Back Problems

[dshobbies]

On another post, Aaron started me thinking. Most people, at some point in their lives, will have back pain but like me, most are unaware their back could actually be injured. I believe a chiropractor, someone who should have known better, actually ruptured my disc, causing an emergency surgery which ultimately led me to a 3 level ADR. Having suffered with muscle spasms my entire adult life, as did many members of my family with a smiliar trait of one leg longer than the other, I had no idea what a herniated disc was, despite the fact that I knew two people who had discectomies.

Are doctors so accustomed to these quite common muscle spasms, which can be quite severe, that they simply pat everyone's knee with a 'there, there now', slap on a band-aid type response with muscle relaxers or perhaps pt and never look for something more severe, preferring to believe their patient is overreacting?

We here this time and time again.

On the other hand, you have surgeons so eager to cut that they prefer, knowing the possible consequences of altering someone's spine forever, to recommend a major, life changing, surgery instead of and before exploring less invasive cures. I guess we just can't win.

Aaron, before the masses start to address back issues or begin to even care, they have to be made aware of those issues. I currently have two neighbors suffering with herniated discs but are basically uneducated about what it is. Everyone is too willing and eager to believe their doctor is always correct and knows best.

This is why we urge fellow spineys to get second and third opinions... and also why we say your doctor/surgeon is the most important decision in your quest for a pain free life.

[Maria]

Well, I have admit when I first was diagnosed I would have never considered going to a chiropractor however many people I knew with disc related problems did and some had good results, some maintained, and some worsened. Sort of like the rest of the population with the whatever treatment we're given.

If injectable Toradol had been around back in the day of my first terrible muscle spasms I sure would have liked to known if it would make the difference it does now w/low back and neck spasms for me.

My spine history goes back 28 years tho and I think I've tried conservative and invasive measures with almost equal attempts however maybe the latter before the former with regard to the 2nd discectomy. And I may not have been the right patient selection for that surgery, may have been surgeon or even surgical instrument culpability or all 3 .. or more.

More recently what I have to give credit to is my OSS who I have seen over the last 15 years however only in the last two years have I been complaining about feeling really stupified with medication use and not until most recently when I actually used the word "euphoric" and phrase "like I'm stoned" did he suggest decreasing the Neurontin and I'm so thankful he did as I was stuck on decreasing my pain medication which I ultimately did but only by 2.5mg daily so far in a number of months.

Have actually decreased the Neurontin by two thirds a dose so now on 600mg/day and considering going down by another 300mg "just to see" as I've been on this dose now for about a week.

It does take people listening to us no matter who, what and where they are and if I were one of these spine specialists I'd still want to have the best possible diagnostics at my hands before condemning someone to one diagnostic label or another.

The decision to have surgery is still always up to the patient unless it's an emergent situation and one is not conscious or able to make his or her own decisions.

What I've kind of stuck with in the last 5 years is if I'm really questioning something too much or not feeling right about it on some level then I won't do it and that includes less invasive techniques than spine surgery. Also I've sort of pushed myself into a corner in the past maybe for the wrong reason re having more surgery like my place of employment already had my replacement hired for the 8 week period I requested off or that I would lose that time slot or that the ADA had just come into place like I thought that might help me somehow...?? Now that I'm not employed at least that hasn't been a major consideration/deciding factor for me with the last proposed surgery and I'm glad it wasn't. Not sure if I would have made the same decision had I still been employed.

Now I am someone that is doing much better in the last 5 years than I have for a number of years tho so take whatever I say with a grain of salt and just as my own humble opinion and one that seems to have worked "for me" of late.