Anne Fauni

[Guest guest]

Anne, Im so glad to hear you got a closer surgery date and that it seems to have

been successful for you. It sounds like you had a pleasant doctor/hospital

experience, as we did, thats counts for alot doesnt it?!! My husband is

still pain and drug free, he managed to recover from the flu this week, and even

with the coughing, his back has held up for him. *knock on wood* Hes been back

at work for 2 weeks.

Many pain free days and a speedy recover to you.

Best wishes and happy holidays!

~~TinaMarie

www.GoldenMagnolias.com

Re: Post-op Microdiskectomy success

I wanted to thank Tina Marie again for your responses to my previous emails.

Your husband's success post-operatively was what I hung on to, as I approached

my surgery. Your prompt responses to my questions provided me with promise

also. I had my surgery last Thursday on 12/11 by a neurosurgeon. He is in so

demand, that originally, I was scheduled for a surgery consult on Feb 2004. I

called his office again and told them that if I was indicated to require

surgery, it would be better this year because my insurance changes on Jan 1 to

require a co-pay of $1000! They called me back the next day with a

cancellation, and so forth. I elected to have a general anesthesia but talked

to the anesthesiologist about my tendency to be nauseated, etc, so he used

Percocet and no nitrous oxide. The neurosurgeon did a great job! The incision

is no more than an inch and post-surgery, about a couple of hours later, I was

up and around, walking around my room. I had no side effects from the

anesthesia. I felt minor pain around the incision and could lay on my back. I

stayed at the hospital just that one night after my surgery which was all I need

because they never let you sleep because they're waking you up every two hours

to get your vitals.

Now that I'm almost a week post-op, I have minimum pain and numbness on the

left leg, definitely tolerable and not that noticeable when I walk. My doc told

me not to sit for a week so I didn't go to work. It is a world of difference

from before, with excruciating pain and not able to sleep because of the pain.

I'm so impressed with my doctor because the surgery must have been so minimally

invasive because I felt very little pain from the surgery. A microdiskectomy

vs. a laminectomy results in less vertebrae bone being removed; there is no

cutting of muscle; only the disc nucleus that ruptured is removed. He used a

microscope to do the surgery and that's why a 1 inch incision was only required.

I feel so hopeful this will surgery will relieve my pain forever and now, it's

up to me to strengthen my abdominal muscles, keep on working out, do physical

therapy and be careful, to prevent a future rupture. I probably wasn't the best

patient post-op, and I moved around too much because there was literally no pain

at the incision, and that probably wasn't a good idea, but walking post-op is

also good.

Anyways, I just want to encourage those of you that have a ruptured disc

problem with sciatica pain, to consider a microdiskectomy. If anyone has

questions, feel free to email me. Best of luck and my prayers are with you all.

Happy holidays!