Bulging Discs in back?

[BeerAdvocate]

I really appreciate all of the advice and useful info. Thanks guys!

[forgop]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

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.



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.

[longknocker]

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?

Have 2 Ruptured Discs @ L4-5 & L5-S1. Had 2 Epidurals 2 Weeks Apart & I'm Fine, Now, After 3 Years With No Surgery. Try The Conservative Approach First.

[drjammer]

Originally Posted by longknocker

Have 2 Ruptured Discs @ L4-5 & L5-S1. Had 2 Epidurals 2 Weeks Apart & I'm Fine, Now, After 3 Years With No Surgery. Try The Conservative Approach First.

[Skywalker]

Sorry to hear, Travis!

I hope you find relief!

[Chainsaw13]

Last year I was diagnosed with 3 herniated discs in my neck. 6 weeks of physical therapy and a bit more on my own after, I"m doing great. Like nothing even happened. Like Greg says, try the conservative approach first. Surgery should be the last option.

[TBone]

After 15 years of dealing with 2 herniated discs I couldn't stand to long, tie my shoes and picking anything up was out of the question. Your Dr. may say they can fix you but I'd try the acupuncture and physical therapy before the surgery option. I had my first surgery in May 02 to repair the discs in Sept 03 I had to have them go back in and repair the repair and take out scar tissue and in Sept 06 I had a fusion and cage put in. I am now in a position where I have so much scar tissue that has crept into the sciatic canal that no surgeon will touch me for fair of causing paralysis. Do all you can before taking the surgery...IMHO... I wish you well my friend

[Bunker]

I am at the other and as of April 6 I am now fused from C5 - C7. All I can offer is a warning on the percocets.

They are like a gift from an angel when you furst start taking them and then 3 days later your dried up like a cold lava flow. Get som Senna tablets or some kind of stool softener and take them every day. If you think the pain is bad now imagine it x10 as you are stuck on the can and things aren't working as they should be.

[14holestogie]

There is no stock answer, as everyone's condition is different. I do know I've seen enough people after surgery that either didn't improve or actually got worse that surgery would be the last resort for me.

Chiropractor and exercising have worked for me.

[Blueface]

Many great responses to avoid surgery as I have practiced.

My biggest warning here is that no good doctor will recommend surgery for bulging discs. NONE.
Whoever does, run like hell.
2/3 of the world is walking around with bulging discs and always has.
It is natural as part of gravity and weight.

Herniations? Totally different discussion, specially when there is a rupture or impingement as I have previously stated.

[replicant_argent]

"Moderate L5-S1 disc degeneration with a dorasal annular fissure, chronic L5 spondylolysis and 5 mm spondylolisthesis.
5mm AP and SI cephatically extruded right foraminal herniation at L5-S1 narrowing the neural foramen and abutting the right L5 nerve root and ganglion."


In other words... yep. Looking at my solution currently as well. Pain I can deal with (ibu, Vitamin V, rum and beer, anyone?), but the movement back and forth concerns me more, because I don't want to slip on some ice and be called "Wheels" for the wrong reason for the rest of my life.

[smelvis]

I have three compressed degenerating herniated disks, I am still working extremely light duty and fewer and fewer hours. The pain is simply unbearable and without pain pills movement would be just about impossible.

Waiting for L & I to approve an occupational disease claim and did two epidurals with no help at all. Doc say surgery is all that's left to try. Work is two faced and tells me one thing and L & I another. worked for this company 19 years and continue still. You are family and we care only goes when you are a benefit to them when you start to cost them money things change. I am very disappointed and have hired an attorney.

You all saying the pain will continue even with surgery scares the crap outta me and I already am scared to death of surgery as it is. damn it.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by smelvis

I have three compressed degenerating herniated disks, I am still working extremely light duty and fewer and fewer hours. The pain is simply unbearable and without pain pills movement would be just about impossible.

Waiting for L & I to approve an occupational disease claim and did two epidurals with no help at all. Doc say surgery is all that's left to try. Work is two faced and tells me one thing and L & I another. worked for this company 19 years and continue still. You are family and we care only goes when you are a benefit to them when you start to cost them money things change. I am very disappointed and have hired an attorney.

You all saying the pain will continue even with surgery scares the crap outta me and I already am scared to death of surgery as it is. damn it.

Two epidurals?
I went three years doing multiple level epidurals (two and three levels at a time) every four to six months.
First epidural worked for six years.
After that, they didnt take all the way but I stayed with it and last one worked for about four years.
Last time, did acupuncture, which I would have previously considered quack stuff, and man did it work.
I have been good for about nearly two years now. May be a bit less than that but I do it all, with some occasional discomfort.

Here is what I truly, truly believe helped me.
Not drugs.
Not epidurals.
Not therapy which I did lots of.

Instead, two things.
Lost gut and got a Temparpedic mattress.
Every time I gain five pounds, I have to immediately lose it and so goes away the back ailments that arise.

[smelvis]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Two epidurals?
I went three years doing multiple level epidurals (two and three levels at a time) every four to six months.
First epidural worked for six years.
After that, they didnt take all the way but I stayed with it and last one worked for about four years.
Last time, did acupuncture, which I would have previously considered quack stuff, and man did it work.
I have been good for about nearly two years now. May be a bit less than that but I do it all, with some occasional discomfort.

Here is what I truly, truly believe helped me.
Not drugs.
Not epidurals.
Not therapy which I did lots of.

Instead, two things.
Lost gut and got a Temparpedic mattress.
Every time I gain five pounds, I have to immediately lose it and so goes away the back ailments that arise.

Lost the weight already, 50 pounds, the epidurals the doc say's ruled out muscular and left me with disk, bone on bone and some nerve problems which causes the right leg pain. They gave me no relief at all none nada zip! Never had a back problem in my whole life then had right knee surgery and right into this back stuff. I am a tough guy worked with broken ribs all the usual stuff. I tell ya though this back has me in tears. I can't imagine no medicine, I tried it a couple day's a few times and I just couldn't move. Takes me a couple hours to loosen up to get ready for work I can't do any stretching or anything without the pain meds.

I am basically just supervisory right now and still little things like washing the truck at a car wash can knock me out of the game for day's. I get worse throughout the week and use weekends to recovers and that is doing almost no physical activity at all. walking forget it twice around the block and I'm on the couch for day's.

Meds may be bad but I'll take them over pain so bad I am in tears.

Thanks

PS
Sorry for thread jack but please anyone post your stuff it all helps us. You the Doc can you please speak more. Thanks Dave

[shilala]

I broke my lower back in an accident, had 4 screws and 2 rods installed, bone taken from my upper pelvis and used to fuse my sacrum to my pelvis, and a (multiple locale) laminectomy (bone removed from discs to make room for nerves to pass through unimpeded) done. I also have two discs blown out right below my shoulder blades. I have big leaky goomers called "Schmorl's Nodes" in a number of places, and I also have a couple endplate fractures.

My surgery helped a lot. I went from tears to hurts a lot all the time. I didn't have any expectations because I did my reading, furiously studied how backs work, surgical procedures, everything I could possibly learn and more.

All I can suggest is to listen to the docs, do your part and bust your ass to excercise and get the muscular support corrected, and try like hell NOT to ever have surgery.
Once you've crossed that bridge, you never come back.
In my case, the pain is lessened, but there are tons of things I can't do, my range of motion is shot, some days the pain is unbearable, and it's an ever-present problem that needs constant care. I literally live my live around my back, and it sucks.
Once again, it's better than it was, but the way it was, I was ready for a bullet. I insisted on every conservative measure possible for 7 months, and when I finally couldn't take another day, I was taken to surgery a couple of days after I agreed. They'd have taken me immediately, but I had to go through all the surgical preliminaries.

I wish I could pray you well, and I'll do my best, but you really have to work your ass off to try to avoid surgery. It hurts like hell every minute of every day and there's not enough drugs to kill the pain. You may be one of the lucky ones who can avoid surgery. If you can, you've done yourself a great justice, I promise.

[Blueface]

What irony
I post about pervassiveness of post op blood clots and death and just ran across this.
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b241...lood_Clot.html

Dead from blood clot 24 hours post knee surgery.
Folks may remember her from that Tom Greene movie Road Trip.

Again, point is just to avoid surgery at all cost, until all else fails.
1) it may not cure you
2) it may kill you
3) it may kill you before it ever cures you

[shilala]

A word on epidurals...
I had two. The first one was in a top notch facility. It was a powdered cortisone injection (I should say injections because they worked both sides of my spine in about 20 or 30 spots and also loaded my spinal cord). Despite all the damage, it really did help a LOT. Iirc, it took about 5 days to kick in, then lasted about five weeks.
The second one was done at the hospital by the house, under old xray machines, and they had me sweating so bad they had to bring someone in to mop the floor. They constantly stopped the procedure because my blood pressure was bottoming out. When they were done, I couldn't walk and they hauled my ass to the ER, stuck a bunch of needles in me and gave me tons of muscle relaxers to break the grip.
That was my last "conservative measure". It was excruciating. My doc and my surgeon called me the next day and I agreed to surgery.

Point being, they work wonders if done properly by good doctors in good facilities. I'd not hesitate to have one done again if I thought for a minute it'd be any help.

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by shilala

A word on epidurals...
I had two. The first one was in a top notch facility. It was a powdered cortisone injection (I should say injections because they worked both sides of my spine in about 20 or 30 spots and also loaded my spinal cord). Despite all the damage, it really did help a LOT. Iirc, it took about 5 days to kick in, then lasted about five weeks.
The second one was done at the hospital by the house, under old xray machines, and they had me sweating so bad they had to bring someone in to mop the floor. They constantly stopped the procedure because my blood pressure was bottoming out. When they were done, I couldn't walk and they hauled my ass to the ER, stuck a bunch of needles in me and gave me tons of muscle relaxers to break the grip.
That was my last "conservative measure". It was excruciating. My doc and my surgeon called me the next day and I agreed to surgery.

Point being, they work wonders if done properly by good doctors in good facilities. I'd not hesitate to have one done again if I thought for a minute it'd be any help.

Strictly outpatient surgical facilities for me with a good anesthesiologist.
Also, never, ever without a local and fluoroscopy.
All that said, they hit my nerve once and I almost went postal on them.

[smelvis]

No Offense to either but personally I am dealing with it now and can we move past the guy that died. so maybe the rest of us can get something from this thread. Doc I am interested in your thoughts as well as anyone's!

Thanks everyone.

Dave

[icehog3]

Let's leave the thread for the OP to get some inisght and leave the debate or discussion to PMs or off this thread. Thanks.