Discectomy - After the Operation

[Priestess]

Aw Mel,

Bloody hell, what a muck up!!
Poor you, i'm so sorry things have gone pear shaped yet again. Whats going to happen now then? xx

 

[azagames]

I am sooooo! sorry to hear about your trials and tribulation Melza, it must be a big dissapointment. I understand the reason though, the ammount of blood lost in standard NHS spinal surgery can be huge!

Take time out and regroup, but for the sake of your sanity, don't give up, dig deep and do your research.

best of luck

SPINELF

 

[Samurai]

Hey Matt and others,
I was in exrusiating pain for 18 months takin or using fentynal 100mg per hour 3 day patches then i finally got the operation but due to the strong strength of patch an my bodies addiction to this it took me 5 months to redue down to 37mg ( baring in mind that i saw the surgeon 6 wks after surgery still up on pain releif not knowing what was happening then discharged from his books), then it started.
It was liked i had been kicked in the privates; not constant but it came and went to the point i was barely able to keep my sanity. I went to the G.P and explained everything that was happening to my privates and he explained that it was coming from where i had the operation, to my horror.
I was placed back up to 75mg of the patches and told i will have to go back to the beginning of the whole process again which starts funnily enough on thursday morning in the local physio dept for an orthopedic assessment and possibly sending me for an MRI again.
Although the surgery in my opinion was a success the after math was a complete failure.
Sorry for the drawn out story but i Know the pain and the depression.
Thanks

 

[sk8erboy]

What op did you have?
What happens to your privates?
What the bloody hell did they do to you?
ALSO, Thats a lot of drugs guy!!

All the best


SPINELF

 

[paulcrsm]

hi, what op did you have i had L4/L5 part of the disc that was pressing on the nerve removed and part of the bone, but i am in more pain now than i was before its been about 6 months now and my left leg is still numb and weak , night time is probably the worst iam in unbelievable pain and cannot turn over, doctor told me to contact surgeon because i've not had a follow up yet but was told it will not be until next year how the hell am i supposed to cope until then, all the doctor can do is give me more pills but iam worried i will get addicted so i try to take the bare minimum but the pain is getting to me now it does make you feel down, i know there are people worse off but it makes me so annoyed if i had the money i would see the surgeon tommorrow its just not fair.

 

[Fidget]

Matt1972,

I had my op at beginning of July - a decision not taken lightly but after years of pain and ending up with an emergency admission into hospital. I would totally recommend the alternative therapy route initially but I guess like me, you had no choice come the end. Well I can be totally positive about the results - I have a 98% reduction in the sciatic pain I experienced before the op, I am now riding, doing pilates, back at work (in a job that requires heavy lifting) and able to put my own socks and pants on! I am totally totally happy that I had the op. I do still get some leg symptoms when I do something new but apparently that is normal and just irritates the nerve and it settles after a day or two. My own personal advice is think positively, do everything physio tells you religiously and get mobile (as and when advised by physio). Drive when you can comfortably manage an emergency stop.

I wish you all the best and hope you have a really positive outcome. You will have days when you feel you are taking one step forward and then two back but you will get there - the journey is a drag but its worth the effort. Good luck.

 

[sportingbety]

sarcy, iam so pleased to hear a success story and i hope you continue to improve well done.

 

[elle.]

Hi All,

I am 18 months after the op and everything is NOT that great. I have got some scare tissue that is giving me back ache all the time, it feels like i have a golf ball in the base of my back. The leg pain is coming back slowly but i am not sure wheather this because i have not been to the gym in 2 months or its from the scare tissue.
I have started back in the gym this week now that the DIY is all done and i hope that things improve. I am also going to more treatment to try a get rid of this scare tissue.

I feel very down as everythig was going so well up until about 4 weeks ago, thats when all the pain started to come back, i was even back on the bike doing about 60 miles a week.

On a good note, my little boy who is 4 months now is doing very well. He smiles most of the day and is a very happy little chap.

 

[foxysince88]

Thanks to everyone for your good wishes post-op.
Thought i'd update you on my recovery as i've been at home a couple of weeks now!! Its ****e!!!!

I am having the district nurses in to pack the reconstruction wounds. (in the words of the first nurse to see it she remarked "bloody hell it looks like something out of a horror film" whilst another remarked that I looked as though I had been in a major accident")

I have a hump on my back so large I have had to invest in maternity jeans, although I have only been out twice as it tires me out so much & also the meds i'm on cause me to sweat profusely so that I look like i've constantly just stepped out of a shower!)

So my recovery. Well its slloooooowwwwwwwwwww. I wasn't expecting miracles but i'm on crutches, still have a catheter, take 26 tablets a day plus Oramorph & still wake in tears during the night with nerve pain in my legs!! Also my rt hip still gives out frequently throughout the day. Still at least I have got a referral going through for the chronic pain management team.

I have review appointments due soon, although I have already been informed I will need further reconstructive surgery.

Good news though I no longer have blurred vision as they have identified my B12 was extremely low & started me on injections that I must have every 3 months for ever more. Blurred vision is a symptom of this!!

Whinge over. Also please if there are any pre oppers reading this do not be put off. I think i'm just one of the unlucky ones. I'm the type who would buy a winning lotto ticket & lose it

Melza & Ali if I do buy a winner i'll get us all sorted privately

Take care all

Luv Tracey xx

 

[TMAMA]

Great thread guys!

 

[itsme6922]

Hi everyone, and really pleased to hear from Tracey-1, life still sounding gruesome for you my dear (really gruesome!) but I truly hope something improves for you soon.

If you remember my surgery at Southampton hospital had been cancelled at the last minute due to an abnormal blood result (low clotting factor), I must stress that I was very happy to skip the surgery in those circumstances but really 'hacked off' that this abnormality was revealed at the pre assessment 2 weeks before! What a complete waste of time and money!!

Anyway, my manager suggested I contact the consultant secretary to find out what is going to happen now...having not heard anything from them at all for a couple of weeks. This I did, and the response from the secretary was ' I have your file in front of me because Mr ***** has asked me to see if your blood results have changed' How would they have changed I asked, she ignored my question and told me she would be speaking to the pre assessment nurse and get back to me. I haven't seen the pre assessment nurse since my pre assessment 2 weeks before the 'op', so now I ask whether I am going insane. How would my results have altered from my last test without another drop of blood to compare it with, do I trust these people anywhere near my spinal cord? Not a chance!

I also sent a ranting letter to the government health department asking why treatment for diagnosed back problems is so haphazzard, or something like that, they ignored me of course.

Anyway, I'm still hanging in mid air......lovely view!

Good to hear success stories but still maintain that problems still occur even though following the rules and promoting a positive attitude.

 

[momma merri]

Hi Everyone

Just checking in at the one year mark post discectomy.

Overall, I am very happy that I had the operation. It hasn't all been plain sailing although there has never been a time when I regretted having the surgery, given that the only alternative seemed to be to keep living with hideous sciatic pain. The operation has definitely gotten rid of my sciatica pretty much completely. Have the odd small twinge here and there, but nothing too much. Back pain however is another issue. However, as someone (I think perhaps it was you Melza) said the discectomy operation is designed to relieve sciatic pain, not back pain.

I found the first few months after my op pretty hard going. While I was on the pain killers, I found it very difficult to think effectively. I was very vague and my memory was terrible. Looking back, I should have taken some more time off work to recover a bit more. I think I was a bit too eager to get back 'to normal'.

I found physio really good but too hard to sustain financially. However.... I try to remind myself of the importance of 'investing' in spinal health, before letting things get bad and having to go through all this stuff all over again in the future.

Hoping everyone is going ok, keeping well and enjoying some good days.

 

[qrepsuxkihginyexx]

I am also now 12 months post op, after a minimally invasive endoscopic laser decompression of my right side foraminal opening at L 4/5 level.
Like yours, it has been completely successful in erradicating my sciatica, but it has exposed an area previously believed to be only a minor problem. My L5/S1 disc has a leak which the previous MRI's failed to flag up and so wasn't dealt with at the same time. It is this leak that is causing my upper body pains and protective spasms, including shoulder, arm, neck and head problems. I am looking to get funding for the op on this area from the NHS.

Make sure your surgeons don't miss secondary pain sources like mine!

All the best

SPINELF

 

[rR918]

Hi I found your post really interesting as I had a double discectomy L4/L5 in November 2008 it worked for 5 months then the pain was worse consultant now wants to do a fusion but thats another story. What I found interesting was in December 2008 whilst recovering I started to have really bad headaches with neck pain and then I started to get pins/needles and numbness in my left arm which got so bad I had to see physo who said along with my G.P. it was a slipped disc in neck due to the position I was in for my Discetomy operation. When I had MRI for this consultant said there was nothing on the MRI and it was not a slipped disc and did not know what it was and dismissed it totally. I am still getting this a year on after the operation and have never previously ever had neck pain or pins and needles etc even after being a secretary and sat at a desk typing for years and years so I find it interesting that you had problems with your neck after your operation I dont feel like I am going mad anymore after reading your post. I wonder if there are anymore peps out there who have had the same operation and have had similar problems. best wishes Melanie

 

[Shady Vines]

Hi Melanie it does'nt sound like you are getting any help or proper guidance from GP Pysio or consultant. Is it not worth getting a second opinion from a registerted osteopath? Find one via personal recommendation or contact the General osteopathic council.
http://www.osteopathy.org.uk/information/finding-an-osteopath/

PS I have done my best to follow this thread and can only offer my sympathys to so many of you in your quests to sort out your back problems.

 

[Pecos]

Morning all,

after six months of nasty sciatic pain, I had my op yesterday. I have six weeks now to get fit again before back to work, does anyone have any good expereince / information about a really good office chair. I spend up to 5 hours a day sitting at my desk, with frequent walks, and my kind HR manager has agreed to get me a special chair, but asked me to tell him what to get - seems reasonable.

Any ideas woiuld be very welcome.

Thanks,

Essex boy.

 

[Ronald Reagan]

Hi Essex boy,

I started my return to work after 3 months post discectomy although I had suffered with my back problem for years.

Because of the number of hrs I spend at my desk I got in touch with Access to Work, part of jobcentre plus who arranged a free desk assessment by a physiotherapist with a report recommending any specialist equipment. They also paid 80% of costs over the first £300 which the employer paid.

I was recommended an Activ 5 chair from Verd OS plus some really useful other bits of equipment.

It's definately worth calling them. Good luck with recovery

Mrs Thomas

 

[yqevkuoeieuisdenk]

Thanks Mrs T, that's good avice, I will check that out.

 

[Smart@$$]

Hi there I was going to a very good osteopath for my back before the operation when I told my physo (he is the most senior physo at the hospital) he was not at all happy and we got into a heated exchange on the subject I still carried on seeing my osteopath which helped me at the time.

 

[Katamadze]

Osteopaths have kept me mobile for 22 years when the NHS and other physiotherapists did not have a clue and wrote me off!! Dont listen to Doctors, they are only protecting their interests and power.
In any case, the NHS in Wales are in negotiations with the Registered Osteopathic Organisations to disscuss using their services, so they cant
all think it is all that bad can they.

I had my L 4/5 facet joint operation at The Spinal Foundation under Mr. Knight. The stated procedures on web his site, does what it said on the tin. I was awake throughout the 3 hour operation and was able to tell him where to cut and where not to! 30 minutes after I was returned to my bed, I was walking up and down the corridor without any sciatic pain and i caught a train home the following day!

It sickens me when Doctors treat patients like mushrooms, kept in the dark and 'well you know'

Best wishes


SPINELF