Getting antsy down here but back may not want to cooperate

Glad to hear you had success. So did they fuse it or do a partial disc removal? I had a l5 partial removal in and around the same time. I was a carpenter and worked full time in the ski industry the other half of the year.I had to leave those lines of work permanently. Also I was a fanatical mountaineer doing multi day alpine rock and ice routes. That all changed when I hurt my back. Now Im much better but have to think every time I lift and there are no more multi day alpine trips for this kid as the compression from heavy back packs would kill me. Last thing I want to do is end up in the hospital again. My quality of life is much better now than it was leading up to surgery and I was able to eventually return to climbing on a less grandiose scale, I just shifted it to more technical one day climbs with lighter packs. Also returned to skiing once my kids came of age but do the cruisers now which is good by me. Oh yeah I even returned to wood burning

 

Yeah it could be. I remember spending 6 weeks in a rehabilitation center pre op and feeling all sorry for myself but there were others there that could barely walk or were missing limbs etc, lots of people far worse off then me. It sucked before surgery though. All the little things you take for granted like emptying the dishwasher, brushing your teeth, walking lol were a real bitch. Reading some of these other posts it seems like surgery has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years. Ive got degenerative disc disease up my entire back but it doesnt stop me much. I just do things in smaller doses. I hurt a bit for a day or two after heavy work and then Im good. I was out processing fire wood yesterday and today Im a bit stiff and tender but Im looking forward to pulling out the splitter and putting some splits in my stacks this afternoon. keep us in the loop as to how things work out for you. Just knowing what is wrong is a relief. Now you can work on what is the best treatment, then once youre mended you can move on with your life.

 

Herniated L4-L5 & L5-S1 here. Not nearly to the scale of some folks here. I took it real easy for most of 6 months got better but kind of plateau'd. Found that exersize does help me maintain flexibility and build core strength. Rucking does help believe it or not. 20lb plate in a good fittings pack 3 miles twice a week. Also found going to mechanical splitting solved my firewood issues, swinging a maul kills me.

 

I hear yu!

 

I can relate

 

Hope everything works out rebelduckman, know you were/are really into the firewood processing and burning. I fought backpain for 4or5 years doing what I could do which wasn't much sometimes. But now mysteriously I have been pretty good for the last couple years processing quite alot of wood and doing most things with very little pain. No medical help except chiropractor which was no good for me. Guess what I am saying is go cautiously with the doctors, they are always a last resort for me. 64 years old here and not on any pills !!! Realize a lot of that is blessings from the man above too

 

Well thats good gboutdoors . I look at things like a 40 lb sack of concrete and my back tells me to be real careful. Bending with the knees is key. Ive thrown my back out in the past by bending over to pick up a dime. I remember after surgery not being able to lift a gallon of milk or a case of beer.... and man oh man dont sneeze!! I had my l5 shaved as well. I was told by the surgeon that I would eventually have to have surgery again as the compression would continue until I was bone on bone and the pain would be to much to handle. The timing would depend on how well I took care of my back. They gave me 10 years.... its now been almost 20 and Im doing just fine!

 

Backs, you only get one so take care of it before it brakes and even more after it tells you something. Use your tools, don't be too proud to use a splitter, use an ATV to haul you wood to the truck. Use any lifting tools you can. Lift with the bend on the knees, not bent over and lifting with your back. Take your time. When your back says "enough", STOP and rest. Pain meds are fine, but not so you can keep working and wreck your back.