Does anyone reading this have Degenerative Disc Disease?

Question

If so, how are you coping? Also, what did you find to be the best treatment/surgery? The doc says no to any surgery b/c he says I am too young (27). Instead of wasting time and money going to doctor after doctor just to hear the same crap, is there a surgery that can be done that you know of or have had? I have heard of Infuse Bone Grafting, but how bad does it have to be to have this done? My doctors are not really helping, I just get epidural injections and those are like 4 grand a pop and only get me to the next stop.I have only lost my L5 and L4 so far. I am not looking for medical treatment online so if all you are going to say is talk to your doctor dont answer, I am looking for guidance in the right direction from someone who knows what they are talking about. Are there hospitals in the US that are better, such as the Mayo Clinic or does anyone have any other suggestions? My docs dont suggest anything that works, or refer me to docs that help. Thank you for serious answers!!!

Anything that works means not even something to help with the pain, I cant take a lot of medicines b/c I have stomach ulcers, they dont even prescribe me anything they just say "oh take anti inflammitorys"

Answer 1

Your condition is not so common for someone your age, but it does happen. Surgery wouldn't be the answer especially bone fusion. That's a pretty big deal and usually a last resort, mostly done in patients with instability in their back, or severe disc degeneration. Trust me, you don't want to go there.

The first step I would take is to go and see a chiropractor regardless of what your MD thinks. You may receive full pain relief without the cost of injections and pain killers. Someone your age will recover quickly if you are in descent health already, i.e not over weight and inactive.

If you are opposed to that try massage therapy or physical therapy. Most recent research has proven that chiropractic is better for long term pain relief of lower back pain than physical therapy or massage therapy.

There is a company offering free massage via a table using jade rollers and intense heat. The name of the company is ceragem. The web site is www.ceragem.com Check for a location in your town. They are not everywhere so if you are in a small town you are out of luck.

If you must have surgery please visit this web site www.laserspineinstitute.com It is the only type of surgery to consider if you are a candidate for it.

Good luck and ask a friend for a good chiropractor in your area. It could make all the difference in the world

A quick note on spinal decompression: It is covered by insurance if you find a DO or MD with the unit. Chiropractic offices that have them are overcharging as it should only be 2 to 3 grand for the proceedure. It is effective but also not 100%. Try manipulation first. If thats not successful try decompression but do it at an MD or DO's facility for insurance sake.

Answer 2

I have it in both my cervical and lumbar spine. I wouldn't get surgery if I were you. Not yet. Just because you aren't getting the treatment you THINK you need, doesn't mean the doctors are wrong. Surgery opens up a whole host of other problems. and it may not fix the problem. It is degenerative....it will just move on to another section of the spine. There is no cure for any degenerative disease. If you are overweight, lose the weight. If you don't exercise, exercise. If you eat foods high in fat and sugar, get off of it. Those foods always make it worse.

Answer 3

I'm in the same boat there sunshine. L4&L5 ddd. After 2 years of epidurals and "nerve burnings" I'm still the same. A well renowned Pro Golfer went to Stanford Medical Center for a Multi-level Disc Replacement surgery. 10 days later he was in contention for a tournament title playing golf against the best in the world. If you have a Million $'s laying around, that is the best option, but because the F.D.A. hasn't yet approved "multi-level" disc replacements, "our" insurance won't pay for it. I wish you the best of luck and emotional well being. Hang in there as best you can!

Answer 4

i have it in my lower 2 vertebrae, i don't know the which numbers they are. I just turned 28. My Dr's have been sending me to a pain management Dr, and i went to a surgeon who suggested severing the nerves to stop the pain after getting the epidural shots as well , but it would only stop in one specific area.. so i know exactly how you feel. One of my dads co-workers also has it, and she referred me to a local chiropractor who has a spinal decompression machine. i did some minor research on it and it seems to have really high success rates. My dad's coworker said she had immediate relief after the first time she did the machine. The only problem is it isn't covered by any insurances (at least that we know of) yet because it is relatively new, and its really expensive. It runs between 4 to 6 grand for a series of like 20 treatments i think it was. I would suggest maybe trying to find a local chiropractor that has the machine and discussing your options. It seems to be my last option as well, at least for now.

Answer 5

WTF?