Anyone had disc surgery? How was the result?

[stoneaxe]

Neck, C5/C6 to be exact. Got the word today that surgery will likely be needed to fix my neck issues. Disc removal, bone graft, etc.. Getting a cortizone shot next week and we'll see what happens but obviously temporary and not going to prevent possible further nerve damage so the surgery is probably going to be scheduled for sometime in June or thereabouts (first available spot on this guys calendar). I may push it back until after the CCBC season but not sure. Good news is I'm at least able to get back on the water now since its not at risk for causing more damage than normal. Of course that means it will now go flat for an extended period...sorry guys.
To top it off I also have to go see my neurosurgeon. The neck scan revealed a large sub-arachnoid cyst (for the docs in the house) pressing on my cerebellum. I'm going to get that taken care of ASAP. Unlikely to be causing the problems according to the Ortho doc but needs to get drained/shunted anyway and if it does end up being the culprit I'd prefer to avoid the neck surgery. Sucks getting old...

[SUPcheat]

Have not had it, but my advice would be to get at least three different opinions before proceeding to surgery, including conservative options with more specific physical therapies. Surgeons as a species tend to want to cut first and ask questions later, it's their bread, butter and ego mechanism, so it would behoove you to avail yourself of multiple sources of input before making a decision.

The arachnoid cyst sounds like it needs to be done simply because of its nature, but the neck surgery may have options that you might wish to explore before committing to the knife. Also, I hate to say it, but try to size up your surgeon on the narcissism scale.  Too self involved, cold and un-empathetic may not always be in your best interest.  On the other hand, a cringing weenie isn't either so I don't envy your process.

I would also read Jerome Groopman MD's book "How Doctors Think" from cover to cover.  Groopman is a physician who himself has had to look for medical treatment for various conditions, including disc surgery and orthopedic surgery.  In spite of sophisticated access to other doctors, information, consultation, facilities etc. he had to make some rather baffling  and mysterious choices himself when shopping for care and evaluating providers, and he goes over his entire process in the book.

[stoneaxe]

Yeah.....been there and done that, learned a lot during all my researching and the experience with my vestibular schwanomma. Basically have come to the conclusion you need to very careful you aren't being guided to whatever the specialty is. Not that anything nefarious is going on....at least not for the most part....just human nature.

I've looked closely at the doc in question. As it turns out half my family has seen him and I was referred to him by a friend that thinks the world of him. The plan is to see how the shot does and if therapy or other methods help but to schedule the surgery in case there is no change. Most of the reviews on the doc are over the top good and include some where he didn't suggest surgery but guided the patient to therapy with good results. Pretty much every one mentions what a great caring bedside manner he has. Surgery is last on the list of options that was presented. In my case he doesn't think the others will help however. I'm certainly no expert but looking at the MRI I can see why.

I'm also going in to see the surgeon that removed my tumor about the cyst. The best Dr I've ever met. No doubt we'll discuss the disc as well. Not his specialty but I value his opinion.

[SUPcheat]

Sounds like you are in good hands.  I think the less weight bearing the disc, the greater the chances for a good outcome. 

My anecdotal gatherings over the years seem to indicate that heavy weight bearing discs can go any way, the operation can make them worse, the same or better.

I have one acquaintance who had terrible back pain for years.  The MDs told him he would need spinal discectomies and fusion.  He went to a physical therapy savvy chiropractor, who put him in series of torso casts for six months, which basically held his spine in a stretched position in a certain way and allowed a healing process. That and physical therapy made him completely pain free and he remained so over ten years after and as far as I know his pain has never recurred.

My neighbor has had back surgery, neck surgery, shoulder surgery, nerve ablations and has a blind spot in one eye, and he is still out there SUSing strong.

[supsurf-tw]

When I started having issues with my  L spine I started deadlifting and squatting again. Much better now.

[PonoBill]

I like to ask other doctors who they would go to. The guy who did my shoulder is infamous for being an arrogant prick. He and I got along just fine. I don't need my hand held, I needed competence, and then some. He had that in spades.

[easy]

Had c5,c6,c7 fused ten years ago.  Surgery was easy and was back to 100% in six weeks.  I was having a lot of hand and arm pain and numbness . No more pain after surgery.  If you are having constant pain or numbness in your arm or hand don't wait to long or you could end up with permanent nerve damage.  Just make sure you have the right doctor.

[IRideYellow]

This summer I had neck surgery (disc removed, vertebra fused and a dead persons disk put in there) to eliminate the tingling and numbness in my arm.  Surgery was easy.  Did not get enough morphine the first night so it sucked very much.  Recovery was pretty fast but make sure if you have nerve pain you get steroids ASAP.  I suffered for 5 days  before I figured out that no amount of ibuprofen and narco would work. After that it was just slowing getting better until the last 3 months no pain what so ever. 

I'd do it just to get it over with. Life is better without that maddening tingle

[supthecreek]

well BoBby... you're on your way.
Get er' done and see you post "shot" on that Big Foote 

Forget about CCBC.... that's the last thing you need to do to your neck, arms, yada yada....  lay down in June, and hang with me on "the Boat" for CCBC... it's good fun and a lot easier the next day 

[stoneaxe]

Those are exactly the issues I'm having. Constant pain and weakness in my left arm, pins and needles on the right from the shoulder to my fingers comes and goes depending on neck position. It's mostly c5/c6 but c6/c7 is shaky too. Glad to hear you had good results. I'm still hoping it ends up being unnecessary but based on his comments it likely will be required.

Post shot nothing, I'm getting that next Wednesday... I'm going out Saturday, probably stay local south shore. I was just glad to hear him say I wasn't in danger of doing more damage than if it was normal.

 This is the doc I'm seeing.
http://newenglandorthoandspine.com/parazin.aspx

[stoneaxe]

I'd love to hang out on the boat but Sue says she gets to order me around on the ground. Gonna have to work on that....still hoping to paddle though if the surgery doesn't happen.

Just realized my doc looks like a slightly younger version of you....

[stoneaxe]

Appointment with my other doc on the 18th. This was to be just a typical 2 year check on my head but I've told him about the cyst and we'll review the films. I trust his opinion more than anyone. I don't think he would be the one to take care of it but he'll point me in the right direction. I'm really hoping that some of the problems I'm having are from the cyst. The damn thing is the size of a 5 year old's hand.

[sterbo]

Disc surgery? No. But it's starting to crop up as an option - unfortunately.

In my early 20's I was framing a house in Malibu and took a free fall backwards off of an upper floor. Total distance was about 15 feet. Half way through the fall the only thing I hit was the back crook of my neck on an open floor joist about 8 feet down. Massively whiplashed as I fell the rest of the way to the dirt crawl space below.

Saw stars but didn't black out. Got up when I could tell all seemed to be working, went home and rested, then went back to work a couple days later.
Was a testament to youth I suppose. Living on the beach, I was in great shape and had been surfing day in and day out since I was fourteen. That, and swinging a hammer all day long for years. Dumb, since I went back to work without seeing a doctor of some kind, but then I didn't know any better and the contractor never suggested it.
I was fine for almost 9 months until one afternoon when I grabbed my board and while checking the wave, stepped off a step 7 inches from the sand. I twisted a little bit. but whatever, no biggie. Next morning when I woke and went to get up I got  jolts of pain like nothing I'd ever imagined. Couldn't move without going into massive spasms.
A friend came over and took me to her chiropractor (who happened to be blind). He worked on me and within 3 days it was like nothing had ever happened.

Problem was though that my life has never been the same since. For the last 50 years or so I've had to deal with my back - neck and lower - 'going out' without any seeming reason. It's just become a part of my life. When I was fine, I was great. No impairment whatsoever. I've surfed, sailed, climbed, biked, rowed, paddled etc., all these years. Have managed to keep strong and to my fighting weight - same now as I was when I was in my late teens. However, at any moment, any time without warning my back will go south on me. X-rays have always shown no bony injury so my issues have been exclusively muscular / ligamental.
My key to managing the episodes - some mild, some excruciatingly painful and debilitating - has been chiropractic and deep tissue work. Can't even begin to express how fortunate I've been to have these modalities work as well as they have throughout all these years.

Fast forward to a few years ago when out of the blue I started noticing a rather mild sense of tingling / numbness in my toes of both feet when I was walking. It came and went and was simply a curiosity for me since it was so mild, fleeting and never impacted me in any way adversely. That is, until about 3 months ago when I was being worked on my a masseuse. She had worked her way to my upper hamstring and WHAM, she inadvertently hit what could only have been my sciatic nerve. It lit me up like nothing I'd ever experienced; much like if I'd grabbed a hold of a high voltage line. That massive shot of pain jolted all the way down my leg into the bottom of my right foot. That said, it started to subside immediately and was gone within 5 minutes or so.
That night I woke up just before dawn and that tingling numbing sensation that had been quite mild, transitory and only out in my toes, was now quite strong and covered the whole bottom of my right foot. Within a month it had moved to both feet and in a couple of months was everywhere except above my neck. When I tilt my head forward my whole body feels as if I I'm hooked up to a low voltage battery - more or less like a TENS machine without the pulsing, just steady and constant. No pain, just an all encompassing electrical current surging though out. Bizarre.
Since then it's remained more or less constant 24/7.
About a month ago i told my doctor to schedule me an MRI and a set of x-rays, the results of which concern C4 thru C6 and then L2 thru S1 -disk bulging, moderate to severe degeneration, stenosis, nerve impingement, etc.

While I'm seriously concerned about the ramifications of what the scans are showing relative to my history of back pain along with the fact I'm getting older, the thing that's driving me crazy at the moment is this constant issue with my feet. It never stops - heavy tingling, electrical charge, numbness like I'm walking on layers of uneven gauze. it really sucks.

Will be meeting with a PM&R Specialist this coming week.

Regarding this 'heavy tingling, electrical charge, numbness' constant and throughout most of my body. Has anyone here experienced this?

Sorry for the long post but this is messing with my life in a huge way and unlike prior history, is not responding to bodywork, exercise, stretching etc.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[easy]

Sterbo,
   IMO you need to take immediate action and find out if surgery is called for. You're facing potential permanent nerve damage.  You may have stenosis, bone spurs, or disc damage, or all the above.  If you allow the nerve problems you're having to continue you may sustain permanent nerve damage. I'm not a doctor but I am fused at c5, c6, c7,  and t7,t8,  and  L4,L5, S1.  Three separate successful surgeries that eliminated my nerve problems.  These surgeries were all done in a timely manner.  Find a good surgeon, very important!!  Surgery is a last resort, sometimes!  Sometimes it is the only real option.  Just my opinion, but I have been through it three times.

      Easy

[sterbo]

easy -

Loud and clear. Thanks for the feedback.

And yes, based on the last round of scans, I do have rather extensive stenosis, a few disc protrusions, arthritis, and nerve impingement. No bone spurs.
I had a steroidal injection late last year which didn't help. Rather, the cortisone wreaked havoc with my nervous system for a week. That sucked.
I'm seeing a specialist day after tomorrow.

You've had three surgeries? Any advice on the pros and cons etc?

stoneaxe -

You say "Constant pain and weakness in my left arm, pins and needles on the right from the shoulder to my fingers comes and goes depending on neck position."

Can you describe the pain for us? How does the 'weakness' manifest? Once this all started for you, did you experience right off, those symptoms or did they slowly creep up on you over time?

Pretty scary stuff, all this...