Off Topic.....Back Surgery

I know this is not photography related but I was wondering because there is so many members here at P.O.T.N. if anyone has had back surgery. I am scheduled to see the surgeon in 5 weeks time and this is a big decision. Last May I herniated one disc and bulged another resulting in 15 monthes of HELL. With our great Canadian health care system it has taken almost 17 monthes to get to see a surgeon.
Just wondering if anyone else has had surgery and what the outcome was.

Thanks
Dan

TTT

OUCH! I haven't had any back surgery, but I do hope yours goes well and I wish you a full recovery.

Thanks Tammie, anyone else I'm scarred h@#less (INVALID EMAIL) at the thaught!!
Dan

Well I take care of a LOT of people who have back surgery and most of them have it again...and again. I have several discs that have gone bad (probably due to all the years of nursing care) but I am very reluctant to go under the knife. It's just a big risk without a very good outcome, IMHO.

Have you tried some physical therapy????

depending on your symptoms i lived w/some herniated disks and a few years later they eased up some on there own, but depending on your symptoms you may or may not be able to do that. i have them in my back and in my neck from a car accident. the neck ones they wanted to remove surgically and i just couldnt do it i saw many people in therapy who had issues and i also saw a who who had good luck. i have to be very careful today w/all my moves and i get to feeling too good i forget then wham..

No experience with it all Dan.. but I do hope all goes well.
We'll be pulling for you and a speedy recovery.

I too am experiencing back problems, the pain is just terrible. Yet I'm reluctant to undergo any surgical procedure after what my father, uncle and aunt all experienced. I too suggest therapy first and surgery last. There is still a lot of new procedures awaiting approval for certification.

Oh, and beware of the pain killers, remember, they are very powerful narcotics. I have had many friends fall under their grip.

Wep

Please be aware that my English is not good enough to accurately describe health related problems. My sister was injured in a car accident. Two years after that, a herniated disk went worst and she became almost unable to move her legs. After back surgery and a couple of months of physical therapy she was able to continue whit her normal activities. Also, as a paraglider I have some friends recovered after serious injuries on their back bones. I think that a small amount of luck and enough courage and discipline will bring you back to health.

As CyberDyneSystems wrote, We'll be pulling for you and a speedy recovery.

Thanks everyone.

Well I am not the type of guy that likes to sit around and that is part of my problem,
as soon as I start to feel better I want to try to do things and this has resulted in repeated flare ups. A couple monthes ago I did not do much and it flared up again.
Last year I lost the feeling down my right leg and the syatic pain was unreal, sitting is pure hell.
On our vacation there was a guy there about my age ( 42 ) who just went through surgery and said the improvement was excellent. I understand the different degrees of surgery there are and I will draw the line on certain ones.
All imput is greatly appreciated so I can digest it all in.

Thanks again
Dan

Dan,

YES I have had back surgery. While the experience hasn't been piece of cake, I am better. I herniated the disk at L5-S1 and had a partial discectomy. After loosing a month of work because of surgery, i've been able to resume a full schedule, but I've had a couple of flare ups, mainly because I did something stupid.

Would I do it again...probably. I definately feel better now, but it was a long drawn out process and I hope to never go thru it again.

If you have any specific questions, PM me.

Thanks JB, I was on light duties for 5 months not to mention being away from work for a month and a half. It's very frustrating.


Thanks for the comments
Dan

I have a bad back--and I have found physical therapy combined with a planned wokout to be a big help. The McKenzie method is what I was using. There is a book called "Heal your own Back" . Small paper back, available at Amazon. I found it to really work for me.

Like Maureen, I too deal with people who have had back surgery on a daily basis, and like you I have a bad back. From my personal standpoint I would suggest you exhaust all other forms of treatment before having surgery. Like JBillings stated it is a long drawn out ordeal, it will test your toughness inmore ways than just physical. For me when I can no longer stand upright and walk then maybe I will consider it but not until then. For you, it ultimately is your decision, just remember one thing, it is your body please research so you can ask the right ?'s be informed of your care, so many people take Dr's advice as gold and go along with their suggestions only to regret it later. Remember for every "top third of the class" there was a bottom third that are still Dr's. Get to know the surgeon a little, ask other people if they know him/her and what they think about him/her. I know a ton of Docs a lot of them are very nice and I consider friends, would I let them cut me open, probably not, especially on a voluntary basis. Good Luck and I hope you make the right decision for you.............Joe

Dan,

My wife had surgery a few years ago. She had a blown disc in her lower back. She had to have the disc removed and they did a spinal fusion with a titanium bracket. She did fine with the surgery, but the recovery was rough for her. (She is not very pain tolerant). One of the problems she had after the surgery was numbness and tingling in her leg. That went away in time. She is glad she had the surgery. If you have any more questions feel free to pm me. Clyde