What A Lousy Vacation

[Scott F]

I had a vacation week off from work this past week. The plan was to head north to Wisconsin to float some rivers for big smallies. Last Saturday, I was loading up the truck and felt a sharp pain in my lower back and down through my right leg. I'm certainly no stranger to lower back pain but this was the first time my leg was affected. The pain was pretty bad so I treated it with ice packs and laid down for the rest of the day. I thought I'd just delay the start of my fishing trip by a day, maybe two at the worst. Monday, the doctor prescribed some meds, but they were not much help. For the last week, I could only get comfortable by laying down. Sitting on a chair for even a few minutes brought extreme pain. By Friday, there was no improvement and an MRI revealed bulging discs and loose junk floating around my spine. On Monday, I meet with the surgeon to discuss my upcoming back surgery.  I not only missed out on my trip this week, it looks like my next trip up north next month is in jeopardy too. I'll know more on Monday. 

[N Florida Mike]

Sorry to hear that,but at least it happened before you got out on the river.

Prayers for a speedy recovery.Hopefully you'll be out on the river soon.

 

[Gundog]

Sorry to hear about the bulging discs and the missed vacation. My advice is do what your doctor tells you and don't worry, there will be other vacations. Just get better and remember nothing is more important than your health so take care of it.

[lo n slo]

i hope the operation goes well man and you make a full recovery. back injury is no joke.

[whitwolf]

Get well Scott, and then In the years to come you can go on many more trips!

[Bass Turd]

I've had three lower back surgeries. Each one was targeted at relieving pain and numbness in my right leg. The first one many years ago was a fairly large incision which is what hurt the most. The last one was arthroscopic and it was much much better! I hope they are able to do yours that way. I hate to say this to you but once you hurt your back it starts a degenerative process. You can hold this off with the exercises and stretches they will give you. Do these religiously. Learn to lift things correctly with your legs and say no often to lifting something too heavy. Things will get better but they may not get back to pre surgery... but I pray they will. 

[Scott F]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the kind words. 

[frosty]

Sorry you missed your vacation, I've missed out on some planned outings for things that had to be taken care of, it's very frustrating. I hope you heal up soon!

[Oregon Native]

Hope all gets better.....life sure has some bumps to it.  

[slonezp]

More smallies for me!!! Seriously, hopes for a speedy recovery, pain sucks

[Further North]

Sorry to hear this...that kind of pain is terrible to deal with.

[geo g]

I have had two back surgeries over the years.  You will know when it time to go under the knife.   Until then, You have to break the cycle of back spasms, intense pain, and frustration.   Naproxen and rest has done some good breaking the cycle.  Pain killers did little to help me.  In fact all they did was make me super constipated.  Then the right exercise is important, once you break the cycle.  For me it was just walking everyday.  Exercise is super important in keeping you pain free

[Turkey sandwich]

I've spent the last 3 years dealing with herniated discs stemming from a car accident.  Taking care of yourself and staying in shape makes a big difference, but if you need surgery, find the best surgeon possible.  It can make a huge difference.  What surgery are they recommending?  Which joint? How many discs were injured?

[Scott F]

29 minutes ago, Turkey sandwich said:

I've spent the last 3 years dealing with herniated discs stemming from a car accident.  Taking care of yourself and staying in shape makes a big difference, but if you need surgery, find the best surgeon possible.  It can make a huge difference.  What surgery are they recommending?  Which joint? How many discs were injured?

I won't know anything about what surgeries are needed until I see the surgeon tomorrow. Right now, I can't stand, sit or walk for more than a minute or two without intense pain.  I gotta do something soon. 

[Tracker22]

As my wife (the doctor in the family) says "never have surgery unless you can't live without it". Sounds like you can't live without it!

[Turkey sandwich]

 

12 hours ago, Scott F said:

I won't know anything about what surgeries are needed until I see the surgeon tomorrow. Right now, I can't stand, sit or walk for more than a minute or two without intense pain.  I gotta do something soon. 

I was there, and I don't miss days when it would take literally 2 hours to get out of bed. The good news is that you may have options. The MRI and discogram (tragically, this procedure is way less fun than it sounds) will show which surgery options are available for you.  Since you're feeling  it in your legs, the bulge/herniation(s) are likely lower lumbar, correct?  You may have non-surgical options like epidural/steroid injections as a means to reduce inflammation, deal with the pain and and allow you to start a physical therapy.  You may also have the option of having a disc shaved to remove pressure on the nerves (least invasive back surgery and usually recovery is weeks to months versus the other options which may take years).  This is becoming a very common low risk surgery with huge rewards.  The more invasive options are a synthetic disc replacement and a lumbar fusion.  Both of these have pros and cons, but offer a more complete long term solution than the other options.  I had L5-S1 fused 11 months ago.  If you have any questions or just need to periodically freak out about all the weird ways back injuries make life suck, feel free to send me  a PM.  The good news in all of this is that back surgery has become much, much better in the past 15-20 years. 

[buzzed bait]

that sucks, hope you recover quickly!

[YakPirate]

best wishes and speedy recovery !!! 

[Ratherbfishing]

Man, that stinks!!!!!  Nothing worse than back and nerve pain!  And to miss out on a fishing excursion just adds insult to injury!  I hope you are on your feet and feeling your old (or new) self soon!

[Scott F]

I had a visit with the surgeon today. I go under the knife a week from Monday. I'll be good as new (almost) a few weeks after that. I will miss out on another trip I had planned for August, but I'll make up for it in September and October!

[Bankbeater]

Good to hear! Just take it easy and do what the doctors tell you.

[jleonard91]

The company I work for makes spine surgery equipment. Depending on what kind of operation you are going to have you could be up and back at em in as little as a couple weeks. Spine surgery has really taken a corner to make the recovering time a lot less than what it was 15 years ago. Good luck and speedy recovery!

[Fishing Rhino]

Good luck, and follow the doc's instructions diligently.   I'm with Bassturd.  If they can do it arthroscopically, you'll probably be up and about that same day.

Medicine can do some amazing things today.