Dude, as someone who has recently had to deal with disc herniation and general "fail" of my back - I am seriously sorry you are dealing with all of this. I just can't imagine. I hope you can find some kind of non lifestyle-ruining resolution, and soon.

Keep up is up to date, pls.

Wow. Really, really sorry to hear about this.

I guess you've been dealing with this for a long time already, and I can't imagine how tough that's been.

My neurosurgeon had the same idea about dragging our feet on it a little bit. I'm going to start physical therapy starting Thursday, three times a week for three weeks, and then followup with him in early July. If things are still looking grim (which he and I think they probably will), he gave me two options: a) two-level discectomy w/ fusion, or b) microdiscectomy to remove the herniated portion of the discs only. Option B wouldn't require much time off, unlike Option A. The problem with B is that, with my history, I will most likely need more surgery later. Of course, with option A, I also may require more surgery later since fusion will put more pressure on the adjacent discs and may cause them to herniate as well.

Also, I may continue to look for a doctor in the area that might do aritificial disc replacement as a more radical and experimental solution.

jeez, man...that's rough.

Good luck with all this. And good on you for doing the research into alternatives. Keep at it.

i would avoid the fusion for as long as humanly possible. better to have the freedom later if / when artificial discs or cloned discs are available.

A short update:

After finding out that no surgeons in Arkansas do artficial discs, I just set up an appointment with a Dr. Blumenthal of Texas Spine Institute in Plano for 6/17. He is one of the leading artificial disc surgeons in the country. He was heavily involved with the clinical trials in getting a couple of artificial discs approved by the FDA years ago. The Texas Spine Institute also conducts a lot of current clinical trials for more experimental treatments. So, he should be able to provide me with all other options (at least in this country) in addition to the ones I've already got. Plus, from talking with the nurse on the phone, it sounds like they've dealt with my insurance company a lot, so they should be able to tell me what will and won't be covered without much hassle.

Plus, it's "only" a 4-1/2 hour drive, so it could be worse. I thought I would have to travel much further to find more radical treatment options.

So, good news!!!

Thank you to everyone for your concern & thoughts. I really appreciate it...

that's really good news dude.

This is a fucking nuts story. Good luck with it all.

exactly. You're 35?! Damn, man, I'm really sorry.

All the best, Husker

dude, i live minutes from plano, and work even closer

let's try and meet up while you're in town, if time allows

pm me your cell

I sent you a PM... thanks for the offer!

Did some lower back traction in PT yesterday... didn't seem to help much, but I'm taking so much Ibuprofin (and Vicodin once-in-a-while) that I can't really tell how much it helped overall.

I go three more times to PT again next week before I travel to Texas the week after.

where is your pain and what symptoms do you have?

Started with pain in my left buttock in November of last year... slowly has progressed to pain along the outside & back of my left leg as well as the buttock. On & off tingling & numbness along the left leg all the way down to my foot. Strange sensations in my left lower back when in certain positions and when a BM is coming on (sorry for all the "gory" details).

Also, with regard to my neck (where I've already had two fusion surgeries (1 in 2004, 1 in 2007), I've got tingling/numbness behind my left shoulder blade and occasional pain in my left shoulder and formarm. But, since my lumbar pain is much worse, I haven't even had an additional MRI done of my neck this time around yet.

Ok, I made the trip to Texas last week to see Dr. Blumenthal (... and as an added bonus, I got to meet Bob (FT)!!!).

He recommended avoiding fusion and artificial disc replacement for the time being and just go with the less invasive (and less permanent) two-level microdiscectomy... where they just remove the portion of the discs that are herniated and pinching the nerve roots. My issue now is to decide whether to do it here locally, or to do it in Texas and sign up for an additional clinical trial of a new tissue repair system that they are using to "stitch" the anulus of the disc after removing the herniated portion (just like an added 5 minutes to the normal surgery process). The purpose of the trial is to try to strengthen the remaining portion of the disc to aid in minimizing the chance for reherniation in the future. If I sign up for the trial, I have a 67% chance of getting the expermental procedure (there is a 2:1 ratio on the trial participants). Plus, I would have to travel to Texas for the surgery and multiple return trips for follow-up testing over the next 4 years. Also, since it is a clinical trial, they can't even tell me whether I got the new system surgery or if I was just part of the control group. I'm leaning towards just doing the surgery here (sorry, Bob... I wouldn't get to visit you as much ). I'm meeting with my local neurosurgeon tomorrow afternoon to see when they could schedule me for the surgery.

I'll keep you all posted on what's happening...

Thanks to everyone for all the good wishes & thoughts & prayers you've been sending my way!!! I really appreciate it.

Baron and Budd v. Hare Wynn..... (Plaintiffs Attorneys) Arkansas probably giving bigger verdicts these days :0

Well, I'm now scheduled for a two-level microdiscectomy on L4/L5 & L5/S1 on Wednesday, July 1st.

I'll be off work for about a month after that. This should at least relieve the pain/numbness that I'm currently having. Most likely, I will require more surgery in the future, but maybe not.

I'll post later during my recovery to let everyone know how it's going/went.

Best of luck, man!

Enjoyed hangin' with ya, Scott, but I'd rather you got the less risky and more beneficial procedure. You can still swing by Texas every so often, even if not for medical reasons. Heck, maybe we can mix in SXSW next year!

Now THAT sounds good. And, with my spinal history, I'll probably be requiring another surgery around that time as well... , so I'll be visiting the Texas Back Institute for another opinion again.