Lumbar spinal fussion for 3 herniated disks, what else can I do?
I have three herniated disks, L4, L5, and S1...my doctor wants and is pushing for spinal fussion surgery, but I am only 24 and not only cannot afford such a surgery, but in my situation I cannot miss work. My father passed, I took over his landscaping business and I am paying all the bills for my mothers house. I cannot miss work, and I here there is risk for complications and possible further surgery(s) which still may not even fix pain. Physical theropy did not work, and doc will only give me lowest pain medicine available. I am no doctor, but I thought a pain medication coupled with an anit inflamatory would be best. Can some one give me some advice please. Thank you.
Answers:
holy ***...i am sorry but i am 25 years old with 3 herniated disks you'll never guess which ones L4, L5 and S1...i have the same situation as you do. My doctor was pushing for the spinal fusion but i couldn't afford surgery and could not afford to take 4-6 mths off for recouperation...physical therepy didn't work, aqua therepy didn't work, cortisone shots didn't work, and epidurals shots didn't work...however my doctor is awsome with my pain medication and understood why i didn't want to have surgery...so he wanted to make me more comfortable so i take two 5mg percocets every 4-6 hours for break through pain and 15 mg morphine sulfate 2x a day for long term extended realese pain medication...i feel for you cause i know the type of pain you are in...let me guess you also have degenerate disk disease as well...i want to talk to you more about your situation...along with pain medication i take amitriptylene at bedtime along with two 5 mg valium..getting a good night sleep is the first step into making it into a comfortable controlled painless morning..i use to wake up in the morning and all i could think about how much pain i was in and i couldn't wait to get to the couch.so here is my advise time to find you a new doctor...i had to. My old doctor was only giving me two 5 mg percocets a day i couldn't make it on just that and when i told her that she didn't want to increase it because of how addicting that kind of pain medication is...well screw that she had NO idea what i was going through or what you are going through..so finding a new doctor is the first step...i don't know where you are located but I see Dr. Auhjua from midwest neurosurgeons he is at st.lukes...(i am in Wisconsin)...he is great you should look him up on the internet...i would try to stay away from advanced pain management. Not only did they screw me over but they didn't listen to me and even though I had all my MRI'S they treated me like i was some sort of drug pusher.they put me on methadose which only caused me to throw up about 3 times a day...i tried to tell them this and all they did was give me a medication for nausea...so wherever you are stay away from them...once we can find you a good doctor who will give you the right pain medication and understand that you do not want to have surgery then you will start getting better...well not better but comfortable...since my pain medication is working great and I am comfortable i find myself able to do certain tasks that I was not able to do before...my last doctors appt went great they said i was building up strengh in my left side which is my bad side...so they are continuing my pain medication i just have to call them so they can write me a new script... i don't have to go once a mnth anymore and my. Things are going great...i wish you were doing better i know exactly what you are going through..every day there is new technology for back pain and herniated disks comming out and we are so young...too young to have surgery that's how my doctor looks at it. and surger is only 65 percent successful anyway so even if you went with the surgery there is nothing saying that you are going to get better...i know this is a risk but i really would like to help you so here is my email address inluv4eva1016@aol.com.lets see if we can work together and get you some help...and by the way and anti-inflamatory wouldn't necessairly help you it would just give you and upset stomach you need to stick with the narcotics they work the best trust me...anyway email me with some more of your story and we'll see if we can find you a better doctor...
I would suggest talking to your doctor about other treatments. One alternative treatment that may be helpful for your pain could be a spinal cord stimulator (SCS). You can get more info about a SCS at www.ans-medical.com I've had one implanted now for about a year and a half and it has helped with my pain a lot. Good luck!
Get a second opinion, and then a THIRD. My father had a slipped disk after a car accident before I was born, and 25 years later he's had 7 surgeries, and is now on disability. I don't mean to scare you--from what I've seen with my dad though, if you can avoid the surgery and deal with the pain, you're probably better off. Explore ALL options before surgery.
It's just been a bad experience for him. I would def try the meds first. And PLEASE, if you do opt for surgery, get the BEST OF THE BEST. Put it on a credit card if you have to. It's your BACK. Don't go cheap.
I'm so sorry to hear this for ya hon. I'm 24 too, and I can't imagine. Best of luck!
Well, if your pain is that bad, then you need the surgery. In addition, because of the work that you do, the damage that your lower spine is all ready experiencing, will more than likely become worse. Spinal Fusion surgeries are not as complicated as they were 20+ years ago. The recovery process varies from person to person.If you are physically fit, you can recover quickly.99% of the time, these surgeries are quite successful and you will notice a change in your symptoms and pain quite soon after the surgery. You will need to have P.T.( physical therapy) after the surgery. I understand that because of financial obligations that surgery may not be an option for you. But, how will you pay the bills if your condition worsens.The surgery isn't all that horrible. I have had spinal fusion surgery last year but, in my neck.I opted not to have bone taken from my hip and to have titanium plates instead.Any type of surgery, especially that involves the spine, is quite scary. As you mentioned, physical therapy did not work. Therefore, the next step is surgery. As with any surgery,there are risks and complications. But, Docs' are to tell you the risks & complications because it is the law. So, if something happened, one out of a billion cases, you need to be informed of such complications. Do you wear a back support that will help prevent further irritation to the area?? Are you taking any Advil/Motrin( Ibuprofen) for your pain?? Are you seeing a Neurosurgeon for this?? How about, after fall clean-ups, you have the surgery.? What is the pain medication that you presently taking?? Most Docs' will only prescribe them on a short-term basis. Talk to your Doc and family about your dilemma. Is there anyone else that can help with the landscaping projects?? How about hiring another to handle the majority of the heavy lifting etc. so that you don't aggravate your lower spine?? I only know that eventually, you will have to undergo the surgery so, discuss this with your family. I hope that this has helped some and Good Luck !!
I would get a 2nd opinion, but in all honesty, that doctor may tell you the same thing.
And honestly, if you don't get surgery, you may not just have pain, but you may have permanent nerve damage, and not just pain, but problems with your bowel & bladder. ( I had a woman who didn't want to have surgery & she would pee her pants & have other accidents & had to wear a diaper). she finally had surgery but I dont know if it fixed the bowel problems or not.
I know this because I am a chiropractor & I work with patients referred to me by neurologists & orthopedic surgeons.
I refer people out for surgery like this all the time too. Sometimes you just have to do it.
Sometimes you can wait, but waiting may be 3 months, 1 year, but you are not going to probably be able to 'postpone" this more than a year or 2...
.
you may have to find someone else to run the business while you manage the books at home for a few months. you can always find people who want to do the labor-- you can be the brains who goes & gets the jobs, talks to clients, but doesnt do the actual work.
go get another opinion from another neurosurgeon, but my guess is the answer is going to be fix it now, or you will be fixing it in the very near future, --- or you will be physically unable to walk, or will be peeing yourself soon.
I hope you feel better & can get your business in order.
good luck
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Answers:
holy ***...i am sorry but i am 25 years old with 3 herniated disks you'll never guess which ones L4, L5 and S1...i have the same situation as you do. My doctor was pushing for the spinal fusion but i couldn't afford surgery and could not afford to take 4-6 mths off for recouperation...physical therepy didn't work, aqua therepy didn't work, cortisone shots didn't work, and epidurals shots didn't work...however my doctor is awsome with my pain medication and understood why i didn't want to have surgery...so he wanted to make me more comfortable so i take two 5mg percocets every 4-6 hours for break through pain and 15 mg morphine sulfate 2x a day for long term extended realese pain medication...i feel for you cause i know the type of pain you are in...let me guess you also have degenerate disk disease as well...i want to talk to you more about your situation...along with pain medication i take amitriptylene at bedtime along with two 5 mg valium..getting a good night sleep is the first step into making it into a comfortable controlled painless morning..i use to wake up in the morning and all i could think about how much pain i was in and i couldn't wait to get to the couch.so here is my advise time to find you a new doctor...i had to. My old doctor was only giving me two 5 mg percocets a day i couldn't make it on just that and when i told her that she didn't want to increase it because of how addicting that kind of pain medication is...well screw that she had NO idea what i was going through or what you are going through..so finding a new doctor is the first step...i don't know where you are located but I see Dr. Auhjua from midwest neurosurgeons he is at st.lukes...(i am in Wisconsin)...he is great you should look him up on the internet...i would try to stay away from advanced pain management. Not only did they screw me over but they didn't listen to me and even though I had all my MRI'S they treated me like i was some sort of drug pusher.they put me on methadose which only caused me to throw up about 3 times a day...i tried to tell them this and all they did was give me a medication for nausea...so wherever you are stay away from them...once we can find you a good doctor who will give you the right pain medication and understand that you do not want to have surgery then you will start getting better...well not better but comfortable...since my pain medication is working great and I am comfortable i find myself able to do certain tasks that I was not able to do before...my last doctors appt went great they said i was building up strengh in my left side which is my bad side...so they are continuing my pain medication i just have to call them so they can write me a new script... i don't have to go once a mnth anymore and my. Things are going great...i wish you were doing better i know exactly what you are going through..every day there is new technology for back pain and herniated disks comming out and we are so young...too young to have surgery that's how my doctor looks at it. and surger is only 65 percent successful anyway so even if you went with the surgery there is nothing saying that you are going to get better...i know this is a risk but i really would like to help you so here is my email address inluv4eva1016@aol.com.lets see if we can work together and get you some help...and by the way and anti-inflamatory wouldn't necessairly help you it would just give you and upset stomach you need to stick with the narcotics they work the best trust me...anyway email me with some more of your story and we'll see if we can find you a better doctor...
I would suggest talking to your doctor about other treatments. One alternative treatment that may be helpful for your pain could be a spinal cord stimulator (SCS). You can get more info about a SCS at www.ans-medical.com I've had one implanted now for about a year and a half and it has helped with my pain a lot. Good luck!
Get a second opinion, and then a THIRD. My father had a slipped disk after a car accident before I was born, and 25 years later he's had 7 surgeries, and is now on disability. I don't mean to scare you--from what I've seen with my dad though, if you can avoid the surgery and deal with the pain, you're probably better off. Explore ALL options before surgery.
It's just been a bad experience for him. I would def try the meds first. And PLEASE, if you do opt for surgery, get the BEST OF THE BEST. Put it on a credit card if you have to. It's your BACK. Don't go cheap.
I'm so sorry to hear this for ya hon. I'm 24 too, and I can't imagine. Best of luck!
Well, if your pain is that bad, then you need the surgery. In addition, because of the work that you do, the damage that your lower spine is all ready experiencing, will more than likely become worse. Spinal Fusion surgeries are not as complicated as they were 20+ years ago. The recovery process varies from person to person.If you are physically fit, you can recover quickly.99% of the time, these surgeries are quite successful and you will notice a change in your symptoms and pain quite soon after the surgery. You will need to have P.T.( physical therapy) after the surgery. I understand that because of financial obligations that surgery may not be an option for you. But, how will you pay the bills if your condition worsens.The surgery isn't all that horrible. I have had spinal fusion surgery last year but, in my neck.I opted not to have bone taken from my hip and to have titanium plates instead.Any type of surgery, especially that involves the spine, is quite scary. As you mentioned, physical therapy did not work. Therefore, the next step is surgery. As with any surgery,there are risks and complications. But, Docs' are to tell you the risks & complications because it is the law. So, if something happened, one out of a billion cases, you need to be informed of such complications. Do you wear a back support that will help prevent further irritation to the area?? Are you taking any Advil/Motrin( Ibuprofen) for your pain?? Are you seeing a Neurosurgeon for this?? How about, after fall clean-ups, you have the surgery.? What is the pain medication that you presently taking?? Most Docs' will only prescribe them on a short-term basis. Talk to your Doc and family about your dilemma. Is there anyone else that can help with the landscaping projects?? How about hiring another to handle the majority of the heavy lifting etc. so that you don't aggravate your lower spine?? I only know that eventually, you will have to undergo the surgery so, discuss this with your family. I hope that this has helped some and Good Luck !!
I would get a 2nd opinion, but in all honesty, that doctor may tell you the same thing.
And honestly, if you don't get surgery, you may not just have pain, but you may have permanent nerve damage, and not just pain, but problems with your bowel & bladder. ( I had a woman who didn't want to have surgery & she would pee her pants & have other accidents & had to wear a diaper). she finally had surgery but I dont know if it fixed the bowel problems or not.
I know this because I am a chiropractor & I work with patients referred to me by neurologists & orthopedic surgeons.
I refer people out for surgery like this all the time too. Sometimes you just have to do it.
Sometimes you can wait, but waiting may be 3 months, 1 year, but you are not going to probably be able to 'postpone" this more than a year or 2...
.
you may have to find someone else to run the business while you manage the books at home for a few months. you can always find people who want to do the labor-- you can be the brains who goes & gets the jobs, talks to clients, but doesnt do the actual work.
go get another opinion from another neurosurgeon, but my guess is the answer is going to be fix it now, or you will be fixing it in the very near future, --- or you will be physically unable to walk, or will be peeing yourself soon.
I hope you feel better & can get your business in order.
good luck
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