Quote:
Originally Posted by KayeVculek
Hi Im new to all this so please forgive me if I don't understand it all.
Im a 28 year old female and Im in extreme pain. Pain so bad that Im on Dilautin, Morphine, and when I have a good pain day I take Percocet.
I have L4-L5 and L5-S1 Disc Herniations with prominet left lateral recess (whatever prominet left lateral recess means..) the disc bulge causing severe left neural foraminal stenosis with mass effect on the exiting L5 nerve root.
I have been told that I need surgery for sure by my Military doctor (husband is a SGT in the US ARMY currently deployed to Iraq).
I see the Neuro Surgeon in a few days. Where Im hoping we can set up surgery right away because as soon as we set it up my husband will be on a flight back to the states to help take care of me and our 4 beautiful children. I also am excited about the possibility of being out of extreme pain.
I am curious to opinions of people who would know or who have had a condition similar to mine on what kind of surgery I would have. A minimally invasive surgery doesn't sound like that would fit what I have. Im trying to prepare myself and everyone and to have a heads up would be nice to know. I know eventually it is up to my dr but I am going to beg him for surgery. I can hardly walk. I wear a back brace and use a cane. I sleep 3-4 hours a night. I have had some loss of bladder control. I can no longer drive or do anything. I feel helpless. I have tried cortizone shots, PT, chiropractors, walking (ouch! did this every day for 3 weeks and didnt help at all), massages, and now I just want surgery.. I feel desperate for it!
So does anyone know what kind of surgery would best fit what I have?
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I am 5 mos post op from multi-level cervical fusion, and my friend is 4 mos post op on a lumbar fusion. My friend had incisions on both the front and back and required two surgeries in the same week to complete the work, compared to my one surgery. She recovered okay from the back surgery but had complications as did I. One thing we both had in common were falls during recovery either due to pain, pain meds or just plain fatigue. Her complications from the falls were so severe that she has been out of work for 4 months; for me, I'm left with knee injuries
Also, the surgery corrects the medical issues but when they say be realistic about your expectations on the pain, that's true. It's a very long, long road to getting the pain under control. At 5 mos out, I'm still in daily pain. I wish you luck.