Herniated disc

[Aligvg]

Hello,

I am a 29 year old female and hurt myself doing yard work. I had been diagnosed with a small herniated disc in my lower back. Lumbar l-5. I have been dealing with back pain since April 2015. I've already been treated by a chiropractor for 8 weeks with no relief. I then Was referred to a pain management doctor and had a total of three epidurals and still no relief. My pain is so bad that I can't stand for more then 5 minutes at a time and have pain all around my back and pelvic area, And all the way down my legs. And basically everything I do causes me pain.  My pain management is recommending I see a neurosurgeon.  I've scheduled an appointment to see someone next week but I do not know what to expect. Is surgery my best option?  I can't deal with the pain much longer. I feel like I'm going to go crazy.  What type of surgery would give me the best result? Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

[Aligvg]

I've already tried the lidocaine patches, and they do not work. Doing any type of physical therapy or exercise really is uncomfortable and I don't want to hurt myself anymore then I already am.  I'm at the point in my life where I'm ready for babies, and I need this pain to go away ASAP.

[caregiver222]

Well - go to the website of Dr. Jerome Groopman who has some articles on this kind of surgery. It is called a laminectomy and should be a very last resortt. They key is to use a surgeon who has done a lot of them, in  a facility that has done a lot of them. This makes for an uncomfortable question you must ask: "Doctor, how many of these procedures have you done in the last month, and year?" Ask for a 3T MRI and try physical therapy with another person before you agree to surgery. Try a transdermal lidocaine patch (no more than 12 hours a day) and what is called a TENS device. If these two options have not been discussed by your pain management consultant, find another pain manager.