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Where have I been? 2nd back surgery in 2 months

HJCane

SuperCane
Gold Member
Jun 2, 2007
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Writing before my breakfast of 2 percocet and 1 gabapentin kick in. I told you about my need for surgery in February and surgeon and I opted for the more conservative procedure Laminectomy and Disc Excision L5-S1 disc. I was feeling damn good for 6 weeks getting better every day. Woke up on day of my 6 week post-op visit and had slight back ache no big deal. By that afternoon it moved into my butt cheeks. Surgeon felt i may have tweaked something so he throws me on 6 day med-pak prednisone and muscle relaxers. All good for 2 days after the prednisone and the BOOM into my leg again with bottom of foot totally numb + 3 toes. Texted surgeon and his office orders emergency MRI with and without contrast. Took about 3 days to make that happen with the lab work needed for the contrast agent. Then I visited Surgeon with the MRI disc a day later. MRI showed I BLEW the disc out. Herniated to a "severe degree"

This past Thursday (9 days ago) I had TLIF fusion L4 & L5-S1 discs. Surgery was supposed to be on L5-S1 only and 2 hours instead surgeon felt he had to include L4 and surgery went nearly 6 hours. I spent 5 days in Aventura Hospital. I now have 2 implants with bone grafts, 5 screws, 2 rods. It's awful.................................recovery is 6-8 months.

More to the story later...................................
 
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Writing before my breakfast of 2 percocet and 1 gabapentin kick in. I told you about my need for surgery in February and surgeon and I opted for the more conservative procedure Laminectomy and Disc Excision L5-S1 disc. I was feeling damn good for 6 weeks getting better every day. Woke up on day of my 6 week post-op visit and had slight back ache no big deal. By that afternoon it moved into my butt cheeks. Surgeon felt i may have tweaked something so he throws me on 6 day med-pak prednisone and muscle relaxers. All good for 2 days after the prednisone and the BOOM into my leg again with bottom of foot totally numb + 3 toes. Texted surgeon and his office orders emergency MRI with and without contrast. Took about 3 days to make that happen with the lab work needed for the contrast agent. Then I visited Surgeon with the MRI disc a day later. MRI showed I BLEW the disc out. Herniated to a "severe degree"

This past Thursday (9 days ago) I had TLIF fusion L4 & L5-S1 discs. Surgery was supposed to be on L5-S1 only and 2 hours instead surgeon felt he had to include L4 and surgery went nearly 6 hours. I spent 5 days in Aventura Hospital. I now have 2 implants with bone grafts, 5 screws, 2 rods. It's awful.................................recovery is 6-8 months.

More to the story later...................................
Wow! Hope this provides relief.
 
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Damn... feel better ... the back is no joke... that’s why core excercise is so vital to begin at a young age .. when you heal , I recommend Pilates ... really amazing stuff ... I work out 7 days a week and run 5 -7 miles a day 5x a week , but Pilates 2x a week is cats meow
 
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Well, best of luck when you start your rehab. They had me climbing stairs, tension bands, leg lifting exercises etc. I feel your pain and fully understand the process. I was also given electric shock treatment for the Peroneal nerve area since I damaged the nerve when I ruptured my L4. Eventually I tried PRP injections that spur the nerve growth. Just to let you know there isn't an insurance company around that will pay for the injections to this point. So, hang in there, you will see slow progress if you do your rehab to its fullest .
 
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Injuries really suck. I am facing shoulder surgery and tough rehab at 79- not looking forward to it.
 
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Writing before my breakfast of 2 percocet and 1 gabapentin kick in. I told you about my need for surgery in February and surgeon and I opted for the more conservative procedure Laminectomy and Disc Excision L5-S1 disc. I was feeling damn good for 6 weeks getting better every day. Woke up on day of my 6 week post-op visit and had slight back ache no big deal. By that afternoon it moved into my butt cheeks. Surgeon felt i may have tweaked something so he throws me on 6 day med-pak prednisone and muscle relaxers. All good for 2 days after the prednisone and the BOOM into my leg again with bottom of foot totally numb + 3 toes. Texted surgeon and his office orders emergency MRI with and without contrast. Took about 3 days to make that happen with the lab work needed for the contrast agent. Then I visited Surgeon with the MRI disc a day later. MRI showed I BLEW the disc out. Herniated to a "severe degree"

This past Thursday (9 days ago) I had TLIF fusion L4 & L5-S1 discs. Surgery was supposed to be on L5-S1 only and 2 hours instead surgeon felt he had to include L4 and surgery went nearly 6 hours. I spent 5 days in Aventura Hospital. I now have 2 implants with bone grafts, 5 screws, 2 rods. It's awful.................................recovery is 6-8 months.

More to the story later...................................
63, have had herniated disks from being rear ended 4 years ago. Have done everything possible to put off surgery, and thankfully it’s worked to date. Like you sciatica down to foot with numbness. Best of luck, until you’ve had back issues it’s hard to believe how debilitating it can be.
 
It is and probable torn labrum.
That’s what did me in in 97... ASU defensive end didn’t bite on naked bootleg and essentially picked me up and slammed me to ground ( great play by him ).. my football career ended that night .. shoulder to this day ain’t right .. good luck w/ surgery and be diligent w/ PT... surgery much better today than in the 90’s
 
It's AGONY! If you want to feel like an OLD man then have problems with your back. I'm 59 but this crap making me feel like 79.
Wishing you all the best HJ. I'm the same age and am dealing with pain from various parts of my body as well. When the lower back flares up it is pure misery. Good luck.
 
Wishing you all the best HJ. I'm the same age and am dealing with pain from various parts of my body as well. When the lower back flares up it is pure misery. Good luck.
Thanks brother. It is now 6:50 AM got out of bed 6:30 today. The mornings are the worst! While I don't like pain meds I have no choice in the morning. Pure hell.
 
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Writing before my breakfast of 2 percocet and 1 gabapentin kick in. I told you about my need for surgery in February and surgeon and I opted for the more conservative procedure Laminectomy and Disc Excision L5-S1 disc. I was feeling damn good for 6 weeks getting better every day. Woke up on day of my 6 week post-op visit and had slight back ache no big deal. By that afternoon it moved into my butt cheeks. Surgeon felt i may have tweaked something so he throws me on 6 day med-pak prednisone and muscle relaxers. All good for 2 days after the prednisone and the BOOM into my leg again with bottom of foot totally numb + 3 toes. Texted surgeon and his office orders emergency MRI with and without contrast. Took about 3 days to make that happen with the lab work needed for the contrast agent. Then I visited Surgeon with the MRI disc a day later. MRI showed I BLEW the disc out. Herniated to a "severe degree"

This past Thursday (9 days ago) I had TLIF fusion L4 & L5-S1 discs. Surgery was supposed to be on L5-S1 only and 2 hours instead surgeon felt he had to include L4 and surgery went nearly 6 hours. I spent 5 days in Aventura Hospital. I now have 2 implants with bone grafts, 5 screws, 2 rods. It's awful.................................recovery is 6-8 months.

More to the story later...................................
Sorry to hear. You are going to have to bring changes to your everyday routine. Your back is going to dictate a lot on that. I’ve seen the struggles of living with back pain and is a great burden. Wish you the best. Work on your flexibility, specifically hamstrings, gluteus, and piriformis. Start gentle though. Ice ice ice
 
Writing before my breakfast of 2 percocet and 1 gabapentin kick in. I told you about my need for surgery in February and surgeon and I opted for the more conservative procedure Laminectomy and Disc Excision L5-S1 disc. I was feeling damn good for 6 weeks getting better every day. Woke up on day of my 6 week post-op visit and had slight back ache no big deal. By that afternoon it moved into my butt cheeks. Surgeon felt i may have tweaked something so he throws me on 6 day med-pak prednisone and muscle relaxers. All good for 2 days after the prednisone and the BOOM into my leg again with bottom of foot totally numb + 3 toes. Texted surgeon and his office orders emergency MRI with and without contrast. Took about 3 days to make that happen with the lab work needed for the contrast agent. Then I visited Surgeon with the MRI disc a day later. MRI showed I BLEW the disc out. Herniated to a "severe degree"

This past Thursday (9 days ago) I had TLIF fusion L4 & L5-S1 discs. Surgery was supposed to be on L5-S1 only and 2 hours instead surgeon felt he had to include L4 and surgery went nearly 6 hours. I spent 5 days in Aventura Hospital. I now have 2 implants with bone grafts, 5 screws, 2 rods. It's awful.................................recovery is 6-8 months.

More to the story later...................................

I wish I could say that I'm not familiar with what you're going through, but I am. For the past several weeks I've been playing nursemaid for my wife, who had similar procedures, also L4 & L5-S1 discs. Same meds, same pain, same numbness...foot and toes.

The pain is excruciating and her tears are plentiful. She has her good moments and then the pain returns, mostly at night. Pain is moving around and is expected by Doctor to work its way down her leg, through the foot and eventually push its way out through her toes (?). I'm unable to help her find relief and that is tough for me to handle.

So here I am, hoping for the two of you to have better days...soon. Good fortune from here on, my friend, I (almost) feel your pain, and hope your healing is faster than hers has been.
 
I wish I could say that I'm not familiar with what you're going through, but I am. For the past several weeks I've been playing nursemaid for my wife, who had similar procedures, also L4 & L5-S1 discs. Same meds, same pain, same numbness...foot and toes.

The pain is excruciating and her tears are plentiful. She has her good moments and then the pain returns, mostly at night. Pain is moving around and is expected by Doctor to work its way down her leg, through the foot and eventually push its way out through her toes (?). I'm unable to help her find relief and that is tough for me to handle.

So here I am, hoping for the two of you to have better days...soon. Good fortune from here on, my friend, I (almost) feel your pain, and hope your healing is faster than hers has been.
Did she have epidurals? Obviously if so they were not effective. Better find a spine surgeon TOP NOTCH and get her MRI images to the surgeon. If the surgeon won't see her clinically find another.
 
I wish I could say that I'm not familiar with what you're going through, but I am. For the past several weeks I've been playing nursemaid for my wife, who had similar procedures, also L4 & L5-S1 discs. Same meds, same pain, same numbness...foot and toes.

The pain is excruciating and her tears are plentiful. She has her good moments and then the pain returns, mostly at night. Pain is moving around and is expected by Doctor to work its way down her leg, through the foot and eventually push its way out through her toes (?). I'm unable to help her find relief and that is tough for me to handle.

So here I am, hoping for the two of you to have better days...soon. Good fortune from here on, my friend, I (almost) feel your pain, and hope your healing is faster than hers has been.
My laminectomy failed disc blew out a known risk. I have since had a TLIF fusion L4,5 S1 6 hours 5 days in hospital. I am 1 month post op
 
I wish I could say that I'm not familiar with what you're going through, but I am. For the past several weeks I've been playing nursemaid for my wife, who had similar procedures, also L4 & L5-S1 discs. Same meds, same pain, same numbness...foot and toes.

The pain is excruciating and her tears are plentiful. She has her good moments and then the pain returns, mostly at night. Pain is moving around and is expected by Doctor to work its way down her leg, through the foot and eventually push its way out through her toes (?). I'm unable to help her find relief and that is tough for me to handle.

So here I am, hoping for the two of you to have better days...soon. Good fortune from here on, my friend, I (almost) feel your pain, and hope your healing is faster than hers has been.
Hope she gets better soon. If she had the surgery and still having radiculopathy down her leg something is wrong
 
Did she have epidurals? Obviously if so they were not effective. Better find a spine surgeon TOP NOTCH and get her MRI images to the surgeon. If the surgeon won't see her clinically find another.

We're still hopeful and have faith in our surgeon. No to epidurals, but my next move would be to NYC where they correct others mistakes. Not there yet, still seeing progress and forcing to stay positive. Thanks for input!! Most hopeful, no next moves.
 
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My laminectomy failed disc blew out a known risk. I have since had a TLIF fusion L4,5 S1 6 hours 5 days in hospital. I am 1 month post op

You two are neck in neck, she's two weeks out...let's have two winners here. imagine that and taking 'Bama too? Truth be told, I'll take those two, you and her home free!!
 
We're still hopeful and have faith in our surgeon. No to epidurals, but my next move would be to NYC where they correct others mistakes. Not there yet, still seeing progress and forcing to stay positive. Thanks for input!! Most hopeful, no next moves.
What city are you in?
 
You two are neck in neck, she's two weeks out...let's have two winners here. imagine that and taking 'Bama too? Truth be told, I'll take those two, you and her home free!!
Did they go thru her back off center of middle of spine? It's an approach called TLIF
 
You two are neck in neck, she's two weeks out...let's have two winners here. imagine that and taking 'Bama too? Truth be told, I'll take those two, you and her home free!!
If the pain pre-surgery down the back of her leg is still there then something ain't right pal
 
Hope she gets better soon. If she had the surgery and still having radiculopathy down her leg something is wrong

Yeah, not common, but not uncommon either. (Wow, I'm sounding like CD). No, researched this, it happens and we're hopeful, but, if more needed, we'll do whatever is needed.
What city are you in?

Georgetown, Tx. Medical is Austin based.
 
Did they go thru her back off center of middle of spine? It's an approach called TLIF

I believe right side. There are two 1 inch incisions on either side. If I'm not making sense with this, I don't want to question her now. Right leg is where the 'nerve' pain is now.
 
texas back institute plano, tx that's your spot. tiger woods went there. Might not see her till 90 days post op. Call them

Thx HJ I'm committed to about 2-3 more weeks and then will seek additional solutions. Thanks for your input will strongly consider for next step...hopefully though...no next step.

You're in our thoughts and with good fortune both of you will enjoy a pain free future. See you later, she's really doing shitty right now!
 
Thx HJ I'm committed to about 2-3 more weeks and then will seek additional solutions. Thanks for your input will strongly consider for next step...hopefully though...no next step.

You're in our thoughts and with good fortune both of you will enjoy a pain free future. See you later, she's really doing shitty right now!
Same here pal all the best to your wife. Speak soon
 
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