my father has denegerative disk disease and he says sciatica,he said his neurosurgeon wants to do surgery, he has never seen a pain specialist or tried any other kind of therapy, it has been two years, i dont see him as someone in need of surgery, nothing stops him from doing what he wants to do physically, would a doctor recommend surgery before exhausting any other treatment options, after all he is functioning, lifting, picking berries, it just sounds a little extreme to go right to surgery. i exhausted every option before surgery, and that was years of treatments.please share your thoughts
Q: is surgery the first line solution for degenerative disk problems
Answers (2)
10/10/08 10:40am
You don't say whether this was the first time your dad has seen this doctor or whether he has had any x-rays, MRIs, etc. If this is the first time he has sought treatment for his problems, surgery does You don't say whether this was the first time your dad has seen this doctor or whether he has had any x-rays, MRIs, etc. If this is the first time he has sought treatment for his problems, surgery does seem to be a rather drastic step. If it was his family doctor who suggested surgery, you might encourage him to see a neurologist or neurosurgeon. When my son-in-law had a back injury, his family doctor said he would need surgery, but thankfully the neurosurgeon said that surgery was the last resort and tried other treatments, which worked. When it comes to something as serious as back surgery, a second opinion is always a good idea.
10/10/08 11:05pm
I had 2 surgeries for degenerative disc disease. I am no better off. This was in 91/92. The Dr. that did the surgery tried to push me away from operating. He knew surgery was a gamble. I was 26 and had 2 kids {1yr. & 31/2}. I was injured while 5 mo. pregnant and had a c-section. They couldn't start testing me until I recovered from that. I had: CT, MRI, EMG, & the worse of all...discogram. Now they do it with concious sedation. It was so painful. I wanted to give up and forget finding the source of my injury. But they found it! L 4-5 S1. Tell your Dad, if he is able to do what he does, do not operate. I can't even think of doing what he does. I see a Pain Specialist every 2 mo., and on 125mcg/hr 72hrs. of Fentanyl for pain and 150 mgs. 3x a day of Lyrica for the sciatica. These are the highest doses the Drs. will go. I wish your Dad well. You are a wonderful daughter to care about him, and search out "real people" for their opinions/experiences. Best of luck and love...Donna H.
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