[ChemistCat]

Your turn. Oh, and don't tell me to be brave. I think I've used up the entire monthly allotment of courage already. :-)

[2Trievers]

Any suggestions?

[aruanan]

The question is whether doing nothing will have a worse outcome. Have a neurosurgeon do the surgery. If you have an orthopedist do it, make sure he's done a lot of the same type surgery with good patient outcomes. Ask for names of patients he has treated. Read up on your condition at places like Mayo Online so you can understand what the doctors are talking about. Stay away from people who tell you that herbal poltices, coffee enemas, or relieving subluxation through chiropractic adjustment will cure you. Allopathic medicine medical doctors and surgeons aren't perfect, but they're still light years ahead of anything else the world has come up with to this point.

[jwalsh07]

I had some back problems about 7 years ago for various and sundry reasons. L4/L5 They gave me a couple of options and the one I liked the best was exercise. Mine was probably minor compared to most here but for those with minor back problems, invest in a Roman Chair. It is designed to do reverse situps so that your torso hangs over the edge and your back muscles do the work of pulling your torso up to level. I do 25 a day and the doctor stays away, knock on wood. Haven't noticed any back pain in years and I golf frequently.

PS I have some squamous cell removed on a bi yearly basis. Think of it as a briss with you having plenty to spare. :-}

[Capt_Hank]

I had the operation after wasting 3 years messing with an orthopedic doctor. I would walk into PT and would need a walking cane to head out. I had L3/4/and 5 along with S1 problems on both sides. I finally went to a neurosurgeon, was told that I was in bad shape after the MRI and milogram was read. He said that he might be able to get back to 95%, I waited much too long. Well, had the operation on a Monday morning and walked out of the hospital the next morning. I'm about 98% now, but I still get some numbness in the left lower leg. I could just walk before the operation and that was back in June of 98.

[R. Scott]

Some years ago a bone spur developed on a disk that was also arthritic. I have been putting the surgery off for years. No big thing, I just don't jump out of bed anymore, watch how I stand and set, and try not to take any punches in the lower back.
Guess I really am a coward after all.

[tutstar]

Yes, there can be a good outcome depending on the symptons, amount of pain you are in, and if all other remedies have been tried. I had back surgery 8 years ago. My disk ruptured into my spinal cord and left me paralized from the waist down. The doctor gave me a 50/50 chance of walking again. It took laser surgery, 2 and 1/2 years of physical therapy, but I can walk. I have pain everyday, sometimes it hurts more than other days but I have learned to live with it. Your situation may not be the same as mine. However, when you have done everything else to relieve the pain and it hasn't worked, then surgery is an option, but only if you can't stand the pain anymore. I have a friend who had back pain so bad that she went and had the surgery and it relieved her of the pain. She told me the pain was worse than having her two children. All I can tell you is get all the facts, look at all the other remedies and then chose. My choice was to walk again. Even though there is still pain, it is not as bad as it was when my disk ruptured, so I live with it. I will pray for you.

[Ax]

In 1967 I exited from a hovering helicopter at a Special Forces camp in Vietnam. I landed wrong and the vertebrae compressed, cracking a disc. Some ten years later I was stationed in Rome, and in incredible pain. The Italian doctor performed a laminectomy, fusing L5/L4 (I guess).

In the ensuing 24 years I have never had a moment's pain and have literally put on enough miles walking and running to circumnavigate the globe.

Take heart, ChemistCat. Put your trust in God.

[democratsstealvotes]

FRIEND, DO NOT, I SAY, DO NOT LET THEM TOUCH YOUR SPINE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD DO ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM, BUT IF YOU LET THE DOCS MESS WITH YOU, YOU WILL BE WORSE OFF. DO SOME MORE RESEARCH. LISTEN TO YOUR OWN THOUGHTS ABOUT IT. INQUIRE ABOUT ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, BUT BE CAREFUL HERE, TOO! GOD, I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU.

[hollyweed]

Just read your post. I am a chiropractor and while I don't know your history, I would suggest you seek several opinions before surgery. Many asymptomatic people will have abnormalities visable on MRI, disc herniation etc. Radicular pain in the upper extremity is not uncommon in non surgical cases. If you haven't had an EMG done you are probably due for that next. In less severe cases of disc pathology home traction would also be an option. In 14 years of practice I have shelves full of case histories who were told surgery was the only option. I hate to dispense advise with limited knowlege but take control, investigate and make your own educated decision. It's your body.

[LibWhacker]

My wife is a professor of medicine. In addition to her teaching duties, she sees dozens of patients every day, many of whom have had back surgery. She tells me that she's never seen one of these back surgeries turn out well. Yes, the patient may feel better for a while, but the problem always returns, and worse than ever.

I have a terrible chronic back problem myself and I finally ruptured a disk a few years ago while working out. If it hadn't been for my wife talking me out of it, I definitely would've gone under the knife. But I'm real glad now that I listened to her and didn't do it; my back is much better now . . . I just have to be real careful not to re-injure it.

Of course, your situation may not be at all like mine and I'm definitely not a doctor. So I'm not trying to give you medical advice. However, a second opinion is a good idea, I think. My advice: talk to a really good doctor who is NOT a surgeon (surgeons are perhaps a little too eager to start cutting). Go to a teaching hospital. You'll find some of the best docs in the world there. Best of luck to you.