Bulging Discs in back?

[BeerAdvocate]

After a month of being in pain, I had an MRI today and found out that I have not one but two Bulging Disc's in my very lower back.
Im in so much pain that Percocet & beer wont even cure it. So I am getting an injection on Monday to get me through until I can see a Nero-Surgeon on June 8. Has any here ever had a surgery for a bulging disc in their back?
What can I expect?

[Remo]

I've got a a bad back also, going on about 3 yrs. now, I have had x rays but they can't find anything, maybe an MRI is in order for me also, I hope you can get yours fixed up, good luck.

No personal experience with bulging discs but from what heard you will always have some kind of pain. Even after any surgery you will continue to have back problems. I guess it just a matter of how well the surgery goes...

Good luck and I hope it works out for you....

[MTB996]

Originally Posted by Trkdrvremt

No personal experience with bulging discs but from what heard you will always have some kind of pain. Even after any surgery you will continue to have back problems. I guess it just a matter of how well the surgery goes...

Good luck and I hope it works out for you....

Not for me. The only time my back is sore is if I don't do any exercise for a month or so. Then I am more prone to get a sore back, but frankly I deserve it for being lazy!

My surgery was to cut off a severely ruptured, bulging disc, but I did not need fusing or artificial attaching of vertebrae. Dr. said don't lift a fridge by myself, stay in shape (at least walk every day) and do whatever else I need to. Been working.

[BeerAdvocate]

I had an Xray 1st and it showed nothing. It took an MRI for them to diagnose me.

[Remo]

Good info. I may need one, thanks.

[MTB996]

Originally Posted by BeerAdvocate

After a month of being in pain, I had an MRI today and found out that I have not one but two Bulging Disc's in my very lower back.
Im in so much pain that Percocet & beer wont even cure it. So I am getting an injection on Monday to get me through until I can see a Nero-Surgeon on June 8. Has any here ever had a surgery for a bulging disc in their back?
What can I expect?

To feel a million times better after surgery. If you're like me.

For many months, I couldn't sit and couldn't bend over enough to touch my knees. Immediately after surgery I could touch my toes, no problem. recovery wasn't too bad, just listen to the Dr and don't overdue it.

Now, 6 yrs later, all I need to do is stay in shape (if I don't walk or exercise my back will get sore) and I can do anything without any issues. I really wish I would have gotten surgery earlier.

I can tell you I met with many Dr's and settled on a Neurosurgeon to have the procedure, as the others I met with I didn't like (especially the orthopedic surgeons - they were a-holes).

Good luck, find a good Dr, listen to him/her and you'll be great.
-Mike

[Commander Quan]

I know exactly how you feel, the disks between L4,L5 and L5,S1 like to bulge out occasionally, the last time it took me 6 months before I broke down and went to the doctor, at that point I could barely put a sock on or drive my car because it hut so much to push in the clutch. After a prednisone pack I was pretty good but it still took 9 months of doing back bends on the floor before they were back to feeling good again.

[TheTraveler]

Take your MRI to a reputable chiropractor. There's another option available that's non-invasive. I can't remember the name of the machine or treatment method but basically they strap you to a table that stretches you out. You're muscles will be stretched, the disks will be allowed to slip back into place, you'll spend about $2,000 to $3,000, and in less than two months you'll be feeling great. After that just stay in shape and be smart when you lift things.

Anyway, wouldn't hurt to get an opinion. That's my two cents.

And I sincerely hope whatever option you choose your pain abates soon!

[bobarian]

While anecdotal references are sometimes helpful, this is a question you should ask your doctor. If you are not happy with his answers seek out a second opinion.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by bobarian

While anecdotal references are sometimes helpful, this is a question you should ask your doctor. If you are not happy with his answers seek out a second opinion.

Totally agree.
first and foremost, thanks to MRI's, they can now tell 2/3's of the world has bulging discs.
A bulging disc is not a herniated disc.
A herniated disc does not necessarily cause impingement, more known as radiculopathy.

I have two full blown herniations, with impingement, at L4-L5, L5-S1.
The L4-L5 is where half the world suffers from it.
Cervical is where the other half does.

I have been like this for 23 years.
I have good years and bad ones.
Thanks to acupuncture, I have had two great years so far.

Like a great doctor and family friend once told me an I have followed.......when you find yourself in the fetal position for a month and can't move due to pain and being drugged, consider surgery. Until then, live like 2/3's of the world with pain or find an auto accident to enrich you or let my fraud opration get you.

[mash]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Totally agree.
first and foremost, thanks to MRI's, they can now tell 2/3's of the world has bulging discs.
A bulging disc is not a herniated disc.
A herniated disc does not necessarily cause impingement, more known as radiculopathy.

I have two full blown herniations, with impingement, at L4-L5, L5-S1.
The L4-L5 is where half the world suffers from it.
Cervical is where the other half does.

I have been like this for 23 years.
I have good years and bad ones.
Thanks to acupuncture, I have had two great years so far.

Like a great doctor and family friend once told me an I have followed.......when you find yourself in the fetal position for a month and can't move due to pain and being drugged, consider surgery. Until then, live like 2/3's of the world with pain or find an auto accident to enrich you or let my fraud opration get you.

The point about MRI's is right. If you're over 40 years old, you have a good chance of having back pain and degenerative disc disease on MRi. Whether the MRI changes are the cause of your pain is not always clear.
The indication for surgery is nerve compression with either alteration in bowel/bladder function (surgery needs to be done urgently), or nerve compression with leg pain and motor signs (muscle weakness) that doesn't respond to non-surgical treatment. Surgery will not reliably lessen your back pain but it may help your leg symptoms. If you look at patients 3-4 years post surgery they look about the same as those that haven't had surgery, the pay off is the first couple of years post surgery.
I would be careful about the comparison to Derrick Thomas. He died because he had a spinal cord injury and was totally immobilized, he had a fatal blood clot in his lung. This likely had nothing to do with who operated on him.

[forgop]

Originally Posted by mash

The indication for surgery is nerve compression with either alteration in bowel/bladder function (surgery needs to be done urgently), or nerve compression with leg pain and motor signs (muscle weakness) that doesn't respond to non-surgical treatment. Surgery will not reliably lessen your back pain but it may help your leg symptoms. If you look at patients 3-4 years post surgery they look about the same as those that haven't had surgery, the pay off is the first couple of years post surgery.

I had 2 such surgeries last year. For a number of years, I had experienced some numbness/tingling in my legs and thought nothing of it as I attributed it to being overweight. I had small children and they'd step on my back to help pop it at times and if they stepped on it, it would send a sharp pain down my legs.

In Sept. 2009, I was going through a lot of stress and had a lot of tension/pain in my neck and upper back-it was to the point that I couldn't move. I went in for an MRI and they never found the source of that issue, but revealed the source of my numbness/tingling in my legs. The canal (aka vertebral foramen) my spine passes through is quite narrow compared to most people and I had bone spurs (between T10-T12) protruding into my spine and was effectively causing the numbness/tingling issue.

The first surgery was quite successful-for 2-3 months anyway. After that time, the numbness returned to my left leg from my knee down. I then had another follow up last December in which the neurosurgeon opened up some more room around my spine. It didn't seem to stop the feeling I went in for, but I at least have a little more room.

The #1 thing recommended to me by my surgeon is taking off weight to relieve the additional pressure off my spine. That's one of the best cures for a bad back.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by mash

I would be careful about the comparison to Derrick Thomas. He died because he had a spinal cord injury and was totally immobilized, he had a fatal blood clot in his lung. This likely had nothing to do with who operated on him.

Call it what you want.
My understanding is it was a post op complication.
My point is it was a surgery done by one of the best in the country in dealing with paralysis and he died.
Point being surgery is serious chit and for me personally, I am proof one can have a relatively normal life with two herniations and impingement and no surgery.
Point also is any good doctor will do all conservative treatment possible for common bulges and not immediately recommend or concur with what is always the danger of invasive surgery, particularly to the spine, housing such intricate nerves.
Surgery on the back is the option of very last resort. Bulges can and do improve. As I have said, weight is key and very often overlooked and ignored as a cause and cure.

[Kreth]

Originally Posted by TheTraveler

Take your MRI to a reputable chiropractor. There's another option available that's non-invasive. I can't remember the name of the machine or treatment method but basically they strap you to a table that stretches you out. You're muscles will be stretched, the disks will be allowed to slip back into place, you'll spend about $2,000 to $3,000...

Healthcare costs are ridiculous. Three grand to get strapped into a device made famous during the Spanish Inquisition.
Posted via Mobile Device

[marge796]

I hope you feel better, Travis.


Chris.....

[Blueface]

P.s.
Best cure.........lose weight.
Exercise.
Do leg raises and other exercise to strengthen back.

Most folks I know post surgery are not much better than before.

I was going to see the most reknowned surgeon in South Florida. Then I learned he operated Derrick Thomas, of the KC Chiefs who I believe is no longer on Earth due to complications post surgery to repair his back.
He was operated by this same famous surgeon.

[BeerAdvocate]

Originally Posted by Blueface

P.s.
Best cure.........lose weight.
Exercise.
Do leg raises and other exercise to strengthen back.

Most folks I know post surgery are not much better than before.

I was going to see the most reknowned surgeon in South Florida. Then I learned he operated Derrick Thomas, of the KC Chiefs who I believe is no longer on Earth due to complications post surgery to repair his back.
He was operated by this same famous surgeon.

DT died in a car crash. It had nothing to do with back surgery.
The bulging disc's in my back pinch a nerve that runs down my right leg and into my foot, so I have the joy of feeling pain whenever I step.
I have looked into De.compression therapy (where they put you on a bed and stretch you) but I have heard that it doesnt solve the problem long term

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by BeerAdvocate

DT died in a car crash. It had nothing to do with back surgery.
The bulging disc's in my back pinch a nerve that runs down my right leg and into my foot, so I have the joy of feeling pain whenever I step.
I have looked into De.compression therapy (where they put you on a bed and stretch you) but I have heard that it doesnt solve the problem long term

Bulging discs don't impinge.
That is more a herniation.
I at times have felt like cutting my legs off from the impingement so I assure you I know the feeling well.

I bet the house that in most cases, nothing helps to eliminate back problems completely. You can only help relieve it.
Best long term resolution is to lose weight and strengthen the back.
Research it. You will see surgery is not the long term answer.

DT died from a blod clot from complication as result of surgery as result of a car accident while attempting to assist in resolving his paralysis.
That surgery was performed by one of the best neurosurgeons in the nation.
While his was much more extreme, the point is back surgery is serious chit, only to be considered in extreme circumstances.
Thanks to epidural blocks for years, Meds, acupuncture and exercise, no surgery for me and I assure you I have had times I could not even dress myself, or get out of bed.
I still enjoy what I would call a normal life, with some occasional discomfort.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by Blueface

P.s.
Best cure.........lose weight.
Exercise.
Do leg raises and other exercise to strengthen back.

Most folks I know post surgery are not much better than before.

Very true. Do not rush to surgery and most surgeons are not going to rush you either if you can go to the bathroom or can walk. I have been through this without surgery.

Consider the below as a roadmap. You are already getting a cortisone shot. This is your chance to make changes to your body before the shot wears out and hopefully you won’t need a 2nd one.

Think of your spine, you want to get it straight and create space between each vertebra.

-Not having it straight inhibits energy flow out of the spine and central nervous system. It also puts unequal stress on disks and furthers your condition. Chiropractor is the key to this. It may get worse before getting better, but keep the goal of getting things aligned and your bulge almost has to go away…

-Creating space in the spine should have obvious reasoning to you. The most space between vertebrae, the less the pressure on the disks.

Think of the above as a one-two punch all done with specialists. This is not cheap even with insurance, but is nothing like the pain you have and will have if you don’t do this.

Start practicing yoga and stretching to create space. Take some pilates classes to strengthen your core without stressing the back. Get on a plan with a good chiropractor who will oversee you exercise program and stretch you before adjusting. There are yoga and pilate instructors in every city. After a few classes of each with an istructor, you should be able to handle a class.

Originally Posted by BeerAdvocate

Thanks for all of the advice and comments. I wouldn't even consider surgery if it was just "normal" back pain. But I have pain that shoots down my leg and in my foot allllllll day long.

You have sciatica straight up. As long as you are twisted & compressed on the lower back, you'll have inflamation of the nerve and it ain't going away no matter how much booze or pills you take.