Prolapse disc

[Lily.cn]

Hi, I'm new to this site but want some advise or just someone to talk to about my back. It's a long story but started 15 years ago when I had my first daughter, I ended up with sciatica, had physio for a few weeks and the problem subsided. It then returned 8 years ago just out of the blue, yet again I had physio and although it took longer and the pain was worse , the problem disappeared. My Gp started off investigating it and refered me to a consultant and after 2 MRI scans found it was a prolapsed disc at L4/5. Then in March 2004 whilst squatting down getting some thing out of the freezer I felt an excrutiating pain and my husband had to carry me back to lie on the living room floor. Saw the Dr and after 2 weeks off work things had eased went for a walk and it went again, putting me in bed for the next 5 weeks so ill with pain and side effects of pain and tablets, my GP rushed me to hospital where after a week they operated on my L4/5 disc. The disc had burst, they removed the piece of disc and fragments of the outer layer, shaved off some of the bone to leave the nerve to sit free. I woke up and thought I was in heaven - it was amazing - no pain at all!! After another week in hospital went home did everything as advised, had physio, got back to normal and that was it, so I thought. Then summer 2007 the symptoms returned and my GP sent me back for another MRI scan to find the disc had gone again but not as bad as before but the consultant advised surgery again but foolishly I said that I didn't think it was bad enough yet so I "see how it went"! I told you it was a long story!! So Christmas 2007 it got worse and by January I could barely walk, 2 weeks later I was flat on my back again in more pain than I can possibly describe - for 7 weeks before they could get me in. So 1st April I had a re-do, removing scar tissue, which should actually have been cleared out first time, took more off the vertebrae and again I was great - ish. My back was ok, it was the recovering from the nearly 2 months of being iin bed, that was the struggle. So, physio the following week after 3 days in hospital, physio was brilliant till they changed the person after 12 weeks and she got me doing stuff that I wasn't happy about but I did tell her - but she knew best!! Next day I couldn't walk! Spoke to top physio man and advised to go back following week to see how it was, still unbearable so I went up to the consultants ward to ask for advice, they could see my pain and got me an appointment which led to yet another MRI scan. By now, September the pain had relieved a lot with the help of tablets but at the consultation the surgeon said that the disc had gone again, worse than the first 2 times. Hope you're still with me!! So, 1st December I had it done again!!!! Disc removal but they nicked the dura, the sheath that protects the spinal cord, didn't feel any problems from this but they felt it was, but I was ok. Started with a horendous cold the night afeter the op wigth a sinus infection to boot. Then home on 3rd December, stitches out 8th December. On Wednesday 10th with constant sneezing my back started feeling sore again, on Thursday trying to put a sock on felt a sharp pain and since then I have had pain in my foot from the nerve and my back has ached. I spoke to my consultants secretary and they advised to go to my first physio appointment tomorrow, 18th, and they will send me an outpatients appointemnt to see the consultant. I feel like it has gone again, but if so, what happens next? Do I have surgery again, Is there anything left so be removed? Shouild this have happened after 10 days of surgery? Any help or advise is more than welcome. I need a rest now after typing this saga flat on my back!!!
Philbot

 

[Mrs. Monday]

Hi there,

I am very sorry to hear of your terrible back problems. I myself have just had a repeated microdiscectomy (not as bad as you, but still, it prolapsed twice!)...
If you look on the forum section for a thread called 'discectomy-after the operation', you will find many people who have back surgery of some sorts and we all there try to encourage and advise and more than anything, understand, as its hard to understand the full implications of debilitating back problems unless you have yourself suffered.

I hope to see you over in the other thread,

Love Ali x