Well, some of you guys know my situation. I had two herniated dics, and one of those had a tear in it. I went into the hospital and had surgery Thursday morning. Let me tell you, it was a rough surgery ! They cut through my stomach and went in through the front for the first part of the surgery. They then flipped me over and made two 3-4 inch incisions in the back. I came out of it with a double fusion of L4/L5, and L5/S1. They let me go yesterday, so I was in the hospital a total of 5 days. I had a really rough night last night, but today hasn't been too bad. I still don't have feeling in parts of both of my legs. It's just a day to day thing. -Aaron
Dude, keep fighting along and you will be much better. I have friends whose spines have fused spots in them and they have no problems from that to this day.
Just went through this. I had a severly herniated disc at L1. Had surgery on it about 4 months ago. I had complete numbness from about the belly button down before the surgery. The feeling has slowy come back. Sometimes my legs and back still ache, but over all I'm doing alot better. I still am dealing with it day to day also. Hang in there!
You will always have aches and pains from it. I had my first back surgury in 1977 and have had a total of 5 now. The main thing to do is EXACTLY WHAT THE DOCTOR TOLD YOU TO DO. I can't emphasize this enough. I didn't on my first two and ended up having to do it over again and again. Even tho you are feeling better you are not healed up yet. It takes time. Do it their way, they do know what they are talking about. Gumpa
glad to hear from you aaron hope you start feeling better i will still be praying for you and always remember the one that made you is the one that can heal you. keep your head up and keep on praying.
Good point. You can think yourself well. I'm not kidding. If you have a positive attitude, you will get better quicker. I'm not saying you gotta have a grin 24/7, but thinking tomorrow will be even better is the thing.
My dad had the same thing done after a bad injury healed poorly- he was pretty much in constant pain until the fusion- about 4 months of recovery (alot of his pain was from the muscles that used to move those parts of his spine kind of "cramping up" because they could not move that part anymore) after about 6 months, he was better than he had been in years! nowdays, you wouldn't know he ever had back surgery. no pain, rare soreness (but hell, he's 67 years old, I would imagine his back would get sore anyway) and complete happiness. so, rather than say it might be better...Hell, it might be fixed!
HL, I'm busy for the next couple of days, but if you need something, you know how to get ahold of me. BTW, I saw this : in your sig. Yikes!
Been there,done that...fused the L1,L2...then the lower back had problems,legs going numb and lots of leg pain..now have two rods in lower back with plates, screws,fused L4,L5 etc. Bottom line is doc said I will be coming to see him for 2 yrs before they sign off on me..it has been almost 1 yr since I got cut and the ole back and legs feeling better every day...only problem is I can't lift anything over 25 lbs ..pain in the butt,but considering how i felt ,I can live with it. Like the other guys said ...very importand to do just what the docs tell ya..you will get frustrated on the days ya fell like crap and on the good days you will feel like you can lift a car by yourself..Just take it easy and ya will be back in no time Good luck to ya Mench
That has got to be a very tough surgery... very invasive, and range of motion limiting. Much more severe than what I had, but I have an idea of what you're going through... I had my surgery a year ago on Sept. 26th. I didn't have a fusion, just a lambinectomy/discectomy on L5/S1. I've gotten all of the feeling back in my left leg, and other than an occaisional bit of discomfort, it's wonderful. I hope you have as good of results as I have had! Ben
Hope you are feeling better soon and recover well from the surgery. Keep us posted with your progress. I've considered back surgery for years because I have 3 herniated discs and severe arthritis. I'm only 33! I've had numerous spinal injections, but decided long ago not to get them anymore because it wasn't worth the effort and pain. I just deal with my pain day-to-day because I can't decide if surgery is worth it. So let me know! You'll have lots of time to read HAMB and car magazines now. Don't try to do any work, even though you'll get tired of taking it easy.
I know that back surgery is a bit of a crapshoot. I've met folks that are real disappointed with it and some that swear by it. I had back surgery, and swear that I could be the poster boy for a great experience. It was like someone just turned ALL the pain OFF. Here's wishing success for you. People that have never suffered severe back pain have no idea how debilitating it can be.Injections did nothing for me. PLEASE pay complete attention to the recovery procedure. Dont rush it..It does take time and appropriate therapy.
Had mine done 4 years ago. Also had cut my nerve almost in half. One surgen said I would never wall without help. Went windsurfing 2 days last week and golf yesterday. Main thing is do what they say to let it heal up properly, and also do the back work outs to give all the muscles they cut some help getting back to normal. And yes I still deal with a small amout of pain, but all in all life is good. Hang in there and be smart.
Thanks for all the good words, fellas. haring, I'm only 25, so trust me, I know where you're coming from. I also have Crohn's disease, and I have a feeling that the Crohn's might have kinda "helped along" the back pain, seeing as how people with Crohn's generally have joint problems, arthritis, etc. But, at any rate, I am doing what the doctors told me to do regarding the recovery (not sitting for more than 30 minutes or so without getting up and walking around, not bending forwards, backwards, sideways, twisting, etc). Trust me, I need all the help I can get right now. There's a reason for me coming up with my screen name. LOL ! Anyways, I really do appreciate the comments from all of you guys, it makes me feel like there really are people out there that care about their fellow man (hot rodder). As soon as I can get over this back surgery, hopefully I can get back on my feet quickly and actually start doing the stuff I enjoy doing for a living. Thanks again guys, I'm singing off for now--this computer chair doesn't cooperate with my back, so I can only stand to sit in it for so long. -Aaron
There sure are a lot of messed up backs here... I had a laminectomy done when I was 24. I had a malignant tumor removed from my spine along with a significant amount of surrounding muscle. My surgeon told me I wouldn't be able to work on cars any more, but I have proven him wrong. I understand what you are going through. It will get better. Just give it time, and do what the doctor tells you (as others have said). It could be worse, after all. You could follow it up with 6 months of chemotherapy and a month of radiation therapy like I did. Oh, and did I mention the staph infection up the middle that left me hospitalized for two weeks? It sucks being young and unhealthy, doesn't it? Good luck with it... Slonaker
Good luck............seems that a lot of the HAMBers are have tough luck these days. And, I thought I had it tough, just being out of a job.
When I had my back surgery a few months ago, I was only 26. I thought I was real young to be going through that. Guess, its not as uncommon at that age as I thought. Just take it easy for the next couple months. I know for me, for the first couple months I started giving up on the idea of working on a car again. Now around 4 months later, I am able to. Sure I try not to lift anything too heavy, or hunch over the engine for too long but it'll get better.
Good luck man, I sincerely hope that all goes well. I broke my back (crushed vertebrae) in an atv accident in 2000, I've been to 4 different neurosurgeons and because of the nature of the injury and the area, they can't do anything for it. Six yr's of livin with pain has really wrecked my life, I'm self employed and my business has been destroyed, I can't afford to do anything and as far as working on the cars, I start and then the pain gets so bad I have to quit. I's very frustrating and has caused some pretty deep depression. I'm sorry to be whining like this, but I hope it shows you to take care of yourself, constant pain can take over your life and destroy it. I hate the way I am now, so take care of yourself.
Dude, I feel your pain. I have messed my back up something awful, after a long and (Humph) illustrious career in the Australian Army SF I found myself below a parachute that didn’t open. Fell 1000 ft and broke my back in three places, broke my pelvis did in my right knee and broke both my ankles, right arm and all the ribs on my right side and some other injuries. They fused T10-11-12 (Crush fractures) and L4-5/S1(Burst fractures and nerve damage). It’s a long road to recovery and like other guys I still cant fell some parts (Nah, that still works, see I do have some luck!) It’s important to find the right place in your head, it’s not only your back that was damaged. Be careful of the painkillers, I fucked up on them and got hooked. The doc was too happy to keep giving them to me, well that’s behind me too now. 2 ankle ops, 4 back, 8 on my knee and still more to come but it aint gonna stop my arse! Still building my car (Slowly though) and looking to find a job now. Not much use out there for a messed up ex-soldier I’m finding. Listen to the doc, and whatever you do DON’T CUT CORNERS ON REHAB!!! Go through the pain, its worth it on the other side when you can walk. Rodinron has a good point too, The depression that it can cause is bad. Yeah weak arsed pussy I was I suffered from that afterwards too, still do to a point. I got help for that, it was kinda very linked to addiction too. Im only 33 now, still a lot of livin to do. This is what did it to me, but hell was it fun and I wouldn’t trade a second of my service for anything……… Cheers, Doc.
After reading the horror stories and good ones too, I'm having the same problems in the L5-S1 area. An MRI in 99 showed a partially compressed disk and since then it has just gotten worse. Had another MRI last week at the Dallas VA. Haven't got any results yet. Am checking into a procedure called "Disk Decompression" They put you on a table and strap you down then pull your back apart, like an old fashioned torture rack, to release the pressure on the disks. After so many treatments, they claim the disk is repaired. If it works like they say, it will eliminate any surgery. The VA is probably going to recommend surgery, and will be virtually cost free, but these other treatments are like $6000. A lot of money for an old unemployed guy with no insurance.
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