bountyhunter Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Any med types that can translate this for me? You have a disc in the lower back that has the characteristics of a stepped-on bagel (flatter and wider than nominal) and the stuff that normally is inside the disc is forced out and impinges on the adjacent nerve. Pushing on the nerve can cause any of the follwing: 1) Tingling/numbness 2) burning sensation like dipping your foot in hot oil 3) moderate to severe pain I have experienced significant strength loss in my left foot, ankle and calf over the past 2+ weeks, and the white-hot poker sensations in my foot are about to drive me crazy. Decompression types of physical therapy can gradually allow the disc to plump up a bit (mine did). You might also try using an inversion table (hooks your ankles in one end and it rotates you upside down).... I happen to own one, tells you about the last 20 years of my life.... I'm not a doctor, but it is generally accepted that if you have loss of muscle strength or control which is not responding to therapy, surgery is the only viable option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bberkley Posted March 31, 2006 Author Share Posted March 31, 2006 Here are a couple of pics from the MRI: Cross section of L5-S1 (the lighter colored area is what I presume to be the "degenerative" parts) Here is a cross-section of the disc at L5-S1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geezer-lock Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 John Dunn is absolutely correct. My ortho guy gave me this bit of advice: Don’t let anyone near you with a knife until you have at least two surgeons agreeing on exactly what needs to be done. He also gave me the immediate relief of an epidural steroid injection and the correct extension exercises for the long term. I do them to this day (18 years now). Get well, get shooting. David C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dunn Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) Dude, that ain't right. The herniation is on the right side of the picture, left side of the body (all that dark stuff compressing the white stuff). Hope your surgery goes well, get well soon. Edited March 31, 2006 by John Dunn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bountyhunter Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Dude, that ain't right. The herniation is on the right side of the picture, left side of the body (all that dark stuff compressing the white stuff). Hope your surgery goes well, get well soon. Yep, on the right side where the gap between the vertebra narrows is where the gelatinous stuff inside the disc was forced out. It's got no place to go except the nerve canal. That stuff pressing on the nerve is the source of the pain and numbness.If you have gotten the best therapy available and feel surgery is mandatory, I wish you the best. Just don't fall into the trap most people do and go back to your evil ways as soon as the pain is gone.... your discs are still degenerating, don't wait until the next one blows to get religion. Don't lift anything heavier than a beer, don't try any of the positions they show in the movies you have hidden behind the TV, and try to keep the beer gut small. Here are a couple of pics from the MRI:Cross section of L5-S1 (the lighter colored area is what I presume to be the "degenerative" parts) The white areas are in the vertebrae which are bone. The term "degenerative disc disease" actually refers to the flexible "rubber" donuts between the vertebrae. Over time, they lose flexibility and get flattened. It's why we get measurably shorter as we age. If one gets stressed severely like yours did, the sheath of the disc will tear and the core material is forced out just like stepping on a jelly donut. Such things do respond to therapy, but it takes time. If our symptoms are intolerable, surgery may be necessary. Get many opinions first and go to a sports medicine specialist. They work miracles with this type of injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bberkley Posted April 4, 2006 Author Share Posted April 4, 2006 Well, had the follow up with the spine Doc today. He gave me 3 options, maintain course of conservative treatment, cortisone injection into the disc area, or a laproscopic discectomy. I chose the discectomy. I asked him about fusion, because all my google searches indicated that was a possibility, and he said while some surgeons may recommend that for my condition, he didn't think it was necessary. I will have my surgery on the 18th of April (grr, 2 more weeks of this) with at minimum, a 1 night stay in the hospital, a week or so off from work, and then 6 weeks rehab, 3 months return to previous activity level. So, looks like I hopefully won't miss Area 1, the 10th Oregon Single-Stack Championship, the Multigun Nationals, or the rest of my planned summer shooting. Thats a relief, I wasn't looking forward to having my back fused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chendersby Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 You said you have read Dr. Sarno's book. Did you follow through on it? Since you seem bound to have surgery I hope it works for you. If not read the book again and follow through with his cure for the pain. I guess I am a believer in Dr. Sarno. By the way I have a mri that is pretty ugly also. That was 6 years ago. I work in construction everyday and I still surf regularly, pain free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bberkley Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 You said you have read Dr. Sarno's book. Did you follow through on it? Since you seem bound to have surgery I hope it works for you. If not read the book again and follow through with his cure for the pain. I guess I am a believer in Dr. Sarno. By the way I have a mri that is pretty ugly also. That was 6 years ago. I work in construction everyday and I still surf regularly, pain free. Thanks Chris. I went 7 years with zero problems after reading his book the first time I had something similar to this. I'm pretty well put together upstairs with how I live my life, and don't suppress things like I used to. I'm glad that you don't have any problems with your back. CLOSED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bountyhunter Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 (edited) I chose the discectomy. I asked him about fusion, because all my google searches indicated that was a possibility, and he said while some surgeons may recommend that for my condition, he didn't think it was necessary. I like his thinking. Fusion should always be the last resort. It is MAJOR surgery, not laproscopic. And since it fuses two verts together, they can no longer bend. That means as you flex your spine, the verts immediately above and below the fused pair are forced to bend more for the same range of motion. That added load will accelerate their demise. Most people who get a fusion get relief in the short term but end up needing more fusions later on. With the laproscopic, they just sneak in and nibble out the portion of the disc that is pressing on the nerve. Good luck with the surgery, I'm sure it will turn out well. Edited April 5, 2006 by bountyhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 WOW! Surgery! Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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