Back surgery

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311racer · #1 Post by **311racer** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:14 pm

Well I found out about a month ago that I have broken my L 5 vertebrae and have two bulging disks that are pinching my sciatic nerve. The Dr. wants to remove the back half of the L5 and fuze it to my tail bone. I'm worried, so I'm going to get a second opinion. So my racing days may have come to an end. I'm very sad and worried at the same time. So there maybe a Walsh Cannondale up for sale soon.

kdeal · #2 Post by **kdeal** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:23 pm

Sorry to hear that 311racer. Keep your head up and don't forget you will have lots of support from the community. Good luck with what ever you choose and keep us posted.

thedeatons · #3 Post by **thedeatons** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:44 pm

Doesn't mean you can't still cruise around on it!! Take up dune riding, it's a little smoother on quiet weekends than dirt....

peterock · #4 Post by **peterock** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:38 pm

Everyone that I have know with back problems, surgery was always the last option. When it came down to it, most were told something like only a 20% chance that any pain they were currently having would go away. 90% chance of loosing mobility.

Happyboy · #5 Post by **Happyboy** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 6:58 pm

good luck man. my bro just had surgery and came out with 0 pain. He had a bulging disc that was affecting his sciatic as well.

311racer · #6 Post by **311racer** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:53 pm

QUOTE (Happyboy @ Apr 17 2008, 02:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

good luck man. my bro just had surgery and came out with 0 pain. He had a bulging disc that was affecting his sciatic as well.

What did they do in his surgery?

RonDK · #7 Post by **RonDK** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:10 pm

QUOTE (311racer @ Apr 17 2008, 10:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well I found out about a month ago that I have broken my L 5 vertebrae and have two bulging disks that are pinching my sciatic nerve. The Dr. wants to remove the back half of the L5 and fuze it to my tail bone. I'm worried, so I'm going to get a second opinion. So my racing days may have come to an end. I'm very sad and worried at the same time. So there maybe a Walsh Cannondale up for sale soon.

I had a similar thing happen to my back. I have terrible pain shooting down my lower back, into my left leg, stopping at the knee. When the weather changes, it REALLY acts up. I feel like a walking weather radar! When I try to sit on motorcycles, bend over, or sleep, my left leg feels like it is dead and puffed up, with that "pins and needles" feeling. The pain mostly drives you nuts because it's always there. Anyways, I was given the horror story crap about back surgery too and I'm just going to ignore the doctor from now on. They told me surgery should be a last resort but think about it, the disc isn't going to just pop back in (unless you're lucky). They threw so many statistics about re-injury and phantom pain that it seemed like the surgery was performed by monkeys with hack saws. I had a talk with Mjollnir a while back and this is what he said:

QUOTE

I had a partial discectomy with laminectomy. The laminectomy is where they remove a tiny bit of a vertebrae in order to get to the disc. The discectomy is the removal of part of the disc. As far as I know, moving the disc back is not an option. There is a machine called the "Spina" process, as I recall, that basically stretches you out that the Spina people say works very well, but that wasn't an option for me. http://www.spinaprogram.com/

I have NO PAIN. The only pain I ever had from the time I woke up was regular incision pain at the entrance site, for about a week. I had a little bit of residual "phantom" pain in my leg, but very intermittant, and for about a month. I think it was from the nerve healing. I had this herniated disc for 3 years though, so you probably don't have the kind of nerve damage I did.

Heal time for me to be 100% was probably 2 months or so. 90% after maybe 3 weeks. Like I said, I was back to work in a week.

At 3 months after surgery, I spent a week in Glamis and rode every day. Had no issues at all. I am pain free still, 18 months post-surgery, and feel comfortable doing anything. I lift weights, ride when I want, pick up my kids without worry, carry them all up the stairs at once (they are 140 lbs combined). So I would say no, I don't need to take it easy at all. I even fell down a flight of stairs about a month after surgery, landing on my back on concrete, and was fine. Maybe some luck on that one... blink.gif

My neurosurgeon told me that once I was healed, I would be at no more risk of re-injuring that disc than I would any other disc.

For me personally, surgery is the best decision I have EVER made. I am a new man afterwards. I was completely useless for the 6 months before I had the surgery.

After reading this, I was really relieved. The doctors made surgery look like such a bad idea...I'm just glad someone shed some light on the subject. Don't give up and find some people that had surgery. It may be the best thing since Cannondales!

cannondale27 · #8 Post by **cannondale27** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 12:38 am

A buddy of mine is looking at same thing.Must be almost same one since he has the shooting pain in his leg also.Just do your research in getting a good surgeon.Try and get one who works on pro football players.I agree the surgery can work very well.Maybe make a recording of yourself in the morning complaining of the pain barely able to move as a reminder of after the surgery why you did it.Some people come out of the back surgeries with the wrong attitude and dont try to live with a minor pain here or there which is normal for everyone.The more active you are the better.Less to think about.Just start riding slow for awhile.Best therapy there is.Hope it all works out well.

2mike18 · #9 Post by **2mike18** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 1:14 am

sorry about your pain a coworker of mine had a piece of his hip grafted in his spine just below the skull. before the procedure his pain was unbearable and he was poping his loritab like candy. the pain went from his left side of the neck down through his arm,back and leg. after surgery it took sometime but he says now that he doesnt think he could imagine living without the procedure. his discs have fused as expected and he rides his harley as much as weather permits. he has a scar on his neck about 4 inches long as a reminder and his mobility is almost 100%. now I know almost 100% doesnt sound all the great but to not have the pain is his concern. he was also told surgery was a last option. i'm no doctor and dont know the termanology but I think its a lot like rolling dice some win and some lose. with all the advances in medical fields one would think no one loses after process like that. not sure this helps you at all and best of luck in your decision. hope it all works out for you.

Happyboy · #10 Post by **Happyboy** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 1:37 am

From what he explained to me they went in and cut out the bulging part of the disc then cut out a channel for the nerve to rest in without pressure. They may have fused some bone together. I will give him a shout and ask for some details.