micro discectomy.... whos had one?

[wannabeH3]

im looking to talk to people who have had this procedure because my back is messed up and im going to be 30 in august. so has anyone had this and how was your experience?

[usetosellhummer]

I have not but i have two friends who have had some types of back surgury with no real removal of pain. If it is because of pain have you tried all other options?

[usetosellhummer]

massage, minuplation, and acupunchure?

[stagger_lee]

What exactly does the procedure consist of? Sounds gnarly. Hope everything works out for you regardless.

[lance-n]

any good surgeon will view an operation as a last resort.
if you don't like what you are hearing, get another opinion.
regardless of what your insurance company may tell you, it is federal law that you are entitled to a second medical opinion.
i have had chronic back an neck pain for many years.
have you tried the topical solution DMSO?
you can get it cheap at any health food type store and it is a
wonderful anti inflammatory agent.
alternating heat and ice really has helped we as well
a little ice pack for 20 minutes a couple times a day works wonders
as does a little evening dip in the hot jacuzzi
lots of morning stretching, especially hamstrings seeems to help in keeping the back muscles relaxed around the spine

good luck!

[usetosellhummer]

disagree, alot more doctors are money making machines and will rush to cut.

[lance-n]

you may have missed my point: and GOOD surgeon will view surgery as a last resort.

you are right, there are many money hungry doctors out there, but there are also many good ones who will not rush in to surgery.

one of my fraternity brothers is one of the good guys, he has an orthopedic practice in Orange County, CA.

If you would like the info, pm me and I will pass you his contact information.

Originally Posted by usetosellhummer

disagree, alot more doctors are money making machines and will rush to cut.

Especially when it comes to open heart surgery.

[lance-n]

just so you guys all know why i was not too involved on this board over the last 6 or 7 months,
after having an executive physical last december 26 and pronounced healthy in all but one aspect, i was diagnosed with a tumor the size of a golf ball wrapped around my esophagus and between my heart and my breast plate.
this is the only serious medical condition i have ever had and i consider myself fortunate.
the obvious cure was to remove the tumor, and the only real way to get it out was thru the front, which obviously got my attention!

rather than "rushing to cut", my doctors took the time to study this thing very carefully with scans, biopsies and other non invasion tests.
after months of tests and studies, they have determined that the tumor is benign and unlikely to grow any larger, although i still go in periodically for PET scans to monitor the size and metabolism of it.

had they "rushed to cut", i would have had to have open heart surgery. instead, they focused on the best cure for me.
there are lots of doctors out there who really care about their patients. it doesn't hurt to have a little faith in them, and to excercise your rights when necessary.

[marin8703]

i agree with lance, if the doctor is good and is sure in his prognosis and reputaion he wont mind telling you to get a second opinion, its the only decent thing to do. rushing with medical decicions especially surgery is a sign of inexperienced, thinks he knows it all type of loose doctor.

cant offer any help regarding yoiur question. have you done research online about this procedure, and maybe read some testemonials or results or something?

good luck, hope things work out for ya.

[usetosellhummer]

as long as you stay very involved in your treatment and get the second or third opnion yea, got ado what you gota do. Comming to a forum for this info seems like maybe not.

[usetosellhummer]

http://www.laserspineinstitute.com/
??????????????????

[wannabeH3]

well my doc seems pretty cool. he wrote down the names of 3 other dr's he reccomends and said i could check with them for more opinions.

I have been seeing another doctor, because i have a herniated disc which is compressing the sciatic nerve causing some really bad leg pain. the back pain is nothing. the leg pain kills me. it goes from my right butt cheek down to my right foot. it sucks bigtime. anyways i have had 3 injections of cortizone in my spine to reduce inflamation and it helped about 10%. That doc handed me off to this one because he has done all he can for me and reccomends i get the surgery. the new doc can go in there with a small incision, scrape the muscle down from the top of the vertabrae, stick the little grabber in there, take an xray to make sure hes in the right spot, remove the portrusion, and relieve the pressure on the nerve fixing me. surgery shouldnt take longer than 45 min to an hour. its outpatient or an overnight stay depending on how you feel. anyways it sucks i have tried chiropractic, and i just got a massage on saturday but since this isnt muscle pain but a physical injury to the disc that is surrounded by vertabrae i really dont think simple massages/acupuncture (which i tried once with no better feeling). anyways i dunno what to do cuz i been on nsaids since march pretty heavily doing 10-12 advils a day and then switching to lodine and vicoden, and now im adding tylenol to that mix too just to keep the pain at bay. it sucks. ill prolly schedule this procedure soon but i just want to know who has had it as well.

[Av1ator]

I had lower back surgery 9 weeks ago. I was out of work for 29 days. I tried a lot of things before being cut open, none worked. I too was afraid of going under the knife because of all the horror stories I had heard from other people.
It was one of the BEST things I have ever done for myself. I am healed, no pain and back to a NORMAL life!!

Ask around get the right Dr.for the job and live pain free.

[wannabeH3]

did you have the micro-discectomy procedure? any lingering side effects? how did you do the 29 days? lay down the whole time?

[dochummer]

It's hit and miss. I've seen a number of people post procedure, and a lot of them aren't much better than before, of course then there are some that swear by it... Definately research it and like everyone else said, last resort. I've worked with a couple of surgeons on the west side of the state, if you want any other names for opinions or whatnot...just let me know.

[Av1ator]

I did not have the micro procedure. I have a scar about 5 inches long, was on the operating table for over 3 hours. The 29 days went by faster than I thought they would. The first week or so I didn't feel like doing much, used a walker to get around the first day or so then just to get in and out of bed. Consulted a physical therapist about what I should and should not do and the mistakes people make. His words are still ringing in my head about doing the wrong thing and undoing all the work the Dr. did.
I have no side effects. I feel years younger and am totally pain free.
I think the main thing is to find the right Dr. to do the right procedure. The first Dr. I went to looked at my Xrays and said "What do YOU expect ME to do about this??" He threw me a TENS unit and said good luck. The Dr. that did my operation has done more of this type than almost anyone in the world and that the guy you want.

[wannabeH3]

i had the micro done on the 10th, pain is gone and i feel great!! thanks for the help guys!

[h2co-pilot]

Oh cool wanna-be.

Glad to hear it.

When will you be back to your old self?