Hi Mari. I used to post in these forums for years and unfortunately due to lack of time became a lurker and after reading your post, and losing all my old Cathe forum information I decided to register again so I could share my personal experience. I am almost 35 years old and I have been exercising since I was 8. Started with martial arts, then became a runner, and when I was 13 to 14 started with aerobics, step, did the Firm for awhile then discovered Cathe when I was I think 17 or 18 and I have been a faithful Catheite ever since. When I was in my early 20s I started suffering from lower back pain diagnosed as DDD or degenerative disc disease, but I did not feel pain every day. I was told to either cut back with my running and high impact or to change it all to low impact. The latter was not an option for me since these were activities that helped me cope with my stress, anxiety, and insomnia back then.
Long story short, when I was 29 my DDD was no longer DDD alone and became spinal stenosis, sciatica, lumbar radiculopathy and something else that I don't remember right now that it meant basically that I had minimal disc "tissue" left between my vertebrae in L4 and L5. I remember the day as it was yesterday when I was doing a deadlift, with perfect form and the same weight I had been using for months and after the first set my back pain was just unbearable. After that I saw an internal medicine doctor and she recommended an MRI, the MRI was the only way that my doctors could see that my DDD was no longer that alone and what other doctor might have diagnosed as perhaps a bulging disc was something way more serious. That was in fall 2008 and I turned 30 a couple of weeks after. I was in physical therapy, only did yoga, low impact aerobics and almost no weights except for my arms or machines at the gym, and the pain was not getting better. I was also prescribed pain medication (pretty much tried everything except morphine) and they did not do much for the pain, but gave me nausea, constipation, night sweats, all the side effects you could imagine. 2008 became 2009 and forget exercising I couldn't even walk, drive, be seated for a long time, be standing for a long time, I just couldn't live a normal life. Finally both my internist and physiatrist recommended several neurosurgeons for me to visit. After trying everything and seeing little results I decided that I was going to have surgery. So I took a very long sick leave from work and had surgery in February 2009. It was the scariest decision of my life but when I woke up, that pain from sciatica that was literally driving me and all my loved ones insane was gone. My doctor had me walk up two flights of stairs by the second day and I could do it, with someone standing beside me of course, but I could, and after about six months of physical therapy I was back to normal again. I have two vertical scars in my lower back that are a little more than an inch and I would say about nine months later I was running again, but only on a treadmill. I no longer practice martial arts, boxing, or any kind of contact sports, except for the occasional kickboxing or boxing DVD (at home, with no opponents besides the imaginary mean boss
) and I do high impact at home only where I have my floor nicely padded, but not every day, and I am stronger now than ever. That's of course also thanks to a cleaner diet and Xtrain coupled with other Cathe masterpieces.
I am by no means sponsoring or pro surgery at all. All surgeries are risky, even the ones at the dentist, the risks when the surgery is in your spinal cord are even greater. You should see as many doctors as you can. Get a second, a third, even a fourth opinion and request an MRI. I agree with the poster that mentioned that any doctor that does not recommend one knowing all the symptoms you have described should be called a moron. Doctors get a lot of heat from health insurance companies (I used to work for one for several years so I know what I'm talking about) when they tell their patients they need expensive testing or studies and MRIs are pretty expensive. Mine was $1,000 back then of which my insurance covered $750. You should also leave surgery as the last option because it is costly, you will not be able to work for months, and every single person is different. It worked amazingly well for me, but it may or it may not work for you. I decided I needed surgery when I could no longer walk or do anything like I used to, not just because I couldn't practice my favorite sports.
I hope this huge post helps you or somebody else in your shoes. I have been there. While you wait for your current treatments to work, please treat your body kindly. Find out how much you should weigh and try to eat healthier until you see that number on the scale (being over or under your weight can make these conditions worse). Check if you have facilities that offer water aerobics or water spinning near your home or workplace. After my surgery I was practicing spinning, kickboxing and even weights on water and the funny thing is that the pools were not too deep (I'm not a very good swimmer) and my hair rarely got wet with chlorine (gotta keep those locks looking shiny
). Walking is surprisingly a great exercise and of course yoga (as long as you don't try wheel pose or the ones like it). Be patient and even though you are in pain try to be nice to those around you. I had to apologize to several people after my surgery because I was so cranky and mean all the time before I had it. These are the moments in life that test us as human beings and you can either inspire yourself and others through your condition or put yourself and others down. Believe in yourself. Try to stay positive. I hope you feel better soon. Take care.
