수술은 마지막 수단이지 않을까요? 요즘에는 시술도 많이하고 병원 다니면서 자연적으로 디스크가 치유되길 기다리는 경우도 많다고 하더라구요~ 저도 허리가 좋지 않아서 어느정도 무슨 마음인지는 알거같아요~ 얼른 쾌유되었으면 좋겠네요
Herniated disc treatment? Surgery? 고민
Hello... I have been really 고민이 많네요 lately.
I have been suffering greatly from a herniated disc in my lower back for the past month.
At first, I just thought I had a bit of a backache. Since I work sitting down all the time, I was already experiencing occasional stiffness in my back. But then, one day, I started feeling numbness and pain down my leg. At first, I just applied a patch and endured it... but the pain gradually worsened, so I finally went to an orthopedic clinic.
When I had an MRI, the doctor’s expression didn’t look good. The L4-L5 area was protruding severely and pressing on the nerve. The disc was said to be 8mm in size... As soon as I heard, everything went dark in front of my eyes.
I received medication and diligently underwent physical therapy, but honestly, there hasn't been much improvement. Mornings are the worst when I wake up. Just getting my body up is so difficult... Putting on socks is also so painful that I can't even move.
I'm still hesitant to take sick leave at work... I switched to remote work, but even sitting in a chair is too exhausting. At night, I can't sleep properly because of the pain... My quality of life is really at rock bottom.
Last week, the doctor suggested considering procedures or surgery. It seems that conservative treatment might have its limitations...
I'm thinking of trying a nerve block procedure with injections, but from what I've heard from people around me, everyone's experience seems very different. Some say they felt better immediately after the procedure, but others say they just wasted money and saw no effect...
But I'm really scared of surgery. Just thinking about having my back cut makes me tremble... I heard there's also a risk of recurrence after the surgery. Plus, the hospitalization period is long, and it takes a lot of time to recover...
I looked up information on the internet and also searched YouTube, but I ended up more confused. When I read the comments, there are success stories of surgeries as well as failure stories... The same goes for procedures...
I visited a few more hospitals, and the doctors' opinions vary. Some say to operate immediately, while others suggest waiting a bit longer...
People around me tell me to wait until it heals naturally, but I don't know how long I should endure this pain. I can't work properly, and I'm worried I might get fired if this continues...
I tried to solve it through exercise, but right now, just moving is too difficult. Ah... I really don't know what to do or how to handle this.
For those who have had similar experiences... how did you decide?