Here we go! Just found out MRI showed Herniated Disc at L4/L5 with nerve impingement

rutman · #1 (**permalink**) 12-20-2006, 09:39 PM

Thanks for the feedback! Well--first I live in Danville, VA (45 miles North of Greensboro, NC) but the Spinal Surgeon that I saw today has a very good reputation, Dr. Jeffrey Beane--located on Benjamin Parkway in Greensboro, NC. He apparently was the Chief Orthopedic resident with the Penn State football team and has been practicing for awhile. Has been in the Greensboro, NC area since 1993--so if anyone knows about him please comment positively or negative. But he seemed very confident and I was pleased with his discussions with me.

Bottom line--first time I had seen MRI pictures and even I could tell what I was looking at from what I've read on spineuniverse.com Yuck! Definitely the L4-L5 is blown out and I can see where the annulus part is just smashing into the nerve--no wonder my whole right leg is going numb and weak. I was basically told yeah you can do epidurals but just a band-aid effect and doing the surgery will definitely relieve the pain. I was also told yes it could rupture again and no promises and there is possibility of scar tissue, but bottom line I would rather fix now while I'm just 42 and then prolonging and making matters worse or causing the bulging in the L3 to become ruptured as well. For those that are reading my comments do you feel that makes sense--I just feel like fixing now the best he can instead og making matters worse and not being able to move right leg at all or causing further damage. Please respond at your earliest convenience! Look forward to your responses. Thanks again! John

dshobbies · #2 (**permalink**) 12-20-2006, 10:20 PM

Please define 'fix it'. Are you talking about an adr or discectomy?

Michelle · #3 (**permalink**) 12-20-2006, 11:00 PM

I'm assuming you mean lami, since you mentioned the risk of rerupture. Correct me if I'm wrong. What you're saying makes sense to me, but then again, I've always been less afraid of surgery than a life of pain. Just me. None of us is getting any younger, and most not any healthier, so what are the benefits of waiting? It's apparently not going to get better on it's own, so you're gaining what? The off chance it might go away, with the setback of months/years of pain. (Boy, I should be a surgery salesperson!

) As long as you're willing to live with the risks (I did it, reruptured, and wound up with 2 more surgeries, but that's me), I would at the least say your reasoning sounds reasonable. Good luck!!!

yvette · #4 (**permalink**) 12-21-2006, 01:18 AM

I originally hurt mine at 19 and kept being told I was to young for surgery. I've had many years of problems and now at 36 I've been back to square one for a few years, and kept hearing I was to young (for fusion) Which made no sense to me. You think it would be easier on ya when your young, and when its killing off your quality of life waiting whats the point.

Blairsara · #5 (**permalink**) 12-21-2006, 02:28 AM

Im 25 and had ADR when I was 22. I only had the surgery when it came to the point where I couldnt walk, sit, stand, basically do anything. Physical therapy didnt work - microcurrent, phototherapy, hands on etc.... Pain killers stopped working. Basically I totally see your opinino on wanting to fix it right now, I wanted to do the same thing before too but I decided to only do it if it was absolutely necessary.
Now, I still have problems. If you want to read my post to see what's going on go to Charite ADR 2.5 yr update.
But this is a major decision, and you dont want to end up worse off than you are now. I would definitely do epidural blocks, other injections etc... before surgery. You never know, it can releave you of your pain for a long time.

Michelle · #6 (**permalink**) 12-21-2006, 04:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yvette

I originally hurt mine at 19 and kept being told I was to young for surgery...Which made no sense to me. You think it would be easier on ya when your young, and when its killing off your quality of life waiting whats the point.

I was told this as well. I was told it was because of the transferred pressure to surrounding discs that fusion creates. The younger you are, the longer your discs have to survive that extra pressure. And, the more active you usually are. At, least that's what I was told.
Anyway, sorry Rutman, but I'd agree you're heading down the road for surgery. It's not 100% yet until you fail a few conservative treatments, but once that happens, don't put it off. The longer you live with the damage, the harder the recovery is, and possible permanent harm. I hope an epidural or something will help but... Good luck!

rutman · #7 (**permalink**) 12-22-2006, 06:04 AM

Thanks for all the comments, but after review with MRI and this Dr. Jeff Beane out of Greensboro, NC my severely ruptured disc looks like the route of a lamitonomy NOT ectonomy. Basically will remove some of the lamina covering to relieve herniated disc off of the nerve for which even I could read on the MRI. Has anyone out there has that procedure--seems basic--but I saw that one had several surgeries after ADR including lastly putting in a ProDisc between the L4 and L5. Question is with me being an avid golfer which probably caused this problem to begin with over a 30 yr period could I end up with the same problem and should have the disc replaced or for now go with relieving the pressure off the nerve. Just food for thought, but looks like the lamitonomy will be the route within the next 2 weeks. Any thoughts here? Thanks again! John

yvette · #8 (**permalink**) 12-23-2006, 05:12 PM

I don't know why they work for some people, and some they don't. The ones that i have had didn't change anything.

dshobbies · #9 (**permalink**) 12-23-2006, 06:31 PM

I just wanted to add my two cents into this pot. After rupturing my disc back in 1994, I was in so much pain and disability, I would have done anything to fix it immediately... and did. And this surgery, a disco and lami, worked for 8 years, until the pressure on the adjacent L4/5 became too much and I had a second surgery. Less than 1 year later, I was in trouble with L3/4.

Looking at the statitistics, there seems to be an 80% success rate with first surgeries, which drops to 50% for a second and then all the way down to 5%. I know a woman who has had 11 surgeries and is now in the fusion stages.

In '94, an adr wasn't really an option for me. It was in 2002 but I had never heard about it and was never told about it.

Now the point, these surgeries caused further DDD on adjacent discs. The scar tissue made the chances for my ADR surgery less successful. If an ADR was available (to me) in 1994, that might be the end of my story. Would I have gone for such a drastic procedure when something far less invasive was available to me? I don't know. But as long as you're lucid, you should have all this available information to help you make an that 'informed' decision.

Could you be entirely successful with a lami... sure. Will you? Who knows. Will an ADR solve your pain more permanantly? Again, an unknown. You should just know that the decisions you make today can impact the decisions you might have to make tomorrow.

I do wish you every luck and a pain free 2007.

Dale