Back Surgery

[DaveJ]

About a month ago I had started a thread about a back problem that I had developed about 4 to 6 months ago. I didn't have any back pain, but instead had a lot of leg pain, which began in the piriformis but soon evolved into lower parts of the leg.

Last Monday I had it operated on and today I feel like a new man. It truly was the right thing to do.

Here's what I learned.

1. Motocross guys are the best group of people to talk with about back problems. They are either all smashed up from riding and/or from the various construction type jobs they have to support their sport. Additionally, no one tells a motocross guy that they should never ride again. They seem to seek out answers were others simply give in. The advice that I got from this board, in talking with various users, was priceless and provided me to a host of options to investigate, as well as all the stories of what worked and what didn't and why. A big thanks to everyone for all your help!!

2. Not all doctors are created equal and you can’t expect any of them to progressively solve your problem. My biggest pain was in my butt. I had no back pain. The orthopedic surgeon that I was consulting never considered this as a back problem. He treated it as piriformis syndrome, as did all the various physical therapist that I went to. No one in any of these professions at any time considered the possibility of this as being back related even when I began to have additional complications in the leg. I had to push for an MRI on the back and only then did they realize what the problem was. Then this same doctor told me that my only option was either injections or fusion.

3. There is really no such thing as piriformis syndrome. When the piriformis gets tight, it's simply reacting to a bigger problem. Many people will tell you that you have to stretch it, but you may find that this simply makes things worse. When I had a piriformis problem in my left leg, it turned out to be an electrolyte imbalance in my body. Suffered for a long time, cured it in about 5 minutes. This time, it turned out to be a herniated disc at L5-S1. Research clearly showed that the piriformis is seldom if ever at fault.

4. Cortisone injections have mixed results and seldom are a full time or permanent cure. I don’t recall talking to a single person that didn’t have to go back on a regular basis to get these, and all would often have mixed results. This is not a cure.

5. Regardless of what many well-respected doctors tell you, there are now options with back treatments other than injections and fusion. I had a microdiscectomy at L5-S1 and was up and walking around in a matter of hours, all pain and various sensations in the body were gone.

6. Back problems are bigger than you think. They seem to grow and develop over time and so does your tolerance for pain as well as adapting your life to suit your bad back. Back problems can throw off your digestion and cause moderate to severe levels of fatigue. Things you never expected. For me, as things got worse I lost that super human strength that I was always able to get with a good workout. My blood seemed infected and I was always having to take naps. For a while I thought perhaps I had just hit some sort of age milestone and would never again feel like I did when I was younger.

7. Chiropractors can be very helpful but to some degree will have their limits. The great thing about the guy I was seeing was that he was the only one to really direct me to a comprehensive understanding about what was going on and all the possible effects that it could have on my body. He was also the only one that provided exercises and stretches that really made a difference. After one particular visit I felt that same super human strength (strong young health) that I had in the past, (it was short lived, but enough to make a point) and that’s all it took to motivate me to find a real cure. I saw two physical therapists that only made matters worse each and every visit. What a waste of money. Beyond back problems, every one of us should have at least a bi-annual visit to a reputable chiropractor. The guy I go to is Mark Lucas - San Jose (aka MotoDoc) because he really understands the sport and he also REALLY understands nutrition and fitness. In all my years of long distance running and cycling, I have to say that he’s a gem of a find when it comes to comprehensive health.

8. When you have a back problem, don't give up and don't assume that any answer is the final conclusion. Seek out the best in the business which usually means that you'll most likely want to find something that is a bit controversial or leading edge. If it's done by a reputable source, it's most likely a better option than the more dramatic stuff that's out there. I went to Stanford and knew it was the right choice within a few minutes of meeting the doctor, (getting to the doctor is a different story…and not a fun one).

Thanks again to everyone for all your help and I hope this information will direct others that have similar compilations.

[MX_563]

What scares me is this: How are you supposed to know if your Doctor knows what's really going on?

What made you doubt the injections/fusion idea and seek a different solution?

[sean 252]

Dave this is like you are reciting my experience 12 years ago...L5 S1, Same surgery, same results,,my Chiro was my savior as far as educating me and helping me find a competent Surgeon..I had 6 opinions and all were different except the three Chiros I saw..Led to a great surgeon without any fusion..I have felt great since....See ya around,,do your exercises and ride soon!!!

[VintageGuy]

Hey Dave,

Get well soon!

Bob

Dave.....so happy to hear you're better, and have relief. Now get out and MOTO !

P.S. Whats the deal with going to the Hospital without me ! lol

Rob Dresser

[PeteDizzle]

Stanford takes good care of their patients. My girlfriend was in a bone marrow transplant unit for a little under 3 months at that place and not one time did she have a bad thing to say about the people. Aside from one of the nurses she didnt like haha.

The statement about all doctors are not created equal is very very true.

Ill use my girlfriend as an example again. She has had her fair share of stays in medical facilities as she has suffered through two bouts of Hodgkins Lymphoma (Cancer of the Lymphnodes). The first time she was able to beat it back into remission with chemotherapy, at Kaiser in Sacramento, alone. BUT what the doctors failed to bring to her attention was the harm to her reproductive system. Long story short nearly all of the eggs in her ovaries were ruined.

So when she got diagnosed the second time, they needed to take a more serious approach and really get this stuff outta her. Before she underwent a single dose of chemotherapy the doctors at Stanford told her what had happened with her eggs and of course she was upset being 17 with her whole life ahead of her. But there was still some hope of retrieving some eggs before she began treatment. Her mum had to give her 2 shots a day for 4 weeks in her belly of like 6 different medicines combined in a syringe that totaled up to $700 each shot to get her to stop ovulating and swell her eggs to the point that they could be extracted by surgery. So she had the surgery and they were able to retrieve 9 usable eggs to be cryogenically frozen until she wants to use em. She went on to under go 4 different types of chemotherapy, one of them 24 hr infusion, and a bone marrow transplant that wiped out her immune system to the point that she had to be in a double door isolation room for the better part of 3 months. And now shes better!

Being that she had already undergone a treatment that killed off all of her other eggs, this is no guarantee that these eggs are even fertile, and if they are they may turn out to have birth defects and all other sorts of bad stuff. Its still a sensitive subject with her and it always will be I think.

Just further reinforcment for the fact that NOT ALL DOCTORS ARE CREATED EQUAL.

[sean 252]

Originally Posted by PeteDizzle

Stanford takes good care of their patients. My girlfriend was in a bone marrow transplant unit for a little under 3 months at that place and not one time did she have a bad thing to say about the people. Aside from one of the nurses she didnt like haha.

The statement about all doctors are not created equal is very very true.

Ill use my girlfriend as an example again. She has had her fair share of stays in medical facilities as she has suffered through two bouts of Hodgkins Lymphoma (Cancer of the Lymphnodes). The first time she was able to beat it back into remission with chemotherapy, at Kaiser in Sacramento, alone. BUT what the doctors failed to bring to her attention was the harm to her reproductive system. Long story short nearly all of the eggs in her ovaries were ruined.

So when she got diagnosed the second time, they needed to take a more serious approach and really get this stuff outta her. Before she underwent a single dose of chemotherapy the doctors at Stanford told her what had happened with her eggs and of course she was upset being 17 with her whole life ahead of her. But there was still some hope of retrieving some eggs before she began treatment. Her mum had to give her 2 shots a day for 4 weeks in her belly of like 6 different medicines combined in a syringe that totaled up to $700 each shot to get her to stop ovulating and swell her eggs to the point that they could be extracted by surgery. So she had the surgery and they were able to retrieve 9 usable eggs to be cryogenically frozen until she wants to use em. She went on to under go 4 different types of chemotherapy, one of them 24 hr infusion, and a bone marrow transplant that wiped out her immune system to the point that she had to be in a double door isolation room for the better part of 3 months. And now shes better!

Being that she had already undergone a treatment that killed off all of her other eggs, this is no guarantee that these eggs are even fertile, and if they are they may turn out to have birth defects and all other sorts of bad stuff. Its still a sensitive subject with her and it always will be I think.

Just further reinforcment for the fact that NOT ALL DOCTORS ARE CREATED EQUAL.

Pete hope your Gal is OK?? Kinda humbles ya when you have your health...See ya...CM Tomorrow???

[PeteDizzle]

Im gonna try to be out there. Its either there or Dos Reis on the delta to ride jet skis. I havent ridden in a few weekss though so Im thinkin CM.

[RickyD]

Thank you for the advice, Glad to hear you are feeling better.

RIck