[Micodiscectomy, Laminectomy & Laser Decompression] Excited to have found you!!! (Laminotomy & Discectomy @ L4/L5 & L5/S1)

[KBear]

Welcome Vanessa and sorry you have to be here. Spine problems are no fun and being young with them sometimes presents new challenges. Mine started when I was 25 after an auto accident with an 18 wheeler. I had doctors who didn't believe anything was wrong with me, ones who just did procedure after procedure (that weren't working) and never moved to the next step. At 28 I was referred to chronic pain management and told there was "nothing else that could be done for me" I was told I would never have another baby and would need chronic pain management for the rest of my life. Want to talk about a death sentence. In my search for a pain management doctor who would treat my pain and not require all the injections, therapy and conservative measures that I had already tried and had failed; I found Texas Back Institute.
I soon found out that I was a candidate for ADR, that there was something really wrong with my spine and it was fixable. I began my insurance fight, and was denied twice, first time for 'unproven technology' and the second time because of my age- basically I was too young and the technology wasn't old enough to know how long it would last. I had consulted 3 world class surgeons, who all agreed that ADR was best for me and fusion wouldn't be my best option. I then found a clinical trial and joined. At 29, I flew to Miami in March of 09 for surgery, and began the road to recovery. It was a long road and many times I questioned if I had made the right decision; but in the end it has paid off. I'm now 20 months post surgery, 18 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child and I have absolutely no pain at all! There is a light at the end of the tunnel and even though it feels like you may never get there, you will. We are all here to help and support you along the way.
Kathy

[Vanessa]

Kathy, seems like the more I read about what has happened to you, I see so many similarities. When I first injured my back in 1998, the doctor that I had gone to (worker's comp doc) told me that I simply had a pulled muscle and gave me a bunch of trigger point injections. After 1 month, I started experiencing tingling in my leg and it would actually go numb at times. I went for a second opinion (non-workers comp doc) and they did an MRI which indicated the two disc herniations that I had. It apparently wasn't all in my head. I do hope to be able to do what you are doing right now, being pregnant again. I've been told that is no longer in my cards. I'm sure you understand, but when someone tells you that you can't have kids anymore (seeing that kids are such a wonderful gift), it's not an easy pill to swallow. While kids are not in the cars right now anyway due to all my meds etc. I don't want anyone to tell me I CAN'T have kids anymore.

[KBear]

Kathy, seems like the more I read about what has happened to you, I see so many similarities. When I first injured my back in 1998, the doctor that I had gone to (worker's comp doc) told me that I simply had a pulled muscle and gave me a bunch of trigger point injections. After 1 month, I started experiencing tingling in my leg and it would actually go numb at times. I went for a second opinion (non-workers comp doc) and they did an MRI which indicated the two disc herniations that I had. It apparently wasn't all in my head. I do hope to be able to do what you are doing right now, being pregnant again. I've been told that is no longer in my cards. I'm sure you understand, but when someone tells you that you can't have kids anymore (seeing that kids are such a wonderful gift), it's not an easy pill to swallow. While kids are not in the cars right now anyway due to all my meds etc. I don't want anyone to tell me I CAN'T have kids anymore.

I had doctors practically laugh at me when I told them that I wanted more kids. I was told more than once that it wasn't possible and wouldn't happen. My OB is very pro life and he is the only one that never told me that it couldn't be done. I know it seems a million miles away and that it will never happen, but if it can happen for me, it can happen for anyone (and I know I'm not the only one having a baby after spine surgery). I hope to see you on here one day with preggie pictures. Best of Luck, Kathy