Back Problem Advice

About a week and a half ago, I slightly injured my back by lifting a generator out of my truck by myself (10 horse coleman). Wasn’t extremely heavy… but felt something give as I set it down. Anyway, it got sorer and sorer while I was camping at the county fair all week. Finally, on friday, I went in and got some pain meds. Vicodin, Flexirol, and Prednison (steroids). Was feeling just great the rest of the weekend. Well, Sunday night I was unloading the camper. Had already lifted the generator and back out again at home. Was doing great until I bent down to pick up a bed sheet. Something gave way and that was that. Could barely walk. I was able to walk with some difficulty on Monday… but by tuesday, it got worse. Decided to go in to urgent care on Wednesday… and after an hour of crawling out of bed to the front door… I couldn’t move. Wife had to call the ambulance. I am now at the hospital… they did an MRI and found herniated/slipped/blown disks in between my L5, l4 and S1. I am doped up on some stuff supposed to be 10 times stronger than morphine. Works fine as long as I stay still… but moving at all just about brings tears to my eyes. I am hoping to avoid surgery and we finally talked the internal med doctor overseeing me to getting a nuerologist to review the mri results. My wife had a similar problem with 1 disc and a shot of cordozone was all it took.

Anyone in IDA world have any advice or experiences they could share? I am getting quite nervous and really don’t want surgery. I have heard that once that can of worms is open… there is no going back. Any help would be appreciated.

Dave,

Been there, Done that, and not interested in doing it again. Mine got so bad I lost feeling in my left leg for about 3 months. The doc said it was the herniated disc pushing against the nerve. All I know it it SUCKED.

I ended up having surgery where they removed bits and pieces of the discs and “drilled” a bigger hole in the spine where the nerve passes through. The doctor said he would have pinned the vertabrate except I was young. He said the only reason I will have problems again is if I get fat, so I don’t think I will be doing that

It really sucked at the time. I was face down for about 6 weeks, and my ADHD was kicking in, but I can feel my leg again, and have not had any problems since then. It is a long row to hoe however.

Good luck with whatever you choose. Back problems are the worst problem you can have, it effects everything. PM me if you are interested in my doctors name. I did get some really good drugs once Man I could get used to that

I did something similar and sought help from a chiropractor. He worked wonders for my back…I would recommend you call a reputible chiro in your area and see what they say.

Google Search Dr. Richard Sethna out of the Noran Clinic.
He is a master of the spine.

Sethna

I have had alot of work back injuries. I had surgery on the L5 disc and it helped. It was pinching the S1 nerve too shooting down both legs with being worse on the left. I had and still am going to the chiropractor when needed. The same thing happened at the L5 a second time and had surgery again. A few years later I had alot more pain in the same area again and needed surgery but the doc didn’t want to go back in there a third time in the same area. Fusion causes other problems with disk above and below so they try stay away from that anymore. So I have been on narcotic pain killers since and will be on the the rest of my life. I also have other bad disc areas in my back and also my neck from work injuries and have been dealing with the neck pain since 1986. Am putting off surgery there until I can’t take it anymore and have different pain meds for the neck along with a TENS unit and regular chiroprator appts. Nerves that run down the arms into the fingers are pinched in the neck. So unfortunately I know where you are at. Once you are better, even with or without surgery, you must remember your days of lifting AND bending are over. You simply can no longer do that. Surgery will help you alot NOW but it doesn’t mean the rest of the disc left in there won’t slip at a later time and pinch the nerve again. NEVER bending and NEVER lifting more than 10 lbs max will help to pospone the problem happening again. You and your bride need to have a good talk with a neruo [sp]doc and neruo surgen and see what they think before you can make any discissions. My chiropractor held me together for years except when things got too bad so surgery was needed. Two of us got hurt in 1986 and the other guy decided not to work anymore and even though I was worse off I have kept working no matter what. I’ve always said I will work until my employer decides that when one of my flare ups keeps me out of work that I’m done for. So my docs have really helped me to keep going with the meds needed to keep working. If you need someone to talk to don’t hesitate to call me Dave. I’m at home for awhile due to just having prostrate cancer surgery so you know where to reach me. I wish there was a simply and permanent fix but there isn’t. Once the back goes a person is never the same and will always have problems to some extent. Wishing you the best Bud and you are in my prayers.

Thanks, Bill

The back is nothing to mess with I would get more than one opion on the matter.1985 I had a steer run under my horse as I cut him off in a fence line.Long story short I ended up under my horse broke my back at the L5.after the tendons and muceles healed .They wanted to operate.I declined.1987 it moved and pinched a nerve I declined again.I was young now Iam 45 it will have to be done some time.My point being In my case the doctors have been wrong.At the time it happened they said 50/50 on getting better it would be better or worse not the same.I have learned to deal with it over the years.
Dont know what that has to do with you deal other then dont take one doctors opion when it comes to your back.
Good luck.

i ruptured a disc in 89, i was 20, i thought i was screwed. i work construction so i didnt know what i was gonna do. surgery they said is a last resort, thats what they had to do. that was after i laid in the hospital for a week waiting for the mri machine to arrive in a semi trailer. worst f-n pain ever, couldnt walk, hurt to move, laid in traction until the surgery. i feel your pain brother! its been 15 yrs since and have been doing ok since. able to work masonry and do pretty much everything, but im still very careful lifting. be ready for a ton of therapy. i wish you luck!
fritz

Pretty much how every day is for me. Just get used to it. I just plug along on Ibuprofen and turret’s syndrome if it gets real interesting… If it eases up do some of the back kama sutra exercises.
I’d stay away from therapy though. Messed me up in more ways.

I fell out of a tree about 15-20 feet last october while working and had a burst fracture of my L2 vertebrae. A piece of donor femur bone replaced that vertebrae and it was fused to the one above and below it. So now i have 3 vertebrae fused together with a titanium plate acrossed them with 4 big screws. I had no choice in the matter, this is the only way my back was getting put back together.

So, in other words i feel your pain, well, actually, i think i probally felt and feel a heck of a lot more pain.

But what r u going to do? I’m in pretty good shape, i guess, considering I probally should have ended up paralyzed, and it doesn’t do any good to whine about it and feel sorry for yourself. I am 25 and got a lot of things to do in life yet. I’ve been back at work running crews, cutting trees and operating equipment since january, although i haven’t climbed again yet, and go through alot of ibuprofen (i got off narcotic pain killers asap for obvious reasons)

Like a wise man named Toby Keith once said, “I aint as good as i once was, but im as good once as i ever was”

Hope you feel better soon!!

Thanks all. And thanks for the offer and prayers Bill!! I have been sending them your way as well.

We are going to consult with the neuro tomorrow… hopefully. the guy that is treating me now is pretty much just wanting it to get better with time. I tried to get up a little bit ago… and felt pain like I have never felt before. and that was WITH the narcotics they are giving me. Oh well. At least I still have access to IDA!!! After all, that IS the most important thing, isn’t it??? Got to say though that I have been pretty impressed with the nursing staff. Everyone is pretty friendly here (Mercy in Coon Rapids). I just hate feeling so useless.

Thanks again!

An inversion table has saved me from back surgery for over twenty years. I try to hang upside down 10-20 seconds every day, if I feel a twitch I do it more often. In your present condition I would ask a chiropractor first. Do get more then one opinion before you mess with a BACK. I feel for you.

I ruptured/herniated a disc 18 years ago, and have done the chiro thing since (maybe 10 times a year to keep in alignment) and it’s worked well….I think a chiro try is a better alternative to doctor care for the spine, at least initially

There are several Doctors/Chiroprators in Minnesota who have, and I can’t think of the machines name, a machine that will traction out your back. My chiropractor in Rochester along with I believe two chiropractors in the Twin Cities have this machine. Its a $100,000 machine that does help. Right now, if you don’t chose the surgery route, it will take alot of time for the back to calm down so expect that. It takes time so patience is definately needed. Either way, your days of bending and lifting are over. Except that and stay away from those two things and it will be easier and less painfull for the rest of your life. Let us know what you chose and how you are doing Bud. We all learn from each others experiences, whether good or bad experiences, so that is the reason I have always chosen to share my experiences.

Thanks, Bill

With a herniated disk,
there basically is “nothing” you can really do, other than surgery that will remove the herniated section.

With that said,
your only true “cure” is to take steriods to relieve the irriation that the nerves are experiencing due to the herniated disk applying pressure.

Once the inflamation of the nerves can be reduced (via steriods), then it is a matter of two things:
1) Find an acceptable “pain tolerance level”.
2) change your living habits to ensure that the herniated disk doesn’t inflame the nerves, which causes the pain.

Yes, there are “traction machines” and chiropractors who can move the bones to temporarily pull away the soft tissues/hard tissues from the inflammed nerve. However, until the inflammed nerve can be brought under control, there is not a “cure”.

The draw back with the steriods is that basically get “3 shots” at it. Once you reach that level of ingestion (either oral or needle) you cannot exceed any further medication.

I’ve been joining my wife at her doctors visits in regards to her 6 herniated disk from a car accident 4 years ago. She sees the doc every 3 months. Between physical therapy, chiorpractors, and medications, there has been no success in finding that “acceptable pain threshold”. There are now reviewing surgery options to cut away the herniated disk.

chiropractors are wanna be’s. they cant fix a ruptured disk. you go to a chiropractor you have to keep going to get “adjusted”. no thanks my back was fixed by a surgeon.

I go to a great chiropractor, and I personally will take my chiro adjustments over surgery as long as I can for my lower back degeneration.

I know plenty of people where surgery did not fix their problems either.

Not everyone’s solution is the same with back issues, some go with the Chiro route, others surgery is the best option and it works for them.

Finding out what is best is the key.

Pal

Nearly all will have to deal with back pain sometime in their lives. About 3 out of 5 people have bulging/herniating discs…..whether they have back pain or not. It’s a matter of how much herniation, what structures it’s pushing against, how much inflammation, is it ruptured?, are the adjacent muscles involved?….there are so many variables and many diferent treatments that work (including chiropractic). Surgery is almost always the last resort with exceptions of obvious limb weakness or loss of function, intractable pain secondary to direct impingement of the nerve root, etc….otherwise, conservative measures are the general rule until all modalities have been tried (NSAIDs, steroids, therapy, chiropractic, time) then surgery will be considered. Good mechanics with bending/lifting will help prevent injuries as well as maintaining good ‘core’ strength.

Tagger makes good points. I do want to stress what my doctor told me about gaining weight again. We all know it is not good to carry that extra 10-20 lbs around, but he assured me that if I don’t gain weight, I should never have a problem with that area, but the added strain of the extra weight throws your entire body structures off, putting a ton of extra stress on the lower back (think Beer Belly). He told me if he ever saw me again, I would be 15 lbs overweight, and you cannot repair things twice, the second time is a bandaid repair.

So please if your carrying a little “extra” like most of us are, do what you have to do and drop a few pounds. Your back will love you for it.

Again, thanks all for the great advice.

Here is the plan for now. My wife and I talked the doctor into getting a second opinion. His first was to just take oral steroids along with muscle relaxers and pain meds. He talked to the radiologists or neuro’s… and found out that I am a “great” candidate for the cordozone shot. I will be going to get them in about an hour and a half. I am also meeting with the physical therapy people in a while too. After the shot, I will still be spending a few days in the hospital here until I can switch over to pills and be able to get up and go to the bathroom by myself (right now… I can’t move more than a step). So, from everything I have heard here along with advice I have gotten from family members.. looks like I am on the right path. I know that habits will have to change. I had gastric bypass about 4 years ago where I lost up to 130 lbs. I have gained about 25 of that back (thanks to my new found love of beer which I HATED before the surgery)… So due to that surgery, I can’t do the ibuprofen (wreaks havoc on the little stomach I have left). So, I am hoping that the shot works.. and hope to be back home on Sunday or Monday. Again, thanks for all the advice and best wishes!!!

CORTOZONE!!!!
I said steriods in my previous post.
My apologies.
I meant Cortozone.
A person can only have so much cortozone ingested into the spine, so getting a 2nd opinion prior to is the best bet.

I’m assuming they did an MRI on your back?

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the guy that is treating me now is pretty much just wanting it to get better with time.

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Sounds like you are in good hands that is the first step along with physical therapy.
And like Gary has said if its a severe blown disk surgery is a sometimes needed option.

If I were to bet on this I’d say you’ll be back and doing OK after some rest and rehabilitation.

Good Luck!

Gary,

Yes, they did an MRI on my back… but the internal med doctor readily admitted that he was not versed enough to read it. Once we pushed the issue and had him share the MRI results with the radiologists… the radiologists suggested the cortozone shot.

Pier, I agree that normally, rest and relaxation is usually the best bet… but seeing how I was already taking oral steroids, pain killers and muscle relaxors… and it was getting worse… I think that this may not have been the best option.. considering there were 2 blown disks. Anyway, I just got back and am feeling good right now. I know the epidural will wear off in couple hours… so I am back on the morphine drip. But I am confident that I should be able to get out of here in a couple days.

Care packages full of beer can be sent to my home at…….

Dave,for what its worth, i think i had a similar injury, did they say anything about the disk hitting your pshyatic nerve? my leg and foot hurt adtually worse than my back! they waited a week before they figured i wasnt getting any better before they did the surgery. laid in bed in traction and it hurt to watch tv.morphine helped but only for 2 hrs or so. wasnt able to even get up and go to the can….. ugggh. i guess what im trying to say is that an hour after having part of the disk removed i was able to walk outside and smoke a heater! been good for 17 yrs. it aint the end of the world if they operate. instant relief
fritz

Fritz,

No, nothing about the psyatic nerve… But I, too, could not get up to use the can. I spent the first day leaning over the bed into a jug to take a leak… and when I finally had to go number 2, they brought a commode over to the edge of the bed (I know… too much information). To add to that, I couldn’t even pass gas… way too painful. Well, I have to say now… had the shot a couple hours ago. I know it isn’t a miracle cure… but for the first time in days… I was able to walk (with a cane) to the bathroom. Such small freedoms seem trivial… but it made my day. I am not on my way to recovery. Going to take it easy here for a few days and maybe get home on Sunday or Monday. Going to have to start new habits… I know that for sure.

Going to have to start new habits… I know that for sure. [end of quote]

Which includes NO beer ”as like you said” it has put 25 lbs on you already. Which tells me more beer and more weight again. I believe you can only have 3 cortisone shots a year. The shots will help with pain but also will weeken the area so no more than 3. You will need to see how things go. Be sure and get copies of ALL doctor reports and a copy of the MRI report. You will need that info. Hang in there bud. And stay away from using Vicadin for very long if its given to you. Its VERY addictive and I know people addicted to it from the doctor giving it to them to help with permanent pain.

Thanks, Bill

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Dave,for what its worth, i think i had a similar injury, did they say anything about the disk hitting your pshyatic nerve? my leg and foot hurt adtually worse than my back! they waited a week before they figured i wasnt getting any better before they did the surgery. laid in bed in traction and it hurt to watch tv.morphine helped but only for 2 hrs or so. wasnt able to even get up and go to the can….. ugggh. i guess what im trying to say is that an hour after having part of the disk removed i was able to walk outside and smoke a heater! been good for 17 yrs. it aint the end of the world if they operate. instant relief
fritz

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MrFritz, u are such a bad patient….had a cigarette within an hour after surgery??!! You are very lucky u healed good. Hehe.

In any case, sorry about all your plights. But do make sure you get a good spine surgeon to look after you. Finding out from doctors (primary care etc) may be better than what you get from hearsay or word of mouth. This is because primary care doctors or other spine surgeons may have a better idea as to who is REALLY good rather than based on anecdotal experiences. In the hands of a good and experienced surgeon, there are some cases of back pain which will do predictably well after surgery. There has been a lot of advances if you go on the web. Therapeutic options are so many and they include minimally invasive, cages, gel injections etc etc etc. The best person to ask is really your spine surgeon to go thru all the options. I think any decent surgeon would not have any problems if you ask to have a second opinion. One good resource that you can get right in Rochester is Mayo Clinic itself. I am sure the spine surgeons there can advise you reasonably well. After all the orthopedic department there is ranked #1 on US News for the last 10 years??

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. Finding out from doctors (primary care etc) may be better than what you get from hearsay or word of mouth. .

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I would disagree with that my experience with these issues is the referrals are based on commission.
I’d much rather hear from someone who has had the surgery then someone referring their friend for a few bucks on the side which is common practice in the Health care industry.

Got the OK on the discharge!!!

Thanks, all, for all the advice. From personal (family memeber’s) expereinces as well as other’s input… I have a fairly good idea on what I need to do to recooperate and keep my back healthy. I am going to be heading home in a couple hours!!! Can’t wait to get home and drive the wife nuts!!!! Just a little payback for the last few nights where i have heard her rub it in saying “oh, this beer tastes so good”.

Special thanks goes out to Ron, aka Sliderfishing!!! He was nice enough to stop by and supply me not only with some decent reading material to keep me from getting home/fishing sick… but also supplied me with some of those IDA medicinal supplies that Briank so often covets (cookies, of course). Thanks again, Ron! Was great meeting you.

Hopefully, will see you all out on the waters soon!!!

Don’t forget to put the all important bell next to the bed!

Good to hear that you are getting out
Now take it easy until that back feels better.
Nice to meet you finally.