Prolapsed slipped disc operation his Saturday advice help please

[somathus]

i am a 29 year old man with a bad back going back for 5 -6 years and in febuary this year after*two years of hapiness it twinged to the point i immeadiatley took anti inflamatorys dicloflanec and just strong paracetamol and heat wraps sometimes, then in may all hell broke loose i must of just woken funny and i was in real distress and could barlely take my body weight and knew the pain i was having was worse than anything,

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well 12 weeks an mri scan to confirm l3 l4 no real improvement and sciatica still stopping me living a normal life i have an operation this tuesday and although i am not having the disc removed, they plan to cut away the prolapsed area affecting the nerve that they say will heal and then my disc will repair itself naturally

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has anyone had this done and through this operation and proper looking after yourself afterwards going to cure my lower left back pain and help releive my sciatica i am told ultimatley caused by the prolapse

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any help advice or anyone who has an operation similar this week or soon will be good to hear from you

Medication on

Tramadol 50mg 4-6 a day
serctil 1 twice a day anti inflatory
morpheine 10mg 2-4 a day 4 I'd real bad
diazepam 1-2 only ant night but if spasming will take to relax

1 multivitamin a day multibontica

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[Tino]

Afternoon paddy2046,

There are a number of people who have had a prolapsed disc on this forum.
If you have the time, read through some of the experiences people have detailed.
I have a slight disc bulge at L4/L5 level which is manageable and does not require surgical intervention. I also had a problem at L5 S1 level.
I was offered an epidural with a 50% chance of success and an operation with a 95% chance of success.
I had left leg sciatica for 8 months and decided not to pursue the epidural route.
I had an operation which involved the prolapsed section of the L5 disc being cut out to stop the S1 sciatic nerve catching it and causing sciatica.
I always thought the disc may regenerate but did not know if it would do 100%.
It certainly sounds reassuring that yours will regenerate. You may want to ask how long your surgeon estimates the regeneration will take as a guideline.
I think you are taking the correct route of having surgery. I am now 15 weeks post op and would say the operation could not have come quick enough. I feel like a new man!
Once you have had the operation, please be aware you will not be allowed to do much. You will be encouraged to become mobile as soon as possible after your operation.
I went home the day after the op as I could walk up and down the stairs under the watchful eye of the physiotherapist.
I could lift a kettle and make myself a drink when I went home and had the fantastic support of my family. I could not drive for six weeks and was off work for 8.5 weeks.
I was given physiotherapy exercises to do from when I was released and will probably be doing them for the rest of my life.
Core strength exercises including going to pilates classes for example will do you the world of good after the op and when you have fully recovered.
All this for taking my back for granted! A question you need to ask yourself is why did your back go in the 1st instance?
My went because I never warmed up or cooled down when playing sports and I suffered injuries and never let them heal before playing again.
Sorry for the essay, I have always waffled on and will probably never change.
Good luck with the op. Please let everyone know on this forum how you get on.

Best wishes

dalep115

 

[bearsma90]

Try a Nada Chair to help keep the stress off the lumbar region. Sitting is the worst thing for L disc problems. Best wishes DT

 

[Kenshin]

Dalep thanks so much for the advice and I intend to fully use this as a second chance as the pain I beleive had been there on and off from a young teenager when I fell off a motorbike but had never really bothere ld me untill later in life around 23-24 wiu any previous back painlasring no more than a day or two. I have gone from 18stone to 15 and now weigh13.12 stone losing a stone in the last three months as I feel with all this I should see the benefits once the sciatica has stopped and I can have any releif from the chronic back pain I have been suffering now since 25 may and still real bad pain from mid febuary and can say I see a future of worry unless I have the operation. I am having it done by a Nurosurgeon so am confident all will be well. Thanks again for the advice and I am looking forward to the pilates. Also before a few years back I used a product called THE BEAN which is like a pilates ball that does sit ups I and my mate who Also has a bad back found really good as it really stretches and is relaxing to move about on.

Thanks again Dalep

 

[Ol?v? ?]

Morning paddy2046,

When you read this message, you will have had your operation.
Let everyone know on this forum how you got on and how your rehab goes.
Another good point which I would hope your physio(post op) will mention is to keep mobile and do not sit down for long periods of time.
Sitting down in office jobs has been the cause of some peoples problems on this forum.
DavidTagg87's about the chair is a fantastic point. I am going to look into buying one.
You may wish to look into swimming if you are restricted in what you can do following the op. I swim 2/3 times a week and did this before the op when suffering from left leg sciatica.
Once again, good luck with the op if you do read this beforehand.

best wishes

dalep115

 

[anewsegx]

Hi Dale,
I may be having the same op as you. Can you tell me how you are doing? My sciatic pain is on my right side and I am thouroughly miserable!! The pain is there constantly and pain killers do not work at all.
Injection

 

[Whats my problem?]

Evening injection,

Since having my L5/S1 op on 29th April 2009, I have had some mixed emotions.
I did not feel any pain for the first two weeks after which I started feel a slight sciatic pain in my left leg.
I am convinced some of this pain was due to lack of intensity from my physiotherapy exercises which was addressed over time when I complained and went to see another NHS physio who was 1st class. Having had left leg sciatica for 8 months prior to the op, I had to expect it would take time to settle down.
I still feel it is setting down still and probably will do for the next year as well.
It is frustrating and can make you miserable. What I have had to do is change my lifestyle. I do not play football, hockey or go kickboxing anymore.
I go for swimming lessons twice a week and go to beginners pilates once a week.
This helps my core strength and should ensure I have the best chance of living life to the full where possible. I am also going to get into rambling and meditation soon.
Its disappointing to hear painkillers will not work for.
I was taking paracetomol, ibuprofen, codeine phosphate and amitriptyline when suffering sciatica at its worst.
When is your operation date?
I would be surprised if you could not go swimming as I was swimming all of the time I suffered from sciatica. Pilates was a problem for me as it aggravated the sciatica unfortunately.
I get a mild pain in my left leg just below the left knee and in my left buttock every now and agin but this is manageable compared to the sciatic pain I previously felt.
Hope this info is of some help to you?

best wishes

dalep115

 

[heyyyyyy]

Paddy my friend, these are serious drugs!!

Watch out for secondary drug complications, blood preasure, cholestorol, liver and kidney problems. The last thing you want is more problems, right!

Kind thoughts

SPINELF