My brother Rob is having very bad pain in his back and leg due to a L2-L3 herniation and tear. He is considering nucleoplasty or a micro-discketomy. He had an epidural which did not work and is on painkillers now. He lives alone in South Carolina where the healthcare is not as good as other areas of the states. He also has little support there.
I know those on this board have provided me with much support during my nucleo and I am hoping everyone can give him any support and advice he needs.
Is there any pre-surgery advice you would give him, either surgery, recovery, or emotional ?????

Thank you all,
Ken

My brother Rob is having very bad pain in his back and leg due to a L2-L3 herniation and tear. He is considering nucleoplasty or a micro-discketomy. He had an epidural which did not work and is on painkillers now. He lives alone in South Carolina where the healthcare is not as good as other areas of the states. He also has little support there.
I know those on this board have provided me with much support during my nucleo and I am hoping everyone can give him any support and advice he needs.
Is there any pre-surgery advice you would give him, either surgery, recovery, or emotional ?????

Thank you all,
Ken

Why surgery? Is there a nerve involved? What did his MRI say? Not everone with a herniation or a tear needs surgery. JUST SAY NO TO EPIDURALS!

Have his try an EMG first to see where the pain is coming from and then a discogram before surgery.

Surgery should be his last choice.

just my two cents. :)

Nucleoplasty is another one of these experimental things. I also considered it but the herniation was so large it was not really an option. Microdiscectomy can lead to numerous complications which unfortunately Im finding out first hand. If the meds he's taking help then maybe the surgery is not a good idea. I did it as a last resort due to extreme sciatica pain which left me unable to do the most mundane of tasks. Most herniations will heal themselves and if there is no pressure on the nerve then surgery should never be done. Just hope he feels better and my heart goes out to him. Let me know how he makes out.

Kvn60640

Hi Ken--First greetings to you. How are _you_ doing these days!!

As an "L2/3 man," I can relate at least a bit to what your brother may be going through. The thing I wonder about is whether he's had a myelogram and whether all his symptoms are consistent with the problem being at that level. I've learned from experience that upper lumbar problems can be _very_ tricky--you can get groin, genital, hip, and even abdominal pain that can be related.

As far as surgery, how long has he gone with the herniation? And, as others have asked, is there any evidence of nerve damage at this point? But you know already what the key issues are. So the question also becomes: if he goes with surgery, can he travel for it if the local options aren't great? Upper lumbar surgeries are much less frequently done than lower (L4 throgh S1), and thus "experience counts" even more.

Standingman