Slipped/herniated disc.

[LarryUK]

Well. For the fourth time I have a slipped disc.I first had one about 25 years ago. But this time it's different. I can't stand up straight or bend/pick things up. I do wonder if this time it'll be an op.

Any tips for healing? Have you had one?

[Izzy]

This may seen insensitive but my dog had one recently and the shot the vet gave her made ALL the difference.

 

He gave her a steroid shot to reduce inflamation and then he gave me oral anti-inflamatory drugs (steroids) and said, "now, the dog's spine could be operated on but that's just a lot of risk and complication and money, so this will get the pain down and with rest and decreased inflamation, the dog's disk will slowly go back in place." He also said, "only give her one of these pills WHEN she looks in pain. The steroids are BAD for her, so sparingly is good."

 

After the shot she was like new for about ten days, then I had to give her a pill, then she was okay again for a week, then a pill and now she's been clear of the pain for months. So one shot, two pills.

 

I am not an orthopedic nurse, but heat, rest and anti-inflamatory meds may be in order I think. I had a BAD back once, couldn't stand up right or bend, like you, and I made sure to sleep on a heated pad, no pillow, flat on my back. I also stretched the back by bending my knees to my chest every so often as I lay there. What fixed it fast was going back to work and moving around. Painful, but the exercise helped, I think. I had rested three days by then.

 

Hope you feel better soon.

 

-Izzy, RN, BSN

[Bender 4 Life]

sorry to hear that lashurst......a disc/nerve pinched that badly will either require an op., OR intensive (and VERY painful) physical therapy in hopes the offending bulge will either shear off or retract back in, releasing the nerve.

i've gone the therapy route 2x, the 1st(1995) was a BURST disc(blown out all the way around), the 2nd (1997)was a simple rupture.

 

i'm left now with bone on bone contact in both joints and almost unbearable arthritis, but i've never heard of anybody saying an op. was the RIGHT decision 10 yrs after they had it.

I still work a heavy labor job 5-6 nites a week, so it could be worse.

 

 

back in '08 I had to have 3 of my neck vertebrae fused together due to decades of neglect after a riding accident back in '77 ruptured 2 discs in my neck.

the pain had become suicidal and they didn't make narcos strong enough to quell it, so it was a choice of an op., or die.

it hurts me every day....but not as badly as before the op.

 

I wish you the very best...take care of y'self !!

 

here's the work I had done on my C-4/5/6

 

[CindyC]

That's tough Las, sorry to hear it. I know your pain its horrible. I had my L5 slip and choke my sciatic nerve causing pain all down my buttocks and left leg straight down to my toes. Pain was unbearable I couldn't stand straight or walk. About all I could do to relieve the pain some was lay on my side with a pillow between my legs and take 5 motrin every 4 hrs. After two weeks of hoping it would resolve on it's own with no results I went to see a chiropractor.

 

I didn't have much understanding of exactly what they do but I needed relief so I went. It was nothing short of a miracle! He took xrays, and you could see exactly how my disc had slipped and how my whole lower body had been pulled downward on the left side. I had a very serious break in that leg 12 years ago I fell off a ladder resulting in a compound fracture to my tibula and also breaking my fibula, ankle and knee. Legs got twisted on my way down! I had to have surgery and have a rod put down my leg, and screws in my ankle and knee. I had it all removed a year later due to in mobility problems but it's evidently left me somewhat compromised on that side.

 

He started adjustments right away and I had some immediate relief which was so needed. It took about three months for it to be somewhat stable with physical therapy to strengthen my abdominals and back muscles to keep what he was doing in place. The adjustments are painless the worse part was the stretching they do in physical therapy. It's so needed though. I still do my exercises and if I dont I feel my back pulling on that side. I don't know if this would be an option for you but if it is I highly recommend you giving it a try. Good luck I hope you get some relief soon.

[brc]

Slipped dics can be very painful, and really not much you can do to help it.

You need to just take it easy until you can get to the doctor.

They can try steroid shots, but the shots are not easy to handle for some people.

They then will give you some thing for the pain until the swelling of the disc goes down.

 

Some of the test are more painful than the actual slipped disc.

I have been down that road for the last 25 years.

I fell off a building <5 floors> in 1980 and destroyed my back, crushing 5 lower discs. After 4 failed surgeries they removed four lower dics and fused my back solid.

For the last 18 years now,I can hardly walk or stand more than 15 min. I now walk with a bad limp and have to use a cane.

I take percocet, and morphine, 24 hrs a day.

You need to get to you doctor as soon as you can, and hopefully they will refer you to an orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon.

Good luck with it, I KNOW how bad it can hurt

[Aster1]

I went thru the L5/S1 herniated disc myself with an auto accident. Pain was blinding and loss of feeling in the right leg/foot. Funny how that your leg can feel numb to poke with a pin but feel like a knife is carving the back hamstring all the way on the top of your foot!!

 

This was 20 yrs ago. A client (also an Orthopedic Surg.) told me to avoid the low back surgery. Went the conservative treatment, lots of ice pack, Physical Therapy, both Osteopathic & Chiropractic adjustments etc. Tons of exercise too. Felt better then flared up again about 2 yrs later and somehow worse. This time referred to a Neurosurgeon as it sounded like I was in line for the knife. Off work for almost 3 months. He suggested we try an Epidural steroid injection, went back into the old exercise (intensive ab strengthening) and it got better again. A few years ago, I had an MRI to check something else & asked my Neurosurgeon about the disk. He looked it over and said the herniation had resolved & resolved. I knew I wasn't having much pain or trouble for years by that point. He said the studies had been showing that the body would absorb the disk bulge if given time. We were both glad I gutted it out for a few years. He also said low back surg. just isn't very successful still and he only does it if the patient can stand the pain/treatments. I would suggest to STAY AWAY from any fusions as those lead to disk degeneration above and below the fused disk site in a few year. I haven't talked with anyone that has had a great experience with that surgery. Most say, I don't have the sciatic pain anymore but my back hurts as bad or worse than before and were off work for MONTHS. I was hearing about a new treatment (I will be checking into for my neck if necessary) with an injection of stem cells that may be promising. If I had to have knife surgery I would have a Neurosurgeon perform anything with my spine, period!! Orthopods great for joints/tendons etc. but from all I've be able to find out about, NOT SPINES.

 

Best of wishes to you. Get to see a good Dr. and ask questions about their success stories for sure!!

 

Aster

 

 

Aster

[Riffster]

I had the same op as Bender 4 Life except only two discs, main reason my moniker used to be stiffhand, the nerves running down my arms are damaged and will always will but some days I have some good days and I have fun playing.

 

As for my lower back sometimes it goes out of whack but no way I will have surgery there, much more intrusive than the neck. I use hot/cold compresses, massage, rest and stretch if I can. I do not like medications but when I am in pain Celebrex is my go to pill, just an inflammatory.

 

I hope you get better, I know exactly how much it sucks.