A split second that changed my life

I was a 36 year old software executive. Unfortunately, my work required me to sit long hours in front of a computer, but all in all, I had no physical problems.

One day I was working at my desk, and I suddenly felt a sharp pain down my leg. I got up to walk it off, but it was so intense. I had never felt anything like it. My back was aching, too. I figured I would sit down and try to get into a position that didn;t hurt, but when I did I couldn't believe the pain shooting down my right leg. I had never felt anything like this before.

That is where it started. From that moment, it would be about 6 months before I could sit down without pain, and even today I feel some pain as I type this.

After a few days, I went to a doctor. He told me I probably herniated my disc. He game me a bunch of Vicodin and some Vioxx. It did nothing. A couple days later, I went to a chiropractor, who tried something called flexion distraction. The pain was only getting worse.

I finally ended up at the orthopedic surgeon who ordered the MRI. BAM! L4/L5 and L5/S1 were herniated. He told me to stay in bed for at least a week and take more Vicodin and Vioxx. I did, and a week later I was just as bad. I tried another week, and nothing got any better. The ortho finally referred me to a neurosurgeon.

By this point, I had been researching the net (standing up) like a madman, and had discovered all kinds of surgical options, non surgical options, etc... it was information overload, and everything I read promoted some miracle for money or more of the same. I did learn, however, that if I was going to get surgery, the cool thing was micro endoscopic discectomy. So went I talked to neurosurgeons, that was what I wanted.

I ended up getting one, and I still regret it. A few weeks after my surgery, I was still in horrible pain. When I mentioned this, he asked if it were as bad as before surgery. My answer was: "Well, not as bad in some ways, but still very bad in others". He said that if it wasn't as bad as the day before surgery, that it was a success. A success?? I am in horrible pain here! He simply replied with one line: "What did you expect?"

The surgeon was done with me. I even had to beg him to get physical therapy! Still, with the therapy, over the course of about 6 months, I did improve. However, just over a year after the surgery, we had a horrible storm and I slipped. BAM! I did it again.

I was so unhappy with the surgery, that I searched for alternatives. A friend had told me about some traction device called VAX-D, so I looked it up. I ended up paying $5,000 for 35 sessions, and believe it or not, it helped. After finishing it, I was at the best I had ever been since I initially blew my back out.

Since then, I have bought several books, and even a home excercise unit that have really helped. By reading the rest of the pages on this site, you will get a feel for how I manage my back now, and have now gone almost a year and a half with no more problems.