Surgery Advice

johneyapocalypse · 2019-07-24T16:36:06+00:00

You must do everything in your power to get a second opinion and ideally a third opinion.

It's your fucking spine dude.

CrazyLegs78 · 2019-07-24T17:03:34+00:00

Get the other opinions ASAP, no joke. My wife went from lower back/leg pain to permanent nerve damage and permanent numbness very fast.

Taipanshimshon · 2019-07-24T16:14:18+00:00

This is a bad place for professional medical opinion

coinbaserep · 2019-07-24T22:59:11+00:00

Lift , stfu, dread , sidebar faggot

That’s the answer for most questions around here

Ps. Get 2nd and 3rd opinion

Surgeons typically want to do surgery because that’s how they make there money

Your their next paycheck. Exhaust all your options before surgery.

Cloudy_Pirate · 2019-07-24T17:20:46+00:00

Are you taking anti-inflammatory meds and icing the shit out it?

Frequently, it's the inflammation from the herniated disc (and not the disc itself) that it pinching the nerve.

Get a second opinion from another doctor and one from a reputable chiropractor. You really don't want spine surgery if you can avoid it.

I herniated a disc in my lower back. Dr. wanted to do surgery asap. MRI's showed it clearly flattened and squished out of the spinal column. Dr. asked me if i had lost bowel control yet...

I took the MRI's and x-rays to a chiro and another surgeon to review. The chiro gave me 50/50 odds that he could help me. Did 3 visits a week from 6 weeks then slowly scaled it back to monthly. After 3 months, I was back to 90%.
After 10 years, I think I'm back to 100%. Disc is still technically herniated, but I have no pain, no inflammation, no nerve issues (and no loss of bowel control). And I can still lift heavy.

captainbourbon50 · 2019-07-24T20:23:01+00:00

If you have a university hospital or medical school near you go there for a second opinion.

Cmvplease2 · 2019-07-24T23:14:00+00:00

I'll share my story.

Had shooting pain down both thighs. One went all the way to my right foot. Thought it was overtraining from running too much. Didn't heal for like 6 months wtf. Went to an orthopedic. Did ex rays. Said I needed surgery on my hips. My hips? Went to a neurologist because it seems more like nerve issues. Said I had fibromyalgia. Ok. Went to a chiropractor. Sounded like he made up a whole lot of bullshit to overwhelm me and make me think he was smart. He ended up letting me know what the problem was BY MAKING IT WORSE. He kept pushing/rubbing my lower back discs. That night the pain was x 100. That told me it was nerves in my lower back and doctor #1 was wrong, doctor #2 was wrong and quack man made it worse.

I started doing strength exercises that focused on my lower back and that helped. Problem solved.

Point of the comment. If you go to a surgeon he's going to want to do surgery.

That said, it sounds like you actually need surgery. But I'm no doctor. Good luck!

Non_Merger · 2019-07-25T12:29:35+00:00

Surprisingly, surgeons usually recommend surgery.

Get a 2nd opinion. On physical exam in the office, they should be able to position your neck in a place where the nerve isn't being as smashed, and pain/numbness/etc will be relieved or reduced. This would be similar to the neck traction stuff that someone else here recommended.

What did you do to injure your neck?

Imaginary_Historian · 2019-07-24T19:45:00+00:00

I injured my neck too, same thing, C5/C6 and pain was unbearable, along with muscle paralysis (pecs, triceps, could not move them at all) numbness in my hand and arm.

However, apparently unlike you I couldn't even get insurance approval to see a neurologist for a month, and it took two months to get the insurance to approve the MRI. MRI was bad. Same shit, herniated discs, severe damage, surgery recommended. Insurance refused to cover surgery. Only after dozens of calls and bitching with insurance to get surgery approved.

In the meantime I did PT out of pocket, and bought a neck traction device, also out of pocket (basically a collar you wear with weights, pulleys and cables to pull your neck up.) Well, guess what, after three months of this shit, despite the extensive damage to my spine and nerve, my nerves healed themselves, muscles started working again, pain went away, and feeling returned in my hand and arm before the surgery date, and so I canceled it.

Not saying you should not get surgery, I would have had I been able to get insurance to cover it. But, sometimes these things do somehow manage to heal themselves. How, I don't know exactly, but just PT and neck traction did it for me.

BobbyPeru · 2019-07-24T20:58:49+00:00

And the medical post trend continues....

Talk to your doctor retard

kratbegone · 2019-07-25T00:29:59+00:00

Get options. I had herniated lower disk and my doc said if it does not get better in 6 weeks would have to do surgery. For back that is the time it takes if it is going to get better. At 5 weeks was going to do surgery. 5.5 weeks no pain, no surgery! Now my lower back is the strongest part if my body, upper not so much lol

red-sfpplus · 2019-07-24T17:54:20+00:00

Hang like a Bruce does in "The Dark Knight Rises" by a rope and have some old ex-heroin addict punch your back.

Should fix you right up.

shouldergirdle · 2019-07-25T17:53:31+00:00

bestdoctor.com is covered by my health insurance at work and is to be used in exactly these types of situations

Title	Surgery Advice
Author	Iseeitnow7
Upvotes	9
Comments	36
Date	July 24, 2019 3:59 PM UTC (7 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askMRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/askMRP/comments/cha16j/surgery_advice/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askMRP/surgery-advice.246532 https://theredarchive.com/post/246532

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