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Wrong Level Lumbar Surgery

Posted , 6 users are following.

adymace
adymace

Hi all.

I have had uneventful surgery on my lumbar spine as I have a herniated disc.  The surgeon operated at the L5-S1 level.  When I awoke from surgery he said there was minimal bulging of the disc.  My MRI Scan (attached) shows a disc that is bulging in to my spinal colum.  Correct me if I'm wrong but this disc is the L4-5 yet, the surgeon who performed the operation and my new consultant (I asked for a new referral after the failed operation) are still stating that it is the L5-S1 disc that is bulging.

Can anyone clarify for me that I'm not getting my disc numbers mixed up?

Thanks

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • scott17436
    scott17436 adymace

    Posted

    To me that looks like a central disc bulge at L4/L5. I'd get another surgeon if I was you. 
  • patricia4866
    patricia4866 adymace

    Posted

    Hi. It is hard for me to determine just where your herniated disc is from the size and clarity of film you posted. You have already had surgery and are not satisfied with the outcome, therefore you asked for a consult and both surgeons concur that the level is L5-S1??? May i ask why you are questioning both surgeons? The opinion is the same from two different surgeons. No? They are not in the same practice, are they? Also, once a minimally burlging disc is "shaved", unless the patient is very careful not to strain and/or lift very heavy objects in the future, there is a chance that the same disc will bulge more. I am a newly retired RN who worked bedside nursing in a Major Trauma Center on the Orthopaedic Surgery/Joint Replacement Units. One of the 30 something RN's I worked with had 4 different surgeries on the same bulging disc within a 16 month time frame. Our profession was very hard on ones back and she kept coming back to work as soon as she could get the surgeon to clear her...back to lifting and positioning patients. Good luck in your quest for information and I wish you well.
    • adymace
      adymace patricia4866

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply.  The surgeons are from the same hospital and are trying to cover up the fact that wrong level surgery was performed by stating that my l5-s1 disc has reherniated, whereas the mri scan clearly shows it is my l4-5 disc that is bulging and always has been.  I think you can even see a bit of scar tissue around the l5-s1 area.  It is so difficult to get a reply from the nhs about this! 
  • n8ster
    n8ster adymace

    Posted

    I agree, I would see a different surgeon that is in a different practice especially if they worked on the wrong disc .
  • n8ster
    n8ster adymace

    Posted

    You might consider talking to an attorney . Sounds like they operated on the wrong disc and are trying to cover it up .
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