Well i don't know if anybody feels like hearing about this but i'm stuck at home for afew weeks and i'm bored so i've got to do something. Monday i had back surgery becuase i had a ruptured disk in my lower back (between vertebrae L5 and S1). The surgery went smoothly and i was high as a kite from multiple injections of morphine into my IV and afew percocet on top of that to take the edge off. I was so glad the sharp pains in my left leg were gone, but sadfully i found out the bad news:(I can't ride in a car for 2-3 weeks and the worst, I can't drive for 4 weeks............ reason being if i was somehow able to get into an accident my back would be a prone to severe injury possibly paralysis.
Long story short be careful lifting heavy objects and long falls that can cause your spine to compress, my back was killing me for 2 months prior to the surgery making it ever so hard to try and finish my sub boxes in my back seat. The dr. said that i could have injured my back years ago and everyday usage could have slowly worn away at the disk. Most likely in afew years i'll have to have surgery once again to have the disk removed and replaced with a synthetic one.
This isn't a plea for sympathy just had to do something while bored as hell and on afew vicodin. hope you guys enjoy my story and konichewa *****.es
Back Surgery and Driving
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MECPInstaller
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240Knightrider
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MECP: what were your symptoms before the surgery? The lower left side of my back has been killing for about a month now, mostly a dull ache, but a stabbing pain if I move the right way. I took a week of vacation, thinking it was some sort of muscle strain, and it only got worse. I get stabbing pains up and down my left leg too...especially when driving. After reading your post, I'm a little worried.
Hey man I know how you feel just last summer I had open heart surgery and was out for quiet some time. I was in the hospitol for a little over a week then at home for a good month. I had the same problems that you did I hadn't been in a car for an entire month other then the ride home from the hospitol.
My car hadn't been touched for soo long that after I could actually get up and sit in it, I'd have to go turn it on and leave it on for several minutes just so the battery wouldn't die out on me.
Ontop of that I know a trucker who also had back surgery... which sucked even worse because he drives for a living so he was almost F'ed out of his job, luckily he's working again just doing shorter routes around Florida now a days.
But anywayz good luck with your back and all
My car hadn't been touched for soo long that after I could actually get up and sit in it, I'd have to go turn it on and leave it on for several minutes just so the battery wouldn't die out on me.
Ontop of that I know a trucker who also had back surgery... which sucked even worse because he drives for a living so he was almost F'ed out of his job, luckily he's working again just doing shorter routes around Florida now a days.
But anywayz good luck with your back and all
i had it toooo. had surgery a year ago this month . my back hurt for about 4 years before the surgery . it was in the same place. hurt like HELL still does because the nerve in my left leg is mess up because they waited so long to cut me open.. i feel your pain forsure..hope you get better soon ..and hope you have some good pain med. so you donot hurt too much.
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MECPInstaller
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Thanks everyone for the support i'll be fine it just gets boring but for the next week or so i'll be pretty active in the forums
PhaneSoul- Thats definatly a plus i'm on a quarter tank lol
xyster- even though the problem was in my back i never felt pain there it was always sore in my left hip like someone was jabbing a knife in my left butt cheek and it would spike down to behind my kneecap then to my ankle it. At first like 2 months ago it wasn't so bad but each day it slowly got worse. The disk was rupture and it was swelling and making it pinch off the sciatic nerve going to my left leg. they say most people don't have to have surgery for it the swelling will go down and you'll go back to normal in afew weeks or months i was an acception though. The main sign you need to look out for is if you just walking around and the pain is there but then you leg starts going numb and tingling like it fell asleep. i think i covered most of it but anymore questions i'll try to answer .
Jala47 -- you had it alot harder than i did i couldn't imagine having open heart surgery i'm glad to hear that your up and running around again. I was to spend the night at the hospital but i was doing pretty good and sitting in a hospital bed was driving me nuts so they let me go at 6pm when i had the surgery at 7 that morning.
If you guys want i'll post some text on symptoms of ruptured disk, its actually a pretty common thing. Well thanks again for the support in afew days i think i'm going to try and clean under the hood of the ol 240 lol.
PhaneSoul- Thats definatly a plus i'm on a quarter tank lol
xyster- even though the problem was in my back i never felt pain there it was always sore in my left hip like someone was jabbing a knife in my left butt cheek and it would spike down to behind my kneecap then to my ankle it. At first like 2 months ago it wasn't so bad but each day it slowly got worse. The disk was rupture and it was swelling and making it pinch off the sciatic nerve going to my left leg. they say most people don't have to have surgery for it the swelling will go down and you'll go back to normal in afew weeks or months i was an acception though. The main sign you need to look out for is if you just walking around and the pain is there but then you leg starts going numb and tingling like it fell asleep. i think i covered most of it but anymore questions i'll try to answer .
Jala47 -- you had it alot harder than i did i couldn't imagine having open heart surgery i'm glad to hear that your up and running around again. I was to spend the night at the hospital but i was doing pretty good and sitting in a hospital bed was driving me nuts so they let me go at 6pm when i had the surgery at 7 that morning.
If you guys want i'll post some text on symptoms of ruptured disk, its actually a pretty common thing. Well thanks again for the support in afew days i think i'm going to try and clean under the hood of the ol 240 lol.
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MECPInstaller
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What Causes It?
Although a violent injury can damage a disk, problems with disks are often brought on by everyday activities — lifting heavy objects the wrong way, stretching too hard during a tennis volley, or slipping on an icy sidewalk. Any such event can cause the fibrous outer covering of the disk to break or distort to the point that it presses on a spinal nerve. Sometimes, however, a disk swells, tears, or degenerates without any apparent cause.Disk problems are sometimes lumped together under the term degenerative disk disease. Change in the condition of the disk is a natural result of aging. This is part of our gradual loss of flexibility as we grow older. But disk degeneration is far more serious in some people than in others. Severe cases may be the result of a deficiency in collagen, the material that makes up cartilage. Poor muscle tone, poor posture, and obesity also put excessive strain on the spine and the ligaments that hold the disks in place.
What Are the Symptoms?
Many people with damaged spinal disks have no physical symptoms. But if your disk problem directly affects spinal nerves, you may have one or more of the following symptoms:Sharp pain in the back, sometimes going down the back of one or both legs, immediately upon or shortly after exertion or injury. Inability to bend or straighten your back, accompanied by severe pain. Gradual development of neck or lower-back pain, possibly intense on arising or when sneezing or coughing. Numbness or tingling in an arm or leg, and possibly a progressive loss of strength in one or both legs.
Call Your Doctor If:
You experience persistent pain in the upper or lower back. Back pain is accompanied by fever; you may have a viral or bacterial infection. You have sudden loss of feeling or weakness in your extremities; you may have an injury to your spinal cord.How Do I Know I Have Disk Problems? A doctor will do a neurological exam to check for any changes in reflexes, muscle strength, or sensation. Locating the origin of the pain may be enough to identify the herniated disk.A spinal X-ray may eliminate other potential causes. However, X-rays do not show soft tissues very clearly. It may be necessary for the doctor to order magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT) scans. Another helpful medical test is myelography — a radiological technique for viewing the spinal cord. This may be used to identify and determine the extent of a herniated disk.
Although a violent injury can damage a disk, problems with disks are often brought on by everyday activities — lifting heavy objects the wrong way, stretching too hard during a tennis volley, or slipping on an icy sidewalk. Any such event can cause the fibrous outer covering of the disk to break or distort to the point that it presses on a spinal nerve. Sometimes, however, a disk swells, tears, or degenerates without any apparent cause.Disk problems are sometimes lumped together under the term degenerative disk disease. Change in the condition of the disk is a natural result of aging. This is part of our gradual loss of flexibility as we grow older. But disk degeneration is far more serious in some people than in others. Severe cases may be the result of a deficiency in collagen, the material that makes up cartilage. Poor muscle tone, poor posture, and obesity also put excessive strain on the spine and the ligaments that hold the disks in place.
What Are the Symptoms?
Many people with damaged spinal disks have no physical symptoms. But if your disk problem directly affects spinal nerves, you may have one or more of the following symptoms:Sharp pain in the back, sometimes going down the back of one or both legs, immediately upon or shortly after exertion or injury. Inability to bend or straighten your back, accompanied by severe pain. Gradual development of neck or lower-back pain, possibly intense on arising or when sneezing or coughing. Numbness or tingling in an arm or leg, and possibly a progressive loss of strength in one or both legs.
Call Your Doctor If:
You experience persistent pain in the upper or lower back. Back pain is accompanied by fever; you may have a viral or bacterial infection. You have sudden loss of feeling or weakness in your extremities; you may have an injury to your spinal cord.How Do I Know I Have Disk Problems? A doctor will do a neurological exam to check for any changes in reflexes, muscle strength, or sensation. Locating the origin of the pain may be enough to identify the herniated disk.A spinal X-ray may eliminate other potential causes. However, X-rays do not show soft tissues very clearly. It may be necessary for the doctor to order magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT) scans. Another helpful medical test is myelography — a radiological technique for viewing the spinal cord. This may be used to identify and determine the extent of a herniated disk.