New to the DDD game

[banhorn]

Hey guys,

I've been reading these forums for a while and thought I might try to solicit feedback.

A little about me and my diagnosis:

I’m a 33 year old father, husband and overlord to our cocker spaniel. I’m an avid practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga, play a great deal of ice hockey as a goaltender and really enjoy the outdoors with my young family. I’m 6′ tall, 165 pounds and in the best shape of my life. My diagnosis of Disc Degeneration at L4-5 with stenosis, really caught me out of left field. I’ve been unable to do any of the activities I love for 6 months and I’m worried about the problem degenerating further as I've learned that discs can't repair themselves.

Like everyone else here, I turned to the internet and have been reading feverishly for any help or information about the condition and have found a few resources that really help (this being one of them).

I'm in Canada and still waiting for an apointment with my local spine specialists, but I'm worried they might end up being as unhelpful as my GP and physiotherapist have been (suck it up and change your life). I've read so many forums and blogs espousing both the benefits and documenting some horrific outcomes of spinal surgeries and ADR. Talk about confusing and overwhelming.

My diagnosis:

L4-5: There is mild disc space narrowing, desiccation and a combination of fatty and edematous endplate signal changes. No paraspinal soft tissue swelling. There may be very minimal enhancement of the disc and adjacent vertebral bodies but this is quite subtle. There is a mild disc bulge identified, eccentric to the left along with a central annular fissure. Mild to moderate degenerative facet joint changes are seen bilaterally with mild thickening of the ligamentum flavum resulting in mild acquired central spinal stenosis and left lateral recess stenosis. There is moderate left and severe right foraminal stenosis predominantly related to encroaching facet degenerative change.

L3-4 show some mild facet degeneration, but nothing else really going on.

I've had one consulation with Mr. Nick Boeree in the UK that went very well regarding ADR, but I'm still waffling on surgery. My L4-5 has been problematic(bulges/sciatica) for about 10 years, but only recently began to degenerate and throw the rest of my lower back and activity levels into disaray.

I'm not sure what to do or where I'm even going with this post. I'm just looking for some next steps.

[newhere]

"My L4-5 has been problematic for about 10 years"....same here. im 25 now. disc degeneration with annular tear dalas grade 3. before some agresive treatment(fusion or ADR) i will go to SED. (selective endoscopic discectomy with annuloplasty)...it seems this is minimal procedure for treating DDD...can you describe me please your simptoms???

[longroadahead]

Are you in lots of pain? I am not a doctor but the findings didn't sound that bad.

[banhorn]

You're too young for this kind of problem!

-Pain in my back when bending forward/backward and twisting
-Can't sit for more than 45 minutes and it aches in bed
-Tingles come and go in my big toes on both feet
-Tingles down my left glute/hamstring now and then
-Pain sometimes on the front of my left shin

The radicular pain and tingles are certainly not constant and don't come close to the back pain.

I don't know if it's related, but every once in a while my sacroilliac joint gets tight and I have to do some exercises to re-balance it as well as pain/tightness in my left hip/groin. I'm guessing it's all related to the screwed up angles and angry muscles in my lumbar. These issues began with the back pain.

I'm only making guesses at this point as I wait to see a local specialist. I'm taking NSAIDs and can make do right now, but I don't know if I should be trying something more aggressive to become active again.

[dshobbies]

Hi banhorn and welcome,

Obviously we're all sorry you need to be here but glad you found us. Also too bad it's taken you a long time to see a specialist.

A problem with ADRs is they are very hard on facets which is why, with mild to moderate degeneration already, you may not be a candidate for an ADR. Other, less invasive surgeries may solve your problem or the more drastic fusion may be indicated. At 33, the problem with fusion is it may very well cause degeneration of adjacent discs. This is a problem regardless of age but with more time, more side effects.

I'm wondering, Mark, please comment here -are some of the newer ADRs safer and not contra-indicated with facet degeneration? Anyone else know about this?

Regardless banhorn, keep asking questions and find out as much as you possibly can before making any final decision. You have one chance to get this right. Your choice of doctors is a primary decision as well as whatever procedure you ultimately decide upon. Choose carefully!

Dale

[cherylstewart67]

Radiologist can give all the findings they want. One may give a completely different finding than another. One would think that they would go by the systems. It can become confusing...

[jsewell]

As far as i am concerned if you gave the mri or xray to 3 different people you will get 3 different answers. At least possibly.
I have had my thoracic discs not sound that bad and still cause unbelievable amounts of pain. So not a good comparison. You know how much this effects your life and you are way to young to be stopping activity.

I am a very active individual and spent years mountain trail running, then hiking after a hip replacement 2 years ago. Doc said no more running but anything else is ok. Now my spine just kind of fell apart in the last year and a half, although i had pain for a number of year. As an example of not being afraid. I in sept had T2 thru L2 fused and other things done to free up; the nerves and breaking the bone to reconstruct the spine in a few places. Following that my neck went into a rare position where my head was on my chest and i could not really raise it up. so back to a bigger surgery and fusion and other nerve freeing surgery from C4 thru T5 (some revision as the rods were coming out of my spine)
All is well now, except my lumbar spine.

But amazingly i can still move (haven't got the neck /back braces off yet)
But i am 53. Big difference.
I would try any minimally invasive surgery at your age, you can always convert to a fusion if need be (although i have no info on ADR)

Sorry it was so long but it struck my heart to hear you have given up things , you need to get back to them. My spinal surgeon always tells me he wants me to get back to what i want to do ,not to be able to just be a couch potato and comfortable.

judy