[deehaverrn]

After 18 months of chronic back pain due to a work injury, and after trying physical therapy of differing types, Tens units, facet nerve ablation, and medications,(only the meds ever helped but they make me too sleepy to work)--my doc is now advising an IDET procedure. I do fit the criteria that I've read about. I was just wondering if anyone has any advice about it.
Also, he hasn't really talked about recovery but it seems like I'll be unable to work for a few months ..is this true? (my job requires a lot of bending and twisting, and unpredicable sitting and standing plus much walking). My workplace has constantly overdone it on my current light duty restrictions so I would want to be extremely careful as I read that overdoing it can undo everything.
Advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!

[walk6miles]

I will be happy to give you some educated (I mean I spent 6 months looking for a solution) advice on back surgery.

I was a runner most of my life; I suddenly began to have intractable sciatica down my left leg..MRI said that my disk had collapsed into the spinal column causing severe stenosis..... two doctors (one a ortho surgeon and one a neuro surgeon) recommended removal of the disc and replacement with rods and screws.. I didn't like the idea of lost work (can't afford that) and the shots I got in my spinal column under radioscopy seemed stupid - all the people around me who were getting the shots were POST-Op... I began looking for something different... I found it on the internet..

The X-Stop (look it up) was ideal for my problem but wasn't approved by the FDA - it is now- I even considered flying to Europe for it.. couldn't get info from them in Scotland for it... it is now local and if I need it, will get it....

In the meantime, I found MICROSPINE.COM who saved my life... I had minimally invasive surgery (enlargement of the opening around the sciatic nerve and got up off the Op table and walked without pain and without a cane for the first time in a year ...... I tried every pain reliever on the market..... the surgery fixed me......

Then about 7 months later, I had the other side done.... it took awhile but I am completely pain free ---- no pain ----I have begun to exercise again.......... please ask me any question you wish... by the way, I worked in ICU the entire time (in agony) - using a cane...... I will also tell you I was in so much pain at one point I considered suicide.

Now that's my story - God Bless!!!