Sciatica :: Lumbar Discectomy? Pros And Cons
Apr 17, 2015
I'm a 29 year old father of two and a plumber by trade. I have suffered with two herniated discs for two and a half years and am now suffering quite badly and trying to stay in work. I have gone through physiotherapy and have had a nerve root injection with no avail. I have received my letter to go for a pre op health check etc for a lumbar discectomy. After reading other stories on here etc I'd like to try and shed some light on is this worth having or not?
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I am going through the menopause i have not had a full night sleep in months getting very snappy with the lack of sleep I have anxiety due to my mother having a stroke last year I am also her full time carer now also doing long hours I also gave up smoking a year old I feel like I have let myself go I don't bother dressing up anymore i am not sleeping due to waking up with hot flushes about 7 times a night I am not getting sweats just getting woke up feeling very hot I just don't feel like me a lot has happened in a year when I look back I never felt like this I was happy and now I'm not a happy person at all I have even to my doctors and spoke about HRT but due to the fact I don't take tablets for anything even a headache I am scared the doctor said he could give me a low dose HRT but I want to know if a low dose will help me ? And will it still have the same side effects ? Is Anyone on a low dose and how do you feel since taking them ?
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im expecting a baby boy in just a month! its the first boy in the family, so no one has had to make that decision before. thoughts on it?? pros and cons??
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I am suffering from knee pain due to osteoarthritis. I know that I will have lots of different answers to this question but how many months was it before you were fairly pain free and felt glad that you had the operation
Also how does the pain compare to the arthritic pain before the op and how long before you could walk a mile comfortably without crutches.
My knee seems to have taken over my life at the moment and I feel that I have to go through with this op as soon as possible.
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i had a total knee replacement 6 months ago.. I still have swelling around and behind the knee and also fluid on the knee.
my consultant has recommended a MUA and I want to know the pros and cons of this operation, the recovery time and could I be worse off than I am now.
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Is anyone else either using AZ or have used AZ in the past. What experiences have you had, etc.
I have been on AZ for two months and am having many fewer infections, in fact none.. But of course I would rather not be reaping havoc on my GI tract and breeding SuperBugs.
Russ
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I am thinking about having cortisone injections in my feet for arthritis pain and I've heard 1 good and 1 bad report about the success of it. Can anyone who's had it let me know how it went.
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basically after being in alot of pain and after having a ultra sound scan i was diagnosed with Gallstones.
My doctors has given me the choice whether i want my gallbladder removed or not.
What are the pros & cons long term of having the gall bladder removed?
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Pros
Cons
Procedure?
Pain?
Complications?
(I'm only 23 but I'm very interested in this method opposed to other options)
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Being a first time mom, I'm trying to get all of the input I can. Every post I see on here about breastfeeding is positive. With everything, there are always 2 sides. My question is, who planned on breastfeeding but didn't continue and why? Is there anyone who is unsure or doesn't plan on breastfeeding? Please don't give abrasive responses about how breastfeeding is the only way. I just want to see this aspect from all, unbiased points of view.
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I'm a first time mommy and will be delivering my first baby August 21. I'm scared..I hear it's one of the worst pains a woman goes through, yet worth it :) but my question is "would it make a difference if I get the epidural shot? I heard it just numbs the lower part of your body but not that much. Than I hear others that it does." I also hear from my mom and mother in law that I shouldn't and I should do it natural. I don't know what to do. I kind of don't wanna do the shot just because I also heard it causes back pain later on in life and plus every time I've gotten shots to numb me (example dentice) it never numbs me or works. It is probably way different than the shot they give you for labor but I just need some help and suggestions. I wanna hear from other moms that have gone through this I'm kind of scared too...
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I'm just starting Gabby and if it works for my RLS. Potentially I could be on it for years. Have anyone here been on Gabapentin for years? If so how is it for you? Pros and cons
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I have moderate hallux rigidus and am interested in investigating having cheilectomy surgery done by the minimally invasive, keyhole method. I don't normally have pain whilst walking but the lump rubs up against shoes, aches and limits the sort of footgear I can wear. I should love to be able to wear heels again but do not want to end up in a worse situation post op.
2 questions:
Does anyone have experience they can share of the pros and cons of this newish method of operating ?
Are there centres in Somerset / South West who offer this treatment?
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I had a herniated disc from July 2010, which trapped the Sciatic nerve and caused on going constant pain through my bum into my leg. After trying physiotherapy and so many different types of tablets nothing worked. Eventually after a long 18 months i had a discectomy to remove the part of the disc which was herniated. So that was in december 2011. I am now in just as much pain with pain which has now spread to the foot.
Has anyone else suffered the same or more pain after an operation?
What methods have you tried to deal with pain and what tablets did you use?
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I have been on Sertraline 50mg for 6 weeks, I saw my therapist and she asked how I felt, I told her I did not feel any different, she contacted my Dr. and the Dr. upped my dose to 200mg, this has frightened me, a leap from 50mg to 200mg, has anyone had this outcome, and what were the pro's and con's of this sudden higher dose.
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I had a LP done in march ever since i've had constant stabbing pain where i had it done pain in lower back(sciatica) in hip leg and foot. i cannot sleep walk far nor lift due to it it hurt to sit stand do anything basically i ve varis pain relief non of ir work its still there tried stretching little exercise just makes it worse then i can't walk.
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Nine months ago I hurt my back with an improper lift. Unlike several other back sprains, this one won't go away. Low back pain, and bilateral sciatica. Mostly dull pain, but shooting pain down legs when I bend backwards, or step into a hole that jars my back. Doctors have to play by the insurance company rules, so they treat with meds, then Phys Therapy, then guessing, and before you know it you have been hurting for 9 months. So I had an MRI that revealed a herniated disc with central canal stenosis and 2 other bulging discs.
How does one choose the method of treatment, or the type of medical pro. If you go to a surgeon, he wants to cut, to a chiro, he wants to crack and twist, you get the point. I'm being stoic about the pain, because I am concerned about side effects and drug dependency, but it's time to get this fixed and get on with my life. I would like to think that the body is equipped to heal itself. But, maybe not.
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I'm 25, a stay at home mum to 3. I've had problems with my back for a few years now which was put down to spinal stenosis. I've been in and out the gym for a long time, but I started to enjoy running in the morning too. My back then started to get worse, so I was referred for physiotherapy.
At the end of November to the start of December 2015 I started to get sciatica symptoms, it started just over a week after I started physio, I kept going for a few weeks which was difficult but I wanted to give myself a good start at recovering. I got very bad very quickly on the 18th Feb, I couldn't do anything without being in agony. I was admitted to hospital for a week to try manage the pain, I was given an injection into the nerve ending and sent home. This worked for a day!
The symptoms came back with a vengeance, I couldn't do anything, walking only to the toilet, which I'm ashamed to say I didn't make it in time every time. I couldn't sit up. I spend my time on my front with my knees tucked under me, it was the only position that reduced the pain to make it easier to deal with. I was on 50mg of mst, taking oramorph every couple of hours, and a few other meds. My gp was amazing though, he could see the pain was too much, and instead of a referral to surgery, he called a spinal surgeon himself. After getting an appointment the following week the surgeon agreed I needed urgent surgery, thankfully! After my pre assessments I has my discectomy. date for the 14th April 2016! So I've been lucky to be seen to soon.
The surgery went to plan, they done all they had to and without any problems. My blood pressure and heart rate caused some issues after the surgery, BP too low, heart rate too high. I was given 2 drips which did improve it temporarily. The results were instant, the pain had reduced, I could sit and walk the next day. There was pain, but nowhere near as substantial. I was sent home 2 days post op, on the ground i my pain medication from the gp Monday morning.
Today is Monday, since I've come home I've felt a whole lot worse, i feel ill. I struggle to eat, I keep getting dizzy spells, my heart keeps going crazy, hot flushes, then coldness. If it weren't for this, the recovery would be so much easier. I'm hoping it corrects itself, and doesn't warrant a visit to the gp. I feel I've overdone it and my leg has been very painful today, since this afternoon I've done nothing but worry about my future. Will I recover? Will it get bad again? Will I have a good quality of life? I only found out just before my op there are 3 damaged discs the middle one l4/l5 is the one that herniated. What would that mean for my future? Will that cause more problems?
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Back in 2012 after 2 years of severe sciatica that was treated with painkillers, I finally got an MRI which showed disc herniation at L5/S1, I had a microdiscectomy & the surgeon said it was a difficult procedure as the disc had calcified. I did however have some relief & a huge reduction in pain.
After about a year the pain had increased to the point my mobility was affected & I was referred back to my neuro, he carried out MRI & another micro discectomy & unfortunately this actually left me immediately in more pain.
So I had another MRI which showed again more herniated disc trapping my nerves, this was only 6 weeks after my 2nd op, my surgeon said he could do no more for me but he then referred me onto a colleague for a TLIF fusion of L5/S1.
Which was done, but again no significant improvements so after 12 weeks my neuro sent me for more MRI & CT scans, this showed halo's around my fusion screws, crowding at L5/s1 & a post op collection around the incision site, he prescribed 6 weeks antibiotic course & re-did the scans.
There was no change to the collection & he then decided he would need to operate again in case of infection.
When he operated he found no infection inside but there was 'bugs' in the fluid collection in my back.
He said the fluid was seroma & he was confused as seroma fluid never has bugs in it?
Whilst he was in my back he did yet another discectomy & laminectomy, he said he did not check the fusion itself as it meant disturbing scar tissue.
At this point he said nothing more can be done for me.
This is heartbreaking to me, I'm 39 yrs old, I have a physical job as an electrician & I don't want to be sat about or lose my job.
My pain is still extreme in my right leg & hip, my buttock still feel numb & my calf feels tight & achy.
My last op was only a week ago but after 4 surgeries on one small place, I still feel in excruciating pain & it feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, my back around the incision site is still swollen like it was before this surgery & I'm worried the fluid is coming back, the build up of that fluid had caused problems on my left side & had not got any smaller in the 5 months between the surgeries.
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I have my discectomy booked and I go in tomorrow morning, I met the surgeon yesterday he seems really positive and he seems to have a good reputation, he said I won't need a laminectomy I thought everyone needed that... Don't they? Is he just trying to make me feel better! I was asking him about mega blood loss, spinal fluid leaks, staples and he was a bit like what have you been reading! I am so scared, he said they used to do a laminectomy but now they don't and I don't get a micro discectomy as they have sufficient lighting only difference is a microscope!
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I've finally joined up to ask for some advice after lurking for the past year (injured my spine weightlifting in February 2013).
I have a prolapsed disc, confirmed by MRI, which is causing constant pain in my entire left leg. I appear to be a lot luckier than many on here, in that I can walk but running is out of the question most days as it sends huge pain down my leg when I 'bounce' while in motion.
My surgeon seems to think surgery isn't a great idea in my case as he's seen many people get worse or show no improvement. Can anyone share their recent experiences with me that might help in me deciding what my next actions are. I've been doing physio and so far it's only served to move the pain into my lower back - however the leg pain remains the same.
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