Help - new back patient - and lost

[Jakea222]

Hi all - I am Guy Anderson. I am a professional chef. If you don't know - it really is not the food network. Lots of hard on your feet - lugging pulling and lifting. So I pulled my back a few years ago - and a tordol shot or 2 helped and I guess I worked it out.

So 3 weeks ago - major pain lower right side and it did not get better. MRI was ordered by my Internal Med Doc (wife is a Nurse Practitioner and shields me too much)

Report says - L3 L4 L5 minimal disc bulge without spinal stenosis.
Grade 1 Anterolthesis of L5 S1 likely degenerative s- this would probably affect the L5 nerve roots.

So guys - what can I expect here??? I am in a panic state in the fact that this could end my passion for being a chef or will the physical therapy and taking it easier on the "work" stuff maybe pull me around to normal or workable --- Please do not sugar coat your answer I really need to prepare myself for the road ahead --- I am sure you all will be helpful in this new segment of my life.... Chef Guy

[mmglobal]

Jake... welcome to the forum.

I'm Mark Mintzer and I'm the founder of this forum. I've been involved in the online spine patient community since mid-2000.

Hopefully, this will all blow over. If you have not been having back problems and are 3 weeks into this, conservative treatment (or even doing nothing) still offers great promise. If your spine is the problem and it's already too compromised to avoid surgery, there are many good options out there (depending on what you are a candidate for.)

The first multi-level disc replacement patient I ever met was a professional chef from San Diego... excellent results.

Grade 1 instability indicates < 25% slip. I went to the North American Spine Society meeting earlier this month and saw a presentation about successful treatment of this condition with bracing instead of surgery.

I know how physically demanding your profession is. I hope you can continue (especially if that is your passion.)

All the best,

Mark

[Jakea222]

I am very concerned about what I have read about the "above" stuff and the pain that people are living with. I have a very high threshold of pain - but some of the posts and things I have seen in the last few days on the web have literally made me cry for the people that are writing them. I just hope I can get out of the weeds and rest my brain a little with information from people that are living this.

[dshobbies]

Hi Guy,

Welcome to the forum and glad you found us. The first thing you need to do is breathe and calm down. Worst case scenario is some type of surgery and you don't appear even close to that. Ultimately, if you do need that, it's here for you but you are so jumping the gun.

The horror stories you've read are from people, like me, who tried conventional therapies and surgeries and there was nothing left. The advent of new procedures opened up a whole new world to spine sufferers and many of us got our lives back. I don't know your circumstances but if rest doesn't minimize your pain, you might want to look into a consultation with a neuro or ortho surgeon who specialize in the spine. Mark may be able to recommend a doctor in your area or ask your wife. I'm sure your internist is a fine doctor and getting an MRI is the first step but now that you know there is indeed a problem, you want someone who deals in those problems on a daily basis. Even then, we often recommend more than one opinion but you don't even have any prognosis yet.

So for you, take it easy. No twisting and bend from the knees. Reaching for things is a no-no. Brace yourself when sneezing or coughing. If necessary, minimize standing and sitting times. A zero gravity position takes the pressure off your tailbone. Let common sense rule your world. Make an appointment with a specialist. I'm not sugar coating but you're panicking without cause. I'm not blaming you, just telling you that things aren't necessarily as bad as they seem.

Please don't hesitate to let us be your sounding board. We all know about the pain and panic but sometimes worrying is nothing more than a waste of time.

Good luck to you and I hope it all turns out well, Dale

[Jakea222]

ok - so I meet with a physical therapist today - the back doc. tomorrow. thanks

[Jakea222]

OK - so PT is on going BUT now I am to a stage where they are saying epideral injections are the next step in about 2 weeks. Can you tell me if these are like a limbar puncture as far as pain? Everyone kind of avoids the answer when I ask including my own wife - the PT says they are a good thing for therapy because it allows the physical part to go on without the pain. Anyone had a good experience with this procedure and how long was the pain deceased after the procedure....I have changed pain meds and walking with a cane now...so just trying to picture the steps ahead....thanks all. CHef