bret

bret

Well Known Member
Tomorrow, I guess being a heavy equipment tech for 25 years has finally taken its toll on me. darn, just one wing tip to nut plate and wings are done. Anyone have a laminotomy done?
 
Yes, I had a microdiscectomy and laminectomy in 2007. Had the disk in L5-S1 blow up and couldn't stand the pain any longer. Wish I would have done it much sooner.
 
Dont fear the knife

No personal experience, but three of my friends have had disk surgery, and all three now say they wish they would not have avoided it with alternate attempts, which did not cure the problem.

Obviously, YMMV, but I hope not.
 
back surgery

Yes I have.........a discectomy and lamanectomy at L4-L5. After surgery I woke up without the leg pain and considered myself lucky. I'm very careful these days with what I pick up and I watch the serious Gs when doing aerobatics. If I pull too hard, I can feel it in my leg for a day or two. Be careful from now on, but the surgery will be worth the relief. Good luck.

David Watson
49FD
 
Bad Back

I did in 1991. Set Coke machines for 4 years. Judo at age 10, Gymnastics in HS. Karate after that. Hard landing in Ultralights made it worst. Carried a microwave down the stairs finished me off.
I tried every cure before the surgery. I could stand up or lay down but not bend much in the middle. My Dr. was an ahole but did brain surgery on the patient before me so my back was a 'no brainer' lol. Anyway it was a miracle.
I still have limits and have crossed the line more than once over the years but can function at near 100% to this day. Still ski, play racketball and work out at the gym. Good luck. The pain is gone immediately but take a week or 2 off and give it a chance to repair.
 
workbench height

My sciatic nerve flared up when I recently moved the fuselage off the workbench and down onto a low cart so as to attach the tailcone and install systems. It was caused by long hours of bending over while fabricating fuel lines, brake lines, etc. No significant back problems before, but now constant pain in the leg, etc. Makes me cringe to think about what might be going on in my back. So, keep that fuselage at a height so you don't have to bend over too much!
 
bret said:
Tomorrow, I guess being a heavy equipment tech for 25 years has finally taken its toll on me. darn, just one wing tip to nut plate and wings are done. Anyone have a laminotomy done?
Click to expand...

Yep, in my neck C5-C6. Three days on heavy hydrocodone and muscle relaxers before I could stand up and walk. I highly suggest a Lazy-Boy recliner, a TV remote, and someone to bring you food and drugs for the first 2 days.
 
For what it is worth...

When you need surgery...you need surgery. Of all the patients that come into my office with disc herniation about 5-7% of them will eventually need surgery. One thing to consider...
I just saw my first patient who had a disc replacement surgery performed at Midwest Spine in Minneapolis. She was part of a study looking at the success rates of actually replacing the disc with a prothesis. This allowed for retained full range-of-motion at the operated level which plays a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR role in the long term prognosis of the discs surrounding the herniated level. Often times, discs that are removed and fused cause the segments above and below the operated level to become degenerative earlier possibly requiring surgery at those levels as well. With this disc replacement it is possible we may be able to avert this entirely.
Now for the caveat...
The procedure is "experimental" thus far (fits for our crowd:D). Discuss with your surgeon the possibility of having a disc replacement. Biomechanically, you may be better off. I am assuming a lot about your case without actually looking at your back but sometimes laminectomy's are performed concurrently with discectomy's. So I am assuming they are taking the disc when they are in there...maybe not. Discuss this with your surgeon. Being a chiropractor, I am all for retaining as much normal motion in your spine as you can and these disc replacement prothesis devices hold a lot of promise...although we are still early in the game.
If you have questions, PM me and I will point you in the right direction. I would be happy to contact the orthopedist and see if there is anyone in your area who is performing these procedures. Again, the procedure was performed as part of a study here in Minnesota. I do believe that wide scale usage of these discs is just around the corner.
 
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Yep. When I was 22 yrs old in 1980. L4-L5. I have never regreted it, I feel great. I was in the hospital for a week.

Fast forward to 2009... My next door neighbor is a family practitioner and had the same disc removed. He went in at 6am, was back home by noon, and back to work in 2 weeks. Amazing how far medicine has come, or how far insurance has gone.
 
OK pre op tests done, I have mild disk bulging, minor herniated disk at L4 L5, but the Facet arthrosis is what is causing the pain and numbness in the feet. Going in for a Laminotomy (not Laminectomy) on L4 L5 bilateral my co worker had this done and he said the pain was gone right after he woke up. cant wait!
 
Good luck. I recently crushed the left side of L3-4. It been 6 months and walking is still a pain. Another 3-4 months before I even think about a motorcycle or an airplane.
 
I had a herniated disc 18 years ago, don't remember which one, it's been too long ago. I had the best surgeon, pain was gone when I woke up, haven't had so much as a tingle since. This same surgeon has done both of my rotator cuffs since.

Marshall Alexander
 
bret said:
OK pre op tests done, I have mild disk bulging, minor herniated disk at L4 L5, but the Facet arthrosis is what is causing the pain and numbness in the feet. Going in for a Laminotomy (not Laminectomy) on L4 L5 bilateral my co worker had this done and he said the pain was gone right after he woke up. cant wait!
Click to expand...

Yep...disregard what I said about disc replacement then. You are getting the right procedure for your condition. It's basically a highly technical roto-rooter job...:D. You will be a new man when its done.
 
Made it home after surgery, very painful to move around, I had plans to work on the plane but I am afraid of making mistakes while under the affects of pain meds. hope this pain goes away soon.
 
pain

It will......just take it easy and in about three months you won't even know that you had surgery. Severe pain should ease off in about 10 days.
 
Get well soon. I'll be interested in hearing how you progress.

I've been experiencing chronic L4-L5 radiating pain since August. The doc's haven't recommended surgery yet but I think it's only a matter of time.
 
Well first I did an EMG then a MRI, doc said no use with therapy or shots, just surgery. from my understanding, the decompression laminotomy is a partal removal of the lamina bone that puts pressure on the nerve roots. If you have a strong stomach here is something similar to what I had.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxQltvKpgYI
 
Listen to the MD's

Advice on what you can do and can't do. As a young firefighter, I suffered a pretty bad and very painful back injury as a roof of a building that was on fire gave out an I 'almost' fell thru it. The MDs did their best to 'fix' me and sent me home a few days later with strict instructions on what I could do and not do.

After a few weeks, I felt pretty good and wanting to return to duty asap, I began walking and then running in order to get back into shape. Bottom line, I hurt myself again and that prolonged the healing process. Dumb!! Thereafter, I obeyed the instructions on the MDS whenever I got hurt.
 
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