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September 9, 2010 - 1:35am
Surgeon consult 9-20. New here
Howdy,
I'm new to the forums & thrilled to have found yall, people who actually understand!!
I'd been having sciatica for about 1 1/2 years. It was bearable for about the first 8 months with mild pain meds & muscle relaxers. I finally had an MRI in May, which showed a bulging disc at L5-S1, degeneration & a nerve root sheath cyst in the left invertebral foramen at T12-L1.
The pain has progressed tremendously since then. The Dr prescribed Lortab, muscle relaxers & oral steriods, then took me off of the steroids & gave me anti-inflamatories. Recently, I went for a series of epidural/steriod shots. Was sceduled for 3, only ended up doing 2, because my condition was deteriorating.
Now I'm scheduled to see a neurosurgeon on 9-20. My PCP seems to think that surgery is my only option now.
I'm concerned about many things, uppermost on my list is how invasive it will be. I've already taken a leave of absense from work, because I would be in agony when I got home. I'm a librarian & spend alot of time sitting at a desk.
Sorry this is so long.
Sooo nice to "meet" everybody:)
_____________
Sciatica for 1 1/2 long years.
Diagnosed with bulging disc @ L5-S1 along with DDD & nerve root sheath cyst @ T12- L1
oral steriods & anti-inflamatories
ESI series, no help
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and welcome to Spine Health.
Sorry to hear that your pain is getting worse and that your PCP thinks surgery may be in your future.
There are various surgical options depending on what needs to be done. Surgeons will usually chose the least invasive option that will deal with your diagnosis. When you see your neurosurgeon on 20th, things will become clearer.
I suggest that you read up on various surgical options. There is a lot of information written by surgeons on this site. They can be found at the top of this page, at the TREATMENT section. This will really help you to understand what the surgeon proposes to do to help you.
There is also a section on questions to ask your surgeon. A lot of us prepare 2 lists of questions. The second list is all about 'what ifs' should the surgeon propose surgery.
Nice to meet you too, and I look forward to getting to know you better.
Grade 2 spondylolisthesis causing severe stenosis + DDD
L4/L5 decompression (laminectomy) and PLIF 19th March 2010
Herniations at T12/L1, T9/T10 and T8/T9 (mildly indenting cord)
Significant cervical spondylosis from C3-C7
C3/C4 and C4/C5 are compressing the cord (mild to moderate)
Waiting 6 months to see how much worse things get
hi and welcome to the forum!
we are here to offer you support and asnwer what questions we can. it is so nice you dropped in! i see you have tried some conservative measures to work on your pain problem.. atleast you gave them a try first.. i am sorry to hear you may be headed for surgery but it may be the way for you to become pain free!!! could that be possible???? be sure and ask those questions!!! good luck to you! please drop in anytime and make yourself at home! Jenny 
be impeccable with your word..
Hi Jelly & Jenny,
Thanks for the warm welcome. I spent most of the night wandering around the site, soaking up amy info available. I am incredibly happy to have found yall. I think it will be wonderful to have the post-op support too.
Really looking forward to having my life back, the pain tends to consume us.It's very comforting to be able to reach out to thers here who understand.
Sciatica for 1 1/2 long years.
Diagnosed with bulging disc @ L5-S1 along with DDD & nerve root sheath cyst @ T12- L1
oral steriods & anti-inflamatories
ESI series, no help
Welcome...this place is great but try to remember most of us on here are not doing well or have had no success with treatment. Myself I am on my way to a 3rd surgery. There r lots of people out there thst had successful treatment and r not on here because they went back to a life...I did that myself after my mast surgery and now I am back again.
Angela
L5/S1 Laminectomy 12/05, L5/S1 Laser Microdisectomy 12/08, Problems again since April 10, August MRI shows blown discs L4/L5 including at the strongest point which is why I keep blowing the disc along with bone spur. ESI on 9/13. Fusion scheduled for November 3rd.
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Hi Angela,
I'm sooo sorry. I'm sure that after you've been through it once, you're really dreading having to endure it again. They say ignorance is bliss & I'm sure in this case, that's very true. I don't really know what to expect, although I've heard that it can be painful.
I've actually gottan some positive feedback from some acquantances who have had these procedures done, so I know that there are at least some success stories.
The idea that people move on once they are feeling better makes perfect sense to me. While I would like to think that I'd stick around afterwards & offer support to others, I think that's an unreal expectation. After being in excruciating pain for so long, i would expect someone to get back to life, in fact, I think I'd be concerned about them if they didn't.
I hope that this is your case & for good this time. When are you scheduled for surgery?
Sciatica for 1 1/2 long years.
Diagnosed with bulging disc @ L5-S1 along with DDD & nerve root sheath cyst @ T12- L1
oral steriods & anti-inflamatories
ESI series, no help