Hi I am new to this forum: I am in need of help I am desperate. I am having excruciating pain. Besides having L5S1 fully ruptured, I was diagnosed with L3 & L4 having tears with the disc material going up into my canal confirmed with a disco-gram. A few weeks ago I felt totally locked up in my thoracic area. The next morning the pain was so severe, it wrapped around all the way to the front of my chest and I could not move or hardly breath. My daughter had to call an ambulance. I was in hospital with lots of pain meds and I.V. Steroids. My MRI showed a herniation at T8 and bulge at T9. Between the lombard issues and everyone saying I need surgery for the L5S1 & L3 & L4 three level fusion, I am afraid to death about what will happen with the rest of my spine. The original injury was a car accident. Dr.'s can't tell me if the L3 & 4 and the thoracic problems are due to the stress. They do say I have severe degenerative disc disease. Can anyone give me some advise or help. I have had several opinions from different doctors. One said absolute surgery for the lumbard and another said he would not touch me because of DDD. I am on 300 mg of Lyrica for the nerve pain down the leg, but it does not seem to help and baclefen for spasms. Morphine doesn't either, so I basically am not taking anything because I am afraid of getting addicted to the pain meds. I am loosing feeling in my foot and have allot of tingling and basically my left leg is getting weaker. I have still been having episodes of major spasms in my thoracic area and sometimes it gets to the point I can't breath and still radiates all the way around my chest. Has anyone had a combination of lombard and thoracic disc problems? I could really use some input and help. Thanks allot Sharon

I have had all my lumbar fused including S/1. I have never had Thoratic problems tho. I also have DDD and they operated on me. If I were you I would get another surgeons opinion. I have had seven surgeries & have been told I can't have anymore unless its life or death situation. Good Luck. I hope someone else will come in and help you.
Fancylady

Sharon, sorry to hear of your pain. I am dealing with a herinated disk in three locations c3.4 c4,5 & c6,7 I have been to two surgeons about this and both have suggested surgery. I have almost decided to go with disk replacement. I like you am very scared of the outcome. I have heard that for multiple sites, replacment is better than fusion because the disk replacement provides stabilty for the other disks in the future. If anyone out there has had disk replacement surgery we would love to hear from you!!

Dear Sharon: I got so frustrated I sought Chiropratic help and it is working better than anything to date. Not saying I'm cured, but I'm so much better.

I have never had problems with my Thorasic area...my Lumbar is a mess though. So sorry I'm no help just wanted you to know that we are here for you to vent if nothing else...

hello, and welcome. I'm sorry I dont know what youre going through but please know that I as long as everyone here, are here for you.

edit: the only thing I know is my dad has screws in his back due to lumbar issues, if this seems like something youre heading toward i will gladly ask him about why he got them and if they help and things.

Hi, and welcome!
Without going into all the details I have been on pain meds since 2000 and I am far from being a junkie, there is a difference between addiction and dependence and I was seen by 5 NS's and basically told my back was a train wreck but the 1st 4 advised against surgery and the last one promised me the moon and being pain fre, Yada yada, and so I did it, had the surgery and that NS messed me up so that I am now 3 inches shorter and crippled for life, no nursing ever again (my old job and life) so please make sure if you go for the surgery that the Dr you choose is a fantastic one, because I can't go back and I only thought I knew what pain was until I had the 3 level fusion that was a disaster!! Be very careful because if I could turn back time, I would never had the surgery! Before I had constant back pain but meds could control it, now I have horrible back pain that all the morphine in the world won't make it go away, freq falls, paralysis of bladder and bowel, self cathing, muscle spasms from hell and loss of feeling from thighs to waist and left arm! My Ns cut into my spinal cord twice,oops, and did this to me, and I ended up with a 2 level fusion, 12 days in hosp., and I would give anything to go back to where I was! I am not telling you to not have the fusion, just make sure you don't end up with a quack like me because I wanted to be fixed so badly. My son now calls me Mrs C since I can no longer stand up straight! Be careful and be smart, and I know there are many of us here that know exactly how you feel and may be the only ones that will listen to you because with me, it got old real fast with family and friends, (what friends) except the ones i am finding on here!
Good Luck and rest, take the meds if you need them, I am not hooked and never will be!