Dont be an idiot.

After 3 months I had surgery today for a herniated disk. Why delay? Evidently I imagine myself tough. Evidently I imagine myself the stereotypical 1950's cowboy moviestar strong silent type. Evidently thought back pain would heal on its own as it did when I was young. Evidently I believed the more conservative approach of physical therapy and excerise was the wiser choice despite the neurosurgeons (who had my X-rays right in front of him) doubt it would be effective and expressed concern about right calf muscle mass and function loss. But no. Evidently and clearly I'm just an idiot. After multiple and increasingly painful extrusions from the same disk toward the Sciatic nerve, one of which when removed measured 25mm, I caved. Eleven hours latter some pain from the minimally invasive, outpatient, simple 1 hour surgery remains. But I can sit, sit up and stand without using my arms and shifting my position with groans and dramatic grimacing to do so. While youth might excuse a certain degree of this behavior it's hard to forgive idiocy in folks of a mature age and it doesn't warrant comment or sympathy. So please don't. Just DONT BE AN IDIOT LIKE ME! :(

hopefully it works permanently for you. A woman I knew went to one of those laser spine surgery centers that advertises on TV all the time. She was elated with the results after the first surgery. But was back to pain and disability within months. She had been through 25 years of chiropractic treatments before the surgery. She had a second laser surgery which also did not help. She unsuccessfully sued everybody who ever looked at her. Then she unsuccessfully sued her attorney. And lastly sued the attorney who represented her against her first attorney for malpractice and lost. The laser center where she had her surgery no longer advertises on television.

On the other hand my wife was nearly in a wheel chair and had major anterior fusion surgery to her low back. (They went in through her stomach.) Then she had the usual operation on her back from the back. It has been 12 years now and she was released to go back to horse back riding (no jumping) and she works as an RN. She helps stack hay in the barn and does other chores around the farm. The Doctor says she is the poster child for a great recovery. Not that she is totally pain free, but the strongest med is Ibuprofen. Hope your recovery is as good as hers.

No laser involved Perry. They go in through a 1 inch incision and use instruments to scrap, expose, grab and pull out the offending material.

Michael,
Best wishes for a full and permanent recovery!
Fred

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Do as the doctor says

Here is hopes for a quick recovery. Do whatever your doctor tells you for best results.

jtk

Moral of the story is to find a really good doctor. With technology today, they can get a great image of a herniated disk. Unfortunately, they can not always isolate what is causing back pain.

Glad it worked out well for you. But, be careful as you can re-injure it easily.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Perry Hilbert Jr

A woman I knew went to one of those laser spine surgery centers that advertises on TV all the time. She was elated with the results after the first surgery. But was back to pain and disability within months. She had been through 25 years of chiropractic treatments before the surgery. She had a second laser surgery which also did not help. She unsuccessfully sued everybody who ever looked at her. Then she unsuccessfully sued her attorney. And lastly sued the attorney who represented her against her first attorney for malpractice and lost. The laser center where she had her surgery no longer advertises on television.

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The American Dream - sue everyone and take no responsibility.

Michael - best wishes for a full and fast recovery.

Here's wishing a fast and permanent healing for you Michael!

Hope it's all good going forward. And do as the doc says. My son in law had his retina re-attached and 3 days later was operating a jack hammer. Guess what - he's having it re-attached again.

I have known several people who had hip and knees replaced. Every single one said they wished they had jumped in years earlier and had it done back then. My BIL had a knee replaced and went in for one rehab exercise appointment to see what to do. Rather then pay all the co-pays he bought a exercise bike and did the work at home. Cheaper and less hassle about schedules. But, a big but, he kept it up and did the rehab time.
Bill D