Help me translate my MRI results

[chbare]

I deal with pain most every day, but it's manageable. I am not doing what I was before, but my daily activities are pretty close to what I did. Unfortunately, these thing do not magically heal, but rather slowly get better with good and bad days. I've accepted that I will probably never be in my 20's, but still have a great quality of life. It's been over three years and I think this is probably as good as I am going to get barring a medical breakthrough. Individual mileage will vary.

[eque_price]

I have seen my nurse practitioner, physiotherapist and my chiropractor now. I guess I have been focusing on the wrong thing on my MRI. 'Extrusion' is what I should be looking at. A tear in the fibrous outter tissue of a disc that has caused the gelatinous inner substance of the disc to leak out. I have been signed off work until I have seen an orthopedic surgeon in the city for a consult to see if I continue intense therapy or do surgery. Until I can get in to see him my physiotherapy has been bumped up and intensified. Wish me luck and thank you for all your input. It has helped me greatly. I appreciate it. I will keep you posted on what happens.

Medicgirl… 6 days to go. Let me know how it goes.

[eque_price]

Does anybody know anything about Doctor Joel Finkelstein at Sunnybrooke? Good guy?

[medicgirl05]

Yes, the extrusion is what I've been told is more the cause of the pain than the herniation. Apparently the tear allows the chemicals to mix with those outside of the disc resulting in pain. It is unlikely that the microdiscectomy will fix my back pain, though it should help with the leg pain and tingling. I will be curious to know how you are treated. Good luck!

[medicgirl05]

Well, my surgery was 5 days ago and I already feel much better! I woke up with unbearable muscle spasms in the recovery room, but those were relieved in recovery with meds. My surgery was at 8AM and I left the hospital around 2PM. The first 2 days weren't great and I stayed medicated and slept most of the time. Today was the first day that I felt good enough to leave my house. I have been walking without pain since day one. My numbness and tingling were completely gone when I woke up and have stayed gone. My problems now are that I can't sit for more than about 15 minutes without starting to hurt, which is normal. Also, I have some tightness around the incision probably cause by swelling of the tissues. All in all I am very happy with the sugery and anticipate a quick recovery.

[Kaisu]

I am very happy for you medicgirl. You are far too young to be saddled with a chronic back problem and I am really glad the surgery went well.

[eque_price]

I am so glad your surgery seems to be working so far!! So it is looking good for you to return to work then? How long of a recovery time will you need? I am waiting for a call back from an orthopaedic surgeon. Looks like I will be following suite. Keep posting on your recovery! Very interested and so relieved that you are doing so much better!

[medicgirl05]

Well my surgery was a little over two weeks ago, I'm not so sure I am happy anymore. A brief summary, some of my symptoms are gone...but some are much worse. I no longer have tingling, but I can't sit more than 15 minutes without pain in my butt. My doctor is about 3 hours away and after the trip up there and back Monday I was miserable!!! We stopped multiple times so I could walk, but the pain was almost unbearable when I got home. I was told before surgery that I could go back to work after 4 weeks with no questions, now the surgeon says he doesn't even allow people to start physical therapy until 6 weeks after surgery. I'm so upset after seeing th surgeon for my follow-up. He also said that is could take up to a year for the lingering symptoms to get better, I was under the impression it would just take a few weeks, or maybe a month.

I hope you have a better experience and be sure you go in knowing what you are getting into, I obviously didn't. I plan on writing a blog because there are even more issues but I can't sit here any longer. I have a new understanding of back pain these days!

[eque_price]

Oh no! Thats awful! I read that it takes 3 months to recover fully but never heard the 1 yr thing. That worries me. I only have 2 yrs on my leave and I have a year wait to see the surgeon (and I am 7 months in already!). I am even more scared then ever to take that route! I probably already know this but I must ask again. Did an orthopaedic surgeon do yours or did a neurosurgeon? My pain seems to be easing slightly in the sense that when I tweak my back it seems to recover a bit faster. I am wondering if it has to do with my core strength coming back. If your back is like this now is there still hope of your return to work? If you start a blog then give me the address. I will follow it.

[medicgirl05]

Well my situation has improved at this point. I saw the surgeon(orthopedic spine specialist) again. I am going back to work tomorrow. This past week has been awesome. No pain or tingling. Apparently that was somewhat normal. They expect the first week after surgery to be good, then the nerve usually has some swelling the second week which calms down weeks 3 & 4. My case is being rushed a little because if I don't go back to work tomorrow I will lose my job. They usually require 6 weeks of no bending, lifting, or twisting but I am going back to work with a lumbar corset. The worst that can happen is I can reherniate the disc which is likely regardless when I go back.