RE: Very OT: Has any one here had a lowere back op? (xposted to rct sewing too)

Normally a lurker, I'm hoping someone here will have had a lower back op to relieve sciatica (oops that doesn't sound right, I wouldn't wish an op an anyone) or know someone who has had one.

I'm facing the 'to op or not to op' decision and would like to hear about the recovery period and just how long I will be "incapacitated" for.

The doc says 2 nights in hospital followed by 3 weeks 'recovery' and then I would be fit to go back to work a desk job...ie sit comfortably again. Is this realistic? I'm in my 40s and am finally at a reasonable weight having shed 30lbs since Christmas

At the moment i'm relatively pain free as long as I don't have to sit for more than 5 min! I didn't realise how much of my life was spent on my posterior!!

I had to cancel a trip of my lifetime to Paducah this year ( from London :-( ) 'cos of my back (typing this standing)

Sorry for the winge, but you all have been so helpful with advice/sharing experience to others' queries....

Thanks for reading this far

Karen

Please reply privately to my email as is

Reply to
Karen
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I haven't, but I've done the to op to not op decision a few times at it really is a tough one. I'm not sure where is a good place to find patients versions of how surgery recovery went, so I start with google and I've always managed to find several, spread over different sites and chatrooms. If you've had any other surgery even on quite different body parts that can give you some useful clues about how you generally heal in reference to normal.

=46rom what you're saying, it sounds like you're fairly adept at dealing with your limitations, but you have had to restrict your activities a lot - one of the problems with this is that with time you get so used to that that you forget what normal is - I got to that point before my hip surgery, I was so focused on how much the recovery would be worse than as things were currently, that I lost sight of how far removed life was from normal, even though I'd got to a state of not being in too much pain, being reminded of that really helped me decide to go for the surgery - and I'm glad I did, there was more arthritis in my hip than expected, I'm 28 and had had the injury for 2.5 years and waiting longer would have likely made that worse, I had already delayed too long.

So my approach is research it as thoroughly as possible, it's really important to know what the risks of things getting worse actually are. Mayoclinic.com has some fairly good guides to conditions and surgeries which have helped me clarify details and get the right terms in my mind to then extend my search for information.

Cheers Anne

Reply to
Anne Rogers

THanks for the reply...Its the "quality of life" thing that has made me decide to go for the op...Murphy's law example: I have an excremental 2 days as the epidural gradually wears off so I call the doc to start the op process...yesterday I was completely pain free to the extent I actually sat in a pizza restaurant with my daughter and didn't notice 40 min pass by AND I didn't pay for it (the sitting not the pizza!) afterwards!

Why does one get better when one calls the doc? I'm not complaining (well not too much) yesterday was lovely even if part of me was waiting for the sciatica to bite again.

I haven't, but I've done the to op to not op decision a few times at it really is a tough one. I'm not sure where is a good place to find patients versions of how surgery recovery went, so I start with google and I've always managed to find several, spread over different sites and chatrooms. If you've had any other surgery even on quite different body parts that can give you some useful clues about how you generally heal in reference to normal.

From what you're saying, it sounds like you're fairly adept at dealing with your limitations, but you have had to restrict your activities a lot - one of the problems with this is that with time you get so used to that that you forget what normal is - I got to that point before my hip surgery, I was so focused on how much the recovery would be worse than as things were currently, that I lost sight of how far removed life was from normal, even though I'd got to a state of not being in too much pain, being reminded of that really helped me decide to go for the surgery - and I'm glad I did, there was more arthritis in my hip than expected, I'm 28 and had had the injury for 2.5 years and waiting longer would have likely made that worse, I had already delayed too long.

So my approach is research it as thoroughly as possible, it's really important to know what the risks of things getting worse actually are. Mayoclinic.com has some fairly good guides to conditions and surgeries which have helped me clarify details and get the right terms in my mind to then extend my search for information.

Cheers Anne

Reply to
Karen

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Reply to
Lizzy Taylor

Hi Karen, I've had degenerative disk disease for about 15 years; my disks are all herniated, bulging, and out of alignment. I've not had surgery on my lower back, but may have to in the years to come; I did have surgery on my neck to remove pieces of two vertebrae that were pinching my spinal cord. That surgery was really pain free; I was up and going within a week, but had to wear a neck brace (the soft type) for 12 weeks. That was really aggravating. Up until about 18 months ago, I had constant pain in my right leg from my back. Then I began seeing a spinal surgeon who recommended consults with a neurologist and a pain management doctor. The neurologist monitors my spinal cord and nerve involvement and the spinal surgeon did my neck surgery and is monitoring my back. The pain management doctor began giving me injections in my lower back and my nerve pain in my leg is GONE for the first time in years. I go for a series of injections about every

4 - 5 months. The injections are painless because they start an IV with medication before the injections. I don't like to be groggy so they've got it down to just enough medication to make me comfortable and I am awake during the procedure. With the injections I am able to live a relatively normal life, just no heavy lifting or really strenuous activity. I take Tylenol and Celebrex daily for any pain and inflammation. Long post and maybe not the answer you're looking for, but, I thought maybe if you haven't talked with a good neurologist and pain management doctor, you might want to and you might be able to avoid surgery. I hope all goes well for you and you get some relief, Michelle
Reply to
Michelle

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