I've had extreme back pain a couple of
weeks ago. I have a pinched nerve on my
lowest lumbar column and pain shot all the
way down my left leg to my foot. It was
at the point where the only way it felt
better was if I was on all fours. I
couldn't stand or sit up strait. My
neurosurgeon and a radiologist (who gave
me the steriod injection) both said I will
eventually need surgery.
After i've had the injection though, my
pain has minimized a lot. I still have
numbness and tingling in my left leg. I
also have pain sometimes where I can't sit
in certain chairs or for a long period of
time.
My question is how do you know when to get
the surgery. I'm afraid that if I
continue to have numbness and tingling in
my foot, eventually the nerve will
deteriorate and I will loose feeling. I
also don't want to continue with the pain
that I am having, although it's not like
it use to be. I'm a college student and I
have to sit in class for long periods.
Any advise would be very appreciated.
:d
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IMShirl
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 Mar 2005 Posts: 202 Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posted: 11-23-05 09:41am
Stacey01 ~
please check this site out. It is
another on line support board. I am sure
there will be someone there who might help
answer your questions.
Joined: 02 Dec 2005 Posts: 7 Location: GOM: Gulf of Mexico
Posted: 12-03-05 10:54am
Hi!
I agree 100% with massagelondon.
Do not rush into surgery.
I am currently in a dire situation
myself. I've had sciatica for 15 yrs and
tolerated it as it got prgressively worse.
Then 2 yrs ago, I felt something let
loose in my lower back when I was in and
out of an aircraft a lot to fix mech
problem. I had about a 3 hr ferry flight
and by the time I reached galveston, I
could barely slither out of the cockpit.
I fought this pain for the last 2 yrs, no
meds 'cept approved otc aspirin types for
pilots. Pain got so bad this summer I had
to go on emergency med leave. I was
eating otc pain meds like m&ms just to
get thru a flght day (up to 25-30). I had
to stop.
Never being sick a day in my life, and
raised around race horses, I thought i'd
get this prob knocked out in a month and
be back in the cockpit...Hahahahaha!
It's now 5 months later and my docs are
still diagnosing me.
And thank goodness they are. My mri
suggested bulging discs, but shots with no
relief said the disc bulges are not
problem, and my pain symptoms did not
point to this either. Thank goodness too
they didn't rush into surgery (like
another doc wanted to do).
The goal in back probs is to find the
pain! You may show other problems with
your back, like I did, but not all
problems will be the cause if the pain.
You do not want to fix what does not hurt
when it comes to your back! You will be
worse off.
I realized this, evethough I have been in
dire pain, no job, no income, no
disability...But now I realize I must have
any diagnostic test and exhaust all
procedures before jumping into surgery!
After all said and done, take all of your
records and results (they are yours!) and
get a second opinion, and perhaps a third.
And do a lot of research on your docs.
Even consider travelling to big cities
where the best of the best are usually
located in teaching schools. Talk to a
lot of others and get references. And not
only that, the docs have a 'ring' of other
top notch specialist they use for
referral. They don't want to ruin their
good reputation with snake oil docs.
This is what I did, and I am glad. It put
me another miserable month+ behind to be
seen initially, but that's what it took to
get the best here in houston.
Now I have 3 who are genuinely concerned
for my health and are keeping me reined in
tightly. And it is nice to not be treated
like an assembly line part!
Find a doc who considers surgery will be
your only last option, and a one shot
chance, and will talk to you and answer
all questions, no matter how dumb they may
be (to him/her) - you're in pain and just
want help.
Anyone else, run like hell! (i did this
too!)
and remember, you are the customer, not
just a patient. You have hired this
doctor/team. They will do as you say, and
you need to politely get this understood
on your first visit. Establish a good
relation. Never allow blind faith,
period!
Be very wary when you doc says "this is
your only option (surgically)" when there
are a ton of other diagnostics tht could
be done. Not one diagnostic holds all the
answers! (one doc tried to do this to me
with a myeologram, and then rush me to
surgery. I ran like hell instead). Turns
out I would have has surgery on an
unbroken part :shock:
good luck amigo,
ofp
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fatfamily02
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 3050 Location: Georgia, USA
Re: When to Get Surgery? Posted: 12-03-05 11:13am
stacey01
wrote:
i've had extreme back pain a
couple of weeks ago. I have a pinched
nerve on my lowest lumbar column and pain
shot all the way down my left leg to my
foot. It was at the point where the only
way it felt better was if I was on all
fours. I couldn't stand or sit up
strait. My neurosurgeon and a
radiologist (who gave me the steriod
injection) both said I will eventually
need surgery.
After i've had the injection though, my
pain has minimized a lot. I still have
numbness and tingling in my left leg. I
also have pain sometimes where I can't sit
in certain chairs or for a long period of
time.
My question is how do you know when to get
the surgery. I'm afraid that if I
continue to have numbness and tingling in
my foot, eventually the nerve will
deteriorate and I will loose feeling. I
also don't want to continue with the pain
that I am having, although it's not like
it use to be. I'm a college student and
I have to sit in class for long periods.
Any advise would be very appreciated.
:d
sounds like what happened to me. I have
had the pain down one leg since 1991, and
for 5 years, I had to stand on one foot
with the other one by my chest for pain to
subside enough to live. Then it slowely
got better and only occured when I was not
rested enough.
Then 2001 I dislocated the l5, s1 and it
caused, (just the weight of my body and my
job), 4 crushed discs in my back and one
in my neck. They found I have no
peroneal nerve signal to my brain now.
One dr called me a walking parapelegic.
And the nerves, have to be relieved within
6 months --or they say "it is permanent".
I got no treatment. For all this time I
still have pain when sitting, certain
chairs I die, I cant even try and sit in
them. The pains in my buttocks and lower
back feels just like a bad broken bone,
but in my back. I had days where I
couldnt get outta bed for I just rocked
back and forth in my bed til pain subsides
enough for me to move. Mornings got
worse and worse.
But since I have discovered I am now
pregnant, it seems the pain is a whole lot
better--for I believe it is .God healing
me. The .Dr's did nothing for me. The
one .Dr said I need 3 different surgery's
at once to fix mine. But like I said ,
lately .God is fixing mine.
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oilfieldpilot
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 02 Dec 2005 Posts: 7 Location: GOM: Gulf of Mexico
1-800-find-god Posted: 12-03-05 11:36am
Got a phone # for your god?
Best of luck with the pregnancy!
Maybe he/she's your little godsend :wink:
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IMShirl
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 Mar 2005 Posts: 202 Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posted: 12-04-05 22:52pm
Hi oilfieldpilot ~
I am so happy you came over to check us
out at spine and beyond. I am more
thrilled you like it there and joined. We
love having you as anew friend as well.
Imshirl :d
|
oilfieldpilot
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 02 Dec 2005 Posts: 7 Location: GOM: Gulf of Mexico
Posted: 12-05-05 19:10pm
Hi 'back' at ya shirl!
Yes thank you! I love your site!
I think everyone should check it out...The
info is wonderful!
If a pilot can understand it, then anyone
can :!: :d
:)
...See link above...And go there!
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IMShirl
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 Mar 2005 Posts: 202 Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posted: 12-05-05 19:29pm
Thanks babe! :d the main reason for
the site is to be there for others and to
also make things easy to find and to
understand.
Thank you again! I am happy you are
there.
Imshirl :d
|
steevo
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 13 Oct 2005 Posts: 41 Location: desoto mo.
Posted: 12-07-05 10:07am
Do check out the other site! Both of
these site's have been very helpful to me.
Please read some of my post's and replies
along with the other's theycan be very
helpfull. As far as I know the shot's you
have been given may work but the pain's
may still come back in time. Steevo
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