I'm having surgey on Friday morning.

[TRW]

Best of Everything Dr. Chitwood.Hang in there,just think of all those good lookin people you are surrounded by.

[gmh1013]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

I've had intermittent problems with a bulging lumbar disc since 1996. Two weeks ago, I developed pain in my right leg. Ten days ago, I experienced extreme pain in my leg, along with muscle weakness and numbness. It was so severe that my spouse had to call an ambulance, and I was briefly hospitalized. An MRI showed a ruptured disc fragment the size of my thumb pad pushing on the L5 nerve root.

I've been on extended-release morphine, Valium and hydrocodone pills since, and today the neurosurgeon told me that I need surgery sooner rather than later. I'm having a laminotomy and disc excision Friday morning. Most painful of all, I cannot go on either of my scheduled motorcycle trips to Colorado and Banff/Jasper this summer.

I'm trying to convince my spouse that I should get a Daytona as a reward for enduring the pain and for being a good boy in the hospital.

Been there on that L4/L5 disc surgery.....I hope you have better luck than I did.
Im going to hospital tomorrow to try and get off oxycodone after 5 years....
back pain is the worse!

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by gmh1013

Been there on that L4/L5 disc surgery.....I hope you have better luck than I did. Im going to hospital tomorrow to try and get off oxycodone after 5 years.... back pain is the worse!

My back has been doing very well since the surgery June 18th. I've had some intermittent numbness and weakness in my right leg since.

The problem now is a weakness over a lower abdomen appendectomy incision that developed while doing rehab. The surgeon is going to implant some polypropylene mesh over the weakness.

[DCgator]

Wishing you best results tomorrow joeychitwood.

[rsg]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

My back has been doing very well since the surgery June 18th. I've had some intermittent numbness and weakness in my right leg since.

The problem now is a weakness over a lower abdomen appendectomy incision that developed while doing rehab. The surgeon is going to implant some polypropylene mesh over the weakness.

Best of luck with that, sounds like you need to take it easy for a while.

[rsg]

Originally Posted by gmh1013

Been there on that L4/L5 disc surgery.....I hope you have better luck than I did.
Im going to hospital tomorrow to try and get off oxycodone after 5 years....
back pain is the worse!

Sorry to hear about your difficulties with medication and your fusion surgery. Sometimes the loads can transfer to adjacent segments after a fusion causing failure of those adjacent segments. There is also new research looking into the prevalence of SI joint dysfunction causing a large portion of low back pain.
I've attached a link to a website that explain the SI joint in more detail. I have no financial interest in this company, they just do a good job of explaining the problem and diagnosis. You may want to talk to your doctor about it.
Let me know if you need a referral to a good spine doc, I know one of the best in the country who practices in both Phoenix and Texas.
Good luck.
http://www.si-bone.com/

[Boopie]

Best wishes for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.

[joeychitwood]

I'm leaving at 10:30AM for 12PM surgery. Four hours of low-level anxiety to go. All in all, I'd rather be musky fishing.

[joeychitwood]

I'm home and resting in my own bed. The surgery went well. The pain is tolerable as long as I don't sneeze, laugh, cough, breathe or move. I'm happy to be through with it, and things will be a lot better in two or three days. Thanks for all of the kind words and thoughts.

[BarkMaster]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

I'm home and resting in my own bed. The surgery went well. The pain is tolerable as long as I don't sneeze, laugh, cough, breathe or move. I'm happy to be through with it, and things will be a lot better in two or three days. Thanks for all of the kind words and thoughts.

Thanks for the update. Now rest.

[Lisa]

Glad all went well, Dr. C.

[David Woo]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

I'm home and resting in my own bed. The surgery went well. The pain is tolerable as long as I don't sneeze, laugh, cough, breathe or move.

Glad to hear it, Joey, rest up! By the way, did you hear the one about the rabbi who went fishing and dropped his pole in.....

DW

[rfknauss]

Glad to hear your surgery went well.

[DadsWatch72]

Geez Joey, your like Johnny Dangerously's mother needing surgery all the time.
Next time they will probably have to replace that little punching bag in the back of your throat....

[DadsWatch72]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

My back has been doing very well since the surgery June 18th. I've had some intermittent numbness and weakness in my right leg since.

The problem now is a weakness over a lower abdomen appendectomy incision that developed while doing rehab. The surgeon is going to implant some polypropylene mesh over the weakness.

The ole plug and mesh........I can't believe you didn't get laproscopic done Doc.

[D O C]

Glad things went well Joey. You'll be fighting a musky before you know it.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by DadsWatch72

The ole plug and mesh........I can't believe you didn't get laparoscopic done Doc.

The studies my surgeon quoted and the ones I read show that the Lichtenstein non-tension mesh repair through an external incision has the lowest recurrence rate of all modern repairs. Plus, it only requires local anesthesia with conscious sedation as opposed to general anesthesia required for the scope procedure. (Though I did receive Versed and propofol without intubation.)

[paverman]

Glad everything went well Joey. Here's to continued improvement.

[TSW]

Glad to hear your surgery went well

[joeychitwood]

Well, I'm back among the living today. Yesterday, the pain was quite severe. There is a reason people used to spend 3-4 days in the hospital after a surgery like this. Insurance companies call this progress, as I've spent a total of five hours in the hospital following my back surgery in June and latest surgery Friday. Not that long ago, one would spend 6-8 days recovering and receiving appropriate therapy and medication. Cheaper today? Definitely. Better today? No.

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

Well, I'm back among the living today. Yesterday, the pain was quite severe. There is a reason people used to spend 3-4 days in the hospital after a surgery like this. Insurance companies call this progress, as I've spent a total of five hours in the hospital following my back surgery in June and latest surgery Friday. Not that long ago, one would spend 6-8 days recovering and receiving appropriate therapy and medication. Cheaper today? Definitely. Better today? No.

Any solace at all in the fact you're not being awakened every two hours for vitals? And there's not the constant clattering of carts, meal trays, noisy staff, intercoms, incoherent roommates....? Okay, perhaps not.


Glad you're feeling better.

[rfknauss]

Mark, glad you are back and wishing you a speedy recovery.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by Lisa

Any solace at all in the fact you're not being awakened every two hours for vitals? And there's not the constant clattering of carts, meal trays, noisy staff, intercoms, incoherent roommates....?

You are quite correct. I am a light sleeper, and the constant bustle in a hospital makes sleep almost impossible. My main gripe is the lack of adequate pain control in the home setting. I could barely move yesterday, and I had only low dose hydrocodone (5mg tabs) to control the pain.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by rfknauss

Mark, glad you are back and wishing you a speedy recovery.

Thanks, Richard. I'm sure winning one of the Tudor watches on the 18th will make me feel a whole lot better.

[BarkMaster]

How long is the healing pain supposed to last?

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by 777

How long is the healing pain supposed to last?

I should be feeling a lot better in a day or two. Lifting restrictions only last for two weeks with this type of repair, so I'll be able to do my back rehab exercises then.

[CoopJr]

Hang in there Doc...best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[train-time]

Glad to hear everything went well and you are home recuperating

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

You are quite correct. I am a light sleeper, and the constant bustle in a hospital makes sleep almost impossible. My main gripe is the lack of adequate pain control in the home setting. I could barely move yesterday, and I had only low dose hydrocodone (5mg tabs) to control the pain.

Could you have been sent home with a pain pump? I think that's what it's called - where you can administer your own meds as needed.

[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by Lisa

Could you have been sent home with a pain pump? I think that's what it's called - where you can administer your own meds as needed.

That would be a little difficult, but something stronger for pain would have been nice, something like Dilaudid or even oxycodone. Oh well, I'm through the roughest patch already, so it's downhill from here.