Discectomy - After the Operation

[Hamed]

Good Morning
Just to give you a brief history had 1st discectomy l5/s1 in Dec 04 after years of on/off pain which GP put down to recurrent back strain. Post Op was brilliant, back working and playing sport about 4 months later. No pain at all until about Oct 07 when i started to have twinges and aches in my back, then in Jan 08 it all went pear shaped. whilst away working went to lift some glass and excruciating pain in back and left leg which made me collapse in agony. luckily i was due to see my consultant 2 days later. when i went to see him i could only walk using crutches, he was fab and put me on emergancy list for 2nd op which i had 1 month later in feb 08 on l4/l5 & l5/s1 which comprised of discectomy & laminectomy. that month was the longest month of my life, i spent it on the sofa munching my way through as many tramadol, diclofenac & diazipam as i could get away with. the operation was not successful and i was still in pain, however i returned to work after 3 months. my employers have been brilliant and as soon as i returned i was now working at a desk instead of travelling around the country. anyway, consultant sent me for another mri in oct 08 as i was still in pain which showed another rupture in l4/l5 which meant 3rd op which was done 28th june 09. i am now at home recovering from op but still in pain. i have come to realise that this could be my lot in life and will have to get on with it. i am aiming to get back to work begining of sept. employers have again been brill. i have got to say a big thank you to my family who have helped and supported me, i don't know i would have coped otherwise.

i only found this site about 3 hrs ago, as soon as i read it i joined straight away. it is inspiring to read some of your thoughts and the trials & tribulations that we have had to go through just to get through the pain.

thanks

 

[Brya]

Just curious to know if anyone has tried Bowen Therapy following their surgery to help get rid of the lingering niggles? If so I would be really interested to hear thoughts, responses to the treatment etc

 

[GETitGIRL ------------]

@Andrew 06

Gosh, what a nightmare you've had. Any idea why you got so many prolapses? Had my op in May (L5-S1), and the thought of ever having to have another one is really terrifying.

Really hope your recovery goes well this time and that maybe your problems will be resolved.

 

[The Undertaker]

Hi andrew06

I am so shocked, How horrible for you, what a nightmare!!!!!! So sorry that you have been through all of that.

I have had 3 prolpases on the same disc L5/S1. M/D opperation on the 31st Oct 2007 and then a reacurring one in July 2008, I just had nerve block for that, and I am currently off work after having another prolapse in March/April 2009. Fortunately this time it seems to have improved of it own accord and I am feeling alot better, I still have a few problems. I think beening drugged up on th usual painkillers and staying active as I can and doing specific excerises as helped. Also I have been having some treatment with a Holistic Osteopath, and a Physio.

I am on the waiting list for another nerve block and I still have not had the appoinment through and its been 6 weeks already. But have been told that if the leg pain is not there when I get my appointment they want give me the nerve block anyway, as that is what its for. I Hoping to return on 13th July for a phased return and I will have to see how I do. I think unless I try to get back to a Normal life whatever that is I wont know if the leg pain will come back or not. Which everyone says is possible but i might be fine who knows?????

Sound like you have got some good support around you and that is so important and try and stay possative. Thats not always easy I have had some very wobbley moments and aired them on this forum, But I have had some great support from lovely people on here, which I have greatly appriciated.

Hope you continue to recover well, keep us posted.
Best wishes
Cas08

 

[kandy-x]

Hi BONNIE10,

I have had a few sessions of Bowen therapy. I didn't like it, i found it a bit of a waste of time. I prefer a good old hands on and get those elbows into the niggle spots.

Saying that though my friend has had Bown on a knee problem and thinks its the best thing since sliced bread.

If you are into relaxation it may be the thing for you.

 

[Flatt]

Hi fireolli

How is your wife, and it must be realy soon now, When is the little one due, bet you can t wait

Hope you are still doing well and pain free.

Best Wishes
Cas08

 

[quigiseemiosy]

Hi bonnie10,

I had one treatment of bowen therapy whislt suffering left leg sciatica before an l5 s1 discectomy and found it very helpful.
I suffer from tight hamstrings and it loosened my muscles and hamstrings giving a feeling of wellbeing.
Since the op, I have not had any more bowen therapy although I was considering it as well as the Emmett technique as well.
If and when I do have some of this treatment in the near future, I will let you know how I get on.

best wishes

dalep115

 

[Technerd_Shawn]

Hi andrew06,

You have certainly been through a lot.
I hope your pain is going away steadily as time passes by.
Keep thinking positively and keep your mind occupied which is sometimes easier said than done.
I have said this before that occupying your mind certainly helps.
When I have been driving this week on my own, a slight pain in my leg sometimes comes and goes.
However, when I am driving with family and friends, I never notice any pain and even on the very rare ocassion I do, occupying my mind with others certainly takes the pain away.
I hope you get back to work as planned and it is good to hear to have a good employer especially in the current economic climate.

best wishes

dalep115

 

[Jennifer Lopez]

Andrew, I am so very sorry to read about the truama and suffering you have had to go through since 04. Sadly, your not alone.

I bumped in to a friend last week, he had the same type of sciatic decompression as me, he went for the standard 'open back surgery root'
and I went for the 'minimally invasive endoscopic' options.
I am walking miles now and looking forward to more vast improvements soon. My friend summed up his condition to me thus 'I'm bugged'.

he had recieved 2 full lumber decompressions that left him with massive scarring in that area, this prevents him from having further open back surgery in the future. He also has a leg twist and foot drop.

When he told me, my heart sunk, I could have cryed!!

He know joins a 20 person long list of my family, friends and work mates who have all suffered the same fate as you. The have almost all undergone 3 operations before being told they have 'failed back syndrome' or have 'failed back spine surgery'. The inferrence is that 'their'' backs have 'failed to respond possitively' to this type of destructive surgery.
Because of these reasons and the scarring, they have almost all been refused further surgical interventions and left to suffer.

It saddens me to hear you say that you believe that you my remain with this pain and disibility forever, please dont give up! Do your research,
There are treatments available out there which will not cause the further trauma that you so fear.

Check out these minimally invasive endoscopic spine procedures in the US:
www.bonati.com
www.laserspine.com
www.microspine.com

Happy reading.


SPINELF

 

[L.T.1985]

Hi
Thanks for all the responses, I am seeing my surgeon tomorrow evening for my post op appointment. He has already told me I cannot have any more surgery due to the amount of scar tissue there is from the previous ops, so who knows what is going to next. I still need my crutches to get about but as long as I can get about, that is the main thing. the pain is manageable with medication so I'll be back working soon, from home to start with then back to the office come Sept. One of worst things though is the lack of sleep, I get about 4-5 hours a day, so feeling constantly tired is not helping I suppose.
Cas08, what is a nerve block? Is it a cortisone injection, I have never been offered this before so it may be an option.
Msksquared, to be honest, I haven't a clue why this keeps reaccurring, maybe I am just unlucky or maybe I haven't been looking after myself and doing to much. Prior to my 2nd op I used to do a physical job which included a lot of long distance driving and long hours which probably didn't help. I think the latter would be the more accurate statement.

Anyway, I hope you are all ok, and i will speak again soon

Cheers

Andrew

 

[MlzoZird]

Hi everyone, Im new to this forum and not too sure if I should be reading it when my op is one week away.

I have had problems with my back for about 6 years, unfortunately have a job within the NHS that requires an awful lot of lifting. I have had two episodes when I had to have 4 months and 6 months off work respectively. I have the greatest respect for the NHS (I know how hard we work!) but my first episode was ignored completely and it was only when I broke down in my GP surgery after 12 weeks of agony the second time around did I get a MRI scan. This shows a L5/S1 prolapse. However by the time my follow up to get the results came through my leg pain was resolving so nothing more was done.

Now I have been off work for 9 weeks. Just started with a slight pain in my leg which over a week progressed into the worst pain I have ever experienced - my whole leg and buttock was cramping every few minutes. For 3 days my lovely GP tried to control these spasms with varying degrees of medication but by day 3 when I could not move my leg even slightly without it going into spasm an ambulance was called (now that was embarrassing - yep, im a paramedic). I spent a week in hospital and eventually had an epidural which didnt work.

Now I am due to have a microdiscectomy next week. All I can say to anyone waiting on a very long waiting list is to get as many people on your side as you can (your GP, physio etc etc) and get them writing letters on your behalf. I had a horrible outpatient appointment with a locum dr who was completely dismissive of my symptoms and I am just glad I have a little medical knowledge and was able to stand my ground and argue my case.

I hope Im doing the right thing? There seems to be so many negative posts and its worrying me greatly. But I cannot stand this continued pain even with Fentanyl transdermal patches, oramorph, diazepam, diclofenac and good old paracetamol. My job is so so important to me that I will fight this thing! Maybe I might have to take it a little easier. Is there anyone out there who has had a positive result despite a demanding job that involves a lot of lifting?

 

[Dads boy]

Hi sarsy,

You certainly haven't been treated very well by the NHS and it is certainly ironic you work for them. Certainly not very funny as you are in pain.
I felt just the same as you when I first found this forum.
I can speak from personal experience of having a l5 s1 discectomy on 29th April 2009. I felt OK for the first two weeks and then I started experiencing pain.
Thankfully as I started back to work today, the pain seems to be less and less frequent.
I would encourage you to be positive and can say I have spoken to a number of people who have the same op and they are fine now. One male friend said he was not in much pain but he had that bit of pain for 18 months although he returned to work after six weeks.
I would hope your employer will look after you like mine thankfully has me.
You are so close to the operation date, I do hope you go through with it.
When you have recovered six weeks you may be able to return to work.
I would hope you would be put on light duties when returning to work.
Is there another job you would like to do within the NHS which would not put as much strain on your back?
When you have been operated on, it is essential to do the physiotherapy to prevent scar tissue.
My physiotherapist could not stress the importance enough to me as well as stating not to lift anything heavy until they advised me to do so.
I do hope you the op goes OK.
Try to occupy your mind in some way to take your mind off the pain.

Best wishes

dalep115

 

[CLYDE55]

Thanks so much for your reply. I am feeling a little more positive. Spoke to a friend in New Zealand this morning who had the op in April and she is so positive it makes it hard for me not to be. I will go ahead with op as I feel I have little choice now, my physio says there is very little option now as the disc is so unstable.

I too hope my employers are sympathetic and give me light duties for a while - but I will wait and see and feel abit cynical about that issue. The caring profession does not always care for their own!

Hope your recovery continues well and thanks so much for a positive response.

 

[gesyenvigebix]

Hey dudes and dudettes,

Well i trotted along to the pain clinic today, and not really enamoured with the options, they are as follows.....

Acupuncture
TENS machine
X-ray guided nerve root block (Had 3 of these already, didnt work)
Increase in my amitriptyline.

So, these are just pain management, not what i wanted.
But.......the doc was all for me persuing the spinal foundation, thats what i DID want so all is not lost!
Unfortunately, my GP isnt convinced that its the best route to go down so its convincing her thats my next job on my to-do list!

 

[How_Would_I_Know]

Glad you are being considered for the spinal foundation Ali. That is something at least. You have been waiting so, so very long. I hope you have some good answers soon.
x

sarsy - Hello. I am someone who has had a positive result. I would not say every day is a breeze but things are way better than they were before I had my op (7 months ago). The operation has been a very good thing as far as I am concerned. If it was a choice between the hideous sciatic pain and the back pain compared to the back pain and barely any sciatic pain that I have now, I would choose what I have now. I definitely don't regret having discectomy at all.
Best of luck to all of you out there. What a great place this forum is for people like us to connect.

 

[Slalkituisa]

Hi all,

I am sure I have read this somewhere before on this forum but felt it only right to add another blog stating my experience.
I was not happy with my physiotherapy from a local hospital post op and went for a second opinion with a physio through a charity organisation.
To my surprise, he stated I so far behind with my physiotherapy, he was surprised.
I have also been to see a private physio who I saw before my op and she has given me some exercises to do. Some which has been suggested on this forum, some that haven't.
I have only been doing them two days and the left leg sciatic pain I was feeling mainly after sleeping is going rapidly and my core strength is certainly improving all of the time.
I do not like to slate the NHS as my op was performed by a very good surgeon and all of his theatre staff.
The nurses on the ward were also excellent.
It was just when I left hospital whcih was the problem. Arranging the physiotherapy two weeks post op went pear shaped and on top of that, I was allocated a physio who is not competent from my experience to do their job.
Hope everybody else is as good as they can be.

Best wishes

dalep115

 

[bunny adderstein]

Hi Spinelf
Been to see my consultant and you were spot on, i have been diagnosed with failed back syndrome. I now have to go to pain management, have injections and see another consultant to have nerve stimulation done. I will also be starting a new course of medication for the stimulation (can't remember the name) in about a weeks time.
I am hoping to start working from home in the next few weeks so that will occupy me mind, as I have said before my employers have been fantastic and have given me massive support and haven't put any pressure on me, so that is one less worry.

Thanks all for taking the time to listen to my ramblings, it is most appreciated.

Speak again soon

Andrew

 

[friend to everyone]

Hi Carly 22
was wondering how your referral to Mr Knight was going? I wish I had seen him before having revision surgery on my L4/L5. My recovery is going ok, its a slow process and at times frustrating. Dont have any sciatica just an achy leg like I have done a mad session down the gym having not been for years! I have problems with tight muscles and my piriformis keeps going into spasm which is a pain in the butt - literally, but I hope as the tightness wears off this will stop.
Back at work now 4 hrs a day and am knackered!
Just out of curiosity did you ever find out what the popping sensation/sound was in your back a few weeks ago.

 

[Lucy Lou]

Hi all - Long time no post!!!! I had a slight case of headupmyowna***itis, it a condition that is otherwise known as being 'totally fed up' I see there are lots of new folks posting & some really positive results.

Alas, I hate to be the voice of doom & gloom (some things never change) as you may recall I had my first microdiscectomy L4/L5 May 08, then surgery to clear out the infection, 2nd Microdiscectomy L4/L5 Nov 08. I didn't recover as well as I had hoped & continue to struggle at the mo. I've still got the urinary incontinence & mobilising far is a definate no no. He who must be obeyed (aka .. my ortho surgeon) was against a repeat MRI as he felt it was too soon & it was simply the nerves recovering. Well, since then I have had so many possible diagnosis thrown at me by various doctors that I was a nervous wreck.

The truth is now out!!! My rheumatologist sent me for MRI's (was seeing him as I am getting big problems with my neck, arms etc) & the results are Brain scan - Clear!!
Neck scan - arthritis!!
Lower back - 3rd Prolapse to L4/L5. Report states it is a large prolapse, seen to be narrowing the spinal canal & also impinging on the nerves to the rt.
So i'm off to see Mr Ortho on Tuesday armed with my list of questions.
Unfortunately I also have a meeting with work soon. As I am off work again they are going to discuss the possibility of terminating my contract on the grounds of ill health. (its a long story & i think i may have ranted a little too much already)
Although I havn't posted recently I do still read what you are all up to

Tracey x

 

[Devon]

Hi all...

Am now almost 8 weeks post open discectomy on L5-S1. Have noticed increasing 'pulling' pain along the spine in the last couple of weeks, whenever I bend or curve the spine forward. It extends up to the middle of the spine. Feels like pulling something really tight. Did other people have this problem post op? How did you deal with it? I assume it's probably really tight muscles, but it's strange because it feels like the pain is right on the bones of the spine. Any advice welcome.

How are all the other post-ops out there going?

K x