Quote:
Originally Posted by phipps88fan
I just left my primary and he wants me to go to an orthopedic surgeon for my back. I've got herniated disc in the L-4 and L-5 region and sciatica. The nerve blocks I've been getting from my pain management doctor help but wears off after only 3 months so it's a temporary solution. Anythings better than being in pain though. I'm not sure what to do about that one. I'm scared of surgery on my back. My dad had the same thing and got shots forever. He had surgery and hasn't had pain since. It's the idea of operating on my back that scares me. Any thoughts?
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((phillips88fan))
Personally, I was extremely hesitant to do anything surgical for my herniated discs. I have family who suffered the negative consequences after their surgeries. My uncle was just about 30 years old when he had his surgery.
Since then, my uncle will always have weight lifting restrictions (20 lbs max.) which has not been easy for him. There have been emotional, physical and financial consequences due to those restrictions. He was manager of a mechanic shop, which does require a lot of lifting, bending over, etc. Getting into a different profession has been really hard for him.
Anyway...due to my uncle's tough time and my previous brain sugery, I was very against having spinal surgery. I had shots, to relieve the pain from the nerves being pressed by the swelling. The shots helped a little bit, not much. The most helpful thing for me was doing exercises with occupational therapy to slowly and carefully work the area. The pain eased slowly as the swelling went down. That encouraged me to keep at my exercises and doing what I could to relieve pain and prevent worsening.
Very best wishes to you!