How many surgerys for a herniated disk can a person have on the same disk?

[pofdog]

I had surgery in 1994...and again just last Feb.20 2007. Both times for herniated disks L5S1 pressing on nerves and compression of the thecal sac.  I was never fully releived of pain and symptoms allthough the major pain in my left leg was alot better.  2 weeks post-op, the pain started comming back, but in BOTH legs. By the 3rd week I was in worse pain than before surgery. Just found out I have ANOTHER herniated disk on the same disk i had the other 2 and is pressing "mildly" on the right nerve root. I am in alot of pain in both legs, even though my doc. says it should only be in the right leg. I allso have a buldging disk at L4 L5 that is "mildly" larger compared to the MRI last OCT.
  Anyway...I see my disk is about the thickness of a hair compared to the rest. How much more can they cut out? Is it reason for a "fusion" now? My family doc. don't have any idea about that and I haven't seen my surgeon since getting the MRI results yet?
  Allso, there are many people that don't have surgery for a herniated disk..but what about when it is on a nerve?...MY LAST ONE! lol...any comment from anyone would be nice...this is so frustrating and ggogleing it isn't telling me anything.

Thanx.

[alinpain]

im no expert but you sound like you are suffering to much,dont you think surgury is better then living like this .........at least you have a shot
im doing it, fusion l4 l5 next month, and what you say about what your going through sounds worse then me,,all i know is im tired of living like this and i dont know what kind of damage im getting on my back for waiting so long,i just dont want to hear IF YOU CAME TO ME SOONER......
pain is a sighn of something wrong,and i do stretches and pt,pool therapy.ive trid a lot of things .all i get is somewhat temperraraly relief (my spelling) sorry
god bless, al

[mourningpain]

I had 5 surgeries on l5-s1. the last ending in fusion and great relief from the pain the l5-s1 disc pain. Good Luck!

[pofdog]

No...I haven't tried anything else yet. I have been through it before and nothing worked, and everything they did only made me worse.  Then they have no compassion for the pain i'm in...
  Another thing if anyone can help. So...2 weeks post-op and i am in worse pain. Another MRI shows a NEW herniated disk on the same disk and pressing the right S1 nerve root. It also shower the buldging disk above that has grown a little since the last MRI a few months ago. Then...only 2 days past the new MRI...I was in a car as my friend put on the breaks and turned right. I felt instantly paralized with the pain starting at the bottom where the herniation is...then like a wave to the middle of the back with a bad pain/stab that stopped in the middle. And now it hurts there too and headaches and muscle spasm's everywhere. From middle back to toes. Is it possible that somehow I just got ANOTHER herniated disk in the MIDDLE of my back? Or even all the disks leaing to it? Because it ALL hurts now. But the pain in the middle is the stabbing just like the lower?
  I am just going nuts here because I am not doing anything to hurt myself...can't work..going to take forever to get on social security and it doesn't seem like my docs are going to support me. Like they think all surgerys are cure alls. My surgeon don't believe in prescribing anything more than vicodin either. Thank God my family doc. is working with me.
  

[MKappelmann]

Have you tried any type of traction or decompression? I hear that works for some.