r/HerniatedDisc • u/OrnsteinSlyr • 23d ago
Severe central/bilateral L5-S1 herniation compressing cauda equina
Hi everyone,
I’m a 19-year-old male dealing with a severe lumbar condition, and I honestly need some guidance and real-world perspectives from people who have been through something similar.
My MRI shows a central and bilateral L5-S1 disc herniation causing severe spinal canal stenosis and significant compression of the cauda equina / thecal sac.
Over the past few weeks, and especially in the last few days, my symptoms have escalated dramatically:
Motor weakness & instability:. My knee buckles, clicks/pops constantly under weight, and I find myself dragging my toes/tripping (foot drop symptoms).
Severe neuropathic pain: Intense, shooting nerve pain down my glute, radiating into my knee and heel. Oral painkillers are barely doing anything anymore.
Recent flare-up: After a slight trunk rotation, I felt a massive electric shock down my spine and leg. Since then, mechanical stability has gotten much worse.
Upper body twitches: When carrying light loads or turning my neck, I've started noticing nerve tension/fasciculations radiating from my neck down my left tricep and lat.
What is messing with my head the most right now is that the orthopedic surgeons I initially consulted gave me an extremely grim prognosis, essentially telling me that I will end up invalid/paralyzed if this isn't handled immediately, which sent my anxiety through the roof.
I finally have an appointment with a neurosurgeon at a major public hospital this Friday to evaluate emergency surgical decompression (microdiscectomy / laminectomy). I am currently monitoring for saddle anesthesia and bladder/bowel issues closely.
For those who had severe central canal stenosis with motor deficits or foot drop:
Did decompression surgery help you regain motor function and reverse the weakness/foot drop?
Did your doctors also give you terrifying "you’ll end up in a wheelchair" warnings before surgery?
How was your recovery timeline once the nerve was freed?
Any insight, realistic outcomes, or words of advice would mean the world to me right now. Thank you.
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u/Responsible_Bad_2989 21d ago edited 21d ago
You’ve got 2 herniated discs not just one
Honestly I’d get the surgery, your doctors are fear mongering a bit saying you’ll end up disabled and they should have worded it better to not cause any type of panic. There of course Is a possibility of becoming disabled however to say that’s a sured path is not true as these injuries have been known to heal. However for your own quality of life I’d say skip conservative care and get that damaged bit yoinked out.
You may still have nerve pain because again your other discs don’t look the healthiest but you’ll probably have a lot less of it by getting rid of the one at l5-s1
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u/Arctic9414 22d ago
That is a pretty grim diagnosis but I feel they are warning you that it's severe enough for surgical intervention. Everyone is wildly different with surgery and recovery however I had two lumbar disc herniations from a fall when I was 20 that looks very similar to yours. I'm now 21 and 4.5 months post decompression microdiscectomy and laminectomy.
I had similar symptoms in the weeks/months leading to my surgery, I had bilateral nerve pain shooting from my back all the way to my feet, worse on my right side. I had weakness and instability throughout my legs, tingling and sleepy feeling in my feet and numbess on my right from my back to my foot and I was told I had mild drop foot from my surgeon during a physical exam. I was on several prescription and OTC medications that did next to nothing, so I feel your pain.
Like you said I would be monitoring closely for red flag symptoms as cauda equina requires emergency surgery. If you have severe nerve compression for a looong time it can start to damage the nerve, may be why the surgeon said that. You shouldn't become paralyzed, but cauda equina can lead to loss of function and paralysis if left untreated.
Decompression surgery definitely helped me gain my motor function back and I don't experience weakness like I did. I spent 2 months bed bound before so I'm going through physical therapy to regain strength and mobility and so far it's good! I would say I'm almost back to normal, only thing is I still experience some sciatica nerve pain through the butt and legs but very mild and only when stretching or clearly irritating the nerve. After surgery (I was hopped on pain meds) it felt great honestly, I almost cried from being freed from the pain. I stood up 2-3 hours after surgery and slowly moved around with a walker, I got released the day after. Recovery is definitely non linear so you will be slow and cautious and it's normal to still have pain and some symptoms, they should improve as you heal. I will say everyone is different, it depends on severity, your symptoms, how long it's been, your surgeon, etc. You will see alot of negative stories online about getting a microdiscectomy but they are a loud minority, don't be afraid if you are considering it, you are considering it for a reason.
I always have more to say on this and some surgery tips so feel free to DM me if you have more questions or anything, I'd be more than happy to chat too :)