a week. My last toradol/steroid was about 2-3 weeks ago. I dont have a date for the Orthopedic surgeon consultation yet. I will check with my primary to see if she can get me into a pain specialist quicker. Its weird some days a so good and some a really bad.

Beastly beauty said...

Kim- TX said...
Thanks, I am just scared and waiting for the date of the consultation. I don't want to have any surgery but I thought others with the same problem could tell me if they had to have surgery or waited.

Thanks

I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis --a narrowing of the spinal channel-- that causes nerves to be pinched causing great pain. I consulted with an orthopedic surgeon and asked how many operations had he performed and if there were any of his patients that he could pass my phone number onto so that they could call and tell me their experienc s and results. I had an operation and it was a complete success took me out of years of pain. . Because I waited so long for surgery I was left with nerve damage which resulted in among other things neuropathy in my legs and feet which is irreversible and I just have learned to live with the pins and needles and feelings of numbness. I fell two years latter and the same surgeon performed another operation to repair the break. I have a ladder of steel climbing up my back from my lumber into the thoracic section and I am pain free. Interview your doctor and make sure you get the best and go to a hospital where they perform back surgeries if you live in small town etc and get the best care . Best of decision making. Be as informed as you can be and then let go of the worrying and let the decision come to you

Beastly beauty,
Thanks soooooo much for your post!!! You give me hope. You always hear all the horror stories and people still suffering so much after surgery. I believe now in 2016, there are techniques that are so much better and have better results. I don't now why the people that had successful results don't post more often. I checked the new requirements for Orthopedic Surgeon and the Orthpedic surgeon and Neurologist go to the same 4 year fellowship on spine surgery. No difference. 20 years ago there was a big difference but not now!

Thanks Again !!!

straydog said...
Kim, keep in mind when people post about a failed surgery we really have no idea why the surgery was a failure; could be the dr was not a good surgeon, the patient was not taking care of their self post op, the list is huge. Some drs will use the term failed surgery, when the surgery corrected the problem but the patient ended up with chronic pain after surgery. There are many, many successful surgeries being done daily. Those people are not posting on this forum, instead they are out there living their life as they should be. A lot of people will have surgery & not follow through on the post op instructions & that is critical to having a good outcome. One thing I learned when having surgery is don't discuss it with people. The reason I say that is the next thing you know its oh I know so & so & they had that done & they thought they were going to die, blah, blah, blah. about the only thing that does is scare the person to death that needs the surgery, nothing productive in that sort of thing at all. Lets be honest some people like to embellish on things just to be making noises. Take care.

Thanks Susie,
I agree.... Sometimes it is unknown why the surgery failed. I wish we could find rates comparing the failed surgery to successful surgeries. Would really help in making a decision.
Kim

Hi Kim You know everyone is so different and it really is a difficult decision on whether to go with surgery or a different route. I guess to a great extent it will depend on what is actually wrong and how they want to fix it! I've had three fusions in my cervical spine and for the most part I've have very good results with them. At least as far as relieving the pain Ihad before having the surgery! As far as my lower back goes iI haven't had any fusion done yet but did have a foraminotomy done on L2 through L5 to relieve the impingement on the nerve roots in those areas. Again I had good results and the surgery did what it was supposed to do! Yes I still have back pain as the surgeon told me the disc at L5 is completely shot and I need a discectomy and fusion, I have chose not to have that done right now and instead I went with an implanted pain pump which for the most part takes care of my lower back and sciatica pain!

I don't have any regrets on any of the back surgeries I've had! I just wish back in the nineties they would have done surgery on my bad thoracic disc's. But none of the surgeons would touch the thoracic spine and instead I had to lose my nursing career and go on disability and spinal pain management! Surgery is such a difficult decision! And a very personal one! As I said everyone is different and one person might have and excellent result and another with the same problem and has the same type of surgery might have a totally different out come! So what is the right thing for you to do???? Well that is hundred million dollar question isn't it??? LOL

I wish you well on making your decision! I know it's a very difficult one! One thing to remember is....... allot of post-op problems that people have afterwards, can often be contributed to them over doing it and over extending themselves and put stress on the surgical area, because they feel so much better!!. Which sometimes can cause them to have set backs in their healing and could even affect the over all out come of their surgery! So a word of caution if you do have surgery .......follow your surgeons post-op instructions to the TEE! and above all be gentle with yourself and don't over due it!

And of course don't forget to keep your HealingWell Chronic Pain family informed of your progress! When your here on this forum, we all care about and try to help each other!

Good Luck to You!

White Beard

Kim, no problem & good luck with the appt next week. If this cyst is the main reason for seeing the surgeon I can understand that. However, as far as the rest of the MRI goes, I would run as fast as I could if a dr recommended surgery. There are many other forms of treatment available with a good PM dr that possibly help you. Ha, I too live in Tx & this crazy weather is something else, hot one day, cold the next.

Kim, is it too late to get in & het a script of Tamiflu? Daughters BF same thing happened to him. He got to the dr in time & said the Tamiflu helped a lot.

Great news on the cyst, hopefully you will have good news from the ortho.

Take care.

White Bread,

I started nursing in 1989. I worked in MedSurg, Pediatrics, Nursing Home, School Nurse, and finally private practice Family doctor. I enjoyed Pediatrics and School Nursing the most. My husband works in Oil and Gas. He was transferred several times in our life together. So I worked in different towns in Texas. I wish we could have stayed near family but when he retires we will move to Colorado to be near our 2 sons and their families... 3 grandsons ( 5, 2, 14month). Our closest family is 9 hours away. I really hate it !!! Our youngest son just transferred to Kansas City so now it will be hard to see everyone at once. We have plans to fly to Kansas City in a few weeks. My Pain Management appt is Monday so I hope to get a trigger injection that will allow me to be able to go. My back feels really good, but I cant depend on it it to stay that way.

My primary gave me TamiFlu within 18 hrs of my first symptoms and I feel so much better. Almost no cough, no body aches anymore.

Thanks