Discectomy - After the Operation

[Alyson G]

Hi Ollie
Thanks for all those, I understand them all, they are all exercises I teach in Pilates so will have no problems doing them. Am going for a walk in a bit so will try some when I get back.

Clips out on Monday so looking forward to that.

I'm glad no stretches sitting down, that does put more strain on your back!

Any way I'm off for a stroll speak soon

Thanks again and keep well

Fitbird
xxx

 

[Yuuki]

i have just discovered this forum through a google search, trying to find out more info about help with sciatica. i have been reading for a while, have gone from floods of tears to feeling more hopeful than ever, and then back to tears again. it makes me want to share a little of my story...kind of self-indulgent, but it's been helpful to know i am not alone in all of this...

i 'slipped' the disc between L4&5 about 7 years ago, when i was 23 years old. i grew up doing a lot of gymnastics and dancing and the injury happened during a dance audition. i had a very stiff and sore back for a while, but no leg pain for a while. about 9 months later, i woke up one morning with an achy right leg. the pain went away with ibuprofen, but was around for about 18 months. finally got a referral through GP for an mri, which showed the disc bulge. got some physio and the symptoms went away.

about a year later they were back, although this time with numbness below my knee if i stood up for more than about a minute. got scared, got more physio and another mri. was offered surgery. symptoms went away and i said no thanks.

since then, had a couple of periods of leg pain and bits of physio, but have remained fairly active (although no more gymnastics) and managed to get married, buy a house and get a job etc etc.

in march 2008, i was watching tv, i sneezed, felt a twinge in my lower back and gradually since then, the leg pain has come back, along with loss of sensation in my lower leg and foot. for some reason, the pain is so much worse than ever before. ibuprofen did nothing, diclofenac did nothing, codeine took the edge off initially, but now does nothing other than make me sleepy. amitriptaline knocks me out overnight but does not affect the pain. physio is no longer appropriate as there is nothing i can do that eases the leg pain, or doesn't make it any worse. i have been off work for several weeks...the first period of absence i have had in my working life. i have had to give up all activities that i enjoy, have been walking with crutches for 5 weeks and now can barely walk at all.

i am supposed to be celebrating my 30th birthday in rome in august and really want to be able to enjoy it and at the very least, get there! so i am thinking about a nerve block injection, but would have to get this privately, as there is an 18 week wait for the pain clinic in the area where i live. any advice??

i am due to have a 3rd mri in 2 weeks time and will hopefully still be considered an appropriate candidate for surgery. but now i am worried...is it the right thing to do?? my husband and i desperately want to start a family, but it's impossible right now because of all the painkillers i am taking, and all the pain i am in. does anyone know how long after surgery it would be realistic to start trying for a family??

thanks for reading all this. it has been hugely therapeutic just typing it!
it has been so good to hear other people's success stories...i just wish no one else had to be in this position because it is awful.
wishing you all the best,
jess xx

 

[RyanMAN]

Hi Jess,

Sorry to that you are in such pain, I know how you feel and i hope that its not too long before you can get it sorted out.

If nothing else is working for then yes i would go for the surgery. As for trying for a famliy i am not sure as i am no doctor but i bet they would say a months at least just so you give your back time to recover after the surgery.

If you have been reading these posts you will also know that a lot of people are not happy with the NHS, if i were you i would consider going private. My time with the NHS was not a good one i was fobbed off over and over again it wasn't until i had bladder problems that they got there arse in gear and gave me a op date quick.

Keep going and think positive you will get there in the end. This will just be a blip in your life and i am sure you will walking around and getting back to normal soon.

Keep in touch

Olli.

 

[Greg Macquarie]

thanks olli!
your messages are so inspiring! i am making enquiries into getting a nerve block injection privately and will go from there with regard to surgery. all depends on cost really. i think i am slightly better off being in scotland...things seem to move a bit quicker on the nhs here than in england for some reason...
keep the positive feedback coming!
thanks again,
jess x

 

[oqevhutsikxiimeyb]

Hi All,

Ok the good news is that i am doing well and i have hardly any pain at all now just get back ache when i sit for too long but that goes after 2 mintues of walking. I am also coming off the pain killers which i have been having problems with. This is the bad news, I have been to see my GP because i have not been sleeping and getting the shakes and being a bit grumpy with the wife. The Doc seems to think that i have become addicted to the pain killers and i am going through cold turkey. I am positive that i will not take them just to get rid of these feelings that i get and i hope it sorts it self out soon.

Has anyone else had problems with pain killers and coming off them???


@Fitbird: More exercises, 3 weeks after the operation: Swimming 1 length, 1 length walking in water. Do 5 lengths swimming and 5 length walking.

Cheers

Olli

 

[AngelFace]

Hi

I have been reading this forum for a few months. Please read the backtrails on this one about nerve blocks; it appears that they are not all they are cracked up to be. As I have not had one myself I couldnt say but having read the stories I woudl be tempted to consider a discectomy. Sorry you are in pain. Keep going.

Rod

 

[Pompal 09.]

thanks for the advice! i am 100% up for the op. finances are limiting it to the nhs though, so am looking for the nerve block for pain relief while i wait for the discectomy, or whatever surgical procedure is appropriate for me. i have had a 3 month wait for an mri (although 1 month of that was waiting for the physio to make the referral) and i don't think i can get an op any time before september. i am now confined to my flat. walking from the bedroom to living room is almost more than i can manage. but this forum and some great friends are keeping me positive.
i am having real trouble trying to find someone to do a private nerve block (even if there's only a small chance it will work, i have to try). can anyone help...how do you go about getting private treatment??
thanks again,
jess x

 

[Down]

Jess

It is fairly simple. You go to see your GP and put your case and ask for a referral. If they dont listen ring up a private neurosurgeon and go and see them without the note. They will do nothing with out an MRI scan at hand and they will charge about £250 for a consultation.

I have been where you are recently I strongly reccomend you go and see a qualified acupuncturist. The problem you have is that practically nothing by way of tablets will touch bad nerve pan with the exception of morphine. Acupuncture saved my life and will cost a lot less than a nerve block and may help. In China they carry out major ops without anasthetic just using this. The british acupuncture council has a regoister it costs about £45 to £50 a go. Also at the risk of being a bore(I have said this before on this trail) breathworks is great for helping you deal with pain; check out their website.

Try and keep your spirits up I know first hand how hard it is.

Rod

 

[ynetvudyiqtixbets]

Hi Olli

Glad to hear about your progress. Concerned to hear about your dependence on painkillers. I have not stopped mine fully yet. I suggest you try reducing the dose gradually by cuting up the tablets don't do it in one go.I suggest extract aof valarian root to help sleep - the romans used to give this to legionaires after battle. You can get this from holland and barttatt in liquid or tablet form. Also try cyprus oil mixed with bath oil this really knocks you out. You can get this from Neal's Yard, both the oil and the essential oil - I was sceptical but this works well.

I am still suffering a lot but strangely have had remissions over the last day or so. Going to work helps me immensely. Am seeing the doc at end of this month - a remarkable 2.5 months after the op! Just as well I decided to go back to work on my own or I woudl still be waiting at home. I am just starting physio again as it was making things worse. I am going to give Pialtes a go too and have already bought my ball. My goal is to eventually cycle into work. Also have lost half a stone since the op which really helps will contine.

Rod

 

[suzgibson]

Hi Rod,

I am doing ok, went back to GP yesterday and they are happy with the way things are at the moment.

I have been sitting down a lot this week and my back and right leg is aching a bit but i have physio session tonight so i am hoping she will sort it out. I can see why your back was bad if you went back to work after 3/4 weeks, i still cannot sit for more than an hour.

I have a medical on Monday to see if i can go back to work on light duties. I do want to go back but i am also a bit worried because i will be out of my safe zone where i can do what i want when i want. Still not sure if i will be able to go back on the fire engines i may have to take a desk job.

Keep in touch

Olli

 

[curiouswoman]

Olli

You must not doubt that you will regain full health and even get fitter than you were. No doubt there will be tests you have to pass but never doubt your ability to recover. Althltes have had this condition and gone back to compete. The lad I was in hospital with had this twice and was a Jamacan kick boxwer who did it for a living - he recovered. You will too. Dont allow yourself to thnk negatively, instead prove them all wrong!

Rod

 

[Moosa .]

Can anyone tell me when they had the pre clerking done before the op? As you know I'm waiting for a micro discectomy in my lumbar spine and was told it would be around December time, but I have an appointment for pre clerking next wednesday. Really confused because I'm desperate to hear what is going to happen to my upper back but not heard a thing about that since the scan on 6th June. Am I right to feel nervous about a disc pressing on my spinal cord, or am I being a drama queen? If this were a tradesman causing me problems I'd tell him to go away and I'll find someone else...but what do you do with medical professionals? Not what I'd like to do thats for sure! I would take private treatment if I could afford it, but I bet I'd be booked with the same consultant in no time at all. Really fed up with having to drug myself to get through the day and long so much for a nice walk on the beach...... Oh well, back to waiting.

Melza

 

[Carlos Guitierres]

Hi
I didnt have pre clerking., they just got on with it. It is important that you dont give them the impression you are ok when you are not. If it is getting worse and the symptoms are more severe shout about it and loudly and they may take pity on you and prioritise you on the list. The trail below shows it is just routine and I think it is nurse led.

Things that will sway them are loss of nerve use and reflex, very severe pain, numbness of the limbs and incontincence. Basically things that affect your quality of life.

Keep your spirits up it is horrid waiting. You will need to concentrate on keeping your spirits up this whole thing can be a bit depressing. Four or five months is a long time to cope with this. I reccomend accupuncture, stronger than drugs.

You have a right to demand a second opinion but unless you particularly dismayed with whats happening on NHS best to stick with the consultant or you may be put further back on the list. Sadly they don'!t consider this a priority - amazing isnt it !

The chances of success of this op are related to the time delay from injury surgery. The private op costs arond £6K. If you can afford it I would try to do this as this increases your chances of a successful outcome. Health is almost beyond price. If you go privately you can choose the surgeon and it will happen very quickly. I can equally understand £6K is big bucks.


'Department of Surgery, UMDS, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.
Pre-clerking of all patients undergoing elective general surgical operations was introduced at our hospital in an attempt to reduce an unacceptably high operation cancellation rate. A prospective audit has been performed on the effect of this policy on the cancellation rate. Before the introduction of pre-clerking there was a marked seasonal variation in the number of patients who failed to attend for surgery, which could be explained by absence on holiday. This seasonal variation disappeared after the start of pre-clerking clinics, but there has been no reduction in the number of cancellations for medical reasons.'

Good luck and keep going you will get through this.

 

[WhiNoeaeii]

Thank you for the information about pre clerking, I organise patients trips for pre clerking but never knew the real reason for them. I thought it was just to check your health! Still seems premature in my case, assuming my surgery is still set for December.

The consultant knows I have numbness in my legs and feet, he also found there were no reflex reactions in my thumbs....which is how I finally got someone to investigate my upper back. This is so frustrating!! Can't go to work because my manager wouldn't follow occupational health recommendations to alter my work station (remember my employers are the nhs) and had to fight for almost a year to get this far...I now know that saying ouch a lot doesn't prove anything to medical professionals.

My legs feel really strange today, like I've run a marathon (as if that's likely!)
Always try and keep moving so don't know why thats happened...has anyone else noticed how changeable everything is, sometimes one thing hurts more that the other or it's a different kind of pain....or is that just me.

Roll on Wednesday when I am going to assert myself.....and probably end up with no consultant at all.

good to hear everyone improving as time goes on, takes longer than I thought it would judging by posts. PATIENCE!

 

[Where is my vote!!!!!]

Hi all.
I have read your posts and I am glad I have found you.
I am 33 and suffered a herniated L4/L5 disc when I was 16. At first I thought I had pulled my hamstring in my left leg but gradually the sciatic pain got worse and my spine started to collapse to the side. Eventually I was stuck in bed for three months, eating lying down and crawling on all fours to get to the loo, I lost about three stone. I had an x-ray which confirmed the disc compression and then a CT scan to confirm the disc herniation. I don't think MRI was invented then. A specialist put me off surgery, he told me that an op might not do any good and seemed to think I would heal better without at that age.
I started doing weights that didn't involve the back and other exercises and stretches. I made a huge improvement in a few weeks. The pain was less constant and I was able to go on a family holiday after six weeks. It took a few years before I felt almost normal again, but I had to take care not to push it to far or muscles would tighten up and the pain would start.I found osteopathy didn't help but chiropractice and deep tissue physio gave me some temporary results. I had an active job which involved strectching and lifting and working in awkward spots which was fine. I found when I sat around and did nothing I would tighten up straight away. I could play golf, do the gardening etc and lead a pretty normal life once I had learned how to look after my back.
Then four years ago my job changed and I had a less active roll. This is when it all went wrong again. The original symptoms all returned only this time down the other leg along with pins and needles and a burning sensation in the bottom of my foot. Three years ago an MRI confirmed a severe herniation of the same disc and a slight herniation of the L5/S1 disc. The neuro surgeon consultant was surprised I could still feel anything below my waist let alone walk and have normal bowel movement. Yet he didn't seem bothered about operating? Once again I was told an operation may not do any good. I decided to get back to what I knew had worked for me before but this time no improvement is happening and my condition has worsened. I to have had difficulty with the NHS this time. I was referred to a consultant at the beginning of May, I had an MRI again five weeks ago and saw a consultant three weeks ago but he seemed more interested in teaching his student than talking to me. I was in there no more than three minutes where he basically said I need a discectomy L4/L5. At last someone says I need an op but I have yet to hear of an appointment.
It to frustrates me that this condition is not regarded as urgent and that we pay into the NHS but the service we receive is awful. I have been immobile for over two months now, if it wernot for my parents and friends doing the gardening or housework including shopping for me I could not of lived this long. I am now staying at my parents as I can just about crawl on all fours to the loo which is a mammoth task itself but cannot wash or cook for myself. I have been calling the hospital but getting nowhere. I was finally told it could be months before I get an op, so now I have decided to go private. I am having blood tests etc on monday, I see a consultant on tuesday and they can operate on wednesday. I will be in the clinic for about four days apparently. All this by the head neuro surgeon at my NHS hospital!!!. I will get some physio while there and its going to cost £6505. I am self employed and after not working for so long but still paying bills and overheads, another £6505 debt won't make much difference especially if I can at last start to get better and get back to work before I would of even had the op on the NHS.

 

[Rana]

Hi All,
i thought i woulg give all readers of this site my story very breifly. it may help others who have been through simlar experiences.

My back issues started back in january of this year. I went away to Spain for a weekend break, dropped the baggage into our Villa, then went off down to the beach area to chill out !

I hopped over a small (2FT) set of railings and that was it, my back hurt and I was on painkillers for the whole weekend and could not wait to get back home !

I have since spent the whole time managing HA ! HA ! my back and leg pain which has been simply incredible at times.

I have been on CO-Codamol and Ibuprofen constantly since end of Jan. I was prescribed Tramadol which I had a bad reaction to i.e. I lost all feeling from waist down, tongue swelled up and heart raced to the point where I thought it was going to burst through my chest.

I am now on CO-codamols / Ibuprofen and Gabapentin which seems to be settling the nerve pain right down.

I saw Consultant Nuerology Surgeon last tuesday, I require an OP...Yippee !

I had MRI scan last Thursday and am waiting for Consultant to get back to me with operation date.

At it's worst, the pain down the right leg has been off the Richter scale !!!

My Wife has been fantastic and very understanding of the pain incurred and is making sure I dont OD on the medication !.

Unless anyone has had it, they would not believe how painfull it can be !

Good luck to all who suffer from this.

 

[Nat2036]

Wow, its been a while since i was last logged in and it seems everyone is really suffering!

I am STILL waiting to see my surgeon in regards to a 2nd discectomy after having my repeat scan on 2nd June....and the bugger is going on leave AGAIN at the end of this month.

I was originally supposed to see him in March.....but hey, guess what, he was on leave then too and i didnt see him until May.

My symptoms have been back since christmas (2 months after my 1st op) and i feel like i could scream! I am sitting here feeling like my lower back is made of concrete with my right calf killing me! And my left toes keep going numb. My ability to walk and easily move around is getting worse to boot...very disappointing considering i have already had surgery.

Still no sign of any appointment, have tried all kinds of underhand tactics to get my scan results, but to no avail...i know what is wrong, i just want the scan results to prove it! That and the fact i have to travel miles to the hospital due to privatisation of the orthpaedic services in dorset....
I could have got my GP to look at my MRI results, but because of this privatisation, I am well out of the hospital catchment so my GP cannot access the results!

My heart goes out to all of you who are suffering, its so frustrating when we have to chase up appointments all the time!

 

[DanaBella]

Have been on the phone to the hospital and got quite upset which resulted in an appointment on the 29th August! Still a while off, but an appointment nontheless!

 

[Magster]

Hi

Think you have done the right thing. Agree about NHS. How long has it been form injury til operation? Good luck with the op I am sure it will help you. Let us know how you get on.

The NHS give you bugger all physio and post op advice so make sure you get good physio and post op advice advice.

The post op pain is nothing to be afraid of compared with what you have already been through - a stroll in the park.

Good luck....

Rod

 

[!DookDook! ?]

jay...so good to hear your success with private treatment. let us know how the op goes and good luck!

thought i would update you all on my situation. the pain in my leg became intolerable on sunday and i woke up in agony. my husband was so worried that he phoned nhs24 who sent out the emergency doctor, who was freakin useless (although very understanding), gave me diazepam, despite me telling him it doesn't affect my nerve pain and some dihydrocodeine (can't spell, sorry), which made me pretty sleepy, but still sore.

so on monday i had an occupational health appointment (nope, not ready to go back to work) so left my flat for the first time in a week. had to get a taxi home and was in so much pain, i didn't know how i would manage the 3 flights of stairs to my front door. so i asked the taxi driver to take me to a&e.

i was seen within 30 mins, which was great, but they tried to send me home with, you guessed it, diazepam! my hysteria was sufficient for them to get an orthopaedic doctor to examine me, including a traumatic finger up the bum test (sorry). they decided to admit me cos of the pain and the fact i couldn't walk, even with crutches.

on the ward, i was told by both a consultant and a registrar that i didn't need to be there and they couldn't do anything to help me. in spite of this, i was kept in overnight and given morphine...the first time in weeks that i was pain free, at least until i moved!

i have been sent home with a morphine-based tablet and told i just need to wait for my mri next monday. the only consultant i can then see is away until august so there is little chance of me getting an op before sept. so i think i will have to go private.

i am still struggling to get a private consultation for a nerve block injection though, so i'm not sure if they are as quick to respond here...

can anyone recommend a travel insurance company who have accepted a prolapsed disc as an existing medical condition?? if i'm offered surgery in august, then we will have to cancel 2 trips, which right now i couldn't manage anyway...

sorry for the kinda depressing post...

jess xx