[on pause]

Hi
This is my first post on here so bear with me...I'll give you the "Cole's Notes" first, its a long, somewhat detailed post!

2001- L5/S1 herniation, pain, sciatica, misdiagnosed
2002- L4/L5 herniation, pain, sciatica, many treatments tried
2003- Microdiscetomy surgery at both levels, reherniated the L5/S1 3 weeks later
2003-2008 tried a range of conservative treatments, no success, reduced quality of life
2008- severe left herniation at L5/S1, sciatic nerve damaged beyond repair, leg pain, weakness, numbness, especially in foot
2010- L4/L5 herniation, quit school, on disability support, surgery options being explored: 2 level fusion, 2 level lamenectomy (in 2 surgeries), disc replacement at one level, fusion at the other.


Back in 2001 (I was 13), I herniated my L5/S1 disc while throwing a ball. Due to an incompetent family doc and my age this was misdiagnosed as a pulled muscle. I eventually recovered somewhat and returned to baseball.

In 2002, I herniated the L4/L5 disc in the same manner. Again, diagnosed as a pulled muscle but the pain never went away in either side, and I had severe sciatica in both legs. MRI showed severe herniation at both levels. I tried physio, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, several nerve blocks and medications, no success.

In 2003 had a microdiscetomy at both levels. While I was still barely recovering from surgery (which didn't relieve symptoms), I reherniated the L5/S1 disc again, just to the other side simply stepping out of the shower! I was in even more pain than pre-surgery and missed a year of high school trying to recover via conservative methods.

The pain eased a bit but never went away. My lifestyle was severely restricted (no sitting/standing/walking more than 30mins, which sucks when you are a teen!) I was able to complete high school a year after my friends and eventually made it to university in 2006.

The pain seemed to worsen during this time, so I became a part-time student in work load, though paying full time fees so I could use my parent's insurance for meds and treatments not covered by OHIP.

In October 2008, I reherniated the L5/S1 disc simply sitting in a chair, and this was the worst of the bunch by far! The disc bulged out 2.4 cm and destroyed the sciatic nerve root. I woke one day with the worst pain in my life; horrible spasms that wouldn't end, numbness, weakness, pain and odd sensations into my left leg and foot. I had to be hospitalized to help manage it as I was screaming more or less non-stop and not really coherent (I kept saying the same phrases over and over without realizing it). The next few days it eased and I have been without feeling in much of my left leg and with severe pain, sensitivity and just plain weirdness in my left foot since. I also lost reflexes in that foot and knee. I'm told this is permanent.

I never truly recovered from this incident. I was taking one course a semester in school, could not work again, and my life restrictions became even more severe! I could no longer go see a movie, go to lunch/dinner in a restaurant, walk my dog, nada! My social life disappeared and I lost contact with most friends during this time. I became severely depressed after being bounced from one doc to the next, many of whom said my problem was "in my head" or that "I was too fat" as if losing a few pounds would fix it! (By the way, I'm 5'10 and weighed 160lbs at the time...hardly fat!). It seemed my situation was hopeless. I gave up on taking meds that ave me bad reactions and just learned to deal with it and try to move on with my life. I also had to walk with a cane after this incident, as I took a few falls when my leg suddenly "gave out".

Most recently, I have herniated the L4/L5 disc again but to the right. If you can believe it, I was lying down when I felt the 'pop'! I now have severe sciatica down the right leg with some weakness and tingling. I have had to quit school as I could no longer afford to pay for classes then have to drop out half way through a semester without refunds. I still can't work and I am more or less housebound and must lie down most of my days. I feel I'm losing my mind from boredom and inactivity.

I finally found 2 doctors willing to help me out and truly LISTEN to what I'm telling them is happening in my life. I now have a few cards on the table surgically though neither seems overly optimistic about my outcome, but I have to try!

One option is fusion at both levels, though one doc said I would need to be in every 5-10 years for more surgery for life. Hardly seems like fun! another option is a lamenectomy at both levels, though done in 2 separate surgeries. My third option is disc replacement at the L5/S1 level, see how that works out, then fusion at L4/L5 if it is still troublesome.

It's a lot to take in and I honestly don't know which option is best, which is why I'm here! I would love to hear about your experiences with these surgeries (or others for similar problems) to help me make the best possible decision. No one wants to have surgery every few months, so I'm hoping to avoid that path. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Christina