Surgery Time (BACK)!

[KirkV]

Well I have put it off long enough and now I am having troubles sleeping. I have bad Stenosis between L4-L5 and they are going to go in and grind it out. They are also installing a "coflex" brace to strenghten the area and still allow flexure of the joint so it is not a true fusion of the spine.

Looks like Cobra rides will more than likely have a few weeks off

But it is a outpatient procedure and I may get back to work in less than 2 weeks! I am looking at the end of September for the procedure pending insurance etc.

Wish me luck.
Kirk

[Ron61]

Kirk,

I know that you never heard of me, but I do wish you all the best with your back surgery. That is something that takes time to heal and needs to do it properly. So I wish you the best of luck and don't try to force the rehab to quickly and have a set back.

Ron

[Bartruff1]

I had a bad back for 40 years, got to the point I was going to have surgery, Laminectomy, Discectomy...ect...had all the treatment from injections to traction..could not walk or stand for 5 minutes...the whole ball of wax..

Saw a infomercial on TV for a machine called Back To Life, had nothing to lose...it worked...today I hike and ski and have very little pain, even the numbness is gone...

I suppose it could have been something else, but I use it every day.. they only cost about $170 bucks over the internet and can often be bought at Wal Mart or Costco...ect...

[G-Pete]

Kirk, the best of luck to you!!!

I know first hand what back pain is and how crippling it is (two bad discs). I refuse the spinal fusion because of the low success rate.

Keep us updated - and again good luck and God bless you.

[madmaxx]

I had a disc erupt in my kneck 2 years ago rendering my right hand all but useless. Intense pain. Bottom line had emergency surgery two days later. Got to hosiptial at 7am driving home at 10 am with zero zero pain. only mistake i made was i got off all pain pills since i felt so good. problem is the next day at 11:00 am i could not move as I thought i had the worst case of razor burn in the world by incision. took a pain pill pop it went away. take you pain pills for three days and you are done. it was the nearves in the skin that hurt. I was at work on Tuesday. Hand has fully recovered but it took 18 months. Doc thought i might never get it back. You will have no issues!! get it done and get back to life!!!!!

[BAsque1]

Kirk:
While I don't know you personally, but I feel for you, anyone who has spinal problems has some kind of constant pain. I pray for a prompt and full recovery Brother. Hope that you can get back son on the snake.
Sincerely
Lou

[twobjshelbys]

I had herniated disc at L4-L5 surgery in 1988. It's been bad enough that some days it's very difficult to move around, and no matter when if I stand still long enough my left leg goes numb (it keeps me from falling over, but I can't feel it yet I can see it). L4-L5 is back, and the discs have expanded to the one above and below (L3-L4, L5-S1).

Every doctor says that until I need external support (cane, wheel chair) that I need to delay since with that many it will be a fusion and it will be life changing - no more getting in and out of a Cobra or Ford GT. Or even low passenger cars, it'll be trucks and SUVs that I climb up into.

Watching my extra curricular high risk activities - no more rafting trips. Too bad because I've been down the Grand Canyon 6 times now and have been asked three years in a row to be lead boat... Sigh.

[Bartruff1]

Please try this Back to Life Machine...Please...try everything...

I had a month to my scheduled surgery when I started using it...

and in two weeks I could actually see a improvement in the constant exhausting pain ...

I could walk a little further every day...

the morning I was to go in, I got up at 4 am and walked 2 miles with tolerable pain and I cancelled the surgery and have gotten better every day...

The surgeon does not know what happened...we did not do a MRI to find out and I don't care...

I can walk ten miles now with only exertion pain and I love every step...

do it... in might not work...but it might..

[madmaxx]

My advice, don't read health forum s. you will scare yourself sheet less. Remember those are the people that didn't get fixed, the ones that did (the majority) don't post as they go on with their life. Stenosis is constriction of the hole the nerves go through, if the restriction is due to a bulging disc it is possible it will shrink and pull off the nerve, very very very possible! If its bone growth or spurs they don't shrink and need removed. The only reason for fusion is spine instability and absolute last resort. No doubt it works but MAY overload adjacent disc creating problems down the road.

[Silversmith]

I had L5 S-1 rupture & disc repair. But 2 weeks b4 I went back to work, I ben't over to pick up a 1"x6"x 2' pine shelf & re-ruptured same disc. I had the dam thing removed. that was 12 years ago. I'm still 85-90% of where I was prior. With no pain, unless I try to shovel or swing a bat. So I bought a backhoe for digging & stopped playing soft ball. In the end I'm glad I had it removed, even if I am 1/2" shorter Good luck m8!

[KirkV]

Guy's,
Thanks for the well wishes and to further this with a little more info, the MRI from a year and a half ago showed stenosis and a spur. It has only gotten worse with time and sorry Bart but no machine is going to make the bone spur stop pushing on the nerve.

I actually look forward to having it ground away and get on with my life. The nuerosurgeon said I will be back to work shortly after the muscle and insiscion heal properly.
Thanks again
Kirk

[madmaxx]

Why did you wait so long? Just take your pain pills for a couple days for the incision pain. There is no healing as far as the spine, the disc, spurs, column have no nerves. I am amazed doctors can do microsurgery on a heart with a tiny hole through the skin but back surgery still requires a 2" incsion. I told my kids that where they implanted the tracking chip.

[KirkV]

Tracking chip............. Good one!