We seem to be a community of primarily a bunch of "old guys" so I'm sure more than a few of you can relate to my predicament. I'm seeking advice and sharing of experience, if applicable. Plus, I don't have too many other people to turn to. I've lived the last month with some of the most excruciating back and leg pain I've ever known. I saw my 7th doctor in a month today and had an MRI yesterday. I've now been diagnosed with having a ruptured disc with leakage and a good sized disc fragment pinching on the nerves that operate my right leg. I'm on narcotic pain drugs and muscle relaxers to be able to function in a semi-orderly state. I'm really not into fog-brain and constant tiredness, but can't walk or sleep without some manner of relief. Doc says he recommends surgery to remove the fragment, but there's a possibility I could get by for a while, maybe a week or a month, with a cortisone shot. Neither option is something I'm looking forward to.

Enough of my whining. This is not to be intended as a 'woe is me' thread. I'm sure there's a lot of people worse off than me. I guess what I'm really looking for is for stories of people who have been here before me, how did things go, and what should I look out for or questions I should be asking? I'll listen to anyone's suggestions and thank you in advance.

 

About 16 years ago I had major back problems. Tried the shots. First set lasted about two weeks then round two. They lasted about four or five days. The third set never did anything. So I say the shots are not worth it at least in my case. Everyone is different so they may work for you. I had surgery. That was suppose to take about four hours to repair two disk. Nine hours in they had one cleaned up and had to stop. I had instant relief from 90% of the pain. Never had the second one done. I now have spinal stenosis with the disk in L2 thru L6 gone with the rest so arthritic they can't be operated on. I'm slowly losing all feeling in my legs hands and arms. Talk to the doc. If they think they can fix it do it. I was laid up flat on my back for ten days after the operation but that is easy compared to life today. My problem was mainly from playing football from third grade thru college in the days you used your head as a battering ram and of course you played hurt if you wanted to play at all. I should have had the second operation a long time ago and probably would be in better shape today. Hope things work out better for you. Have fun

 

Hey Wayne,
I've had the shots. They work but aren't designed to solve
ruptured disc issues - more along the pinched nerve & muscle issues.
They would be a good alternative for after you get your back structure fixed. The shots last 6 months or so for muscle/sciatica pain below the waist for me.

It's a new kind of pain - unbearable. I'd get a second opinion &
take your best shot. My brother has had electrodes implanted along his spine with an external **** to dial up electric impulses to block the pain.

Hang in there & keep us posted. I feel for you Wayne.

Ben in Austin

 

My coworker just had back surgery though an 1 inch hole they fixed a ruptured disc and bone spurs . He said his relief was instant and the smartest thing he did healing time was weeks not months

 

Wayne
I feel your pain, litterly (sp).
I fought back pain for a year and a half. My life was miserable. I couldn't work on my f1. I had to use a cane to walk. The drugs and shots barely deadned the pain.
I finly got my medical plan to pay for surgery, had two surgerys during two months time,.
I now walk witout the cane, have minimal pain, and can live my life like a normal person.
I have one side effect from the surgery, slight nerve damage that causes me to have a slight limp. It took almost a year to recover from the surgery (complications but too much to talk about here), but I now feel great and can fuction as well as any 63 year old can.

I can't tell you what to do. For me, I would not hesitate to have surgery.

You have to make your own decision.

I hope your pain is cured ASAP.

Take Care and get well soon

Dan

 

I have had chronic back pain for over 30 years. I have deterioration of several vertebrae and disc damage, but nothing like what you've described.

I see a chiropractor regularly, at least once a month, and get a full body massage after the adjustments. Sometimes this lasts a month, but more often the pain is back sooner.

I don't ever want to have surgery, but that's just me. If you have bone chips loose around your discs, they have to be removed. And something will have to be done for the ruptured disc.

Best of luck, and I hope the pain is relieved soon.

 

I don't have any experience with a ruptured disc, but I had an MRI in January that revealed three bulging discs and nerve root interference. I think I was too over-zealous while moving some heavy old (Ford) truck parts back in December and afterward walking, sitting, and trying to sleep would peg my pain threshold (which I think is pretty high). I have had two epidural cortisone injections (the second on Monday). My doctor suggests a series of three injections, a couple of weeks apart. After the first I was at about 70%, and hopefully after a few days the second one will put closet to 100%. His policy is if the patient is close to 100% after the first or second, then there's no need for more.
The injections have worked for me and I looked at it as a method to try before considering surgery.

 

I was in your position back in 1982, when I had intractable lumbar pain, so excruciating that only morphine would help. I was in and out of the hospital for several months, and finally , a neuroradiologist discovered an almost completely compressed sciatic nerve at L4-5. I had surgery (a hemi-laminectomy and foramenotomy) , and was back to work in two weeks.


I have done whatever I need to in terms of lifting since then, but keep away from really heavy stuff. I have occasional twinges of pain radiating down my leg, but had an excellent recovery. Traumatic arthritis from the surgery usually sets in eventually, but 20-25 years of freedom from pain and any type of painkillers was worth it for me.


That being said, I have been a trial lawyer for 46 years, I have handled thousands of back cases. Most did not turn out well with results such as mine. A number of people get no relief, and a few turn out worse. You will know when you need surgery, and beg for it like I did. There have been remarkable strides in medicine since my surgery, and you normally you should exhaust all avenues of conservative medicine, such as therapy, pain clinics(injections, opioids, stimulator implantation, etc.) before surgery.


Given your diagnosis and the MRI findings, I don't think conservative therapy will work, and I would opt for the surgery. There are neurosurgeons who perform microsurgery, which minimizes traumatic scar tissue, with good results. Go to a doctor at a major teaching hospital who has performed hundreds of back surgeries and has a proven track record of success. Investigate thoroughly before committing.


Best wishes and good luck!


Mark.

 

A subject I'm painfully familiar with after over $200K in treatment and two operations. One disc ruptures or herniates pressing on the sciatic nerve. Further the pain extends down leg the worse it is. If lucky, surgery will remove pain at least temporarily. Once one disc goes, it puts more load on the adjacent disc's till another one goes. Therapy/exercise to strengthen abdominal and back muscles will "help" stabilize your spine.
Rarely there is a permanent fix and you will have problems the rest of your life. Forced into retirement in 2001 when unable to do my job, I've been able to confine the pain to just my back by being very careful about what I do. Reluctantly, I take pain meds for relief, but have to plan any driving around their use. Driving under the influence of drugs is the same as alcohol. Recent law changes for hydrocodone have resulted in more trips to the doctor to even fill prescriptions.
No doubt, it is a life changing condition. Best of luck.

 

One thing use a neurosurgeon NOT an orthopedic guy. Neuro guys are like watch makers. Ortho guys use hammers. You want precision in that nerve area.

 

Been there and done that! I too had the herniated disc that was pulling on the sciatic nerve. No amount of pain killers helped, but enough of them made me not care if I was in pain. Shots and physical therapy won't cure the herniated disc, only surgery will. There are new procedures now that only require a small inscision to remove the piece of disc.
My relief was instantanious, I now have occasional pain if I do to much, but wouldn't hesitate to have the surgery again.
One thing to remember, the longer you wait, the more chance there is for severe nerve damage. Once that is done there is usually no relief from the pain.
Oh, my surgery was a little over 16 years ago.

 

Get a Neurosurgeon to do what ever work that needs to be done on the spine - Most disk jobs can be done with a scope or by micro surgery - The only thing a needle is going to do is prolong the pain and increase the dependence on hard drugs
I had a birth defect that trapped my spinal cord - When I had my back fixed it took three months to recoup and it took almost 18 months to get me off the drugs

 

Seems us old men all have back stories! I had back surgery in 1995 (L-4 rupture) and went back to work offshore in 2 months. I retired last March and only had an occasional back ache in the interim. Usually it was due to trying to act like a young man. I found out last week that my L-3 is ruptured now which an MRI confirmed. I had quite a bit of pain for 2 to 3 weeks but after muscle relaxers and a steroid pack, I have no pain now. I am debating right now what I should do. The Doctor could not tell me if I had just ruptured the disc or it could have happened 10 or 15 years ago. I am leaning toward doing nothing until (if) I have another attack of the pain. Meanwhile I am using an industrial style back brace when I am doing anything in my shop. Good luck with yours, Steve

 

Mine is an extruded disk L4-L6 started 18 months ago. Had the MRI, xrays (2) cortisone shots did not help, (2) epidurals did not help, doctor wanted to operate.

I choose to try physical therapy first. Took about 3 months going twice a week for exercises, electro-therapy (tins), massages, and reminders of proper positions to sit, stand, lifting, and sleeping properly. Made a world of difference for me. Most days are not bad, some days when I do something stupid I feel it all the way down to my foot.

Everyone is going to be different, choose a doctor you trust 100% and talk his ear off. Heck get 2 doctors if you want and see if they agree.

Best of luck.

 

I work at a VA hospital and honestly know patients in this type of situation. Many patients attempt the cortisone shots and get a temporary relief. The issue is eventually your body will get to use to the shot. This is the same with pain medication. Eventually the dosage will not be enough, but you can only increase so much.

There is always a risk with surgery. Pending on your age the sooner the better. It is easier to recover at a younger age. Surgery is usually followed by some sort of therapy where the experts in that field can assist with better treatment options. Like I said, there is always a risk. But this is 2015 and the surgical field has made some huge strides of improvement. Hope I helped.