Back Surgery

77wolf10.85 · Jul 31, 2007

Anybody ever have back surgery for
L-4/L-5 spondylolysthesis, and stenosis?

They have a new deal called an X-Stop, that takes 30 minutes and could make it where I'm not in agony trying to stand. I can sit, or I can move and work, but not stand.

I'm worried about recovery period. I don't want to be down from work over a week. I'm an oilfield mechanic. My company has a tendency to treat people on medical leave poorly.

If I could do this on a 1 week vacation ahead of some pudd jobs I would jump all over it.

I saw a neuro surgeon to review my MRI last year and he said surgery, I said nope. Didn't even talk about what kind.
Then last month went to a new GP for a refill on my anti-inflammatory and he told me about this X-Stop. I didn't let him talk long, I get the heebie jeebies when I think of someone mauling my spine. Sheesh.

Just got the guts to do an internet search on it and it sounds like a piece of cake.

Anybody?

pdq67 · Jul 31, 2007

I had a Laminotomy OR whatever it's called done last Jan 3rd on my L4/L5.

I got to where I couldn't pack our 12 pound second Grandbaby Girl around our house so had to do something!

Sucker worked GREAT!

The Doc just reamed out the siatica nerve port was all!

And one thing!! DRINK alotta fluids b/c doing so keeps your disc's expanded and that help's to take the crush pressure off our nerves IF I have this right??

I do know that I start to ache when I mow our yard in the high mid-day heat on the weekends or like 2 to 3 hours or ride my trail bike 20 to 30 miles on the MKT Trail and the Streets and Trails around town w/o drinking plenty of WATER!!

pdq67

69pace · Jul 31, 2007

Well..I feel for you. I was scared to death to agree to get the steroidal epidural injections into L4-L5 region. That was last week and I'm not paralyzed , so far I only see a marginal difference. I will assume you've been through all that already..I've been dealing with this issue for 3+ years, ready for it to be gone.

77wolf10.85 · Jul 31, 2007

69pace said:
Well..I feel for you. I was scared to death to agree to get the steroidal epidural injections into L4-L5 region. That was last week and I'm not paralyzed , so far I only see a marginal difference. I will assume you've been through all that already..I've been dealing with this issue for 3+ years, ready for it to be gone.

http://www.spinecareusa.com/index.php?id=50&gclid=CKqxsc_i0Y0CFSTHIgod2GWibQ

click x stop by the vid screen

I hope the injection works for you. I can't make myself do it. Some good mind-altering drugs, a quickee surgery, back to work... I can maybe handle.

I am thinking about calling that neurosurgeon and asking if X Stop is what he was going to tell me about before I cut him off. 15 years of sciatica, and 3 years of not being able to stand and talk to people is approaching a point where I need to think about the knife.

77wolf10.85 · Jul 31, 2007

PDQ, what was your recovery time?

I can't get put on light duty. My company has no light duty classifications, even for bosses.

68Lemans blue · Jul 31, 2007

I had L3/L4 sliced and diced 10 yrs ago,got some other bad disc but can't do nothing with, as not bad enough for surgery so IBU if it flair's up about 2 times year...Happy Motoring( Paul is correct Hydrate ) LOTS of water

pdq67 · Jul 31, 2007

I had one shot that lasted like two weeks or so and so I said FIX me RIGHT and ream the hole out and he did!

Recovery time for me was like 18 days w/ me going back to work full time on Jan, 29 or like less than a month later!! Jan 3rd to the end of the month sorta deal is all........

Now I was careful for like a couple of months more and didn't lift anymore than the garbage bags out to the curve, but I'm fine now as long as I drink plenty of water!!

Beer won't do it, it's gotta be water so that the back is loaded up w/ it like it's supposed to be natural-like, imho....!!

pdq67

77wolf10.85 · Jul 31, 2007

Thanks for the replies.

I called the neurosurgeon's office, talked to the nurse.

She said X-Stop takes 6 weeks off work, and won't help back pain. Just sciatica.

I also have stenosis, which takes reaming and she said 6-8 months off work. Same thing as dying for me.
Oh well, maybe they'll come up with something else in the next couple years. I can hack it.

I also don't think I'm gonna take her word for it. I'm gonna get Deb to fetch my MRI from them, get another opinion.

I drink more water than you can shake a stick at. Always have. 2 to 3 gallons a day easy in summer. Winter maybe
1 1/2 gallons. I don't drink alcohol anymore.

Edit, what that nurse said was one of my deals required welding. That's what takes 6-8 months downtime. Yeah, that's what she said. Yeah that's right. We ain't welding backbones, nonono

zdld17 · Jul 31, 2007

Who is gonna do your job? . Thats a bummer being off work. Gotta keep that Sooner crude going, otherwise prices spike up.
Sorry to hear you are going thru this. Guess its all the years of lugging around heavy stuff. I got one shoulder higher than other, carrying 2 7/8 tubing out to field to make up flow lines 20 years of that . Thats why I always liked the oilfield, joints come in 30 ft length, dope in gallon buckets and there was always a pusher around. Guess you knew that was coming.

77wolf10.85 · Aug 1, 2007

zdld17 said:
Who is gonna do your job? . Thats a bummer being off work. Gotta keep that Sooner crude going, otherwise prices spike up.
Sorry to hear you are going thru this. Guess its all the years of lugging around heavy stuff. I got one shoulder higher than other, carrying 2 7/8 tubing out to field to make up flow lines 20 years of that . Thats why I always liked the oilfield, joints come in 30 ft length, dope in gallon buckets and there was always a pusher around. Guess you knew that was coming.

Thanks Don

I'm not going down for surgery, not yet anyway. I'll just keep toughing it out. I was hoping somebody would say oh hey that X-Stop thing is a piece of cake, I was back to work in a week. Oh well.

I never lugged much pipe, and yeah I knew that joke was coming. Just little ole heads and pistons and such.
Don, you know what I'm talkin bout there. 2-300# heads, and 1-200# compressor pistons, and 50-100# conn rods. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of overhauls.

I'm just gonna have to buck up and go on a dam diet, and get back to the gym and maybe weight loss and tone will get my back ready for the next 10-20 years. I can do it.

zdld17 · Aug 1, 2007

Nice maint truck and Autocrane.

77wolf10.85 · Aug 1, 2007

zdld17 said:
Nice maint truck and Autocrane.

That pic was the day I bought the wolf. I have now spent at least 4 times what I paid for the car, playing with the car. Man that hurts to say it. I still can't believe I bought that car. Changed my life for the better, for sure. It just wasn't the old rational Tim.... **** it, I'm buying a race car. hehe LMAO. Been happy ever since

That was my old truck, retired it a year ago. New one identical, even has that bed and crane on it, just re-done.

JimM · Aug 1, 2007

77wolf10.85 said:
I'm just gonna have to buck up and go on a dam diet, and get back to the gym and maybe weight loss and tone will get my back ready for the next 10-20 years. I can do it.

I've only had one episode, and was lucky that it went 95% away after 6 months, and stayed away.

You speak truth on the diet and excercise. Being in at least decent physical condition makes a difference. The excercises the physical therapy people taught me have become something I can do anytime anywhere, driving or even surfing TC. Keep your trunk strong, and it will keep your back straight and true.

Good Luck.

2x67rs/ss · Aug 1, 2007

I had L4 L5 cut on in 99 and I had it done orthoscopicly. The first surgeon I went to wanted to cut me open and do surgery thru my stomach.My wife says no way he will forget to put something back in men always have extra parts left over when they work on things.I told doc wanted second opinion and found out about the scope. Shots just block the pain they don't fix anything and only lasted about 6 months for me.After surgery I went back to work after about 4 weeks and still doing good unless I overdo it.Good luck

Steptoe · Aug 1, 2007

I was scared to death to agree to get the steroidal epidural injections

arachnoiditis
Yep it happens, and I wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy...well maybe..

pdq67 · Aug 1, 2007

I ended up w/ a, I think(??), 2" long scar between the dip in the hip and my spine in the left side of my back!

He did it microscopically.......

Anyway, DON'T wait too long b/c all it will do is get worse!

I've been real lucky all my life b/c my legs have always been stronger than my arms so I never overloaded my lower back. I always road a bicycle hard when I was a little kid and to this day, I ride my Trail Bike anywhere from 10 miles to darn near 40 miles on the weekend around town and on the MKT Trail.

I mention all this only b/c I figure that was why my legs are stronger than my arms so I would have a real hard time hurting my back! And fwiw, my lower back NEVER did hurt, even after the surgery so go figure!! Only down the outside of my left leg and to the top of my left foot!!!!

And I've packed RR ties on my shoulders and 200# Spike kegs as well as a whole bunch of not all that heavy a crap up to two 100# sacks of stock salt just to see if I could pick them up off the ground and put them in a P/U bed. High-end f-- furniture too for like 18 mounths until I got my present job just to pay the BILLS!!

GET YOURSELF FIXED before you REALLY HURT YOURSELF!!

pdq67

Back Surgery

77wolf10.85

pdq67

69pace

77wolf10.85

77wolf10.85

68Lemans blue

pdq67

77wolf10.85

zdld17

77wolf10.85

zdld17

77wolf10.85

JimM

2x67rs/ss

Steptoe

pdq67

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