Just Got A Call From The Doctor...

[r5TPsooner]

I had a MRI done on Tuesday and they just called me with the results. I have a herniated disc at L4-L5 and he wants me to see a neurosurgeon right away.

I really don't know how bad this is, but as a avid golfer (actually a golf fanatic), I have a feeling that my playing days are over! I won't know more until I see the neurosurgeon next week, but I knew that when I had trouble picking my 2 year old son up and almost dropped him from the pain last weekend, I knew it wasn't gonna be good.

Utram ER 300mg isn't even touching the pain right now and they're talking about giving me a epidural shot to help out with it. At least she's gonna call the pharmacy and give me something stronger later today.

If any of you know how bad or not so bad this is for me and my favorite hobby, let me know. I'm pretty bumbed out, but things could always be worse I guess.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.

[Boomer.....]

Done. Hope you get to feeling better.

[SoonerBOI]

Prayers on your way...

[picasso]

please get more than one opinion. my cuz was a big wig for Coca-Cola and had his neck cut on. He's been a veg ever since.

and try a back popper.

[TUSooner]

Done.
And I'm there.
I am considerieng the epidural steroid deal, but NOT surgery. I'll try anything and everything before I let somebody cut around my spine.
Your golfing days do NOT have to be over.
Don't get rushed into surgery!

[TexasSooner01]

Back problems are teh succc!!! I hope it gets better soon!!! you might want to check into having a disc replacement surgery...Here is an article from a doc that was used as an expert witness for the procedure in a case we had a while back... At any rate, Good Luck!!!

June 9, 2002
Neurosurgeon Heading Tyler’s Investigational Study ET Doctor Traveling To France For Cutting- Edge Procedure
By Marvin Ellis, Staff Writer, Tyler Courier Times/Tyler Morning Telegraph
Artificial discs have been implanted in 14 East Texans in an investigational study since October…but the amazing twist concerning this back procedure is the neurosurgeon heading the program in Tyler is preparing to go under the knife for the same operation.
Dr. Guy O. Danielson III, MD and president of NeuroCare Network, said, “There is a 50--50 chance I will be able to show you an X-ray with my name on it with one of these discs in my back.”
He said during an interview with the Tyler Courier Times—Telegraph last week about the PRODISC surgery for reconstructive surgery for low back pain, “I will have to go to France where this surgery was developed to make sure I have the artificial disc surgically implanted. Here in the United States I would have to enroll in the randomized study and might not get it.”
Danielson said he was being evaluated for back surgery by the developer of PRODISC, Dr. Thierry Marnay of France.
While being questioned about recommending the investigational study to East Texans, Danielson responded, “I have a problem this procedure is designed to treat and I have been living with it for years. It came to a head about two months ago when I was skiing in Canada and I started having pain in my back. It has progressively gotten worse.”
The 59-year-old Oklahoma City native added, “I got a MRI scan and had Dr. Aaron Calodney do some injections. It has helped a little, but when I went over to France in May for the disc conference, I took my MRI scan to show to Dr. Marnay.”
Since then Danielson has also sent CT scans for Marnay to check. “I am trying to make up my mind in the next few weeks and a lot depends on Dr. Marnay’s evaluation.”
Danielson praised the work he has witnessed in the study in the United States and surgeries done in France. “This procedure is going to be one of the most important technological advances in the last 10—15 years in our field.” Back pain is second only to the common cold as the No. 1 ailment in the U.S.
Tyler was the second place in the United States to Participate in the study, with Dr. Marnay assisting the first two operations in the Rose City. The first three were done in Dallas the day before.
The 1968 graduate of University of Oklahoma School of Medicine said the investigational study will include 250 patients with a one-level disc implant, and 250 patients with two-level implants. “We will average about 10 percent of the study in the United States,” he said.
So far in Tyler, 13 East Texans have had one-level implants, while only one has had the two-level disc surgery. Implants are made from cobalt chrome and high-density polyethylene.
“Tyler attracts a lot of people who have spine problems, and we have been a center in past studies. Sites that have been asked to participate in this study are highly regarded,” he said. Other hospitals in the United States conducting trials include two in New York City and one each in Philadelphia, Chicago, Memphis, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Dallas.
Danielson said four or five patients will have two-level disc implants in the next two or three weeks. “We had to have 10 with one-level implants completed before doing the two-level.”
The randomized study begins with patients who need disc fusion, which is the last resort by back doctors. Danielson said conservative back options are always considered before doing surgery. “Their pain is so bad, it is the fusion or investigational disc…this is not a study about a person who has a little ache or pain in their back so they can play 36 holes of golf rather than 18 in a day…they are in the fight of their lives against back pain.”
“So patients have to be willing to have fusion before they are considered for this study. Just before surgery, we call FDA (Food and Drug Administration) at a computer which randomizes who gets the artificial disc. I generally tell the patient before we go into surgery what has been chosen.”
Danielson said the artificial disc was developed after replacements for the hips and knees were developed. “it gives normal amount of mobility, and so far our patients have been doing well, some are doing phenomenally well.”
He said they have not had enough patients in the study to analyze and make a scientific statement, “but it has been very impressive. My responsibility as an investigator means I can’t sound like I’m trying to sell this thing…what I can tell you , that probably, number 1, we are encouraged and number 2, it does appear that patients that have had this in Europe have a quicker recovery…all our experience in the states mirrors what the Europeans have found to be true.”
He said East Texans receiving the artificial disc generally go back to work in half the time than patients with fusion.
Dr. Marnay started with 70 disc implants about 11 years ago and follow-up investigation showed 92.7 percent of the patients had a high percentage of improvement.
Danielson said the surgery is similar to fusion, except they used a specialized chisel to cut in to the spine to insert the disc. The implant’s “teeth” keep it in place in the spine, with a plastic insert similar to those used in other joint replacement surgery.
He said, “What impresses me is that we have a new way of thinking about helping people who have these severe problems with back injuries and back pain…we always have known as we get older this is going to be a problem and we have been pretty comfortable in doing a fusion on an older person, but those in their 20s and 30s we have been quite reluctant to talk about a spine fusion because of the long-term effects.”
“What this has done is change our thinking about how we can help some of the younger patients. Some enrolled in this study in their 20s…when you think about the potential years of a person’s life that you can impact…a person who is having a problem with their back in their 20s is sure to continue to have problems the rest of their lives, and when they are in the prime of their lives, raising their families, they have a lot of important things to do.”
“If they are disabled at that age, it’s a problem they are going to live with a long length of time, so this is going to be one of the most exciting and dramatic parts of it…it’s being able to take appropriate technology to treating some of the people when they really need it the most,” he concluded. To check about enrolling in the study, call Tonya Fitzgerald, clinical research coordinator, or Jennifer Jones, clinical research assistant, at (903) 597-3472

[r5TPsooner]

I have a pretty high tolerance for pain but this pain is the worst I've personally ever experienced. What really scares me is the pain in my leg. I can't even straighten it out at times.

I started a 2nd round of steroids yesterday and I'm noticing some relief and it looks like they're gonna let me pop some Lortab. I'll take it with some bourbon, maybe that'll numb my *** up.

I have gone from playing 50 rounds of golf a year to just two this year and as a big guy who loves to walk the courses and play, its been hard not to at least try. Of course, I'd need a caddie to carry my golf bag.

[TopDaugIn2000]

my mom had a ruptured disk between L4 and L5 back in 1994 and had surgery on it. She did really well until about a year ago and she started having a LOT of pain. She went back to her surgeon and he discovered that the vertabrae have fused together permanently in the wrong spot and so she just has to deal with the pain or be a walking pharmacy.

[OKC-SLC]

I'm not a spine/neurosurgeon, but as alluded to above, don't get surgery without at least a second opinion. If you have more than just leg pain (things like incontinence), that can indicate spinal cord compromise and WOULD be a reason for fairly urgent intervention. But if it's 'just' a bulging disk impinging on a nerve root, which is what it sounds like, cooling it off with non-surgical means makes sense to me.

OUDoc deals with this way more than I do.

[Mjcpr]

So.......do you pee yourself?

[picasso]

I have a pretty high tolerance for pain but this pain is the worst I've personally ever experienced. What really scares me is the pain in my leg. I can't even straighten it out at times.

I started a 2nd round of steroids yesterday and I'm noticing some relief and it looks like they're gonna let me pop some Lortab. I'll take it with some bourbon, maybe that'll numb my *** up.

I have gone from playing 50 rounds of golf a year to just two this year and as a big guy who loves to walk the courses and play, its been hard not to at least try. Of course, I'd need a caddie to carry my golf bag.
hey, when my sciatica was at it's worst, my left leg was numb and had zero strength. and I wasn't even 30.:(

I'm good as gold now Jerry.

[ChickSoonerFan]

OMG!!

I had surgery October 1st for an extruded/herniated disc at my L5-S1 as a result of a fall back in March. I had tried everything, chiro, three steroid injections, tons of Ibuprofen, lortab, ultram, all of it. So I finally had the surgery. My pain was my leg too, from the sciatic (sp?) nerve.

All I can say, is try everything before the surgery, if there is any chance it will get better, let it. Ibuprofen and the steroids worked much better than any of the hard pain pills for me, but still only provided temporary relief.

My case is a nightmare. I mean it could have been worse and I am thankful to be ok now, but I ended up having to have the surgery twice, on Monday, and then they had to back in on Tuesday because he missed some, or as the surgeon put it, I had an "immediate reoccurance". Then I had complication after complication. So visit the neurosurgeon, then visit another one, and maybe even another one. I wish I had now.

Ask them about the recovery process, how they see it going, be very specific. When is your follow up visit. How do you get ahold of them if there are issues after hours and what is their call back policy after hours.

Seriously.

And I don't know if you are local in OKC or not, but peem me if you are who you are going to if you want to make sure it was not my surgeon.

I do think there are plenty of successful cases, and I still hope mine turns out successful, but so far, I have mostly recovered from the complications but still have a lot of leg pain.

GOOD LUCK!!

[Mjcpr]

I'm not afraid to tell you.

It was Dr Nick. Dr Nick Riviera.