laser surgery

[oldgoat]

been to the doctors today to see what is going on with the pressure in my spine.

 

they now want to do laser surgery in the L5 S1 and cant recall the other disk area.

 

has anyone hade this type of operation?

 

just looking as to what to expect from it?

 

 

some people say it is useless. and go with a discectomy instead?

 

 

they hung me upside down in some kind of chair ?

 

I felt good for about 2 hours but now the pain is back

 

and I had to take some morphine.

 

yep that is what the doctors put me on. wonderful stuff. but don't dare drive anywhere.

 

so if any one has had this kind of laser surgery I would like to hear how you did with it

 

thanks

 

oldgoat

[videoarizona]

I haven't had any surgery on the back yet....but have been researching it. I hope you have been too.

My lady needs surgery in her lower back and we have gone over multiple doctors and techniques to get the various opinions. Best way we have found to get as much information as she needs to make a decision she is comfortable with. So far, she hasn't found a doc she likes...

 

If you haven't searched the net for info...may I suggest:

 

Learn More | Laser Spine Institute

 

Back Surgery: Types, Recovery, Risks, and Benefits

 

Back surgery: When is it a good idea? - Mayo Clinic

 

Hope any of these will help answer your questions....

[cowpuc]

After many years of abusing my spine with racing dirtbikes (using my body as a mono shock cause we didnt have good boingers back than), lifting heavy things with my back instead of my legs and just leading a "busy" life - my luck ran out in 03 and I fractured L-4 and L-5. Fortunately it only took about 9 months of living on Morph like you are and dealing with paralyses from the waste down before I landed in the hands of a very talented Neuro Surgeon.

It was not until I got involved with this extremely talented individual that I even got to find out that my back was actually broken. I had been thru all types of Dr.'s before him who had done everything from hanging me upside down to stretching me on a table and injecting steroids into the disc areas.. When I finally ended up with the Neuro Surgeon he sent me in for an MRI. He didnt like the way the first run on the MRI came out so he sent me for another.. After that one, I went into his office and he was livid!! He showed me bone fragments very near my spinal cord that, in his words, had a piece of the fragmentation gotten against my spinal cord I could easily have been permanently in a wheel chair.

During the long process of 5 surgeries and spending over a year in a body cast, I really got to know this doctor. We talked a LOT about different avenues of spinal repair and rehab. He insisted that I lose 50 pounds of weight before surgery - I did so in 6 months (lived on a small bowl of Wendys chili for lunch and a piece of toasted bread with chicken meat mixed with mustard for dinner). He was SHOCKED and asked how on earth I did that (had many many friends who could not believe it either) and I told him that not eating was hard BUT the thought of facing a lifetime in a wheel chair made it doable.

At that time he told me that the number one thing that a person with back problems can do to assist in pain control and healing is to run their bodies as lean as possible weight wise and that since I followed his instructions he could almost guarentee I would walk again after surgery - I did and I am!! That said, if I had it to do all over again and I were in your shoes.. If I were overweight at all (not saying you are Oldgoat - just making suggestions here), I would go back on my very serious diet and starve myself till I was as thin as possible and than proceed.. Personally, as much as I enjoyed the pain relief of the Morphine and the Fentynal I would do the weight loss just to get off that stuff - that stuff (also Neurontin and the handfulls of opioids (Norco)) really messed me up big time and getting off it all was difficult (it is amazing how well it controls pain though).

Oldgoat, I have no idea about Laser surgery. I do know from yakking with this same doctor about them, that Disectomy's need time to heal after having them and I also know (cause he told me so) that the vast majority of failures in disectomies that he had seen were the result of folks not giving the "void" that is created when the section of disc is removed, a chance to fill in. If you dont do that the disc can fill in the void by popping back out and your right back to square one..

I want you to know that I am very familiar with the real pain associated with back problems! I wish you all the best in figuring it all out and my thoughts and prayers are with you as you do Oldgoat!

Puc