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Ashlee
Nov 1, 2008 - 11:06PM
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Post disectomy re-herniation & damaged nerve
I am 28, female, with a family history of herniated discs. Until last year, I ran 20-30 miles / week, along with other workout programs including pilates.
My back went out in November, 2007. I had a herniation at L5-S1. I have had 3 steriod epidurals, all of which provided minor temporary relief. I did about 25 decompressions treatments, which also did not provide much relief.
April 30, 2008 I had a discectomy. The procedure went well. I recovered ahead of schedule for the first month or two. Then I started to relapse.
About a month ago, they discovered that I have a new bulge at the same disc, L5-S1. I had a emg that determined that my sciatic nerve is very damaged. I had a discogram 2 days ago and am still waiting for the results.
Currently, I have a constant throbbing down my left leg from my sciatic nerve damage. I can not straighten my left leg. I can do normal daily activities. But the throbbing is slightly painful (nothing compared to pre-surgery) and my movements are pretty limited.
I am new to this forum and just wanted to see if anybody our there has had any similar experiences. I would love to hear your stories and advice. Thanks! Ashlee
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dave hutchieson
Nov 2, 2008 - 11:46AM
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Re: Post disectomy re-herniation & damaged nerve
Hi Ashlee
I'm sorry for what you are going through. When I had my sciatica, it was horrible.
Unfortunately, the doctors do not address what is acusing the disk to bulge or herniate in the first case.
This is why you now have a second problem.
What has happened is that the curves in your spine have changed from their correct shape due to pressure.
When this happens, extra prssure is put on the disks casuing them to bulge. When they are under pressure, they lose moisture. When they lose moisture, they become drier. When they become drier, the center part of the disk [ like a jelly ] squeezes through the outer parts and becomes a herniation.
Imagine a little japanese car.
Four people sit in it. The front two people weigh 550 lbs each and the back two weigh 110 lbs.
What do you think will happen to the front tyres ?
The tyres bulge and split.
Off they got to the garage. The garage guy repairs the tyre split and they carry on driving.
Six months later they have to go back to the garage.
This time the mechanic says: "Well, this tyre is geetting pretty beat up. I'll repair it one more time, but if it happens again, I'll have to take the whole car in and replace the entire wheel".
Meanwhile some cousins who weigh and look the same and drive the same car meet them.
The first ones say "Hey, you guys weigh the same as use, How come your tyres are not so bad "
"Ah, say the second group, we re-distributed the weight in our car. The total weight is still the same, but we have put one big guy in the back and one on the front."
"We have re-balanced the weight"
Now that analogy is only a rough one, and has some flaws, but I hope you get the point of what I am trying to say.
Please order the LTBP system and send in the photos you ask for. I guarantee that you will have some major imblances.
If you do not, then you will be a medical miracle.
Dave Hutchieson
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dave hutchieson
Nov 2, 2008 - 11:48AM
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Re: Post disectomy re-herniation & damaged nerve
"what is acusing the disk" should be "what is causing the disk"
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Dorin
Nov 2, 2008 - 8:37PM
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Re: Post disectomy re-herniation & damaged nerve
Hi Ashlee and welcome to this board.
This is where you will find a select few people in the world who actually know EXACTLY what you're experiencing and the magnitude of your pain.
I think Dave is right on: the only plausible explanation to the fact that your disks have re herniated is muscle imbalances that have pulled your disks out of place. Since we both live in Texas, I will use a house foundation analogy: until the foundation is completely fixed, no amounts of paint work around the corners of the house and the doors will actually permanently remedy the problem.
Like most ex athletes, you have a super tight psoas and iliacus, as well as IT band and the tensor fascia latae. Essentially it's some of the muscles that are surrounding your hip that are probably extra tight and they have cause on of your hip bones to rotate.
When the robot gets in from Al, you're more than welcome to come by and give it a whirl, I think you'll be very impressed, although it is a slow process.
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Ashlee
Nov 3, 2008 - 9:19AM
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Re: Post disectomy re-herniation & damaged nerve
Thanks Dorin! I think I'll take you up on that offer to come check out the robot. I'm very curious and willing to try anything!
Good luck with the surgery. I hope it provides you with as much relief as I have had from it. I have a small set back now, but would do the surgery all over again (and actually might!).
Ashlee
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Kristi
Nov 8, 2008 - 4:49AM
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Re: Post disectomy re-herniation & damaged nerve
Ashlee, my story is similar to yours. On Aug 27th of 2007 I was standing from a chair and felt a pop in my back. The emergency room said is was just a muscle spasm and sent me home. It was a week before I could see a doctor. He said that it looked like I herniated a disc. The MRI showed that I herniated L4-L5 6mm and L5-S1 a whole 1.7 centimeters. With the increasing pain I went in for a hemilaminectomy/discectomy on Dec.4 2007. I tried to return to work after the recovery time, but had a hard time sitting. I would have to go home after an hour in pain. I pushed myself to continue, but stopped working completely in April 2008. The pain continued to get worse, to the point I got another MRI. This one showed the same 6mm herniation in L4-L5 but there was a 6mm herniation in L5-S1. The radiologist also noted that there was scar tissue surrounding the S1 nerve root. I had 2 epidural steroid injections that provided no relief. I hoped that with rest and being carefull it would smooth out and I would get better. It didn't work out that way. Over the past few months I am progressively getting worse. I can no longer walk without a cane, have difficulty with all ADL's, and have had to hire someone to come into my home and care for my children, because it is too painfull to be out of bed. It takes large doses of pain pills for me to not feel faint from the pain and collapsing while taking the dog potty. I have even lost feeling in parts of my leg. I noticed I sat on one of my daughters sewing needles and didn't feel it puncture my leg. I didn't notice a lot of my worsening symptoms until I started tracking every movement I made, how bad it hurt, and how long I was able to do it. It's strange being able to look and yourself getting worse. I am going to another Neurosurgeon. The first one said that there was nothing he could do, but I'm not going to give up. I don't care how long it takes me, but I'm not going to accept that I'll have to be this way for the rest of my life. Have you looked into getting another MRI?
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Kristi
Nov 11, 2008 - 9:52AM
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Re: Post disectomy re-herniation & damaged nerve
Kristi,
I hate to hear how much pain you are in. It sounds just like what I went through. Pre-surgery, I went to 5 doctors, 1 chiro, 1 pt, and 2 surgeons. All of them told me that I will get better with time and there is nothing they can do. One doctor actually told me that I was too young to be going through anything serious and to "walk it out."
I had 2 epidurals pre-surgery and 1 post-surgery. I had very minor and temporary relief from all of them. They did not work for me. And they are not working for you.
I waited 6 months from the date of the injury until I found a doctor that could treat me. They are now saying that I might have permanent sciatic nerve damage because of the amount of time that this was neglected, combined with the position of the herniation & the size of it.
I was in the same position you were pre-surgery. I was home-bound for 3 months. I was taking over 20 pills a day and would still be in pain (everything from hydrocodone, vicaden, darvocet, alieve, kadian (horrible, horrible drug; avoid it!). I could not shower by myself or put on my socks & shoes.
I had the surgery in April. I had immediate relief. I am able to do all daily activities with absolutely no pain. I am not taking any pain or anti-imflammatory meds!!
I have a constant throbbing down my left leg along my sciatic nerve. It is not painful, just annoying.
My left leg can not straighten in front of me. If I am sitting in a chair, I physically can not put my leg up on the ottoman in front of me. I can not sit on the floor and put my legs straight out in front of me. I can't get my body in an "L" position....at all.
I had a few more mri's yesterday just to make sure I don't have any tumors or aneurysms hitting that nerve. As long as those scans turn out ok, it looks like I have some nerve damage that I have to work with.
It sounds like our stories are very similar. Go get a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th opinion. How ever many doctors it takes until you find one that you feel comfortable with and can offer an answer to what is going on with you.
You do not want to wait. That herniation is causing some serious damage to your sciatic nerve.
I live near Dallas, TX. We have a local magazine that does a yearly "Best of" in the area. I went to their website and found the best of spine surgeons. That is how I found my surgeon. Check to see if your area has something like that.
Good luck and keep me updated on your recovery.
Ashlee
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Kristi
Nov 11, 2008 - 9:57AM
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Re: Post disectomy re-herniation & damaged nerve
Kristi,
I jusr re-read your reply. I did not catch the first time that you have already had a discetomy.
Is your current doctor the one that performed the surgery?
I don't want to scare you with horror stories....but I know someone who had a discectomy and the doctor did damage to her spinal cord during surgery. She is in constant pain and is currently taking ocycotin. She is projected to be in a wheel chair by the time she is 40.
It does not sound like you have the same experiences as she has had.
Have the doctors talked about doing another discectomy?
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dave hutchieson
Nov 12, 2008 - 5:50AM
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Re: Post disectomy re-herniation & damaged nerve
Kristi
Have your friend talk to the LTBP people about your friend.
Many people get relief from surgeries gone bad.
Dave Hutchieson
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Kristi
Nov 13, 2008 - 5:29PM
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Re: Post disectomy re-herniation & damaged nerve
I am going to see a new surgeon. I went back to the first one and told him that I wasn't getting better. He basicly said that there was no reason for it, and that I was wasting his time because there was nothing sugical to do. I haven't had my first appointment with the next doctor yet, but I'm just going to keep seeing new doctors until someone says that they might be able to help me. The sad thing is that in the mean time I continue to get worse. Over the past two days I have a scary new symptom. I was walking and had a VERY sharp pain in my low back. The pain was so bad that my body reacted on it's own. I just hit the floor. It was like I had to control over my body to keep it standing up. My legs worked fine, but because of the pain I just couldn't force myself to move. I know that you body does what it needs to in order to prevent extreme pain, but I've never experienced anything like that
