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Went to the consult yesterday. Nice facility in a nice part of town. Doctor seemed to know what he was talkign about but definitely miscommunication between what the surgeons think and what the office thinks. I asked the surgeon what happens in the event that disc bulges again after surgery. He said, "If it happens within 2 years or so we'd take care of it, no cost to you." Of course when I asked the office the same question I was basically told, unless you can prove it reoccurred because of something we did or didn't do... there is no warranty.
We're going to send my wife up to AK. We are in touch with the Neurosurgeon. Plus they would give her free pain management until she gets into surgery.
Thought I would give an update, as our experience may help someone else out there. We were not able to send my wife to AK since they are currently between Neurosurgeons and since we are not AK residents anything performed outside of the hospital would become our financial liability. So we decided to have a Discectomy performed here locally. We went with Laser Spine Institute.
I had read many things on this company. Some good, some bad. We decided to go with them anyways, because the friends we have in the medical field repeatedly told us how lucky we were to have a Laser Spine Institute in our town (people travel across the nation to their centers). We had already done a free consultation a week or so prior and they informed us that she was a prime candidate and should get excellent results. She called them on Wednesday and said she wanted to get the surgery performed. They said, no problem. Thursday would be pre-op and Friday would be surgery day with post-op visit on Saturday.
This was great news because at this point my wife was incapacitated. She has unbearble pain, couldn;t sit upright, barely would walk and it hurt to go to the bathroom... it was all bad.
Typically preop appointments are spread over 2 days. They compounded it into one day. I was able to work while in their Cafe/Lounge. I have the capability to work remotely. She went through some imagine, tests and examinations. The entire process took around 6 hours. It was too much activity for my poor wife though. She was in so much pain when done it was hard to see. Worse part is, there is nothing that could be done for the pain because thing such as OxyCodone don;t even have an effect on this pain.
I took Friday off of work. We arrived at Laser Spine Institute at 7:45am. Shrotly afterwards they put her in a pre-op room, where I couldn't come with her. They had my cell number and told me they would call when she goes into surgery.
I was required to remain in the building should anything arise. In their Cafe/Lounge they have breakfast, drink, coffee, wifi, laptops you can use, tv, magazines, books, newspapers and relax the back chairs. It was comfortable and the food was a nice touch. Everything is included. You can bring your entire family if you want, some did.
I finally for the call at 12pm that she is going into surgery. Her surgeon is known for taking his time on his patients and the surgery before hers had gone significantly longer than planned. During this wait my wife was in a ton of pain and there wasn't much they could do for her since she was about to head into surgery.
I got a call at 2pm and was told she was done and in the recovery room where I would be able to see her in about 45 minutes, they would call. I got the call 90 minutes after she came out. Oh well, sure they had their reasons.
I went up and saw my wife. She was groggy but I could immediately tell she was in significantly less pain than when she went into surgery. She said the nerve pain was gone but it felt like she had been kicked in the back by a horse (surgery pain).
They informed us that they did a few other things other than just the discectomy while they were in there. They cleaned out some stenosis and thinned a ligament that had become too large. These additional procedures were not at an additional cost, everything was included.
My wife was sore, tired and hurt.... but said she felt so much better. The next day we went to post op. They looked at the wound, asked how she was feeling, answered all of our questions, provided some supplies and sent us on our way with a follow up in 2 weeks. We were glad the appointment wasn't that long. All my wife wanted to do is lay down.
So, about 5 days later, my wife is doing great. She still has surgery pain but she cannot get over how much better she feels. She is able to walk for short periods of time. She can sit up. Her quality of life is returning. I'll keep you posted to let you know how she is doing after the 2 week checkup.
I just wanted to write this because I had a hard time finding information that either wasn't probably posted by Laser Spine Institute or by trolls. I hope this helps someone in the future. So far it has been a great experience and my wife getting her life back is priceless and well worth the $22.5K the surgery cost.
The discectomy was on a herniated disc (L5 - S1) pushing and compacting the Sciatica Nerve. Pain relief was immediate. They do many other procedures. I can't speak to them or tell you how well they work. But if you have a herniated disc causing your Sciatica Pain, you may want to check them out.
Wanted to give another update.... about 3 months later.
So, recovery is much longer than they say it will be. Maybe some people can recover faster... that is possible.
The nerve pain is still gone, which is what we were really after. Her back is still achy and hurts. She is not able to walk for more than 15 - 20 minutes before it begins to hurt. This could be sure to the muscles still healing. She also says she gets a burning sensation sometimes, which we believe is due to the surgeon thinning out a tendon which was really thick. When going to Target or Walmart, we will grab her an electric scooter thingy. When going to amusement parks, we rent a wheelchair and she does not go on any rides.
Overall, I would consider the surgery a success and re-herniation risk should be minimal now since it has been three months and scar tissue should be nice and hard to keep the disc in.
We believe in another 3 months she will feel even better. She is beginning to work to make her core stronger, which should also help with the other back pain.
Feel free to PM me if anyone is considering having back surgery at the Laser Spine Institute. I am glad to provide any sort of information that I can.
Thank you so much for the update ! I may be doing this if my MRI shows the disc pressing on the sciatic nerve. Something is for sure. Have not gotten to the extreme pain scenario yet, so I value the info you have posted. Please please keep us informed how she is doing !
Thank you so much for the update ! I may be doing this if my MRI shows the disc pressing on the sciatic nerve. Something is for sure. Have not gotten to the extreme pain scenario yet, so I value the info you have posted. Please please keep us informed how she is doing !
You are welcomed. My opinion is that unless you are in sever pain.... do not have back surgery. There are other methods you should try before doing so. Even if you have tried other methods, I would still not suggest surgery unless you are in so much pain you can no longer function (ie; walk, sit or sleep).
I saw many people there that appeared to be in discomfort and maybe some pain... but my wife was the only one I saw that was obviously in severe pain and she is one tough cookie. I think the bad reviews you read about back surgery are those that are in discomfort or mild-moderate pain and have it performed and find that they aren't "good as new".
If my wife's pain had only been moderate or less, I think we would have been disappointed with the results so far... because she is in mild-moderate pain now.... none of which is the sciatic pain that caused the severe pain.
When you talk to them they will make it sound like you will heal recover much quicker than in reality.
Completely agree with the above and that's exactly the advice given by my spine specialist. He said he won't perform surgery until the patient is in such chronic and severe pain that he/she will recognize the benefits of being back to 70 or 75 percent after the long arduous recovery. If pain is moderate then the improvement realized won't seem worth the surgery and recovery.
That said - I'm going in for decompression and spinal fusion next week as I'm at a point that making the bed, walking across a room or drying my hair is a major feat.
Can't you sign up for health insurance on your own?
You can buy Obamacare (have to wait for that now) or other independent insurance companies.
It'll cost around $800 for a couple depending upon income.
I have L4 and L5 bulging disc since 1995.
Sciatica pain is constantly there but I can tolerate it.
It has become worse 3 times in last 18 or so years that I had to see a doctor.
Latest was in last November during all the move, I may have done something bad.
I went to chiropractor and spent few hundred but not much help and they wanted to keep me in a plan for few months hoping the bulging disc will go back. I quit as I don't want to spend thousands just to hope.
It's little better now after 1 and half months.
I also bought exercise ball to warm up lower back and an inversion table and use it daily. It greatly helps but not permanently.
I suggest you try inversion table and see if it helps relieve pressure on the spine.
Surgery should be last option.
If Alaska has free medical for her, that's best option otherwise you can go to India and have it done for much less out of pocket.
I vote for Alaska. I too, as some here, have had a spinal fusion (done by an orthopedic surgeon) I got pneumonia after the surgery, and I am still dealing with pain and no feeling in the bottoms of my feet (due to nerve damage) but I go to a group of doctors who keep me going as best as possible. Your wife will be in good hands with the neurosurgeon and family. Yes, the flight will be hard, but if you plan ahead, and have meds to keep her somewhat pain free she should be okay. I wish you both the best. I'll send a prayer up for her (if that's ok)
You are welcomed. My opinion is that unless you are in sever pain.... do not have back surgery. There are other methods you should try before doing so. Even if you have tried other methods, I would still not suggest surgery unless you are in so much pain you can no longer function (ie; walk, sit or sleep).
I saw many people there that appeared to be in discomfort and maybe some pain... but my wife was the only one I saw that was obviously in severe pain and she is one tough cookie. I think the bad reviews you read about back surgery are those that are in discomfort or mild-moderate pain and have it performed and find that they aren't "good as new".
If my wife's pain had only been moderate or less, I think we would have been disappointed with the results so far... because she is in mild-moderate pain now.... none of which is the sciatic pain that caused the severe pain.
When you talk to them they will make it sound like you will heal recover much quicker than in reality.
I'm so glad she is doing better, good to know about the Laser Spine Institute, I may need it down the road.
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