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Mr Fady Sedra 2021-03-26 Person 5 5 0

Met with Dr Sedra 2 years ago as I was having terrible pain down my left leg. He suspected a slipped disc and sent me for an MRI which later confirmed it as a slipped disc L5 - S1 that was contacting my sciatic nerve causing pain from my butt to my toes on my left side. They also found a disc bulge on my L4-L5 but at the time of MRI had subsided and was not contacting anything. Dr Sedra then recommended physio which unfortunately did very little and after 4 months I returned to see Dr Sedra. At this point he recommended a steroid injection in my spine in hopes that it could relieve pain and allow the disc to heal. The injection was performed successfully by Dr Sedra and his team but unfortunately I had very little relief from the pain but I continued doing physio, exercising, and eating well in hopes that things might improve. They did not and I returned to see Dr Sedra about 8 months after originally meeting him. He disappointedly told me during that meeting that surgery was the only answer now. I searched the Internet high and low for other solutions and tried different physios, massage therapists, special pain killers, osteopaths, and alternative therapies which all worked temporarily. Amitriptyline (an antidepressant used for nerve pain) and one particular osteopath provided the most relief but none fixed the injury and were long term solutions. So a year after originally seeing Dr Sedra I went to go see him again and he again recommended the microdisectomy surgery (decompression surgery) but I insisted on another MRI in hopes that the disc might be recovering. He obliged but the result came back that the disc was slightly worse then the previous years MRI. I was very disappointed as I had tried so hard to fix it and had no luck. I was unfortunately a part of the small percentage of people who slip a disc and it did not slip back in. I then contacted Dr Sedra about proceeding with the surgery as I could no longer continue with this pain. Unfortunately within a week the Covid pandemic struck and I was stuck in another country for 6 months. Immediately on my return to the UK I contacted Dr Sedra who told me to come see him. He saw I was still in pain and ordered another MRI just to make sure and put me on the wait list for surgery. The MRI came back as still about the same or slightly worse then before and within a few weeks I got confirmation of my microdisectomy decompression surgery date. I was quite nervous but ultimately I could no longer deal with the pain. I went for a pre surgery meeting a couple days before the surgery to check vitals and received the go ahead. On surgery day I met with a member of Dr Sedra's team who told me further info about the surgery and reassured me I was in great hands. On my way into surgery Dr Sedra greeted me and said all will be fine. A few hours later I woke up and was told by Dr Sedra that the surgery was quite uneventful and it had been a success which was great news. They had successfully removed a piece of disc and bone from my spine as to decompress the sciatic nerve. The next day I was able to walk to the toilet and a few hours after that I was able to go home. At home I was able to walk gingerly up stairs and around the house. Within about 3 days of being home I was able to walk slowly alone and sit down for short periods. Within 2 weeks I was able to sit in cars and walk a bit faster with only a bit of pain. And 4 weeks later I was able to go to work again and do most things with very little pain. At about 8 weeks I only have numbness and weakness in my left leg which is way better then before especially when sitting or going from sitting to standing. No more shooting pain. At 12 weeks this numbness and weakness in my leg remains but I have began physio in hopes of getting rid of the last of this. Dr Sedra has said he expects this could last for a while as the nerve is not used to the increased movement and blood supply. Either way I am better off then with the terrible sciatica pain. To anyone reading this I would stop reading too much info around the Internet and trust the experts like Dr Sedra and his team. If I had got the surgery 8 months after the original injury I would have been so much better off then waiting 20 months. Thanks again Dr Sedra!