giveitback

howis everything going,did you see a surgen,are going for surgury.havnt heard from you

[giveitback]

HI,

Been good, u?  Am having discectomy - waiting for insurance authorization and a surgery date. When is your surgery?

[alinpain]

oh,i thought you were having a fusion,good i hope this works for you.im getting my emg today for my whole right side,tomorrow i see my surgen,ill know then ...i hope its this week,ive gotten worse and cant walk very far anymore

[MARGARETG]

ive been reading your logs and really have to say it nice to have such a positive additude here
its ussaully pretty gloomy in here and positive feedback can make a world of difference....
please let me know how your doing?
god bless and best wishes...
i would like to discuss some of the surgerys youve had and get some feed back
im debating getting surgery myself
fusion l4 l5 s1
well god bless and hope all goes well

[alinpain]

im going in 26th oct..surgury

[giveitback]

Well, thank you very much for your kind words. It really doesn't do anyone any good to complain, it's just as easy to think positively, so I choose that route instead. However, I completely understand people needing to vent as they are very frustrated and in pain. It's particularly difficult when people are hurting and just want relief, you know? Trust me, I have my moments of aggravation - mostly at not being able to count on myself - I am hoping this surgery will put me back in charge of my life.

I haven't had any surgery yet. I am scheduled for a disectomy October 18th. What is your situation? Have you had other surgeries? How are you weighing the question "to have surgery or not"? What treatments have you had?

God Bless to you as well!  : )

Cheers!

[MARGARETG]

i have three bulging disc l4 l5 s1 i wrote a book on pg one to alinpain but to make it short had an injury at age 4 and not diagnosed correct until 2 yr ago at 38 it seem i either broke my back or came very close to breaking it in a accident, but my collarbone was shattered and that was the obvious injury so later in life i was diagnosed withscolios and wore a brace on and off but can rember my back hurting so bad i used to set and rock banging into the wall cause any other pain was better than that what little kids will do lol...
but ive had 8 injections in 14 month epidurals steriod facet joint and nerve blockers none helped so a new surgoen wanted a disco grahm and found three disc bad l4 l5 s1 and wanted me to get a second oppion also so he sent me to a dr in his building but not in his group who agreed a fusion l4l5 s1 and also said opening the hole for scatica  also, ive had pain pretty much my whole life this i know
its filmilar it hurts and i have numbness and pins and needles all the wa down the caft anfd foot i also get a tightening so bad i can see my big toe lift up and the rest arch down the only thing that helps this is massaging it, i have sharp grion pain and the radiating pain down my butt to my calf and in the front of my thigh its all there but i know this feeleing and as bad as it can get at time its still what i know as for surgery just nit knowing scares me , im a coward ,,, in need the yellow brick road and the wizard LOL any ways there just waiting for me to say do it....
any advice?
well thanks for listening and best of luck  

[giveitback]

Hellooooooooo, you are anything but a coward! To have gone through your entire life feeling like this, you are a saint. (well, not really, maybe a silly one!) just kidding. No person can be considered a coward who has had to put up with as much as you have. And now, you are finally able to get some relief and you are questioning whether or not it is the right thing? Do you want to keep suffering? Do you not want to live a "normal" life - don't you think you deserve that?

My opinion: IF you trust your doctors completely and IF they have told you there is a huge chance you will benefit from this surgery, I would do it. Even if you end up 50% better than you are now, that is a big improvement in your life, don't you think? This is what my doctor said to me that made me feel confident in him: "If it were me and my life was disrupted the way yours is, I would have it done. I would not consider doing surgery on you if I did not feel you would benefit from it" He also said, "what are you going to say to me if you do not gain relief" and I told him "I will thank you for giving it all your effort and will learn to deal with what I have" - he was appreciative of that response and we were totally honest with each other.

I am not sure as to what you mean by "not knowing" - is it that you don't know what the outcome of the surgery is going to be? That is what your doctors are there for - to tell you the benefits and the possible set backs of the procedure. You should not go into any surgery without all of your questions answered and with peace of mind. A good surgeon is more than willing to lay it all out for you and answer all your questions - he/she will also tell  you that nothing is a sure thing (nothing is life is either).

I would hate for you to continue your life in pain. There is no nobility carrying around pain, it is not God's plan for us. He gave us this beautiful life and it's our job to make the most of it. I can understand your fear, believe me, but you need to trust in the doctors and believe in God to help you through. (Sometimes easier said than done, I know).

These are all my OPINIONS - I hope they were somewhat helpful and not offensive.

Keep in touch!

Cheers!

[MARGARETG]

by no means could you offend me.
and the doctor say's he can gaurantee 80% better in my lags and at least 60% better in my back, he said he's gotten 100% before more than once but never tells people to expect that, so i guess ill get it done, now o just need to get the physical from my family doctor and a release from him, required..
no hearing people that have never experienced pain like this talk like whats the big deal, my back was hurting yesterday and im fine now have no idea! god bless my husband he keeps saying just get it done whats the big deal, he just dont get it... i know the pain should be enough for me to hust do it but its a big step.... but he'll be there with me through it all and for that im grateful..already he's been stepping up after working all day by the time i get home all i want to do is take a pain pill and lay on the heating pad , doing laundry or vaccumning absolutly kill me , so hes been doing these things.,
not as often as i would do them but beggers cant be picky lol
well thank you for your input  appreciated and god bless, he's watching over all of us specially in our time of need, this i truley believe....

[giveitback]

You don't have to be a betting person to know those are pretty good odds! I would do it if I were you. It's not only you who will benefit from living more comfortably, your husband will as well.
You say "when you get home" so I am assuming you are able to work? That is pretty amazing. I have not been able to work in almost a year. Does your job require a lot of sitting or standing?
Do you ever get stiffness in your hip that sort of "locks up"? Just curious. Also, when you sit down to drive, does your inner thigh go nuts?
I know what you mean how people who have not experienced such pain really cannot understand. Most people have had a backache and figure that everyone's backache is similar. They may think "why don't you just get over it and move on" you know?
When do you think your surgery will be? This month? November? Just think, maybe you could be feeling much better by the time the holidays roll around or at least on your way!
Cheers!

[alinpain]

i agree with your opinions to margareta

[MARGARETG]

my job is pretty flexable, i sit until i start hurting (tailbone, innerthight nerve shooting pain, or just the pins and needles get to bad) then i get up go for a walk so its pretty laid back, i sellautoparts and am the only female in my dept. so they know the situation and have know problem helping me out.
not sure trying to quit smoking now  2nd day so far , they say this helps with recover as much as therapy..lol boy does it stink though..
but probally nov. he's said hes ussually booked in dec. most people what because there deductables..
well god bless and my prayers are with you...

[giveitback]

I am glad you are having your surgery soon - you better take care of yourself this time and don't do anything foolish. My doctor told me that although the surgery I am going in for: microdiscectomy is a minimally invasive surgery, it is still a major surgery and needs to be treated as such. In other words, people get to thinking they are "good to go" and that's how they end up injuring themselves again - know anybody like that? LOL  maybe you?

Don't worry, just go in with a positive attitude and have faith. Give it to God to handle and you concentrate on recovering. I know, sounds easy enough to say, doing is another thing. Just think how good you are going to be once you let yourself recover - try not to worry about your finances and your family. Once you are recovered, you will be able to take care of them once again. There is nothing you can do for them in your current situation, so you really have no option but the surgery. Your options begin after your recovery!

Good luck to you!

[giveitback]

Again, that is great that you can work and that there are understanding employees. Quitting smoking will greatly increase your recovery time and help with the healing. I know it's a hard nut to crack and this is probably a very difficult time for you to quit. When we hurt, we want comfort and I imagine you get that slightly with the cigarettes. We will take the comfort where we can get it! I wish you good luck there.
So, did you insurance finally approve the surgery then? That's good you will have it soon. I am very excited about mine coming up in three days!
Hope you have a less-pain day!
Cheers!

[MARGARETG]

thank you for your incouragent and the smokiing thing isnt to bad really, i just keep telling myself that if i smoke ill have to go through it all over again so i can hold out...
what part of the country are you in? hope things go well.
are you having the fusion?
prayers and happy well wishes....

[chadry]

Hey congratualtions on the smoking. I have been trying to quit for the last 3 weeks. Been smoking too many years and I know it is not helping me. Now that I am home all the time it is more difficult to quit. I always end up giving in. I will go almost the whole day and then blow it and have a few puffs that leads to another few puffs. You know the story. Keep up the good work. 3 days and it is out of your system and then it is just a mental thing. I can not get over the getting it out of my system part, but I am not giving up on myself. I know I can do it. Did it before years ago and went smoke free for 2 years then picked it up again one day when I was very stressed out. It is best to do it now before you have to go in for your surgery, It will help with the recovery and you certainly don't want to be in a hospital craving a smoke. That should be the last of your concerns at that time. Give yourself  a great big pat on your back and I will let you know when I finally give in and throw it away. It will be soon.
Chadry

[MARGARETG]

i just woke up and decided today was it, i even bought a pack out of habit bt havent opened them
and every time i want one i remeber how hard the first day was and i dont want to go through that again...JUST SO IT ITLL GET BETTER EACH DAY
good luck

[alinpain]

once again i would like to thank you for your inspiration and kind words and always not letting me forget who is really got the plan here........GOD ABOVE!!!!!!!!
and i wont forget it,its very nice for being in pain yourself you always make room for kind words for someone else,may god also be with you.and i have been starting to read a little book about what it might be like in heaven,and i talked to my mentor at church sunday and i feel a lot better knowing im in gods hands,what ever the out come im sure its in his plan for me.
you are a inspiration for people on here and its nice you do that,just when your better,please continue,im sure we all need to hear kind words sometimes,and the mention of god could save someone,bring them to church,
god bless-al

[MARGARETG]

my prayers are with  you, and i hope for a pain free future that will allow you yto live life to the fullest!!!!!!!!!!!
god bless

[MARGARETG]

my prayers are with  you, and i hope for a pain free future that will allow you yto live life to the fullest!!!!!!!!!!!
god bless