[ssb776]

Hello!

I had an MRI in sept 2009 which showed a large L4-L5 disc herniation compressing my sciatic nerve. Unfortunately my first doc didn’t do anything but put me in pt, which made it worse. I had four epidural injections which also did not help and made the pain worse. In December 2009 I got to the point where I was waking up at 4 am feeling like my leg was on fire, living on pain meds to take the edge off and barely walking. I was losing the ability to rotate my ankle, could not put my socks on or get dressed without help and my left leg was losing feeling and muscle. I was finally referred to a surgeon on 12/16/09 and had a microdiscectomy on 12/18/09. My surgery went well and the leg pain was gone when I woke up from surgery; although I did have some minor nerve damage. I recovered well and began to strengthen my core and leg being mindful of my body position.

All was great until July of 2010 when some of the pain came back and I could not get up from a sitting position without help. My doc figured it was a nerve flair up, and ordered a cortisone injection which helped with the pain. So I went about my life again pain free thinking I was fine. In January of 2011 the pain in my back and leg came back….. so I waited a month to see if it was in my head, but it didn’t go away and I was losing strength in my left leg again. Doc ordered an MRI which showed that once again my L4-L5 disc herniated. This time it is larger and more in the center and to the right. They are recommending fusion period the end.

I asked about replacement and was told discs could not be replaced and fusion was my only option. I didn’t like this answer and now here I am. I have done a lot of reading on the subject and it all makes sense. I have looked for docs in the Atlanta area and have not been impressed…… I have read about doctors in Texas, Germany, Boston and a few other places doing disc replacements but not a whole lot in the southeast.

Plus there are so many discs out there…… I am 35 and have a lot of years to live with the decision I make, so I would like to have a doctor who knows what they are doing. I just received all of my MRI and Xray film and now I have no idea where to start. I'm looking forward to talking with others out there!

~Sarah