66M - Lumbar MRI shows degenerative changes. Neurosurgeon recommends surgery, but symptoms come and go. Looking for real experiences.
Hi everyone,
I'm posting about my father (66M). He recently had a lumbar spine MRI (attached).
For the last few months, he gets pain down his right leg from time to time. The strange thing is that it isn't constant. Some days he has no pain at all. On some days, especially when he first gets up in the morning, the pain is noticeable, but it often improves as the day goes on.
About two weeks ago he had his worst episode. His right leg became numb, and the pain was severe enough that walking was difficult. Since then, the symptoms have settled down again, and for the past few days he has been almost pain-free.
We've seen spine specialists, and they are recommending surgery based on the MRI findings. However, because his symptoms seem to come and go, we're wondering whether surgery is really the best option right now.
I'm not asking anyone to interpret the MRI or give medical advice, but I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have been in a similar situation.
Did your symptoms come and go like this?
Did you eventually choose surgery, or did you continue with conservative treatment (physiotherapy, injections, medication, etc.)?
If you had surgery, was it worth it?
If you delayed surgery, did things stay stable or get worse?
Thank you for sharing your experiences.