I'm getting surgery , a microendodiscectomy i think(minimally invasive) and the doctor is giving me a good deal. Ill just be paying off the rest of the cost till i meet my death, but i dont care if it works. I hope it works. I have two very herniated discs and he actually saw another small one happening but he wont give me fusion b/c he thinks that the discectomy will work, and fusions are very costly,plus, he thinks it will cause more problems down the road. I cought him just as he was about go on vacation ! Hes squeezing me in, i have to give him a fruit basket or something lol The spine clinic is a really helpful place and the surgeons and doctors all have fellowships i believe. I know im in good hands, but i know im goingt o be beside myself with anxiety up until im put out in the OR.

My surgery is august 4th and i got samples of celebrex and ultracet that i am going to take tomorrow, hopefully they will take some or all of the pain away. Im just so excited that im finally getting it done and wanted to share my happiness:) Success!

Im just so excited that im finally getting it done and wanted to share my happiness:) Success!

CONGRATS!!! I am really glad for you, hopefully you can get your surgery and get on with your life...Hope everything goes good for you.... again... Congrats...Take Care.

TRose :angel:

I'm really happy for you and pray that this gives you the relief you need and can get on with your life..
Goes to show that there still is caring people out there.Please though listen to your after care instructions and follow them to a tee as this can often make the dif in a succsses and not.
Linda

congratulations!!!!!!! *does a happy dance for you* :bouncing: :jester:

Glad to hear you are getting your surgery!! Keep us posted on how you are doing! :angel:

-Jo :wave:

Thank you :) Oh, i will follow all directions to a T. i hope this is the surgery i need , my pain feels so much worse than needing such a minimally invasive approach but maybe that really is all it will take. I dont know, sometimes i feel like maybe i didnt explain my pain right b/c he kept telling me that it might be worse from the epidural shot. I am in a lot of pain most of the time and it can only be relieved when i lie down. I cannot even sit up , i mean i cryed in the cab when i sat up for 15 min. I wanted to die it hurt so much like i was being electricuted. But alas he said it may be the shot and it may calm down. I have a feeling nothing will calm down beforehand. And i also told him even before teh shot i was in horrific pain but to a little lesser degree and a diff kind. I think that is what made him think i wasnt as bad as i made out.

Im starting to think doctors will not take you seriously if you dont come in crying. The nurse saw me crying but then i was embarrased when the doctor came in so i stopped. I just hope im being paranoid and he did realize my severity, i mean he saw my MRI's and he said it was pretty bad and needed to be surgically fixed. he also said hes seen worse...ugh... i cant imagine how much worse it could be than this accept for not being able to move at all when i had spasms and coudlnt move from the floor, it was unbarable pain, this is unbarable but to a diff and less degree, i can move but its still horrible. Oh well, hes a professional, he knows what hes doing.Im probably just being paranoid. I hope.

I'm happy for you - finally an end in sight!

I know that it is hard to believe but the amount of pain your are in is not indicative of how bad your back is. That is probably what the doctor meant. You might have a small herniation and be in great pain or you may have a large one and barely have pain at all. Some people have x-rays that look dreadful but don't have any pain and others have healthy looking backs and are suffering terrible. Also the amount of pain you are in is not indicative of whether surgery is necessary (I know it certainly motivates you in that direction...lol) but the truth is excruitating pain does not mean that surgery is the answer on the other hand no pain at all with spinal cord compromisation is an urgent matter. So the doc's comments were not necessarily meant to discount your discomfort.

Just understand that a microdisectomy will only cut away the protuding disk material and remove it off any nerves it is compressing. It will not sew up the disk tears. That is why you have to be careful after surgery to let your body heal the tears, or if you sit too soon, bend or lift too soon, and those tears aren't healed, out comes more disk material and you're back at square one or even worse off.


People don't understand this. And they wind up reherniating because they get impatient, think they're healed, and lift something or sit for hours when they aren't supposed to and whammo. So follow directions exactly and don't be impatient!

With three tears, you are going to have to be extra careful recovering. I hope the surgery fixes your pain. That's great. Just understand that there are no quick fixes. You now have compromised disks and will have to strengthen your back in time after surgery through physical therapy if you can get it and be careful with that back the rest of your life.

I did not understand that and am finally seeing it one year post op. Blessings. Don't want to scare you, just want you to know that.

Congrats on your surgery. I had that same on done and I felt 75% better when I left the hospital.
My problem is I got hurt at work a year ago and W/C keeps refusing to aprrove the surgery and I pay 500 a month for good health insurance and they won't pay for my surgery either. :(