Anyone have herniated disc surgery?

[dancer67]

My 18 yo dd has a herniated disc. We have done PT/Chiro but it does not seem to help. Her pain sometimes radiates down her legs. And she has a constant back-ache for the most part. Especially when she dances. She can barely walk afterwards even though there has been no restricitions placed on her. She has been in back pain since she has been 13 yo. Meds do not help. And icing only temporary. It is in her lower back. Accupuncture did not help either.

 

She is considering having disc surgery. We are speaking to the surgeon tomorrow about it.

 

Wondering what we should expect from this. Back surgery makes me very nervous. But I hate to see her in pain all the time. He might recommend cortisone shots, but she doesn't want that as it is only temporary. Not sure what other options there are. She is young and athletic, and someday she may have kids.

 

How long is the surgery? Recovery time? Very painful after? Would she be able to resume dance? Did this take away your pain?

 

Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.

Edited January 18, 2011 by dancer67

[TXMomof4]

I had a herniated disc removed from my neck 2 years ago now. It was a difficult surgery, but the pain relief was immediate. The recovery took longer than I expected, but again, the disc was pressing on the nerve root going down my arm and it was excruciating. I woke up from the surgery and the pain was gone. The best advice is to really follow the advice of the doctor as far as taking it VERY easy during recovery. I had a 3 yo son and a deployed husband while I was recovering and it was hard to restrain myself, but I haven't had any problems since then. I'm very glad that's the route we chose.

[dancer67]

well this is in her lower back. So not sure if it is same recovery or not? I am glad you are doing better.

[Giraffe]

I had a torn disc (not herniated, actually had tears - radial, concentric, midline) between L5 and S1. I had horrible pain radiating down my leg, was unable to sit or stand for any length of time, and was in unrelenting pain. I had surgery to replace the torn disc with a titanium cage and the vertebra fused. After the surgery the relief was immediate. It took a few weeks to recover, but I was so glad I did it.

 

That was about 8 years ago. I feel pain in my back whenever a cold front comes through or when the weather changes. I know when it's going to rain. My MIL relies on my weather forecast over the meteorologist. Some times I am unable to function - the pain is nauseating. Nevertheless, I would still have the surgery again if I had to do it over again - I had waited months for the pain to go away and it never did. This pain may not be fun, but at least it's only occasional. The pre-surgery pain was constant.

 

I did the surgery before having DD. It was touch-and-go with the epidural, but we were able to do it. I tried the cortisone shots, they did NOTHING for me. I have limited range of movement, but I've also had subsequent surgery to fuse vertebra further up, so I'm not sure where the limit is from - the disc or the other surgery.

 

I can tell you more if you want - PM me.

[dancer67]

Thank you. And again I am glad to hear that you are better after the surgery.

 

We are speaking with the Spine Surgeon tomorrow as far as options. I just know dd is tired of having back and leg pain all the time. She is young, and just wants to be pain free. She has been dealing with this since she has been 13 yo.

 

But, if the recovery is going to be long, we will wait and have it done in the summer, because she is still dancing, and she is graduating from high school in June.

 

If it was only a week recovery time, then we would do it over school vacation. But it is looking like we should wait until summer.

[gingersmom]

I had surgery on L3 and L4. It was not a planned surgery. I have had back issues since I was young. I had a fairly long recovery (probably 2-3 months on bedrest) and it was about 12 months before I felt back to normal. It was not surgery I would have done voluntarily but I have been about 95% pain free since the surgery.

Edited January 19, 2011 by gingersmom

[TXMomof4]

Thank you. And again I am glad to hear that you are better after the surgery.

 

We are speaking with the Spine Surgeon tomorrow as far as options. I just know dd is tired of having back and leg pain all the time. She is young, and just wants to be pain free. She has been dealing with this since she has been 13 yo.

 

But, if the recovery is going to be long, we will wait and have it done in the summer, because she is still dancing, and she is graduating from high school in June.

 

If it was only a week recovery time, then we would do it over school vacation. But it is looking like we should wait until summer.

 

It is definately not a short recovery. My doc was super-conservative and I was in a neck brace for 6 weeks. No driving for a month, no lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk for 2 months.

 

I do have pain with changes in weather also. There was significant nerve damage in my arm and it took about 6 months to regain full strength in that arm. It still aches if I overdo. I don't know about dancing again. There will be some limitation of movement and while mine isn't terribly noticeable, I wouldn't be able to do ballet well anymore.

 

Good luck with your decisions.

[Giraffe]

Thank you. And again I am glad to hear that you are better after the surgery.

 

We are speaking with the Spine Surgeon tomorrow as far as options. I just know dd is tired of having back and leg pain all the time. She is young, and just wants to be pain free. She has been dealing with this since she has been 13 yo.

 

But, if the recovery is going to be long, we will wait and have it done in the summer, because she is still dancing, and she is graduating from high school in June.

 

If it was only a week recovery time, then we would do it over school vacation. But it is looking like we should wait until summer.

 

My surgeon said to allow 3 months for recovery. I was back at work in 3 weeks, but they were gobsmacked by that. Apparently that just isn't done, and maybe I should have allowed more time, but I had exhausted ALL my time off and was afraid I'd lose my job. Also know that having back surgery once exponentially increases your chances of having surgery again. I had two more surgeries after my first.

[Tiramisu]

My 10 yo dd had surgery last winter on her lumbar spine. Deciding on surgery was the most difficult decision we ever made, knowing if anything went wrong she could get better instead of worse. I remember being told that dd would start to feel normal in about 10-12 weeks. In her case, the intense part of recovery lasted about two months, but she had a lot done in her back and the disc part was the most minor. By 6 months she was back to normal, but I kept seeing improvements until about 9 months.

 

It was so hard, but so worth it because, honestly, she's physically better than she's ever been. She has no limitations on her activities, and she has much more stamina and a greater ability sustain concentration than she ever had. A lot of her sensory integration problems have improved, too. She does kung fu and plays soccer. Her spine problem had far reaching affects and we never knew.

 

Even though dd's recovery was rather long, another girl we know had a similar surgery and she was back to school in two weeks, I think.

 

I think we pm'd about this months ago, and you told me where you went to see a surgeon. I am sure your dd is in good hands. I bet our surgeon knows yours.;)

[Mama_Rana]

I had a "disk-ectomy" September 1, 2006 on L5-S1 [no fusions]. Prior to the surgery, I was in excruciating pain even on Percocet, could barely walk to the bathroom [sometimes just crawled], was stuck on the floor, and still in awful pain, was starting to get numbness down my leg. And I had a 2.25 year old. It was horrible.

 

My surgery went fine. The anesthesia made me nauseous, and they wouldn't feed me which just made it worse, so I ended up staying in the hospital longer than expected. My surgeon told me to be fairly restricted for a month-6 weeks: don't sit for long periods, don't lie down for long periods [um, ok, seriously, so I'm supposed to stand all day? I NEVER did understand what he expected me to do], don't lift, don't reach up or bend over, etc. I can't remember how long I couldn't drive.

 

But I know that within that first month, I helped my husband paint a room [i did the middle parts, he did the top and bottom of the room--LOL]. And my pain was almost completely gone immediately. I don't remember being in a lot of post-surgical pain for long. That first night it was hard to maneuver and get around, but no worse than my 2 c-sections.

 

Today, I still have some sciatica, and slight numbness, and my low back gets tired and cranky faster than the rest of my body, but my activities aren't limited by my back. I wasn't happy about having to have surgery, but I'm so glad I did.

 

Good luck!

[AnnaM]

My husband is recovering from the surgery. Unfortunately the disc reherniated and so we are back to square one. He isnt in quite as much pain now but still enough that we are going to have to consider another surgery.

[justamouse]

I had two ruptured disks operated on. L3/4, I believe. (obviously they had been bulging prior to the rupture and the same as your daughter-no therapies worked).

 

I have never had a moments pain since the surgery. I mean, I had incision pain, but from the time I woke up I had *no* radiating pain. It was a miracle. And I've never had pain since. As far as recoveries go it does take a little bit of work-OT is fun, but all in all I thought it was easier than labor. I also had mine done while pregnant-with twins. :001_smile: It will be good. Freeing. Her life can go back to normal-she's so very young to have to deal with that, you know?

Edited January 19, 2011 by justamouse

[dancer67]

Well, this is a big decision. And I want her life to be as normal as can be without pain. She has been dealing with it for a long time.

 

It sounds as if we may have to do this over the summer so she can recuperate. So, we will see what the surgeon says tomorrow.

 

Glad to hear some positive stories though!!

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

This is tough:grouphug: I would also seek a second opinion as well since from what I have read back surgery does not always help and in fact can make things worse sometimes:( Also, many recover without surgery as well.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-backpain-ess.html

 

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/08/saying-no-to-back-surgery/?scp=2&sq=back%20surgery&st=cse

 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/back-spending-surge-shows-no-benefit/?scp=4&sq=non-surgical%20treatment%20for%20herniated%20discs&st=cse

 

I had all of the signs and symptoms of a herniated disc including sciatic multiple times for prolonged periods of time when I was younger. Once it lasted up to a year. Many recover without surgery as did I. OTOH your dd seems to have it it a long time:( I would just want to make certain that it was absolutely necessary and that all other interventions have been tried first IMHO. Is she the dancer? Is this aggravating her condition?:grouphug:

[justamouse]

Well, this is a big decision. And I want her life to be as normal as can be without pain. She has been dealing with it for a long time.

 

It sounds as if we may have to do this over the summer so she can recuperate. So, we will see what the surgeon says tomorrow.

 

Glad to hear some positive stories though!!

 

They had me up the next day and I was cleaning the house three days after I got home-she may not need as long as you think. And, she has youth on her side.

 

My mom also had the surgery done and she's had no problems.

 

I will admit, though, I had *excellent* Orthopedic Drs. If you want their names, PM me.

Edited January 19, 2011 by justamouse

[Susan C.]

We have been through this with dh.

 

1. Neurosurgeon, nothing less!!! And, one with a good reputation. The nurses at the hospital know who the good ones are!

2. Endoscopic. It is 2011. Any less, drive to the nearest real city. (We went two hours away, well worth every mile). Dh had a bandaid over where the surgeon worked. 23 hour hospital stay. Endoscopic is where they operate through a tube and don't cut the muscles. MUCH shorter recovery. Any doctor who whines about doing endoscopic isn't good. I love what the neurosurgeon said to us after we had been to an orthopedic surgeon who wanted a several inch incision, "that would make it much easier."

3. Listen to the doctor about limitations after surgery and do not deviate! 42 days until complete recovery. It takes that long for the trimmed disc to heal and form a hard outer "skin." There are limitations on sitting too long, too much exercise (only moderate walks allowed until released). It is very worth it to wait until the doctor gives the all clear. It makes your chances of not having a recurrence very high.

 

It has been almost six years, and no pain!

[Parrothead]

I'm not sure what kind of surgeon you are seeing but I would recommend that you at least speak to a neurosurgeon before making a decision. My mom had the surgery for a herniated disk performed by a neurosurgeon about 17-18 years ago.

[Jann in TX]

My disk problems started out herniated then it degenerated... I had a bone spur poking into my spinal cord (OUCH!).

 

My surgery took less than 2 hours and my back/leg pain was gone when I woke up. I was walking less than 3 hours after (my abdomen was SORE because that is where they went in from).

 

I wasted too many years postponing surgery and living in PAIN... I'm so glad I had it done.

 

I was in a brace for almost 5 months (soft brace I could wear under clothes). I was not supposed to bend or lift anything over 5 lbs for the first 2 months.

 

About 6 months after surgery I was back to a 'normal' routine-- except I no longer have back/leg PAIN!!!

 

I've known a few college students who have had disk-replacement and fusion due to injuries as a teen... their surgeries made a HUGE improvement in their quality of life/self-esteem... You function so much better without chronic pain!

 

I'd expect a 3-5 month recovery period...