Back surgery?

[gofish]

Just wondered if anyone has had back surgery. I have 2 prolapsed discs which after 5 or so years are not getting better (worse) & am looking into surgery options. Thought someone here may have (or someone they know) been through this & could give me some feedback.

I know it's a LR site but you have answered all my Q's in the past so I thought I'd try here first.

Cheers Rod.

[ellard]

Hi there

Well I canot personally help you - but we have a few Medical people within the site members.

The only bit of advise I can give you is always seek a external second opinion before doing it....

All the best

Wayne

[MinniTheMoocha]

I can't speak from experience but my brother has had back surgery to fix a broken vertebrae. His spinal cord was getting pressure and started losing the ability to walk etc so he had to get surgery.

He didn't like it and was not happy for a while but he has got much more mobility etc. but he did have to change his job from a tradie.

You have to way up the pros and cons and get a number of opinions. Make a choice and live with the consequences of either surgery or no surgery.

I don't envy your situation but whatever you decide I hope you can get through it.

[Bigbjorn]

If she wants you to rest then play it to the hilt. Get a buzzer and arange a code of signals.

One buzz = more beer
Two buzzes = more mixed nuts
Three " = more beer than last time

etc. etc.

Edit -Whoops, this should have been in ellard's post "Layed up aain"

[Gromit68]

It's hard to say without seeing the radiology reports!!
I get to see a lot of pre-op and post-op spine pathology.


I'd discuss options with your GP, and at least two consultant (NOT REGISTRAR!) spine specialists. Have you been referred to a physiotherapist yet? What did they say?
Make a balanced decision by asking all of these health people about what they can offer and also ask about alternatives. You may be surprised.

Perhaps the other medical people here that are more concerned with patient care might be able to tell you what to expect post-op.

All the best

Al
(Radiographer)

[bblaze]

Ok, feel ya pain
My injuries are
cracked tailbone and ruptured discs about 1/3 of the way up (cant remember what they called them). My back is stuffed but on a good day it only aches a little, on a bad day I may not be able to get off the floor. Somewhere between the 2 is normal, maybe a combination of both in a day. Would I ever let them put a Knife in me, not while ever I can walk or at least crawl. I use my pain as a gauge to my ability on any given day. Dosnt normally stop me doing any thing most times.
Dosnt answer ya question but there is always people suffering more pain than me.
cheers
blaze

[Fusion]

I'll second that as well . I have 2 crushed disc's in my lower back from a car crash and as long as i can walk i won't let them touch me with a knife . I would leave it as a last option as the surgery maybe the thing that puts you in the wheel chair . Put up with it as long as you can i say but thats just me ;).

[George130]

They have come a long way with spinal surgery but one mistake has real consequences.
Definatly seek options and opinions.
I know those who have had real benefits from having vertibra fused and then cases where every 3-4 years it's surgery to sever parts of the spinal cord again to give some sort of quality of life.

Good luck

[Dave_S]

I broke my neck in a very big way in a mountain biking accident. Smashed my C3 vertebra to pieces (same one as Christopher Reeves). I was extremely lucky not to split my spinal cord and had no real option but surgery. They took a bone graft from my hip to replace a big chunk of the C3, then fused C2, 3 & 4 together. They also used a titanium plate and 4 screws to hold it all in place.

I was only in hospital a week and went backpacking around South America 6 weeks after the accident. I have no real after effects and can move my neck through a full range of motion. Even the scar (they cut my throat at the front and went through to the spine) is almost invisible. I still ride mountain bikes (including downhill and dirt jumping) with no ill effects (except when I crash, which is my fault and happens a lot).

So in my case I had no real choice about whether to have surgery, but it worked out really well. What I did have was a choice of doctor. I managed to get Dr Geoff Askin, who is probably the best spinal surgeon in Australia and one of the best in the world. If I were you, I'd seriously consider flying to Brisbane to see this guy.

[rangieman]

I'll second that as well . I have 2 crushed disc's in my lower back from a car crash and as long as i can walk i won't let them touch me with a knife . I would leave it as a last option as the surgery maybe the thing that puts you in the wheel chair . Put up with it as long as you can i say but thats just me ;).
Yep i agree the census is f off dont touch the back you only get one shot at it:eek:

[rick130]

I prolapsed a disc, tore ligaments and muscle off the pelvis, etc quite a few years ago.
I was suffering from bad sciatica all the time, my muscles kept going into spasm, I couldn't walk or work, let alone lift (which is a bugger when you are self employed) and most everyone kept telling me my back was stuffed forever.
Over a period of 18 months I spent a fortune ( no private healthcare at the time) between chiro's, some real 'out there' alternative practitioners, a brilliant sports physio and acupuncture, and with a lot of exercise and therapy eventually became pain free.
I can now work physically as hard as I ever did, whether loading the ute with hay, digging a trench, whatever.
I still work at keeping my back strong, including regular yoga sessions.

Maybe I was just lucky, but me being me, I wouldn't even countenance surgery, (nor pain killers, which was dumb in hindsight) but have met a couple of people that suffered from chronic pain thanks to prolapsed discs, had laminectomies and it has transformed their lives.

You just have to find someone that can advise you you can trust, whether it's an orthopaedic expert or someone alternative, and sometimes you just have to combine modalities to get the best outcome.