Bad Back Blog - Herniated Disc

It has been a long time, and I am happy to say that 99.9% of my leg pain has gone, and I think over the course of a few years it will continue to get better.

I can stand all day (although these days I do a fair bit of standing all night at the local pub ).

One thing that has been a bit of a surprise is that I think my inability to walk or even look after myself for the first 4-6 months of my L4 L5 disc herniation took a toll on my 10 year relationship… yes I’m riding solo for the first time since I was 17.. weird!

My partner gave 100% attention and care during the whole episode, and was very supportive (which I’ve explained in previous posts), I just started getting normal again when the bombshell dropped, and I think it was to do with the fact that our relationship had turned slightly into a carers relationship. She looked after the house, paid the bills etc etc, although things were on the way up with me getting back to normal I think it just took it’s toll. There are obviously other factors, but I think it was a reasonable contributor… all credit to her for sticking with me while I was in the worst state…. I couldn’t have done it without her.

Back to the update. If I stand for a day, or night, what I notice is when I go to bed is a slight stiffness, but by the time I wake up in the morning I’m back to normal. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s to do with muscle strength, which is again is getting better and better as I go on.

The surgeon seems to think that the nerve simple broke free from where it was attached to the disc…. He likened it to a tree that has been cut and sap comes out.. same with the disc.. and the sap basically goes like glue, the nerve is right there, it sticks, and stops moving. You get the nerve trying to move over the disc, it can’t, it irritates it, and gets inflammed. The inflammation has no where to go because it’s all compacted in with the ejected disc material.

So, one day, I bent funny, or moved, the nerve came free. It took a few months to get 99.9%, but within the first week it was 80% better, which is amazing considering it completely ruined my life for 18 months, and in a snap it was better. I’m very thankful.

Most people who are going to getter better without surgery do so within the 3 month timeline. Less at 12 months, and very few at 18 months…. but I’m glad I waited… although at 18 months I was ready to have the operation.. Infact in the last few posts I can’t remember if I said that I had actually thrown the towel in. I had seen the surgeon, and been sent for 1 more MRI to form the basis of the operation. It was between having the MRI and going back to see the surgeon to book the surgery that it came good… How lucky was that!

I’ll keep posting, but less regularly.

Best of luck.

I do get notifications of comments, and I do still reply to all emails, so keep on commenting, and emailing me.. Happy to discuss. matt@mylifemytravel.com

Cheers
Matt

When I cast my mind back to my deepest and worst times with my herniated disc and sciatic leg pain, all I can remember is a fuzz (primarily due to pain killers). Basically the most I did during the day was write an entry on the blog, eat something small, and watch a bit of TV or a few movies.

The problem was Read the rest of this entry »

Hi,

For everyone landing on this blogs home page, it can be difficult to find the great stuff from the good stuff especially if you’re pressed for time, that’s what I like to think anyway.

So a friend of mine who is a guru on Google analytics has given me the top 3 posts on this blog by sheer number of visitors. If there are other posts you think are valuable or have been helpful please let me know through the comments on this post and I’ll create a most recommended posts post (if that makes sense).

Besides the home page the most viewed posts on the bad back blog are (drum roll):
# 1 l4-l5-herniated-disc-back-pain-update-7 More than double the hits of any other post
# 2 l4-l5-herniated-disc-back-pain-update-9-2
# 3 10-things-you-should-try-before-back-surgery

Cheers
Matt

Hello again,

Well things are improving for me. It’s a good news story here so far, and if you’re suffering I know it’s hard to read someone else’s good luck story. I know I hated it, as in I was wishing I would be miraculously be cured.

Basically day to day I’m noticing Read the rest of this entry »

Hi,

So it’s been over a month since the last post.

To summarise (well a verbose summary?):

I’ve waited 18 months and tried various different treatments for my herniated disc at L4-L5.
I’ve finally Read the rest of this entry »

Well I’m still alive, everything is going along as it always has.

The MRI just taken compared to almost 18 months ago still shows the herniated disc.

The doctor said Read the rest of this entry »

Well, I’ve had another MRI last Friday, which will be used to plan the surgery for my herniated disc at L4 L5.

I was in the beast for about 25 minutes, and it’s seriously hard to Read the rest of this entry »

Well, I got a dreaded phone call a few weeks ago.

My brother is extremely sick and he’s currently back packing his way through Europe.

A few hours after getting the call I was on an aeroplane flying to Holland. Read the rest of this entry »

G’day,

Well again it’s been a while since I’ve given an update of my herniated disc and sciatic leg pain, and the last few months have been a huge roller coaster ride again.

Basically earlier this year I had a few slight improvements, as in the pain went away when I’m sitting, and there has been significantly less pain while walking within a 5 minute time span. I still suffer excruciating leg pain if I go for more than 5 minutes, but it resets itself if I Read the rest of this entry »

This is a follow up to the previous herniated disc diet.

I wanted to add that a diet, or at least food moderation is really important when you Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been planning on writing this post for a while. But getting the information on foods that have an anti-inflammatory affect (or the opposite, pro inflammatory) was a little harder than I thought, and it’s taken me the last 3 months to trial them and see what affect they’ve had.

This is probably a Read the rest of this entry »

Most of the breaking news surrounding treatment for bulging discs concerns emerging surgical techniques aimed at providing long term relief to those who have been unsuccessful with conservative treatment.

A Cochrane review by Gibson & Waddell (2007) found that a discectomy could Read the rest of this entry »

So we’ve got some back specialists contributing and you can see their posts here (back specialist contributions), and so far it’s going well.

I’ve been thinking what else would I want from a website about bad backs & herniated discs? There are my personal experiences, there are the Read the rest of this entry »

It is always recommended to thoroughly trial conservative treatments before seeking surgical intervention for a herniated disc. Fortunately there are some different choices available that can be helpful in resolving disc pain and problems:

PHYSIOTHERAPY
Physiotherapy uses a variety of techniques to assist recovery of a herniated disc. These interventions include massage, gentle mobilization, ultrasound and heat. Physiotherapists are Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, I know this sounds absurd. But it’s true, read on…..

While you are sleeping the discs in your back are absorbing moisture from the soft tissue surrounding them and the limited blood flow (oxygen) that surrounds them (again primarily from the soft tissue/muscle surrounding them, there is no direct blood supply to your discs). This has the effect of filling them up, kind of like getting a sponge, squeezing it, and while it is being squeezed put it in a bucket of water and release it. The sponge soaks up the water, in doing so it becomes bigger, same applies to the discs in your back.

If you are Read the rest of this entry »

This is the first of many expert tips and information on the treatments for a herniated disc from those in the know. There are many more on the way, so make sure you sign up for the email alerts and get them delivered fresh when they arrive.

If you or someone you care for is due for back surgery on a herniated disc, then this may be the most important letter you ever read.

Here’s why…
Read the rest of this entry »

I created this blog because when I was diagnosed with a herniated disc I couldn’t find much information on herniated discs from the point of view of the sufferer.

There are lots of Read the rest of this entry »

Herniated Disc FAQ, Bulging Disc FAQ

1. Do all these names mean the same thing?

Herniated Disc, Bulging Disc, Slipped Disc, Ruptured Disc, Pinched Nerve, Disc protrusion, disc extrusion.

In short, they’re Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, so again, it’s been a while since I last put up a post. I’ll try to cover off everything since the last post back in March.

Okay, my thoughts on Piriformis Syndrome (which is what I was diagnosed with). Read the rest of this entry »

For the full list of all my postings on my back problems, from when I was diagnosed, through treatment, and up to now here they are:

http://www.mylifemytravel.com/wolff/herniated-disc-2/