Anyone Ever Had Back Surgery?

[Mike]

Hey folks. Some of you may have noticed I've been a bit quiet for the past week or so. Turns out I have some issues with my back, bulging discs, torn tendons, spinal stenosis and a couple of other niggles. Anycase, my doc wants to fuse my L4 and L5 and I'm pretty terrified as I'm (well I used to be) a pretty active person and I've heard this procedure very rarely leaves one in a good position to be active..

So has anyone here had a spinal fusion? Supposedly it's not a good option when you're a relative youngster like me, but seems like there's no other solution.

 

[eviltoy]

I gots me 1 spacer installed I went full cyborg a month back

 

[johan]

Hey folks. Some of you may have noticed I've been a bit quiet for the past week or so. Turns out I have some issues with my back, bulging discs, torn tendons, spinal stenosis and a couple of other niggles. Anycase, my doc wants to fuse my L4 and L5 and I'm pretty terrified as I'm (well I used to be) a pretty active person and I've heard this procedure very rarely leaves one in a good position to be active..

So has anyone here had a spinal fusion? Supposedly it's not a good option when you're a relative youngster like me, but seems like there's no other solution.

Hi Mike, sorry to hear about this, unfortunately I can't assist but do seriously suggest you get at least 2 more opinions - (quick bucks are unfortunately made in this country during surgery).

 

[Mike]

Thanks @johan

I have appointments to see both a Dr Snyckers and Dr Aldrich for second and third opinions - it's too permanent a decision for me to make it hastily.

Oh yea @eviltoy? Are you on your feet yet? Able to sit? I'm terrified of the recovery... Was told 10 days in hospital, then only lying and standing for 6 weeks and then a corset for 3 months

 

[eviltoy]

Yup on my feet. I had to sleep sitting. Still have to sleep sitting. Its most kak. And physio is a beesh

 

[johan]

Glad you getting more opinions @Mike. PS. I know of Snyckers and he has a very good reputation in the fraternity.

 

[Mike]

Fantastic. I've heard many good things about Aldrich (especially in terms of disc replacements - which may not be suitable for me but it's worth finding out) however Snyckers was my physio's recommendation, so glad to hear that he's also held in high regard!!

 

[Sharrivz]

@Mike my mom had one last year She is actually better off now, can do more and be more active than she was before. The recovery time is a bit rough and hectic but afterwards is fantastic. Hope this helps

 

[Jimbo]

Hi @Mike

3 weeks ago I had a Neck Fusion & decompression (C3-C4) Must say I was sh*t scared as I have never been to hospital or had any kind of procedure done. Must say it wasn't that bad at all. Hell of a uncomfortable but not as painful as I have anticipated.

The recovery is probably the worst and sleeping at night is a challenge. At least with a neck fusion you can sit where as with a back fusion you can only stand or lay flat. With regards to the nerve pain after the operation, well it's still present but allot milder and the doctors say nerve damage can take up to 18 months to fully recover.

However I agree with @johan , get some more specialist opinions and then you can make an informed decision.

Best of Luck

PS- There might be some You Tube vids on the procedures the doctors do - I got some valuable info on exactly what they do watching these videos.

 

[Marzuq]

Hey folks. Some of you may have noticed I've been a bit quiet for the past week or so. Turns out I have some issues with my back, bulging discs, torn tendons, spinal stenosis and a couple of other niggles. Anycase, my doc wants to fuse my L4 and L5 and I'm pretty terrified as I'm (well I used to be) a pretty active person and I've heard this procedure very rarely leaves one in a good position to be active..

So has anyone here had a spinal fusion? Supposedly it's not a good option when you're a relative youngster like me, but seems like there's no other solution.

hey bud. sorry to hear about your troubles.

ive had 2 surgeries done on my spine. all i can say i that when you weigh quality of life and your backs condition do this.

base your imporvement on condition you were in before the op to the condition once you have healed.

first op they cut away all the ridges on my spine and the protruding discs.
second one i had the disc removed and replaced with a prosthetic of sorts and then also added in some plates and screws across l5 s1.

everyone is anti having back surgery. and i have been told ill have to go back for more surgery at some point for other protrusions already spotted along the spine.

i have a high threshold to pain. and because of this i ended waiting too long before going for the first op. this lead to the condition getting worse and hence a second one. while being reserved when it comes to back surgery it is my opinion that you make a decision as to whether you going to go for surgery in a very speady fashion.

before op. struggled to walk. was dragging my right leg along most of the time.
post op. im back in gym. anyone who knows me knows that i believe in go big or go home... lol not that im big but i do push to be one of the strongest guys in the gym.. im not 100% back to what i was before the injury. but i am 100% more comfortable than i was before i had the op.

fact is if you have a condition on your back then its always gna be there. the sooner you can accept that the sooner you will come around to making a decision thats going to benefit you long term.
my mistake. whether it be as a result of high pain threshold or not, is that i waited too long and listened to everyone except my body..

just my opinion and what i found useful going in second time round..

 

[Mike]

Well I saw Dr Aldrich. What an excellent guy, incredibly thorough and genuinely concerned about my well-being.

He's told me to try hold off on surgery as I am still young. He's also told me I need to lose 10-15kg which'll reduce the strain on my back. So I've got some tablets to take and I'll be trying to hold off for 6 months to see if there's any improvement. If there's not, I'll have to get 2 discs replaced. A single fusion would have brought on a failure of the degeration disc directly above it very quickly, he's not sure what the other surgeon was thinking...

 

[RezaD]

My brother in-law had the spinal fusion and trust me think long and hard about it. It's not the same as disc replacement. The fusion leads to less mobility of that region and you definitely will not be able to do the things you may have before physically. Recovery period in his case was a full 6 months and while he has less pain there quite often was whenever he had a hard day's work. The only thing that helps is having solid abs else you will get to know every pain killer a pharmacy stocks.

I also have a damaged disc from a MVA. The surgeon I saw advised against surgery as he said the day you have surgery is the day you start the countdown to the next op so leave it until you have lots of pain or numbness in the legs. In your case it sounds like you are close to that stage so you may well have to start considering it. While my brother in law still suffers today it is definitely not anywhere as bad as before his op where he was often bedridden and living on pain meds.

 

[Mike]

Yea exactly RezaD and being young still, a fusion is a really silly option and I wasn't ready to accept that as being the only solution, hence seeking out alternative surgeons.

Somehow there's history of 2 breaks in my vertebrae though. Couldn't believe it when this new Dr showed me. I'm not even sure when they happened but you can clearly see a big crack that's healed (not just a fracture, more like a split) and a loose piece of bone in my spinal canal. Insane!!!

 

[Marzuq]

this is not exactly true guys. i have had laminectomy and discectomy in op 1 and disc replacement and spinal fusion in op 2.
fair enough ill never be able to play rugby again. but what ur drs dont tell you is that you can manage your mobility after the op.
most people are too lazy and dont bother to do anything to improve their own condition. i have been a gym junkie for about 10 years now. its a passion for me. and with having had my spine ops my quality of life has drastically improved. i no longer limp or drag my leg behind me. i can list all the complications i had before the op and now how much better it is.

the truth of the matter is this. you will never be completely pain free. this is whether you have the op done or not. i had my first op at 30 and second at 31... yes its young but at that age who wants to be limping or unable to walk properly. i was told that the 5 discs above l5 s1 is also protruding but luckily my dr is very reserved in cutting u open so even my first op was delayed as far as possible.

now this is the key. and i speak of experience. if you have a tummy of any kind... lose it asap. decreases your pain levels quite a bit. second and most import. your core muscles support your spine. u have back core and stomach core muscles. these need to be strengthened. these wraps around your spine pulling it straight and into the right position. if these muscles are strong your pain dimishes drastically. this is a fact for anyone who is trying to find a way to get out of doing the op. give yourself 3 months of proper core training and you will notice the change. for anyone post op. those muscles were cut into. make sure u strngthen those up right away. they support your spine.

just a side note. your glutes are very important too. they support your lower back. imagine tight core muscles pulling on weaker glute muscles. thats just not going to work.

these are things that a bio and physio is going to charge you loads for. i have worked out some simple exercises you can do at home. if you are interested PM me and ill send it to you

 

[MarkK]

wow @Mike I am sorry you have to go through this! We are the same age judging by our profiles and to be honest the thought of the surgery's etc is too much for me.

I will be keeping you in my thoughts, maybe you will heal up quicker

Good luck with everything dude!