Babka, I was really suffering. I had spasms that would start in my lower back and roll down my right arm every 15 seconds. What pain, I would not have wanted to go through the rest of my life like that. Absolutely not. The Physical therapists and the doctor could see where my muscles were knotted up and go from one to another. You could have sewn up the thumb on my right hand and my index finger and I would not have felt a thing. I finally went to a neurosurgeon @ Mass General. He looked at one of my 3 MRIs and said 'Here it is, right here' He explained how the operation would proceed and said that after 9 months there was not a very good chance of healing itself. I was scared to death of having a tube stuck down my throat, having my neck cut open, the vertebrae cut out and a cadaver bone placed in its place to bond. The Dr ( a teaching brain surgeon @ MA General) said that's alright, you will come back and beg to have it done when you are ready. Riding home I was disgusted with myself for being a coward and called the office to make an appointment when I got home. It was about 13 years ago and I have never regretted it. You are very correct that there are a lot of variables. My case was a pinched nerve at one location. My other vertebrae were in good condition. Some people have multiple discs with problems and they may have osteoporosis which weakens the bone and pinning may be required. My doctor said that he never used titanium screws unless there were complications. He said eventually the screws work loose and click, click click and the only way to stop the clicking is to go in and take them out. He died of pancreatic cancer a few years after my operation, but he was excellent. 80% of bulging discs correct themselves. The determining factor is, how long has it been bothering you and how much pain you can take. Good luck, Jon

Happy New Year Karen! Glad you are home and posting. Just keep taking the pain pills til the worst part of the pain is over, after a few days you can wean yourself off. Then plain ol Tylenol or Advil will do the trick. After that, you're good to go! You can do the Hokey Pokey!! Sending gentle hugs.....

Back to the disability. I was on the SocSec website a while back for my wife who is wheelchair bound. The site said 80% of all first time claims are denied. 80%. But disability is not just physical. You can be strong as an ox and still not be able to work, so don't confuse one with the other. Besides physical, there can be mental and emotional disabilities. People come back from war pretty messed up and commit crimes and go to prison. But their problem is just as serious as someone with a bad back. Also, people on disability can earn up to $1,000 a month in income. But that is also the maximum one can earn in the previous 12 months prior to applying. It's like handicapped parking spaces. You can see people who appear perfectly healthy parking there. But they may have a heart condition or arthritis that limits their walking. They're not just for wheelchairs. And now some cold, hard facts. With the economy in the toilet for the longest time since the 30s, many people who wouldn't otherwise apply for help are doing so in record numbers. They were always too proud to go on disability. Not anymore. They're broke and desperate. So along come lawyers who advertise all over the place saying they'll get your disability claim approved.

Good responses and help here. First, you have convinced me to have a neurosurgeon, if I decide to have the surgery. The PM doctor mentioned the name of a doctor that he is well acquainted with and worked with when he was doing his residency. Problem there is he is not local, maybe 50 miles away. After your surgery did you need to go back to see your surgeon? I'm thinking that riding that distance could be a problem. Also, did you have MRIs before the surgery, or were CT scans sufficient? I have to admit my wimpiness here, because I don't like the idea of the MRI, and have never had one. I think I would feel claustrophobic. I know they use sedation, and the PM doctor said he would suggest Valium. I have never had Valium for anything. Hi, chemocurl, aka the other Sue. Your description of the disc bursting is how the PM doctor described it to me. He demonstrated it by putting his thumb and finger together and slowly tightening it. The idea of a treadmill is good especially considering bad weather. Wanda, when the problem hit me this time, the pain was like you said, worse than childbirth. I realized I had a problem one day when I was trying to get into a line of traffic from a parking lot, and I could not move my foot from the brake to the gas pedal. I had to wait it out til I finally got it done, and went straight home. Haven't driven since that day. (That was a "revolting development!") Haven't been able to walk much since then either. The odd thing though was that pain was in my right hip. It seems like all of you have had good results, and that is encouraging. I'm really "tough" when it comes to surgeries, which I've had several of, and have never needed help at home afterwards. I think the MRI thing is the problem I need to work on. Thanks to all of you. Any more suggestions will be welcome. (this) Sue