L4 & L5 injury

HuntingDog22

HuntingDog22

PEB Forum Regular Member
PEB Forum Veteran
What can I expect with an L4 & L5 herniated discs? I have been fighting this for over 4 years and my doc keeps telling me that I need to do more cardio to drop weight. This is very hard since I can not do much with my lack of movement. I have spent the past few days in the ER with new pains and a 10 rating level.

please help!!
 
I have been informed by Tricare that i will have to schedule a date and time to go to see a specialist in Anchorage now. I am guessing that this person is going to be neuro surgeon and this is probably due to the finding in my resent MRI. If i don't like what is told to me by him/her can i chose to just plain get out or do i have to take the surgery?
 
well today i found out that the MRI has revealed a slipped disc. now i had to call the hospital 4 times to get this information, and when i raised the question,"why was i not informed of these findings as soon as you got the report", i got back "OH". this person was under the impression that i would magically get this information from thin air.

needless to say i will be going to patient advocate to file a complaint and to ask for a PCM. now with a total of these injuries and the amount of pain i am in, is there a process i can start to get the MEB going.
 
could anyone tell me how risky it is and if it could be worth it to have a back fusion surgery. like i mentioned earlier they told me the results of the MRI and I don't like it. I have been freaking out for the past two days now. I don't know who to talk to and one person has told me that if i chose not to have the surgery then they will charge me with dereliction of duty. I have never had surgery before and i have heard nothing but bad things when it comes to the back.

someone respond. i am very lost and don't know what my options are. all i do know for certain is that if i do have the surgery i can not go back to my original job (which is packing parachutes). but i know the air force is not in the mind set of finding me another easy job and waiving the pt test.
 
Huntingdog...Sorry to hear of your pain. I understand you are in a catch 22 all the way around. The deal with the surgery is that everyone responds differently...and because you know how much pain and disability you can tolerate...it is a very personal decision....docs are gonna look at how much physical therapy you've had, additional physical ailments (overall health), your age, are you at a healthy weight, etc...all these things and more can affect the outcome of the surgery. Some people with fusions do GREAT! Others not so much. Some people have herniations with little pain-and others with a little herniation feel like that want to die! So when you do see the neuro guy-you guys decide whether or not you need surgery...now, or later. You asked if you will be "made to have the surgery"...I don't think "they" can make you have surgery but I don't know. Maybe a moderator will chime in and respond to that one. I'm not a surgical candidate so I haven't had to deal with that aspect. BTW, as far as exercise goes with bad backs...well-I've been through it all & there have been times when I couldn't move. So, I totally understand...I started by asking for warm water pool therapy. Now, ...I've kept my weight in check by walking two slow 20-30 minute walks a day...( I started walking in the water..warm water pool-just walking and some light weight arm stuff...I could only crawl on land!) You don't have to do FULL blown cardio-just keep moving to burn calories...I say this as a professional-Not only was I medical, but my degree is exercise science and I'm certified in lifestyle management, personal training, etc. Just try to eat healthy, more chkn and fish, a little less red meat, add more greens and veggies, watch your beverage choices, etc...hit the hot springs & relax best you can! Stress will cause you to keep weight on/gain weight. Oh...and new articles show that modified Pilates can REDUCE all types of back pain...something to talk to your physical therapist about. I know this isn't much...but just wanted to say you're not alone...one step at a time. They'll start the med board...its hard to be patient, but this is a bit of a process. Take care and good luck with everything.
 
HuntingDog22 said:
could anyone tell me how risky it is and if it could be worth it to have a back fusion surgery. like i mentioned earlier they told me the results of the MRI and I don't like it. I have been freaking out for the past two days now.
Click to expand...

Chinook said, the risks/outcomes of surgery are extremely situational, and only you and your doctor can figure that out. Once you understand the full scope of information from your doctor, do research then and you'll have a better idea of what's best for you.

HuntingDog22 said:
I don't know who to talk to and one person has told me that if i chose not to have the surgery then they will charge me with dereliction of duty.
Click to expand...

Whoever said this is 1) an asshole, and more importantly 2) wrong.

They are likely thinking about refusing required immunizations. You do not have the right to refuse required immunizations. Everything I've read says you ALWAYS, yes ALWAYS, have the right to refuse treatment. Especially invasive surgeries. As long as refusal complies with law (not 100% sure what this means). Best to talk to your jag about this, but I'm fairly sure.

read the Patient Bill of Rights for your region (they read slightly differently, but they're pretty much the same)
http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nme/Pages/PBOR.aspx
http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcsd/Pages/PBOR.aspx

I have never had surgery before and i have heard nothing but bad things when it comes to the back.
Click to expand...

I have never had back surgery, but not all surgery is bad or risky. Once you know the ins and outs of the specific surgery, do your research, find the results of other people with THAT surgery specifically. Don't take it as your first option unless it's an extreme risk to your health, explore things like pilates, chiropractors, acupuncture. You can always go back to surgery if you need to. That said I AM NOT A DOCTOR, and i don't know your specifics, and i'm not trained nor competent in the field of medicine, all i'm saying is EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS.
 
HuntingDog22 said:
could anyone tell me how risky it is and if it could be worth it to have a back fusion surgery. like i mentioned earlier they told me the results of the MRI and I don't like it. I have been freaking out for the past two days now.
Click to expand...

Chinook said, the risks/outcomes of surgery are extremely situational, and only you and your doctor can figure that out. Once you understand the full scope of information from your doctor, do research then and you'll have a better idea of what's best for you.

HuntingDog22 said:
I don't know who to talk to and one person has told me that if i chose not to have the surgery then they will charge me with dereliction of duty.
Click to expand...

Whoever said this is 1) an asshole, and more importantly 2) wrong.

They are likely thinking about refusing required immunizations. You do not have the right to refuse required immunizations. Everything I've read says you ALWAYS, yes ALWAYS, have the right to refuse treatment. Especially invasive surgeries. As long as refusal complies with law (not 100% sure what this means). Best to talk to your jag about this, but I'm fairly sure.

read the Patient Bill of Rights for your region (they read slightly differently, but they're pretty much the same)
Patient's Bill of Rights
Patient's Bill of Rights

I have never had surgery before and i have heard nothing but bad things when it comes to the back.
Click to expand...
I have never had back surgery, but not all surgery is bad or risky. Once you know the ins and outs of the specific surgery, do your research, find the results of other people with THAT surgery specifically. Don't take it as your first option unless it's an extreme risk to your health, explore things like pilates, chiropractors, acupuncture. You can always go back to surgery if you need to. That said I AM NOT A DOCTOR, and i don't know your specifics, and i'm not trained nor competent in the field of medicine, all i'm saying is EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS.
 
well folks i just had another visit to the ER, this time via ambulance. yesterday i finally got in to see a doctor at my so called hospital for the first time in over a month. he started off by scolding me for using the Army's ER so many times. that i was Air Force property and that i was making them look bad. that i should have made it my priority to come and see them first.

i explained to him that there is no ER here and that if i need to be seen right away without having to wait a stinking month then that is where i am going to go and he had not say in that matter. he then turned his attention on what types of medication where given to me while under the care of the ER. he began to say what he would have done and just sounded stupid. then he turned his attention to the medications that i wrote down that i was taking and began to tell me no. that i could not take these types of medications cause then i could not return to work.

he made it very adamant that i needed to get back to work asap. and that anymore time off was just a waste. i tried to explain to him that i have already spoken to my chain and they where fine with me being off, that i just needed to let them know how long it was going to be for. he sneered at that idea and said that he was the physician and he knew best.

needless to say i have gone to the CMSgt of patient advocacy and emailed him everything that was told to me and let him know how i was treated. i also included everyone in my chain this email so that i can get some assistance in this matter.

on another note i had to strong arm him into telling me exactly what the MRI said: degenerative disc disease, a protruding disc, a bulging disc that is pushing against a nerve, and two hernias. now can anyone tell me if narcotics is the only thing that is going to help me with this pain?
 
i have the same problem, i'm in the navy and currently forward deployed. i'ved been to physical therapy and was recommended for LIMDU but our PCM rejected it right away. he said that they are not the expert and will not listen for their recommendation. i am having a hard time climbing up and down the ladder and almost twisted my shoulder beacause i have to pull my self up and hold my self down when climbing up and down. i was told that he will have me see a neuro surgeun and wait for their recomendation if i need surgery or not. i would like to file a complaint agains my PCM because personally i am don't feel safe being on the ship right now because there is a multiple occasions that i almost fell off the ladder because of the pain of going up and down the ladder. my question is, who do i need to talk to and file a complain against my PCM?
 
Dog22, I have the same problem as you do regarding DDD and protruding disc. i went to physical therapy and was recommende for LIMDU but my PCM shut it down right away and he told me that he don't take recommendation from the PT instead he just tell them what to do. I have a reccurent back for years now and just 2 months ago when it becomes a constant pain. I am on the Navy and currently forward deployed and climbing up and down the ladder 5 to 8 decks is no joke. I ask my PCM if he could put me in LIMDU so that i could continue my therapy and he said that I am ok and just have to deal with the pain since I had it for years now. I would like to file a cmplaint against him but i dont know who to talk to about it. Can anyone help me on this.
 
HuntingDog22 said:
...

on another note i had to strong arm him into telling me exactly what the MRI said: degenerative disc disease, a protruding disc, a bulging disc that is pushing against a nerve, and two hernias. now can anyone tell me if narcotics is the only thing that is going to help me with this pain?
Click to expand...

Just to chime in, sorry I didn't see your post here earlier. If you have already been using pain meds, hopefully they're working for you. However, I found that with nerve compression, nothing helped that other than the surgery. Surgery relieved about 75% of the radicular pain going down my leg. Narcotics helped with the every day back pain, but they wouldn't touch the nerve pain. For that, I was prescribed gabapentin, which didn't work. Then I was given Lyrica (Pregabalin) which helped very little.

Everyones response to medications and narcotics are different - like I said it helped me with general back pain, but couldn't touch the nerve pain. I don't like taking them because I don't want to get addicted, and it's not a good long term solution.

Good luck.
 
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