Needing some advice.

[dentalrebel]

Hello everyone. I'm needing some advice from you "Vets" about what direction I should go. Here's my history.

In Jan 2011 I fell into a door facing. Had a large bruise and was sore for few days but didn't think much of it. A few weeks later I started having pain in my back going down my right leg. I'm good friends with a Chiropractor and he worked me over. I continued to work, I'm a dentist so it's hard to sit and work with your back hurting so bad. In March I went to a large practice in Memphis and had an MRI and they said smooth bulge and game me trigger point injections. These were of no help. Things continued to bump along with no improvement. I quit working the end of April (STILL waiting on my disability insurance to pay me anything) because I just couldn't sit and work on patients. July 4th weekend I was miserable. We sent my MRI to LSI and we wound up there toward the end of July. I was diagnosed with annular tears in L4-L5. The Dr. recommended a laser procedure where he went in an remove two pea sized amounts of tissue and heated the disc to help seal the tears. I was good for few days then on the 10th day my left leg starts hurting and it's been bad ever since. Right then left then both then my buttocks. It feels like fire. I'm presently on my 11th week out since surgery and I'm no better. I'm seeing a Dr. in CO for some platelet injections. I've had one round so far. I'm still hurting but trying to hang in there. We go back next week for round 2. My husband, also a dentist, has read and read this site plus other sites and he seems to think I have discogenic pain that is radiating to my legs and hips. I have no stenosis and I'm healthy. I'm 5'10'' and weigh maybe 138lbs. I've got to do something because I feel that I can't live like this. We have looked at ADR and don't even know if I'm a candidate. I've just started on 75mg of Lyrica bid. Pain meds have no effect on me. I stayed in the hospital 2 weeks ago to try to get some relief and some rest. In 12 hours I had 3 Percocet 10, 1 Soma, 2 5mg Ambien, and 3.5 mg of Dilaudid and I could have driven home! It just has no effect on me. I'll listen to any and all things. I am 39 years old and have a beautiful 11 year old daughter that is my life.

[KBear]

Hello everyone. I'm needing some advice from you "Vets" about what direction I should go. Here's my history.

In Jan 2011 I fell into a door facing. Had a large bruise and was sore for few days but didn't think much of it. A few weeks later I started having pain in my back going down my right leg. I'm good friends with a Chiropractor and he worked me over. I continued to work, I'm a dentist so it's hard to sit and work with your back hurting so bad. In March I went to a large practice in Memphis and had an MRI and they said smooth bulge and game me trigger point injections. These were of no help. Things continued to bump along with no improvement. I quit working the end of April (STILL waiting on my disability insurance to pay me anything) because I just couldn't sit and work on patients. July 4th weekend I was miserable. We sent my MRI to LSI and we wound up there toward the end of July. I was diagnosed with annular tears in L4-L5. The Dr. recommended a laser procedure where he went in an remove two pea sized amounts of tissue and heated the disc to help seal the tears. I was good for few days then on the 10th day my left leg starts hurting and it's been bad ever since. Right then left then both then my buttocks. It feels like fire. I'm presently on my 11th week out since surgery and I'm no better. I'm seeing a Dr. in CO for some platelet injections. I've had one round so far. I'm still hurting but trying to hang in there. We go back next week for round 2. My husband, also a dentist, has read and read this site plus other sites and he seems to think I have discogenic pain that is radiating to my legs and hips. I have no stenosis and I'm healthy. I'm 5'10'' and weigh maybe 138lbs. I've got to do something because I feel that I can't live like this. We have looked at ADR and don't even know if I'm a candidate. I've just started on 75mg of Lyrica bid. Pain meds have no effect on me. I stayed in the hospital 2 weeks ago to try to get some relief and some rest. In 12 hours I had 3 Percocet 10, 1 Soma, 2 5mg Ambien, and 3.5 mg of Dilaudid and I could have driven home! It just has no effect on me. I'll listen to any and all things. I am 39 years old and have a beautiful 11 year old daughter that is my life.

I'm so sorry you are in this place, it's a hard spot to be in. I completely get what it's like to hurt 24/7 and pain medicine not touch it (or barely take the edge off.) Most of us are on or were on some major narcotics and other meds for pain, it's no way to live, but a necessary evil for helping with the pain while you wait for help. I was on time release morphine twice a day, 6-8 10mg Vicodin a day, 300mg Lyrica, 120mg Cymbalta, and 6mg Zanaflex a day (I'm now pain and medicine free!)

I bolded your statement above about the heating of the disc. Do you remember what the procedure was called? It sounds like an IDET. I'm hoping I'm wrong on this, but I'll go ahead and 'voice' my concerns. I also had an IDET to seal the tear in my disc. I was told that it would heat the disc up and thus seal the tear and that's all I knew. In theory it sounded great; but in reality it wasn't. I never received any relief from it. When I finally left that doctor a year after I had it done and it had failed, I was diagnosed with DDD after IDET. Meaning the IDET sped up the degeneration of my disc and in essence killed it. Basically the IDET heats the disc and kills it, turning it black. The only thing making me think that maybe you had a different procedure is that I think most doctors have abandoned the IDET a few years ago, realizing it was making it worse not better.

Have you had a recent MRI? I would definitely make sure your imaging is no older than 6 months and were done after your procedure. The next suggestion would be to get multiple doctor opinions on the next step.

[dentalrebel]

Thanks for the quick response. I've read your story and it gives me hope. The procedure I had was a laser discectomy. The laser part is suppose to seal the tears. I've read about IDET. Personally, I think the Laser fried my sinu-vertebral nerves and that's where my pain is coming from. I just spoke with my husband and we both agree we need to get a second and third and fourth opinion.
Where is the best place to start is the most perplexing question. God has reasons for everything and I know there is a reason for this. I just want to find that reason so I can move on. Thanks for this wonderful site.

[ajj1001]

hi, welcome to the forum. my dad had a laser disectomy which gave him some relief but later needed a full surgical procedure. main advise from my personal is to get as many opinions as possible and to try anything to stay mobile and active whilst finding a way forward.

[dentalrebel]

what procedure did he end up doing?

[ajj1001]

laminectomy and disectomy, he had this in his early seventies and is doing really well. he was happy with the couple of years the laser treatment gave him.

a year or two of trying every conservative treatment possible is best, especially as you are young for surgery. I had my first mid thirties and it's best avoided unless there is serious compression with long term damage being caused.

[KBear]

Thanks for the quick response. I've read your story and it gives me hope. The procedure I had was a laser discectomy. The laser part is suppose to seal the tears. I've read about IDET. Personally, I think the Laser fried my sinu-vertebral nerves and that's where my pain is coming from. I just spoke with my husband and we both agree we need to get a second and third and fourth opinion.
Where is the best place to start is the most perplexing question. God has reasons for everything and I know there is a reason for this. I just want to find that reason so I can move on. Thanks for this wonderful site.

Have you checked the travel section of the forum? You can find doctors in your area, as well as all over the country. Even if you have zero intentions of traveling for surgery, it would be worth your time (and the small fee) to send out your films and history to a few of the top surgeons for opinions. If you are lucky, they will all agree making it an easy choice. If not, at least you know your options and of potential problems.

I agree that we all go through stuff for a reason. One of the best examples I have ever heard is how a tree must have wind and force go against it, because over time it strengthens it, if that doesn't happen then the first storm will snap it in half. I think going through this is the same thing, if we don't have things that test us, how will God grow us? It's hard going through it, but there is another side and it can and does get better.

Thank you! Justin is the site founder (I'm just a helper), who is absolutely amazing. He has been affected by spine issues since he was 17 and has had 3 spine surgeries. He maintains this site, and somehow manages doing his residency at the same time! It is definitely a life saver and I am so thankful that I had it when I was going through all of my spine problems. To have people who actually understand what it is like, is priceless (though I wouldn't wish it on anyone).

[laid up doc]

is what you had a biacuplasty? i had great relief from that, until i was rear-ended and my disc either re-tore and leaked or had a new tear either way, i've failed everything now and having surgery on the 19th.

most surgeons want to see a long failed treatment history for an annular tear before they'll operate - b/c many of them will heal with time/PT, mainly time. they do hurt like the dickens though!!!

have you tried a TENS unit? drugs barely help me either, so TENS is my main pain reliever.

[dentalrebel]

Good luck with that surgery. I've been reading all your posts. Yes I have a TENS unit but it doesn't do much for me. I see Dr. Centeno next week for round two of injections of platelet lysate. I pray your surgery goes well.

[dentalrebel]

k bear I'm going to check today thanks for the information.