Back surgery or not?

[Lurch]

Ok, I would say I was looking for opinions from people who have done and have chose not to have it done but that would be a waste of time since 99% of people are going to just read the title and post an answer without actually reading the post.

Ok, I am 33, hurt my back in Mar 06. I have been through 2 chiropractors, 3 - 8 week long all day physio programs, one program for "LIving with chronic pain", acupuncture, massage etc. I go to the gym daily, and all things considered, am in decent physical shape.
Up untill a month ago I was told all I had was a stubborn muscle strain, nothing more. Then I had an MRI which showed "a disc bulge in such a way as to not cause me any symptoms". I finally yesterday saw a back specialist. I watched him scrolling through the MRI super fast and he clicked past one screen and in that instant, I could see the problem, so did he obviously. He jumps back to that screen and all he can say is "Wow, huge disc, huge disc, wow, huge disc". THe disc is so far bulged that it has taken over 1 quadrant of my spinal cord and pushed it out of the way.

So, my options are surgery with a 95% success rate, or expect the level of pain I am at for the rest of my life. It is the 5% that scares me.

I am torn, on one hand, I can do everything I used to do, BUT, I can only do it a little bit at a time, no where near at any intensity I am used to, and definitely not pain free. Driving is limited to about 30 minutes without taking alot of drugs before, during and after. Work is out the door (mechanic), so I will need to find a new job.

So, if you actually read the post, and have had the same choice, did you or did you not get cut and did you regret your choice.

If you havent read the post and just want to make a smart ass comment, feel free to do that as well.

[.glib]

Smartass comment.


What are the consequences of that 5%? I assume they're worse than not going through with the surgery, otherwise you wouldn't be asking this question?

[biggles604]

Eric, it's a decision that only you and your family can ultimately make, but consider this: With age, is it likely the problem will get any better? If not then it will get worse, and the older you get the harder the recovery will be, and the lower the odds of a success.
That said, 5% is a fairly large percentage. If it were me, I would take that info and look for a second opinion from another surgeon, having too much info going into a serious operation like that, is much better than too little.
I'm assuming that the 5% includes everything from nerve damage to paralysis?

Assuming the operation goes successfully, what are the odds of recovery, at least partially?

[Six]

My father in-law has very serious, cronic back pain. He has an issue with one disc and was recently diagnosed with really bad arthritis in his back as well. He is basically screwed because of the arthritis. Before they diagnosed the arthritis there was a lot of surgery talk between him and his specialist about surgery to repair the disc injury. His specialist wouldn't approve the surgery to repair it because of the consequences if the surgery failed. If it worked...great it's all fixed...if it didn't he could end up the same or even worse than before with no hope of fixing it. The specialist perscribed pain management and to wait and see where that went. So, now my father in-law gets to live his life in a drugged out haze. He doesn't let it get the better of him tho...he still goes out hunting (and still out shoots my pathetic ass), rides his bike, does stair master etc...and just pays the consequences later if he over does it. The dude is a champion for doing that stuff in his condition. I can't tell you what to do but I hope that my father in-laws story helps you make a decision one way or another.

[skifreak]

Speaking as a chiropractor.

I have seen numerous cases each way of positive and negative results after surgery.

What is the desired plan for surgical repair - a large bulge is there for a reason Has he suggested what can be done to lessen the stress in the future so as not to create the same problem...

Does the surgeon plan on fusion and how this will affect the levels above and below? This often creates added loads on the adjacent motor units, and without care in the future (even chiropractic) you will find arthritis forming in those joints and degenerative discs down the road.

What is the plan for post surgical therapy - often if not treated properly the body will replace the void created by the surgery with scar tissue which can be more painful in the future

Have you started any pre-surgical work to make sure your core body strength is as strong as possible? The best way to form a strong back is with strong core.

Look at the big picture pre-during and post surgery. It's the most important part of this whole procedure. A good surgeon has a good relationship with a number of providers for a full plan in recovery.

Those are just some quick thoughts from my experience

You're much more likely to have success if you have a complete plan.

[stubz]

my girlfiends dad had surgery for something simmilar last year. he feels great, way happyer and has no pain. i would say go for it, cause for all you know it could get evern worse and cause you even more troubles.

[djb]

I wonder about 95%. Would a doctor ever give you 100% odds it will be successful? What does 95% mean? Or is 99.9% the way of saying guaranteed? Then 95% is actually a chance of failure. Is 95% based on actual data or is it pulled from the air?

I was faced with a similar choice, surgery or not. It was tough and the consequences of my choice, either way, were miniscule compared to yours.

All I can say is that I wish you the best of luck and that I send good vibes your way.

[Heatmizer]

Haven't had that surgery, but had a barin tumor removed with worse odd than that of me not being: in a wheelchair/diapers/blind/vegetable/dead.

I suspect that long term you're gonna get to be real miserable and/or require huge amounts of drugs to function. My opinion is if you trust the doctor, go with your gut.

[243_ht]

my mom had this surgery, and it improved her quality of life so much. She can be much more active, and she just does so many more things because she isn't in pain all the time. Also i believe that the 5% failure rate generally speaking means you are back where you started. So i think in most cases having the surgery is the best option.

[Lurch]

The 5% was broken down into complications like, infection, mistakes, adverse reaction etc. with the consequences being I am worse to paralyzed.
I have been slugging my way through life for the past year and a half. I can do it, but some days it really takes it's toll.
Skifreak, other than a gymnast, I think it will be hard to find someone who spends as much time doing core exercises as I do. Every day I spend in the gym is core work. I have learned alot about my core and am confident with its strength (none of the physio people I have had have the core control and strength I do). I know post op I will be back at it asap. As for fusion or what he never mentioned anything other than cutting out the piece that is in the way. Also the cause, it is probably a snowball effect of me abusing my body throughout the years but I did have a definate moment that I felt it pop and put me in a world of hurt for a good week.
I have been leaning towards just doing it. Once in a while I get an excruciating pain and I feel it move inside and after that instant, my back feels great. I can instantly go from not being able to reach my knees to being able to bend all the way forward while sitting straight legged on the ground and touch my nose to the floor. Oddly enough, 1 hour ago it happened again. It has happened 5 times so far. First was XMAS eve, that lasted for 2 weeks, 2nd time the chiro did it, lasted a month and a half, third time was shoveling dirt, lasted 5 days, 4th the chiro did it again but it lasted 2 days. Every time it goes out again, I know in that instant. Brutal pain again and instantly, unable to touch my toes. When I get this feeling I am torn because it fixes itself, so maybe it will finally stick one day. But I also get so addicted to feeling this good that I think if I get the piece cut out, this is how I will feel.
Anyways, thanks for the wishes and the stories. If you see me posting way too much in NBR for a couple days, you know I got cut and am really bored.

[PUNKY]

good luck on your back operation. Hopefully Dr. Nick isnt the one performing it

[skifreak]

another thing to check on - there is a person in Kamloops or Kelowna - he does motion x-rays - as you describe a very odd pattern of movement / non-movement, it would be interesting to see how the motion x-ray would show the pattern of movement

http://www.whiplashimaging.com/index.htm

It's very possible that your pain may not be directly from the disc but the structures around - something a static x-ray or mri will not show.