Hello my name is Javier.I am writing in this forum to let everyone know how I feel about spinal surgery and the effects it has had on my life.
I am a 40 year old male,I had back surgery done on my back in April of 2002.This was a work related injury,I was a truck driver and a welder.I ruptured one disc, and herniated another one.
The effects it has had on my life are that I have severe pain in my left foot due to major nerve damage. The doc said I had RSD (Reflex Sympathedic Distraphy). The major problems that I am having are that when I urinate,move my bowels,and apon ejaculation while engaging in sex I have excruciating pain in my left foot.
The docs have pretty much said I have to learn to live with the pain because they dont feel that another surgery will help my pain.I am currently taking neurontin 1800mg per day for the nerves and 30mg of morphine for the pain.
I would like to know if anyone out there is suffering with the same problems, and what are you doing to cope with them.
Thank you very much... Javier
The majority of the symptoms you describe are consistent with a diagnosis of lumbar canal stenosis. In general physcial therapy and conservative measures are recommended first. However, if you are having incapacitating pain, bowel/bladder dysfunction, or significant weakness of your legs then surgery may be indicated. However, remember that the goal of surgery would be to prevent the progression of the disease. The surgery itself may not reverse the changes which have already occurred. The endoscopic surgery can only be performed for a small disc resection, therefore if a more comprehensive decompression is recommended an open procedure may be performed. Unfortunately there is no way to predict if your symptoms will progress.
If you have not been evaluated by a Neurologist, it may not be a bad idea, and an EMG test can help define the damage which has occurred. I hope this information helps. Sorry for the delay in responding.
They did the open surgery. During my recovery, many friends brought dinner, which was greatly appreciated. My husband did a good job with the house and I'm feeling good and glad I did the surgery.
Thanks very much for your comment. It's helpful to hear from someone that had a similar problem, and found relief through surgery.Was your decompression surgery a microdiscectomy or was open surgery used?
My MRI showed a lot like yours. I also had lots of leg pain and got relief from the epidurals. Based on that, I had a decompression done and after about eight weeks, all of that leg pain is now gone. If you are really suffering, I would recommend the surgery.