nervous of having op

Bones, joints and muscles
1

Hi,

I have had low back pain on and off for many years but since oct 2008 i got a serious bout of pain that did not get better. After suffering terrible pain with sciatica in my right leg and various types of pain relief some very strong nothing really helped so had mri scan beginning april to find i have quite big prolapse on bottom disc and it is bulging more from middle so pressing on my nerve so the doctor is sending me to neurosurgeon in june!! to see consultant as gp and physio think i need the operation you have all mentioned. Ihave had 8 weeks of physio that has not really helped at all. What worries me is i now am getting pains all the way down both legs not sciatic pain-more like restless horrible pain and obviously worse when i stand which all my weight is then pressing down. Has anybody else had symptoms like that ? I have read that people having numbness in there leg where pain was but my pain is all the way down especially my right leg and i dont want that numb. Also i worried about the op as it in a very delicate place and also recovery as i have a 3 year old to look after,and time in hospital and length of op? If anyone would like to reply back then i would be very grateful.

Thanks.

2

Hi

I had surgery on my spine january 2006 when my baby was 3 months old, I was getting pain up& down my right leg from when i was 7months pregnant. also my pain was worse on my right leg if i all my weight was on that leg. After my baby was born they tried physio etc but it made the pain worse for me not better. I was admitted to hospital new years day 2006 as i couldnt take the pain in my leg anymore. I had a MRI scan it revealed i had a prolapse disc. I had surgery 3 days later to remove part of that disc. I had my op on the monday &was home on the weds. Which was such a relief because i feel you can recover better at home than in a hospital. As to my recovery it was a good 2 months unto i was able to do normal things. I was told by my surgeon to go swimming as that would help to strenthen my back. which it did. I was pain free nearly 3 years. Which was such a relief.

But i started getting pain again in my right leg about 3 months ago. After another MRI scan it shows the disc below where i had surgery has also prolapsed. Which means i have to have more surgery. I go into hospital in 2 weeks time to have the same done i had done 3 years ago but on a different disc.

I also have a 3 year old now & as ive already been though this surgery i have more of a idea what is to come etc. This is our plan my husband will take 4 weeks off work to care for me & the 3 year old. The main prob i had after my last op was getting up from laying down and laying back down after getting up. Id advise you to not do anything for at least 6/8 weeks. They recommend you dont do any bending or lifting for 12 weeks. Very hard when you have a little one. But vital you dont lift anything, as that can course damage to your spine. The main thing is to strengthen your back afterwards. After the 4 weeks my husband will have to return to work and the little one will go to a nursery full time. Unto im fully recovered.

My operation lasted about 2 hours. but i no of people who have had the same op as me but on a diff disc and there op was 45mins. So think it depends on each person. Would i recommened this surgery, yes i would because it gave me a better 3 years with my son then if i hadnt of had the surgery.

Yes it is a very delicate place to have surgery but i saw it as they are the experts and i put my trust in them. the main thing its to recover properly afterwards and not to anything that could jepodise your back unto you are fully recovered.

hope this has helped is some way. pls feel free to sk me anything else

3

Hi there,

thanks for your reply sorry you didnt leave your name but it good of you to put my mind at rest a bit. Y ou seem to have been suffering a lot like me and circumstances etc. Thing is the more i read the more i am being put off by surgery as i have been reading through so many peoples experiences and they say all sorts.

The one thing that keeps cropping up again and again is being left with permanent numbness and incontinence. I know the pain i have been suffering the last 7 months in my back and leg is not giving me much quality of life at all as like you i cant take my son out and have fun or even bath him and play on the floor etc and have to rely on my husband for so much and he works full time as it is,but i also dont want to be left with these problems and like you it may recur. The disc that i have prolapsed is L5 i think which i think is the lowest one and it pressing on my nerve as there nowhere else for the bulge to go.

You said about a lot of pain in your leg but did you also have a lot of lower backpain? I read that you should have the op if pain is worse in your leg than back but to be honest the pain in my back has been longer the leg pain didnt start til about 2 months later. Also i had full blown sciatica in january shooting pain etc but now the pain is different its more of a restless pain when i stand on them and i physically cant stand for long at all but no shooting pain.Was your leg pain like that?

Sorry to ask so many questions but i want to know as much as i can before i see the consultant in June.

Thanks

Rebecca

4

hi rebecca

The disc that prolapsed when i had surgery 3 years ago was L4/L5. I did have lower back ache but being pregnant at the time, i put the backache down to that. From when my son was born to me having the surgery 3 months later my lower back pain would be so bad for say 10 days and then it would go away for a while, and then come back etc etc. Is your lower back pain constant.

My back pain wasnt constant. My leg pain would come and go, but in the end the pain was constant in leg and so bad. I couldnt take the pain anymore &went to A&E on new years day when they admitted me. My leg pain started with shooting pain up and down my right leg. Then the pain stopped shooting up & down & was more like a constant pain. My pain would be worse if i put all my weight on my legs. In the end i could barely walk. it was way to painful.

I totally understand when you say the pain isnt giving you a good quality of life. My son thought my husband was mum i felt, from when he was born unto my husband went back to work. It did upset me that i couldnt do the things that a new mum does. Id watch my husband playing with my son or bathing him & think that should be me doing those things.

But then i thought to myself at least he has my husband there doing those things. But after i had recovered fully & my husband went back to work & i had no pain in my leg at all. I became mum again & have had the best couple of years ever.

From my experience 3 years ago i got back pain first then the leg pain started. Then the leg pain just got worse & worse unto i couldnt take it anymore. I know that if i hadnt of had the op 3 years ago god knows what would of happened to my spine. More discs might of prolapsed. Also if your left unoperated on that can cause permanent numbness is the leg and incontinence.

Ive been told by my surgeon 90% of people who have had my surgery never ever need more surgery. I'm obviously the 10%. The disc they will be operating on in 2 weeks is L5/S1. S1 is the lower disc of where they operated on b4.

The discs at bottom of your spine are L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 then below that are S1 S2 S3 S4 S5.

sorry ive gone on a bit, hehe. Pls dont worry about asking me any questions. I wish i had had someone to talk to & ask questions who had been though the op when my pain started 3 years ago. Back then this was all new to me & i didnt have a clue.

My husband works full time as well, The other friday the pain was so bad in my leg i just couldnt take the pain anymore. It was very hard trying to look after my 3 years old, which ull know they have sooo much energy. I had to ring him & he came home from work. the pain was so bad i was crying my eyes out. I just wanted someone to take the pain away.

I have been given drugs like diclofenac, tramadol, co codamol even morphine. Which started to help with the pain but they do nothing now. I saw my surgeon at my pre op 2 weeks ago. I told him the painkillers do nothing. he said they wont & the only thing that will stop my pain is surgery. I do agree as the surgery did stop my pain for 3 years.

Of course im scared about having the surgery in 2 weeks time & im not looking forward to going though the recovery etc. I want to be like other people are with their children. When me and my husband, my teenager & my 3 year old go out & i see other mums running about after their children. I think how lucky are they & i think do they know how lucky they are. I dont go out on my own with my 3 year old as i jsut cant manage on my own.

but what ill think about to get me though it is after ive recovered i will be like other people with their children. Like ive been the past 3 years. And hopefully for me this will be the end of my pain for life.

Are you on any medication for your back or leg pain at the moment. i know you said you had tried various types of pain relief. Ju

5

Hi alison.

I wrote you a lengthy reply to your last message but for some reason it didnt get added to this so to find it go back to the forum page and click on the subject above this one which is titled \"reply\" and you will find the message i wrote to you.

Cheers Rebecca