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March 15, 2010 - 1:16am
herniated disc surgery
i suffered my first attack of slip disc about 2 years ago. was on bed rest for 10 days. was up and walking but since then there has been a constant pain/numbness/tingling feeleing travelling down my leg. about 5 months agao got another attack, MRI showed l4/l5 herniated disc, severe compression of the nerve. tried physio for about 2 months with little effect. most of the docs have advised surgery but i am still not convinced about it and am confused. should i wait or should i go in for the surgery?
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and you can decide.
If you are uncertain, I would definitely go for a second opinion. If you have two doctors stating the same action plan, then you can assume that is the way you should proceed.
When a disc is pressing on a nerve , that generally means that surgery is in order and that the normal set of conservative treatments may not work. Anytime you have nerve damage, from disc impingement, sometimes the longer you wait for surgery, the greater the chances are for permanent nerve damage.
Become as educated as you can about your condition and the surgical and non-surgical treatments. These forums will provide you with many other member experiences.
The Spine-Health articles provide you with in depth
information:
Herinated Discs
Lumber Herniated Disc Video
Lumbar Surgery
Back Surgery Video
and there is much more to read.
Ron DiLauro
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This can vary from person to person, so do not take comments as medical facts or rules
The studies show that 90% of the people will heal in the first 6 mos. If you do not heal most doctors will atleast go up to 12 mos with conservative care. But if you do not see a turn around in that much time than your chances are quite slim.
Given that the MRI shows severe compression and it has been longer than a year IMHO I think you should seriously consider your doctors thoughts. Obviously you can see other doctors for more opinions.
Surgery should be the last option but you have to consider how much it is interrupting with your ddaily life. Keep in mind the longer the nerve is compressed the more issues you will have even after the surgery. Consult with your doctor on all these type of issues in terms of the pros and cons of waiting.
-js
What type of surgery are they recommending?
There are a few options depending on your situation.
I agree on the 2nd opinion but in face believe you sometimes need more than that.
Have they tried alternative options such as epidural or steroid? Depending on the diagnosis, your doctor may be right. If you have a true disc herniation where a piece has broken loose and is sitting on the nerve, then it make 'dry out' just enough to come off the nerve. If it's big, it probably won't do that but your doctor can suggest the right time to wait on that.
There are some great links that Ron posted.
I just finished reading a book called "I've got your back": The truth about spine surgery, straight from a surgeon. It was really helpful - I got it from the library.
- discotomy on June 3 2010
- sciatica since Sept 09
- large disc herniation - L5/S1