Pins and needles

p.s

jmi use this site for support and advise their a good bunch of peps, my hubby could only take so much of the talk about p discs lol. gail

hi jude

amazing that you got your date already, brill for you but having said that there are risks and complications to consider , (tfu postings) i have to say though i was lucky and had a succesful cervical discectomy, although the first 2 wks out of hospital i thought id never get back to \"normal\" but hey 7 wks down the line and im doing everything, ok i get the aches and pains but nothing like the pain pre-op, hope it all goes ok for you but i would ask some questions about the risks if the surgeon hasnt already gone through them with you. gail

p.s my surgeon was a neurosurgeon cos my ortho doc wouldnt do the op cos of operating on the nerves,

Congratulations Jules on your first day back at work, so pleased for you :D

I'm afraid I've no ideas on the degenerative disc side of things but I do think it's a good idea of yours to ask the physio about it. I heard my consultant say yesterday that there's a slight bulge on the disc above L5 (the one that's prolapsed) so makes me wonder what will happen in the future.

We can only listen to our bodies and try to maintain a good posture I suppose.

Hope your second day is going as well as your first :D

Love

Jude xxx

Hi there

I really feel for you, you've been suffering for such a long time. I'm not sure what to suggest about your hubby, they probably wouldn't understand fully unless they got the same condition

I too have a prolapsed L5/S1 disc however I've been taking Gabapentin for the nerve pain, I would say it's a wonder drug. It's what epileptics take every day of their lives so it's safe. It really has done wonders for my pain (I ended up being hospitalised because the pain got so bad I couldn't pee so was cathaterised). Anyhow, what I'm trying to say is that maybe you could suggest this drug to your GP whilst you wait to see what the hospital are going to do. You have to be weaned onto it, it does make you sleepy/drowsy in the beginning until your body gets used to it but then it's absolutely fine. I'm on 1200mg a day but I know you can take up to 1800mg depending on your pain. It might be worth a try to help you in the meantime?

I wish you well and hope that the appointment on the 8th helps you with a way forward (I've just been recommended I have the operation which is now booked for the 9th April). I hope you can get as speedy a treatment as I have received up to now.

Take care

Love

Jude x

Thanks for all your replies and support :D

Russ, my 2 year old can run faster than me at the mo :lol:

Jules, thanks for telling me more about your op, it does give me reassurance and like Russ says, no regrets :D I've been told they will get me walking the next day, in hospital 2 or 3 days but I'm a determined woman and I will get moving as soon as possible.

I'm still worrying about the expertise of the surgeon, he's not a neurosurgeon like yours Gail so I just wonder am I doing the right thing? I'm really NOT scared of the actual general anaesthetic or pain after the op, I just want the surgeon to do it right that's all.

Gail, I know some of the risks but the risk of anything bad happening is in singular percentage figures so he told me. My surgeon has said that he has never had anything go wrong with his operations. There are no guarantees he said that it will solve my problem but there's an 80 to 90% success rate. He did say he would talk again in depth with me the night before the operation.

Please god I'm one of the success rate statistics :D

Thanks again everyone

Love

Jude xxx

I can't stop thinking about it now Guess that's normal.

Oh and I found the right medical term for the type of disc prolapse I've got, took some searching :lol:, it's SEQUESTRATION, described as :

A disc sequestration occurs when the center, gelatinous portion of the disc is not only squeezed out, but also separated from the main part of the disc.

This is why the Consultant is suggesting the op cos this is unlikely to resolve itself

Found this about the different types of disc prolapse too, I'm just too nosey aren't I :lol: :lol:

http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article1431.html

Hi Wilks JM,

The operation you're talking about it a PLIF (Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion), I have just had this done on the 2nd Jan this year.

Angela

[b:0ab6f2d738]hya its me again thank you all for your replies hubby not that bad i think he just not sure how to cope .Its great to know there are other people out there who understand, not that i would wish anyone to have this sort of pain, i guess its more of the same wait and see what the drs say let you know more on fridayxx[/b:0ab6f2d738]

hi all

im still waiting for appointment with surgeon its been 4 wks now and still no appointment

lately my legs are aching/paining

the other night i had the post terrible pain from my calf down to my foot

i woke my husband i was so scared my foot looked crooked and i couldnt move it i was intears after a lot of massaging it was ok

im wondering if cramp has anything to do with slipped disc or is it because im not so mobile as i used to be

i feel like im ready for retirement already and im only 45

cant walk far or fast dla disagree with the help i need anyone ever appeald i dont know where to get advice from cab are always busy

perhaps its not worth the hassle

ive been like this since nov2006 ls4/5

regards toall

hi oscar

your appointment with your surgeon could take a while! i waited 18 wks to see mine then he told me i,d be having my surgery within a few weeks so we put plans into action ie, hubby taking annual leave and my son taking time off, well that few weeks turned into 6 mths i finally had my op in dec just before xmas, you could phone the surgeons secretary to ask what the waiting list is like and how long your likly to wait to see him/her. i can sympathise with the leg pain i,ve been having it since the stopping my pain meds (i had a cervical discectomy) but at last it does seem to be easing somewhat, it could be the nerves in your back, or lack of activity due to the back problem. with regard the dla, i would ask them to review the claim whilst you get some evidence together ie, doctors reports , xray results and mri reports. mind you it didnt do me much good i couldnt do a lot at all no bending or reaching my mri report stated that i had compression of the spinal cord but it still wasnt enough so i left it i personally couldnt go through the stress of reclaiming and that i think is the problem those who are genuine cant go through the stress of claiming. but im back at work in another 3 wks. so its not worth the hastle. but for you you,ve only just started on this roadso maybe a trip to the c.a.b office or just give dla a ring to ask for it to be looked at again. hope things get a little easier for you. gail

So went back to consultant to find out if aches etc are normal and I have to go back next Tuesday for a Lumber Spine MRI which consisits of injection ( with fluid ) and then the MRI just to see what is going on as there is a slight posibility that there may be scar tissue, but only a possibilty.... guess better to be safe than sorry.

Anyway, yesterday when I was going for my daily walk after about three minutes my back flinched and since then I have had pain in my calf, nothing like previous sciatic pain but more than an ache, not even sure it is connected, but its just somethin else I need to be aware of ( think Im falling apart )

Anyway, thats an update and obviously will keep this updated after my next MRI

Im not trying to put anyone off and just for the record, I HAVE NO REGRETS, would still go through it all again tomorrow if I had to, its defiantely made a big difference to my life since the op

Russ

Hi \"No Regrets\" Russ :D

Well I'm glad they're still looking after you and yes, it is better to be safe than sorry. I hope the scan gives you positive results :D

And no, you haven't put me off, not yet anyway :lol:

Take care

Love

Jude x

Hey Jude :-)

I like my new name, Thats how Im gonna sign off in future.... if nothing else, I have gained a new name :-)

Glad I havent put u off.... that's not my intention at all, for anyone.

Will let u know exactly how it goes, Im sure it will all be fine, all I need now is to find some info on this proceedure though I doubt theres anything different from a normal MRI

Anyway, will let u know

No Regrets Russ x

Hi Russ,

Hopefully the scan will show up nothing too serious and that it's just part of normal recovery, it's good that they're having a good look on there though. Do you think the pains could be to do with your other dodgy disc? I guess you'll find out soon enough, but remember, positive thinking and \"no regrets\". How's the driving going...are you still managing to get into work sometimes?

Take care,

Jules xx :D :D