Degenerative Disc Disease

-
Twodko said:
This thread has hit home big time for me. First of all, your pain and mobility issues demand and have demanded a proactive invasive approach for quite awhile now. At this juncture you're lucky you have not suffered irreversible paralysis. Your choices are over.
I had S1-L3 fused with instrumentation in late 2009. Turns out the culprits were genetic DDD, military and occupational. I was 55. Afterwards I felt like I had anew lease on life and
lived like it..........AND did a lot of damage to the massive amount of spinal slice 'n dice I'd undergone.
After I lost my beloved wife to Fahr's Syndrome early last year my spinal problems got to the point where I too had no quality of life. By the grace of God I was able to take care of my sweet bride in our house until she was called home. It was my honor and privilege to be my wife's sole caregiver and I'm deeply grateful to have been able to do so.
This past May the quality of my life plummeted. When my gal died I lost the med insurance we had through her retirement plan. I could have continued making Cobra payments but who has that kind of money right? Turns out I was eligible for healthcare through the VA....40+ years after the fact. I asked them for help in May and in June underwent a 7 hour
fandango and another 2 hour dance in July. They had to do a "revision" of the original surgery - read repairing lots of damage and then fusing and bolting L3-L2. It's been 2 weeks or so now since I had to take an oxycodone for pain except for one day (the day I bought the Dart). I'm holding my own with ibuprofen and Tylenol and am able to walk without a cane although I still carry one on my "weak" days just in case but my back still hurts, my right leg still gets very weak, my balance is still compromised and my ice pack is still my best friend. I'm now 61 just and my recovery is slow, gotta love getting older. My overall health was/is good but I have an extra stone or two I wish I wasn't carrying around. Weight is a ***** to lose as we age despite how healthy our diets/lifestyle are and the reality is its too late to be thinking about losing weight now.
Pardon my diatribe here but my points are these.
PROTECT YOUR BACK AT ALL COSTS THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE. Do you hear me all you young bucks out there? We've all been invincible in our lives, we've also been issued only one spine.
DONT EVER LET ANY SAWBONES TOUCH YOUR SPINE IF THERE ARE ANY VIABLE OPTIONS.
Laser this, injection that, PT, accu whatever etc are bandaids nothing more.
IF PUSH COMES TO SHOVE....AND YOU ARE BEING SHOVED NOW, ITS BETTER TO TAKE THE KNIFE, SUFFER THROUGH RECOVERY AND REGAIN 70-90% OF YOUR OLD MOBILE CAPABLE SELF THAN DO NOTHING AND GET THE CHAIR.
Yes, you may still have to take some form of Rx pain meds or maybe not. Spinal surgery is at best a crap shoot plain and simple. You will be making hard choice permanent lifestyle changes after your surgery. If you don't you'll get the chair. For me, I will never restore another car. I'll never lift anything over 25-30lbs again and where I'm at in June of 2015 is where I'll be the rest of my life. It looks like I'll be about 75-80% of normal and I'm damned glad for that. This is reality for me.
Don't let them do anymore than what you've discussed. Keep in mind that once they get you open they may find other damage they must repair.......the "crap shoot" thing.
Understand that you will never be 100% again and that losing weight will be an even greater challenge after your surgery.
This is tough and scary to hear......have all of your affairs in order.....again the "crap shoot" thang. The upside is med technology is far better now than it was even a couple years ago so be positive, be strong and fight like hell to recover.
While you are recovering find a public swimming pool that offers a gentle water aerobics/fitness class tailored for folks like us. Sign up for it and go 2-3 weekly. Believe me, it's one of the best things you can do for yourself other than another Mopar, 70 virgins and "that " lotto ticket.

I'll look forward to hearing you ***** and complain after your surgery. You'll be walking and you'll be alive.

Look this bastard right in the eye and drag its nasty *** through the gates.

Tom
Click to expand...

Alot of truth in these statements. I have been through 2 diskectomies on the same disk in my lower back and a cervical fusion. 3 surguries total. A recent mri has showed that the repaired disc is now ruptured again and the disk above the neck fusion is herniated. Also several other (6 total) herniated discs throughout my spine. next time in my back 4 discks need fused

Some days are bettter than others . Celebrix is my best friend. I totally agree with the above statements that once you have issues it becomes about lifestyle change. Once you have issues you need to consciously take precautions to not further accelerate or risk further damage.
 
64 SRT8 Dart & GeorgeH et al,

Guys pardon me for losing focus in my post about other things
instead of being supportive to you.
Still trying to fill a void that's unfillable so I drift a bit these days.

Tom
 
Twodko said:
64 SRT8 Dart & GeorgeH et al,

Guys pardon me for losing focus in my post about other things
instead of being supportive to you.
Still trying to fill a void that's unfillable so I drift a bit these days.

Tom
Click to expand...

no need to worry about anything we are all brothers and sisters here and if it gave you even one second of relief from any of your pains i will gladly read every drifting post you wanna write.
 
Hope you can hold out on the surgery exspecialy on the lower back area. Everything I researched and what has been posted here is 50/50 on the lower back. But with all the advancement in the field I'm hoping in a couple years it will be a better out come. My Doc said they are getting close to being able to have replacement discs not the fake ones but your own grown in a lab. Star Track stuff LOL Keep up with the weight loss and good job!

I had neck surgery C4-C5 and what a difference can feel my hand again still have some pain but not near what it was! The Doc that did that said try and hold out on lower back. Nerve pain is a something that you cannot understand unless you have it so feel you there. Have the pain in the a$$, hip,and someone peeing fire down the back of my right leg. But I get the shots in the back do the stretching in the morning and move around and work through the pain.

But if I was not able to function like you I would look at the surgery but keep in mind like posted on here that they can cut the tissue out that is pinching the nerve that it might cause more scaring that can later get you. Goes to the old saying " Damned if you do Damned if yo don't"

The shots help some 3-5 weeks but here is the thing with masking the pain for me. That is my body telling me to stop doing stupid stuff to it. (I know for some of you its just so you can get going period understand that) At some point I relized I cannot do what I used to do.

Not saying I don't do it I just have to do it another way like rebuild an engine had to get a stool with back support to work on top end. Use a bench and chair with lumbar support to work on the small stuff. Use the engine hoist to lift stuff I would have just horsed around. I'm not that old (42) but have the back of a seventy year old when you look at x-Rays and MRIs lots of cutting wood and ranch work when younger and then the Military.

With all that said Best of Luck! Will follow along on your journey.
 
1970 Dart little high jacking,
Tom,
Man that is what sites like this is for. At least for me also have PTSD and some other stuff. To me it's good therapy to get it out. And get support even if the folks are hundreds if not more miles away. Also people who work on old cars I find are usually helpful in other ways!
Best of Luck!
 
Thank for your generous compassion friends. I'm finding this forum
to be as a tight knit family like the Dodge Charger forum is.

Tom
 
Ya I get lost in some of these multiple page posts. Brain wonders a little. Should have seen me degree my cam in my engine. Now that was Funny.
 
Oxcarbazepine (trileptal) seems to help lower extremity pain better than gabapentin and doesn't make me sleepy. Muscle tension seems to be a big factor as mentioned earlier. After having surgeries I've noticed that for days after anesthesia that the pain is better. This last round I was taking half as many pain pills after the surgery for something totally unrelated. Relax and stretch those muscles and build core strength where you can.
 
No pain meds. Multiple mild TBI ( Traumatic Brain Injuries ) form Blasts in Iraq and having my head bashed around in stupid Up armored trucks.
 
I also have DDD. But mine is in my very lower back. They said I am to young for surgery & its a 50/50 chance it will not work. Injection is 50/50% it will work. Phys. therapy did not work ( I could of told them that). Back brace ? didn't work. Steroids ? didn't work. The longer I am on my feet the worse it gets. There only advice- disability I feel your pain my friend
 
Mine is in the L-5 S-1 area and my doctor has modified my work schedule because I am usually on the road 13-14 hours and 250-300 miles and that is no good. I am working towards losing weight ( down 40 pounds since April) I need to lose another 40 or so pounds then I will have the option for surgery of I decide to take it.


I'm not sure if work will be able to work with the current restrictions and if not they will prob place me on short term disibility.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top