Surgery?

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Ruth

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I saw my doc. He had done a MRI on my back.

I have been in severe pain for several weeks now. I am on pain medication.

I have a bulge protuding from my lower right spine. He is sending me to a Neuro Surgeon.

It's a good thing that I like lemons.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of operation? Or even just had a consultation.

It does involve my seizures since the nerves go down the spine. I can do a little bit of housework and then the pain kicks in. It is severe.

I have hope in the Bible. I read and do research on the Bible. That is where my hope comes from. Maybe you would like to look up http://www.jw.org

Please help me.:e:
 
Ruth, I'm sorry to hear this. I've never had surgery for a herniated disk, but I'm very sympathetic. I'm glad you're taking steps to treat it and I hope the surgery goes well if you choose to have it done. Did your doctor give you anything for the pain?
 
Thank you Nakamova for your support.

I am 70 years old, so I doubt if I will have it done. Having complications from a surgery is not a good idea.

I have been on pain pills for years. My doctor will not increase it. I am on Tylenol w Codeine #3. I take 3 pills a day. I have had problems with my back for a long time.

I do some housework and then the pain comes. I drink a cup of Sleepy Time tea or Chamomile tea. It relaxes my back. I have to rest for a while.
 
I had 2 herniated disks and had screws put in my back. I haven't had any pain since that. I don't know if a bulge would be a herniated disk or not though? I also know when you get older that many drs don't want to do surgery. I had steroid injections in my back to try to help, I'm not sure how they work, but the steroids caused me to have seizures so I had to stop getting them.

Have you tried any type of physical therapy? It strengthens the muscles around the spine and sometimes will make things better. I also did this for my back but the disks were so bad that the surgeon told me it probably wouldn't do much help for the pain.

My grandfather, who is having sever back pain, is doing therapy. It has been helping him some but he just started doing it so hopefully it will get better.
 
I was not told if I had herniated disks or not. I was just told that on my lower right spine I have something protruding. That is what is causing my pain.

My doc did not mention physical therapy. I will ask him about it. I did not know that was a possibility. Thank you !!

Steroids have a lot of bad side effects.

I don't know when I will see my neurosurgeon. I will ask him about PT.

I am sorry that your grandfather has back pain.

Thank you valeriedl for your help. If you can come up with any other suggestions, I will appreciate it.

Ruth
 
Physical therapy involves applying heat to the affected area and then stretching it out. If your problem is from muscles, you might want to apply heat and do slow stretching exercises.

There are abdominal binders available that can be used to support your back as well. They retain the heat on the affected area and prevent sudden pulls on affected muscles.
Professional athletic people who lift weights wear them.

Just a few suggestions to add...
 
I really appreciate the information. I can do slow stretching exercises. On one of my channels on Antenna TV they have, http://www.sitandbefit.com

That will be perfect.
 
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I have not had anything like this but my husband did about 6 years ago. He had a herniated disk that was mighty painful. He went to a neurosurgeon and had a microdisectomy. Don't know if I spelled that right. They went in with something small and a scope through a 1" incision and lopped off the bulge. When he woke up he instantly said the pain was gone.

He stayed in hospital overnight and basically just took it a little easy for a couple weeks. I understand not everybody has the same results, but his was great.

A regular bone surgeon will do the same thing but they open it all up in a longer incision and fix the bulge while looking at it. Laser surgery does it also with a smaller incision except if your problem is too big, laser can't do it all and you're stuck going again to somebody else to do a different way.

I heard when one has their spine fused in places those places don't bend and your problem shows up above or below the original problem space.

I sure hope they can figure out something permanent for you.

We have an inversion table, husb. hangs upside down on it now and then to stretch his back out and says that feels good. Course, he doesn't have to worry about having seizures while he's hanging upside down, either.
 
I have had a referral to a Neurosurgeon. The first one, did not accept my insurance. The second one did.

I hope mine goes as smoothly as your husband's. My neurologist said that my spine cannot be operated on. My regular doctor wants to double check.

I have severe pain. I drink Chamomile tea and Sleepy Time tea to relax my muscles. I am doing http://www.sitandbefit.com exercises. They are stretching exercises and done by a Registered Nurse.

They are on Antenna TV on the Create Channel. A part of PBS. I went into pain at the end of my 30 minutes. They are easy and should not have hurt my back. I did just what she said. If I am going to have an operation, I have to have my muscles in shape.

My bulge has gotten larger since my first spine MRI.

My father had a simple backache when he was 60 years old. He asked my husband to help my Father and Mother move. My Father was able to help. We were celebrating my Mother's cancer had been gone for 5 years. We did not know it that day, but the cause of my Father's backache was cancer. It was the last thing they tested for. He died in 6 months. He gave up. We tried to encourage him but to no avail.

My Mother's cancer went back from remission to active and she lived for 17 years after she had first been diagnosed. She had a positive attitude.

I do to!! I hope it isn't cancer but if it is I will deal with it then. My Uncle also died of the same kind of cancer as my father's. He died in 6 months.

What is an inversion table? I have vertigo. I see my Neurosurgeon April 7.
 
Sorry, I've been busy. Our inversion table is a canvas material on a frame that stands up and down. There is a place for your feet to go and clamps that go around your ankles. Sounds painful but it's not. Hubby leans against the canvas with his feet in that place and the whole thing pivots in the middle of the frame so that you go from upright to prone (like in a bed) or all the way to upside down. It stretches you out. There are handles he uses to move himself back and forth. He likes it. I can only go part way down, it feels like too much pressure. My girl friend has back problems too and she uses one also. She is almost 70 herself.

I wouldn't use one if I didn't know exactly what was wrong with my back and a dr. approved it. Have you tried a chiropractor? Back pain is the worst. I hope you find something that helps.
 
My doctor is sending me to a NeuroSurgeon because I have something protruding (a lump) in my lower back, right side. I might have to have a biopsy for cancer. My father had a back ache and it turned out to be cancer of the bones.

I see the NeuroSurgeon, April 7.
 
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