Degenerative Disc Disease - Sacramento,CA

Hi,
Just had to repond to you right this minute because I am at home caring for my husband who just had the surgery your mom is considering. He was so resistant to surgery.... tried EVERYTHING else ... cortisone shots, two epiderals, many types of pain medication, but has lived for the last 2 1/2 years in incredible pain.

His doctor recommended surgery. He got a second opinion and instead of having the surgery where we live which would have been more convenient, he went to Stanford.
Immediately after surgery, even while in extreme pain from the incision & moving everything around (they cut from the front of the throat to get to the back of the neck), he felt tremendous RELIEF from the continual pain he had lived with for such a long time. It's only day 5 since surgery & he thinks he can do so much more than he should because the relief is so great. He is 56 years old, overweight & borderline diabetic so was very resistant to surgery and afraid of the risks involved. We are SO GLAD HE WENT FOR IT!
Hopefully it will work for your mom too should you chosse to go that route.If you live in the Bay Area, consider Stanford. Good luck!

I'm not an expert, but I just had to send my two cents. About six months ago, my husband had two bulged discs. He was in excrutiating pain--couldn't stand, couldn't lie down (and thus sleep), couldn't go to work, was in tears, and almost felt like killing himself. A doc finally diagnosed it via MRI, and ordered surgery the very next day. It was a miracle. He woke up with zero pain, and has been pain-free ever since. I know some people tell you to be dubious of surgery, but for him, it was the answer. (By the way, they only snipped ther worse of the two discs. They left the other one, and it hasn't bothered him for some reason.)
Good luck to her!

Hi Ninenine, Yes, my husband has this, along with restless leg syndrom and carpal tunnel throughout his body, and he's been seeing a chiropractor for years, which gives him some relief. I'd recommend your mother, if she's not already seeing one, to check out this option first. Surgeries are always a big risk, and this may give her the pain relief she needs. Hope his helps, Sincerely, CJ

If you live close, I am happy to give your mom a free treatment of Bowenwork. It's a gentle therapy that works with the muscles surrounding the spine. My office is located in Watsonville. I try to donate a few hours a month to women in pain in my community. You can look at my website to see if this would help. The address is www.centralcoasthomeopathy.com. It may be a good alternative for her to try first.:-)

My birth mom had the same symptoms. She was also incontinent and could hardly walk with assistance. She had the surgery done and is so much better off. She can go potty by herself now, she is walking with assistance better, she can raise her right arm and she has the feeling back in her arm and hand. Strength too. It was a life saver.

Ah, Ninenine, I had a crushed disc several years ago. It was so painful I could barely walk, and I was offered surgery by Kaiser almost right away. I said, "no, no, let's try everything else first." I did orthopedic acupuncture (zero relief), medication (zero relief), epidaurals (zero relief), cortisone shots (zero relief), a very strong aspirin (got progressively better for two months, until it nearly destroyed my stomach), morphine (zero relief), doubled the morphine (zero relief), my husband's very low dosage oxycontin (relief, but after two or three times developed the "junkie itch", so had to stop it), and finally surgery. Complete and total relief immediately following the surgery and for the past four and a half years. I don't know about being paralyzed, but I do know that the kind of surgery I had is considered the gold standard of back surgery and is 98% successful. It certainly was 100% successful in my case.

Hello again NinenineG, I just answered another of your questions.
I have a beloved sister in law that had a double s curve in her back. The pain that she has gone through for years is remarkable. She has a wonderful surgeon in Pleasenton. He is worth the drive depending on where you live. He was willing to educate her and give her all the options and encouraged her to try accupuncture to see if it would help, unfortunetly a chriopractor was not the right thing for her and none would even touch her.
I have had several surgeries on my neck from dics problems. I can sure tell you who I can recomend not going to!! I can also tell you that once I found a doctor Dr. Michael Takeman, that did things right I have never been sorry that I did what it took to fix it. The other numbness is mostlikely from the compression of nerves at some point. The nerves that cause carpool tunnel for example can be compressed at the base of the skull and send messages down to the finger tips. I learned that from the problems with the neck-- so must work the same in other parts of the body as well. If she has a good and trustworthy doctor than she has to make a decision usuing all the information at hand and as my husband said to me-- Glenda, don't talk about it if you aren't going to do something about it! I am grateful that my sister in laws pain was rellieved if only for a few years and has to be redone when they lern new things. Nana G

In my experience having worked fro chiropractors and being a massage therapist, sometimes surgery helps and sometimes it makes it worse. I would use surgery as a LAST resort.
I myself have a herniated disc and bulging disc in my neck (cervical spine) and had the same pain and numbness going down my arm, so I know what she's going through. I have used yoga, chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage and nutrition to heal. I know it sounds like a lot, but it is worth it. Make sure the chiropractor spends at least 20 minutes of hands on time (not a 5 minute in and out the door doc.) Yoga and physical therapy will retrain the muscles to keep the spine in better alignment with the chiropractor helping it along. Nutrition (mostly water and joint supplements) will help the discs keep their fluid and help the healing process.

Tell her to keep the faith. The healing process takes a while. Hope she feels better soon!

Hi NineNine G,

How is your mother doing? I have had some friends use magnetic therapy for this condition and they were able to avoid surgery.

If you want more information let me know and I will pass it on. Surgery is not 100%.

Good luck,

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

N. Marie

____@____.com

Ninenine,

Cervical spine surgery is a big deal, so I would recommend that she get a 2nd opinion. If you are near the San Francisco area one of the best spine surgeons is Dr. Brian Andrews. He will only do surgery if he thinks it is necessary. If the 2nd opinion thinks she needs it as well then she will be making a more informed decision instead of basing it on just one doctor's recommendation. If she has not tried any conservative options like physical therapy she may also want to look into this as well. I hope this helps.

C. B Palmer
www.linabean.myarbonne.com

Try accupuncture. It is amazing what it can do to relieve pain and pressure from discs bulging. Not a fix but a treatment for the situation. Better than pain pills for the body.

There are many more treatments that can help with this condition that are not invasive or as scary. Find a chiropractor that does spinal disk decompression - I know some people who have done it and have had miraculous results with the same condition as your mom. Surgery should be your last resort. Good luck.

Hi.. I just wondering has ur mom seen a specilaist for her neck?? and has she other ind of treatment. for example a massage. and yes do the surgery but check references with other dr.s and PT's in ur area. (Physcial therapist). Hope this helps please send me a message if you need to. A.

Hi there... you know, I cant help but cringe every time i hear this, I actually work for neurosurgeons and that is one of the biggest things our patients say... they have been told by an ortho that if they dont have the surgery asap, they can be paralized ... well, unfortunately, that is a tactic that some physicians use to pressure patients into making uneducated decisions. Surgery is ALWAYS the absolute last resort... you want to start off with anti inflammatory regimens, physical therapy, epidurals, cortisone shots, etc... there are a zillion things to try, also, you may want to have her look into seeing a neurosurgeon, neurosurgeons specialize in nerves vs. orthos who are mostly bone oriented. good luck, hope this helps.

Ninenine,

I have great information to help you and your mother! If you're still looking for answers, you may respond to this e-message.

S. A.