Possibly preparing for back surgery

When i was in high school I power-lifted for the most part. Deadlifts, squats, bench etc. Anyway, at 16 and 17 years of age. My doctor recommended back surgery. At that time, i was like hell no! So he just fed me prescriptions of pain killers, anti-inflammatory medicine as well as muscle relaxers. Now, apparently my back has gotten worse.

Is there anyone out there that could shed some light on this subject. I am 21, really do not want to have the surgery but my back is getting worse. Have been to the chiropractor and everything. Input from people that are in, or have been in this situation would be much appreciated.

L1,L2 compressed. As well as L4, L5 vertebretes. With pinched Sciatic nerve.
Am getting another MRI scan tomorrow and probably will not be that good.

 

all I can say is that I thought mine would heal itself...it didn't..I wish I had been offered a surgery option...my life would have been totally different ....probably

 

just remember to eat your blue m&m's

 

Well. Do not have to have the surgery for another 3 months(approx.) So they have me on three muscle relaxers, three 200mg xr ultram, and three hydrocodone a day.

At least im not in pain. NO wonder pharmacutical companies are so rich. I am one out of millions. I figured this thread would get more hits since i put it in the correct forum.

 

the health section ain't always the hopping place on the forums.. you should be lucky you got a response lol

 

Yeah, no kidding. Figured it was worth throwing out there just in case if someone has went through my position. Oh well though, atleast i got a few of em....eh.

 

hi shiva master... i am interested to know what the result of your MRI scan was..... i have just come out of an unusual treatment for back and leg pain... what i know may or may not be relevant for you... i don't know, but need to know more from you... surgery is not always the best thing to do.... is it pain that you suffer?.... i mean, has the damage healed but you are left with pain because of the origional damage? what painkillers are you on? are you still on anti-inflammatories? etc....

 

If it were not for the pain, i more than likely would not even consider it. The original damage is the problem. But over time gets worse. Bulged discs the original. After a while it apparently caused pressure on my vertibres. That resulted in a pinched nerve somehow and shoots down into my shin bone in my leg sometimes.

Done the whole job on non narcotic regemine. IBuprofen seems to work but have a large tolerance to it. So combination with Advil helps(naproxen)

Either way my doc says it is degenerative back disease.

Tramadol hcl 50mg 3x a day. Baclofen(muscle relaxer10mg.) trying to get them to prescribe me a narcotic again but want 200mg tramadol XR. Work very well but take a while to kick in.

 

hi shiva_master ... i hope this helps and that you fully understand what i am trying to say to you regarding your pain...

I was very lucky to have been referred to St. Thomas' Hospital in London for a condition called Chronic Pain. I was unable to walk a few years ago due to damage in my lower back and hips from an assault. You may be surprised to learn that the condition you have, called "degenerative back disease" is actually a normal condition and is something that the majority of people have and that surgery is unlikely to help you, unless it is specifically to remove the pressure on the nerve you refer to as being "pinched". This would occur if the "bulge" has not resolved. Have you seen your Xrays or MRI scans? is there swelling that is actually visible and interferring with the said nerve/nerve sheath? if this is the case, then surgery might be a very good option for you. if, however, the swelling has gone, the pain you feel (is it a painful, tugging sensation?) may be from scar tissue and tethering (adhesion) of the nerve sheath to surrounding tissues, in which case, surgery will probably be useless, could make it worse and give you false hope... if the latter is the case, this situation can be helped with a gentle build-up of exercise and stretching to stretch the nerve and the scar tissue, until gradually it becomes more flexible and the tethering is eased.... ie, pain greatly reduced!

are you aware of the fact that tissue damage and damage to the discs in between your vertebrae, heal within 6 months of the initial damage? however, with the right information and treatment your quality of life can get much better as mine has... i am now off all painkillers and am following the recommended exercises to strengthen my whole body... my pain has reduced immensely and i am pacing myself up very gently to living a normal life...

If you find that surgery is not for you, i could probably send you photographs of the sheets i was given detailing the recommended pacing up of gentle exercises and stretches given to me when i did the treatment, but i would need an email address to send them to. Also, it is important i think that i tell you that some people do get SO much better, but it depends very much on the work you are prepared to put in and your psychological attitude.

please don't panic when i tell you the following... the pain killers you are on are now (non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drugs) are considered dangerous for long-term use. You really would be better off on the Tramadol for now, (despite the constipation and zombie-like nature), (unless it is contra-indicated for you) until you learn to manage your pain differently, if indeed, it IS Chronic Pain from which you may be suffering (rather than Acute Pain)

i think that is all i can share with you for now other than to give you the website address which i recommend you browse... if you are feeling at all angry with your doctor.... please try not to be... doctors do their best to help us when we are in pain, to reduce the pain and this information hasn't got out into the mainstream yet...

the website address is: www.inputpainunit.org.uk

please feel free to let me know if you have any further questions regarding what I've said or my own experiences... i am not yet able to PM though as i am a very new member (actually, i think i am refered to as a guest until my membership is finalised?)

goodluck, peace, light and healing coming right at ya

 

My most recent MRI scans, i myself have not got to see yet. Right now, im not in a financial position to be able to pay the money up front. Till my med card comes in.
My doc used the term chronic pain. It is hard Not to get mad at my doc at the moment. He cut me off my pain medication. Which i Really need. I am Going to browse that link you sent.

Thanks for responding to my thread. I suppose i should be a little more educated on my situation. Going to try running my MRI cd on my pc. It is only 700mega bytes. But i am not a trained technician so yeah.

Much peace

 

Shiva--not much help here ,I guess ,but I had the same situation -- maybe not as severe. Once the disc/s break and squeeze out interfering with nerve transmission,there's not much left to do but operate.I had disc repair surgery in '74 and before the surgery the pain was unbearable and I had to be carried to the bathroom by friends amid involuntary tears. They gave me no pain pills so it was pretty rough until the repair.My trade is pretty tough--roofing --and I thought I'd lose it ,but after the operation I THEN went to a good chiropractor and he adjusted me properly so that I could continue roofing.Maybe that would be a consideration for you.(Not the roofing!) Back and leg pain are hell and I feel for you.As I said,not much help here,but I know what you're going thru and I hope you get some decent relief.Strengthening your core muscles will help a lot as LILLYLOUKINS said-----------

 

i ripped apart a bunch of my backs muscles from lacrosse, and they told me if i was to get back surgery it would be a 1 year recovery, so i never did it. it doesn't heal it just gets worse...if i still had the chance, i'd get surgery.

 

It seems like back muscles would heal themselves with enough rest without surgery.No?

 

nope, the ripped completely apart and formed these giant gross bumps while they were healing because i still played lacrosse. it's awful pain/

 

I'm sorry,Raz.Is there a problem now with having them fixed?

 

i never got them fixed, i don't have insurance for it anymore

 

Oh.Well,I hope you can get something done about it--that's no way to have to live.Typical--no insurance---just suffer.