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Help!Minimally invasive laminotomy and franomity in 2 days

Posted , 6 users are following.

brandon51615
brandon51615

Please Help!I am a 43 year old guy who is in good shape and healthy.4 years ago I herniated a disc in my lower back and was off my feet for 2 months.I recovered with no surgery and was feeling great for 2 years or so.6 months ago I had a hard moto Ross crash and hurt my back again.Lots of pain but recovered pretty well.About 3 months ago I herniated my back again pretty bad.Had an mri and the doc said I am herniated on two levels.My main symptoms were bad hip pain and pain in my thigh and calf.It stayed that way for two months.I went to the surgeon and he scheduled my surgery.Here I am 2 days before surgery and scared to death to do it.I barely have any pain anymore and it is only in my hip.I do heavy Co structure and workout everyday and hike.I gave my wife a piggy back ride last night just to test my back and no pain.Even tried to deadlifted and no pain.All I have is mild cramps feeling 8n my hip and not even all.the time.Should I do the surgery..Please help..Thanks

0 likes, 26 replies

26 Replies

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  • cynthia70714
    cynthia70714 brandon51615

    Posted

    Brandon,

    Sorry to hear about your upscn downs, but if the Dr suggested it I would because later down the road you might damage more of your back. Please take care of it now before its to late and end up with worse pain and damages.

    Take care n good luck!

    Cindy (USA)

    • brandon51615
      brandon51615 cynthia70714

      Posted

      Thank you.I guess my concern is when I saw him I also had leg pain and now I dont.I don't know if it will help my hip pain.Also almost no hip pain anymore.I just don't want to get more issues from surgery that I never had before
  • Bungle66
    Bungle66 brandon51615

    Posted

    Hi Brandon,

    If it was me I would cancel the surgery and run a mile. If you are not in huge amounts of pain and if that pain is improving on its own WAIT. I have had three surgeries now and just had to have a spinal cord stimulator implanted. I wish with every fibre of my being that I had not let them touch my back in the first instance. I herniated L4/L5/S1 die to a fall inthe snow in December 2010. I had really bad sciatica and come March 2011 when a discectomey was offered, I grabbed it with both hands. Since then my condition has worsened month on month. I was told at a much later date that had I done nothing my back/leg issues woud almost certainly have resolved themselves. I wish I had waited. Instead I lost my job, my home (I now live in my mothers converted garage) and my life as I knew it. Surgery will ALWAYS be an option down the line if your issue comes back or gets progressively worse but think VERY VERY carefully before embarking on a course of action that might cause so much more harm than good. I'm not a doctor and I can only speak from my own experience but I wish I'd NEVER let them operate on me. Good luck with whatever you choose to do and I wish you a pain free life. All the very best Brandon. Regards Graham, Suffolk, UK

  • beverley82498
    beverley82498 brandon51615

    Posted

    No,don't do it.If you can do what you say you can,you don't need surgery at this point.Though,if you carry on doing the things you are doing with a weak back,you will need it in the future!!Surgery causes scar tissue,which in itself can bring extra pain & require more surgery to remove it.Respect your back,treasure it while you can!!Hope this helps.
    • brandon51615
      brandon51615 beverley82498

      Posted

      Thank you.I know I have an amazing surgeon but maybe I should wait.I can always have it later
    • Bungle66
      Bungle66 beverley82498

      Posted

      Here here Beverley! Scar tissue is the enemy and once that becomes an issue there is NOTHING that can be done. Remove it and it just grows back thicker. Treasure and nurture your back and unless it is absolutely necessary do not let a surgeon near you. I asked my current Pain Management Consultant if HE would ever have a back op. He laughed at me and said no way! What he did say was that his orthopaedic colleagues keep him very busy!
    • brandon51615
      brandon51615 Bungle66

      Posted

      Yes scar tissue can definitely be bad.Also I don't know that the surgery can help with hip pain.I think only leg pain.
    • Bungle66
      Bungle66 brandon51615

      Posted

      I had back/hip and leg pain and the surgery for me only made things worse. I never received any benefit at all, just scarring. My hip pain went away on its own eventually and my back pain to a degree is not as bad as it was. In fact as you mentioned my back is pretty strong. My legs on the other hand I would like to chop off! Even with my brand new spinal cord stimulator I am in agony. That device is just causing the calf muscles to spasm and cramp. Very painful when it's on and unbearable when it's not. In fact i', back to the hospital today to see if they can offer some suggestions. I hope whatever you decide that it works out for you. I'm about your age, well no, I mustn't age you too much, in our 40's every year counts - lol! I'm 48 now but was 43 when my troubles started. All the best Graham
    • brandon51615
      brandon51615 Bungle66

      Posted

      I think I might wait and see if it goes away.Maybe it will just take a few more months.I feel bad if I cancel 2 days before surgery.My surgeon is listed in the top 5 in the u.s.I am lucky to have him.They did say I could always get on the list to reschedule later if I need to.It could be a couple month wait from when I try to reschedule though.Sorry to complain on here.I know others have it worse.Just freaking out!
    • Bungle66
      Bungle66 brandon51615

      Posted

      Don't feel bad Brandon. We are all here to support one another. Also don't feel bad for cancelling (if that's what you choose) - it is your body we are talking about.  In fact I'm pretty sure that if you spoke to the surgeon and explained that things were much better than they had been he would also advise against the op right now. I remember before my first op my surgeon said as I signed the consent forms just before being taken to theatre you have three options. 1) you can just walk out, 2) we can try more injections or 3) we can do the surgery. Silly boy that I am I chose option No.3 but I was in huge amounts of pain. Who knows what the outcome might have been if i'd walked away? Still on the positive side I can tell people now that I am like my childhood hero - Steve Austin, the $6 Million Man - I'm Bionic now!!!!!! Take care G
    • beverley82498
      beverley82498 brandon51615

      Posted

      My hubby had hip pain as well.It eventually went away after a long while.He had x rays just to be sure but was told it was probably due to his walking out of alignment due to the back & leg pain.He became quite bent due to the agony of walking.Most people here are in the same position ,suffering for years with life changing pain,mobility issues.If they could have avoided surgery they would have.Only you can decide.Good luck.
  • Mariav
    Mariav brandon51615

    Posted

    What are they doing? Is it a laser microdisctectomy? If so, I had that done on 1/15 and It took a good 8 months to feel better and two months of pt at facility plus daily stretching and some at home. Some people are up and around in two months. It depends. I had a very well known Ortho in Chicago and it still bothers me on my hip. I cannot sleep on my side because it brings on the pain like before. It just did not go down my leg. I am not going to lie to you that it was a very painful procedure for the first two weeks. If I had to do it over, I would wait until I could barely walk!! It's not as easy 123 as the doctor's tell you.. Also, I would go to a neurosurgeon vs a orthopedic.. Sorry for you but that's my opinion!!
    • brandon51615
      brandon51615 Mariav

      Posted

      Just spoke to the surgeon.He canceled my surgery and said let's wait.Thank you so much everyone
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