Back Surgery

Back surgery is no joke, its also not something to rush into either. Make sure you do some research first before jumping right in as different doctors use different procedures. My g'ma had hers done about 6 months ago and is very happy with the results. She had to have a 2 plates installed and some nice big 3 inch screws. Normally they make some good sized incisions into your back so they have room to work but she ended up finding another doctor that used a different method. He used a robot and made 2 incisions about 1 inch big. She ended up having to wear a girdle for 3 months for stability but was on her feet the next day pain free (except for the cuts).

On the flip side she just had knee surgery on both knees and didn't do any research on the procedure. On her first visit to the doctor for her knees he said she needed surgery and scheduled her the next week. Now 2 months later her knees are even worse.

Here is wishing you an easy procedure and fast recovery!
 
Yeh Joe is right I have been dealing with this for about 10 years plus. I have 2 hernia's pushing in my sciatic nerve. I have bone on bone above L4 and below. It is also pushed 7mm forward. There is 2 more things wrong in that area but I cannot spell them. So everything is pretty messed up in that area. It is the Ortho docs that is doing all of this for me. I am doing this now because I don't want to deal with the VA later.

The Docs did say that the cigars would slow down healing but I think they have the impression that they are like cigarettes?

Thanks for all of the well wishes!
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For what it's worth, I've had 2 surgeries on my lower back. I had one when I was 15 for a simple herniation of the L5, the other at the beginning of June of this year. (i'm now 34) Just a word of advice, (i know it wasn't asked for, but here goes anyway) get a second opinion. Definitely check with a neurosurgeon. I have now found out if I had the second opinion on my first surgery, I probably wouldn't have had to suffer for several years trying to recover from the surgery. The second surgery has been a breeze to recover from so far compared to the first one. The most recent surgery consisted of 3 laminotomies, removal of calcium deposits, moving of the nerve and padding it with fat, but not really any work on the disks. Just resist the hardware installation at all costs. Sometimes it is a last resort, but if it fails, you don't really have anything else to do. Like I said, I know no one asked, just trying to help out a BOTL with something I've been forced to deal with most of my life. If you have any questions, just give me a shout.
Best of luck, Matt
 
No matter which decision you go through, here's hoping your willpower and attitude stay positive throughout so you can come back and smoke with good friends.
 
Thanks for the advice it is always welcome! I have a couple of other things I have to ask about too on top of some of the stuff you guys brought up.
 
Hey brother, sorry to hear you are going under the knife. A couple of years I had some foot surgery and a friend of mine gave me the best advice ever. Before I pass it along to you, let me tell about my friend. He is one of the guys that just has no fear. He's got a file at his doctor's office a couple of inches thick. A couple of years ago, he went dirt bike riding by himself. Not the smartest move, but he's cocky. He's ridden with Travis Pastrana.

He's a guy that shrugs off injuries that would sideline most people for days. He's a guy that does wheelies on his bicycle in his office work clothes when he gets home from work because the neighborhood kids are waiting for him in his driveway. He's a great guy, but he's a nut.

He doesn't remember riding that day because he woke up in the hospital 8 days later. He was out of work for several months, walked like a crippled, old man for a while and had some pretty serious PT sessions. He's fine now.

When he heard I was having some surgery and in for a month or two of PT, he told me, "Take the pain medication. That's what its for."

Wishing you a speedy recovery.
 
Been here and done this. When I decided to have the fusion procedure done to L4/L5 after 12 years of terrible, mind & limb numbing pain, I had an orthopedic back surgeon AND a neurological spine specialist in the operating room at the time of my surgery. I also opted for NO METAL fusion devices...instead, I decided bone was a better way to go for the stabilization. It required a longer healing time with a gradual progression of different body stabilization braces, but in the long run was a better option for me, talk to your doctors to see if you qualify for this version. I also decided not to donate my own bone tissue from my hip for the stabilization...I went for cadaver bone harvested by the Red Cross. I didn't want to have to heal from two surgeries, one was plenty for me. Donate your own blood for the operation even if they may not need it...better safe than sorry. If it's not used, you just give it to the blood bank. I wound up with a single small incision and a few pin holes for the cameras, instruments, and such.

The recoup time is not a walk in the park Dean...but this I will tell you, you are not in near the same amount pain you have been suffering while in the shape you're in now! You will be quite comfortable right after the surgery with the shooting nerve pain now gone. The hardest part is you need to be VERY PATIENT and not rush the healing process...it may ruin the whole procedure if you try to do things around the house NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOU FEEL! You can't lift anything for a very long time...again, better safe than sorry. It was about 12-14 months before I attempted any kind of bending over and light lifting at all. All I did was the constant stretching rehab and swimming at my local YMCA....swimming is the BEST rehab for your back.

Smoke as many cigars as you want during the rehab time, it will be part of the psychological healing process....trust me on that one! Oh, and get a fashionable wooden cane, you'll be a little wobbly for a while....plus it's a chick magnet :laugh:
 
That sounds like some very good advice! I will definetly ask a lot more questions come Wednesday. That is good to hear about the smoking but patience I do not have and never have. But that is the common thing they keep telling me!
 
Dean that is horrible news. I pray for a speedy recovery. Smoke the best sticks you can till the end of the month. :thumbs:
 
Use artificial discs if you can get them, donor bone, or the new synthetic bone. Everyone says the bone harvest site is the most painful and slowest portion of the recovery.
 
tasman said:
That sounds like some very good advice! I will definetly ask a lot more questions come Wednesday. That is good to hear about the smoking but patience I do not have and never have. But that is the common thing they keep telling me!
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You better learn fast Dean...like I said, it's the hardest part of the whole ordeal. Without patience, you can f*ck the whole thing up!

Good luck man. The day of your surgery....just smile, stay positive and you'll be better before you know it. :thumbs:

PS: take advantage of the morphine button, it's absolutely wonderful!....just as long as you can still pee in the bucket :whistling: Without the peeing, the alternative is not too pleasant :laugh:
 
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