chronic lower back pain -- L4/L5 & L5/S1

[Guest guest]

Hi Everybody,

I have read through your archives and your stories are inspirational. Your

knowledge pool is amazing. I'm new to this group but not new to chronic

pain; specifically, chronic lower back pain.

Please read my story and send me any info. you think might be helpful or

supportive. Thank you!

My demographics:

31 year old, single w/ no children, female, project manager (desk job about

6-7 hours/day, moving around about 3 hours/day), generally active --

walking/yoga/stretching everyday when healthy, living in San Francisco.

Brief background:

7 serious episodes of back pain & spasms in the past 5 years; several less

serious episodes. 5 of these have left me out of work for at least 1 week.

In 2005, I had two episodes which took me almost 6 months to recover from.

The 2 most recent episodes (December 06 and January 07) have left me home

from work since December 15, 2006.

Current situation:

I have had 3 sets of X-Rays, 1 MRI, 2 epidurals and 2 consultations at

excellent Spine Centers in San Francisco (St. 's and UCSF).

My doctors recommended 2-level disc ProDisc disc replacement surgery which

my insurance company denied.

Their current recommendation is 2-level fusion at the L5/S1 and L4/L5

levels. My L5/S1 is severely degenerated to the point where the entire disc

is almost gone. My L4/L5 is severely herniated.

In mid-December 06, my back " froze up " leaving me at home until the end of

January 07. I did PT and seemed to be improving. I went back to work for 1

week. During that week, leg pain began in the thighs of both legs --

something I had NEVER had before. The Sunday after I went back to work, my

back went into spasms, rendering me immobile -- could not stand, sit, etc. I

ended up in the ER. The enxt day, I woke, at home and could not move, once

again. I took Valium and NORCO until I could move. My doctors did an

epidural the following day which had no effect.

I have, again, been out of work since the end of January 07. I had a second

epidural last week which seems to be helping. My back pain is improving -- I

can now sit for up to 20 minutes at a time, walk up to 10 blocks and move

around for up to 45 minutes to 1 hour. That being said, once I hit those

limits, I need another pain pill or an ice pack. And I definitely have to

lay down.

My back pain is such that laying down is best -- and laying down generally

quickly relieves the pain. Walking is second best. Standing in one spot is

difficult. And sitting is generally next to impossible.

I have second consultations set with each of the doctor's I've met with for

surgical consultations.

It appears to be inevitable at this point that I will need the two-level

fusion surgery.

I've been researching this day in and day out for weeks. I'm exhausted. And,

frankly, I'm terrified.

My questions for you --

What was the initial recovery period like -- the first week in the hospital?

The first two-four weeks at home? the first three months? the first six

months? the first year?

Did you need someone with you 24/7 for any period of time? Do I need a

nurse? Or could I get by with daily visits from various friends?

What kind of meds did they have you on after surgery? I'm currently taking

NORCO and Lyrica.

When were you able to go off pain meds?

When were you able to return to work? I love my job and am going stir crazy

at home. Friends visit and I love them. But it's nothing like the daily

interactions at work and the sense of accomplishment I get form being there.

Are you fully functional now? Can you do sports? I want to return to long

walks (1-2 hours), swimming and hiking.

Can you lift anything? I want to do my own grocery shopping etc.

Were there any complications with your surgery?

And before the surgery:

What did you find most helpful in your preparation? Vitamins, etc.?

What assistive devices did you purchase? I currently have " the grabber " and

a friend installed grab bars in my bathroom.

What PT devices did you get for your home? I had a friend build me a rehab

table and I purchased a PT mat, pilates styrofoam roller, theraband and

Gymstick.

Did you do visualization/guided meditations? I found a Louise Hay and a

Deepok Chopra meditation. Are there others you would recommend?

In the end, where I am now is no life. I'm 31 and have been pretty much

bedridden for almost 3 months now. And before this, the episodes I've had

have been unbearable. I will not live like this. I will be healthy. And I am

hoping that this surgery recommendation is what will bring me back to

" living, " to going out to dinner with friends, to dating, to working, to

exercising, to walking, to sitting up!

Please tell me about your surgery, especially 2-level fusion and tell me how

you are now.

I know this was long. Thank you in advance for your time in reading this and

in responding.

--

[Guest guest]

Dear , your story sounds a lot like mine. I was a VERY hard worker & I put

off surgery until I started to have to run to the bathroom & then sometimes

would not make it. And it came down to surgery or a colostomy as it was

affecting my kidneys.

I did NOT want surgery I was 46 & just had a baby & had been VERY active before

this. The downtime is the worst as I thought I would go nuts staying in bed. But

when you get that pain " I think you may be feeling in your legs " , you would do

anything to stop it as it is worse than labor pains. All I can tell you is I had

the surgery, I had to take something for my nerves to keep me from going NUTS

during recovery.

After 2 days in the hospital I was home with a nurse who came & took care of me

for 8 weeks at home in the day. After that well it was the best thing I ever did

& I wondered why I waited so long to do it. I could do anything " BUT LIFT " or

sit down to long in one spot with out pain. I only took aspirin for years. I had

my horse & rode almost every day!

I also checked all Drs,in my area & got the surgeon with the best record before

surgery, " my Dad was an insurance man & taught me that makes a big difference " .

Now my back has degenerated again & I have broken bone sticking in my nerve L5S1

& I am faced with the surgery decision again. I am now almost 50. I have

trouble with pain meds. no tolerance for any drugs. so they make me sleep, or

freak me out, or make me sick. I think I am going to go ahead & have surgery

again as the 1st time worked so well for me. AGAIN

We don't want to think this BUT the Surgeon DOES matter. You want one that is

not too old so he is up on all the latest surgeries, not too young so he is

experienced, make sure they have done this surgery quite a few times what their

records of recovery are.

Google them! Ask around ask people in their waiting rooms how they are. But I

went to the grocery store in 8 weeks NO problem! Now when I lifted I brought

things to my chest held them against me I learned to squat not bend.

I sure could not lift a bag of dog food. BUT I could put a 15 lb. synthetic

saddle on my horse by myself. They put me on SSD, " I am one of the few people

that really did not want it " But being a workmans comp. Back injury, NO one

would hire me.

So hind site the way things went for me I should of had that surgery sooner. But

as I said I would of went NUTS with out the Valium that kept me in a " I do not

really care state of mind to keep me in bed " . I am sure everyone is different

this is just my experience & one I think I am going to have to repeat soon.

Diane

>My questions for you --

>What was the initial recovery period like -- the first week in the hospital?

The first two-four weeks at home? the first three months? the first six months?

the first year?

[Guest guest]

Hello my name is Annette and I just went thru spinal fusion in October and

sometimes I wish I did not go thru it. I can not even remember much about the

hospital stay it was only three days, I know I can not bend or stretch sideways.

I have been going thru physical therapy since Janurary and it has helped some.

They say walking is the best. The grabber will help a lot. The first few weeks

you will not be able to do much like sit for 30 minutes and than go lay back

down. You will not be able to drive for a least six weeks and will wear a back

brace it all depends on you. I will not lie to you it will hurt and they had me

on percocets and somas. I am still on the somas and loratabs ten milligrams. I

still can not do a whole lot but I have alot more wrong with me like bulging

disks in my neck and my left knee I can not put pressure on it if you would like

you can e mail me and I will try to explain alot more. Annette

Sue Gross wrote: Hi Everybody,

I have read through your archives and your stories are inspirational. Your

knowledge pool is amazing. I'm new to this group but not new to chronic

pain; specifically, chronic lower back pain.

Please read my story and send me any info. you think might be helpful or

supportive. Thank you!

My demographics:

31 year old, single w/ no children, female, project manager (desk job about

6-7 hours/day, moving around about 3 hours/day), generally active --

walking/yoga/stretching everyday when healthy, living in San Francisco.

Brief background:

7 serious episodes of back pain & spasms in the past 5 years; several less

serious episodes. 5 of these have left me out of work for at least 1 week.

In 2005, I had two episodes which took me almost 6 months to recover from.

The 2 most recent episodes (December 06 and January 07) have left me home

from work since December 15, 2006.

Current situation:

I have had 3 sets of X-Rays, 1 MRI, 2 epidurals and 2 consultations at

excellent Spine Centers in San Francisco (St. 's and UCSF).

My doctors recommended 2-level disc ProDisc disc replacement surgery which

my insurance company denied.

Their current recommendation is 2-level fusion at the L5/S1 and L4/L5

levels. My L5/S1 is severely degenerated to the point where the entire disc

is almost gone. My L4/L5 is severely herniated.

In mid-December 06, my back " froze up " leaving me at home until the end of

January 07. I did PT and seemed to be improving. I went back to work for 1

week. During that week, leg pain began in the thighs of both legs --

something I had NEVER had before. The Sunday after I went back to work, my

back went into spasms, rendering me immobile -- could not stand, sit, etc. I

ended up in the ER. The enxt day, I woke, at home and could not move, once

again. I took Valium and NORCO until I could move. My doctors did an

epidural the following day which had no effect.

I have, again, been out of work since the end of January 07. I had a second

epidural last week which seems to be helping. My back pain is improving -- I

can now sit for up to 20 minutes at a time, walk up to 10 blocks and move

around for up to 45 minutes to 1 hour. That being said, once I hit those

limits, I need another pain pill or an ice pack. And I definitely have to

lay down.

My back pain is such that laying down is best -- and laying down generally

quickly relieves the pain. Walking is second best. Standing in one spot is

difficult. And sitting is generally next to impossible.

I have second consultations set with each of the doctor's I've met with for

surgical consultations.

It appears to be inevitable at this point that I will need the two-level

fusion surgery.

I've been researching this day in and day out for weeks. I'm exhausted. And,

frankly, I'm terrified.

My questions for you --

What was the initial recovery period like -- the first week in the hospital?

The first two-four weeks at home? the first three months? the first six

months? the first year?

Did you need someone with you 24/7 for any period of time? Do I need a

nurse? Or could I get by with daily visits from various friends?

What kind of meds did they have you on after surgery? I'm currently taking

NORCO and Lyrica.

When were you able to go off pain meds?

When were you able to return to work? I love my job and am going stir crazy

at home. Friends visit and I love them. But it's nothing like the daily

interactions at work and the sense of accomplishment I get form being there.

Are you fully functional now? Can you do sports? I want to return to long

walks (1-2 hours), swimming and hiking.

Can you lift anything? I want to do my own grocery shopping etc.

Were there any complications with your surgery?

And before the surgery:

What did you find most helpful in your preparation? Vitamins, etc.?

What assistive devices did you purchase? I currently have " the grabber " and

a friend installed grab bars in my bathroom.

What PT devices did you get for your home? I had a friend build me a rehab

table and I purchased a PT mat, pilates styrofoam roller, theraband and

Gymstick.

Did you do visualization/guided meditations? I found a Louise Hay and a

Deepok Chopra meditation. Are there others you would recommend?

In the end, where I am now is no life. I'm 31 and have been pretty much

bedridden for almost 3 months now. And before this, the episodes I've had

have been unbearable. I will not live like this. I will be healthy. And I am

hoping that this surgery recommendation is what will bring me back to

" living, " to going out to dinner with friends, to dating, to working, to

exercising, to walking, to sitting up!

Please tell me about your surgery, especially 2-level fusion and tell me how

you are now.

I know this was long. Thank you in advance for your time in reading this and

in responding.

--

---------------------------------

Get your own web address.

Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business.

[Guest guest]

Big correction I was 36 & just had my son. NOT 46 lol

Diane

[Guest guest]

" Sue Gross "

,

Well you and I are in the same exact position. I am 31 year old single

mother, I'm a Bookkeeper (sitting 6-7hrs per day). My issues are in my

L5 & L4/5 as well. I have been dealing with this for 8 years now. I

had a discectomy on my L5 and an IDET.

I right now am facing the same situation as you. We had discussed a bi-

level disc replacement which my insurance company denied as well. Now

the only other option is a bi-level fusion.

As I said it's been 8 years since this began, I have tried everything

under the sun, injections, PT, Meds, Procedures, ect. prior to getting

to the Fusion talk. I am curious, what else besides injections have

you tried? I ask this because (for me) there is NOTHING left to try,

this is my ONLY option for any type of relief. This surgery (from all

the research I have done) is not something that you " just want to try " .

We discussed this back when my issues first started and my surgeon at

the time said " you are young, but if you start with a fusion at this

age there is a chance by the time you are 50, half your spine could be

fused together " . Having a fusion on those two discs could possibly

create issues on the discs above it, making it possible to need more

discs fused later in life.

Now the other thing is you and I are young, our bodies will " bounce

back " better than if we wait to have this surgery later. As you can

see I myself am conflicted about this surgery. I am thinking on having

it this summer. I can only do it in the summer because my son will be

out of school and I can have family care for him while I am down. I go

see another surgeon next week to discuss this.

I wish this was an easy decision but it's not and I definelty

can " feel your pain " . I wish someone would make this decision for me.

Some days when the pain is unbearable, I just want to get it done.

Other days when it is " tolerable " I get nervous and start to doubt it.

I have been in pain for 8 years now, it has greatly affected my life.

There is so much I can't do, and being a single mother of an 11 year

old boy, it drives me crazy that I can't do the things other parents

do.

I hope hearing that you are not alone, helps some. I haven't had the

surgery but know many who have and from them that I know, it does NOT

make me want to have it done! I wish you all the best with your

situation. If you do have the surgery I would love to hear how you are

doing. Hopefully you will have great results and I can ask you

question before (if I do) descide to have it.

(MAS)