Pinched nerves were making 57-year-old Eric Minier feel as though he constantly had “knives in my back, knives in the sides of my hips.” Shooting pain radiated up and down his legs, to the point where, he says, “you had to say, ‘I’m not going to be able to do this today.'” Eric found himself giving up more and more of the outdoor activities he used to love.
Until, that is, he came to the Spine Institute Northwest. Eric underwent a microdiscectomy to remove “microthin wafers to allow the nerve bundle to go back to its original position,” relieving the pressure and the pain. He was amazed at the tiny incision, and couldn’t believe his surgeon “did all this in that little bit of space to work in. But he did it, and I’m just astounded.”
Just over two weeks after his minimally invasive spine surgery, Eric says the way he’s feeling “is the most wonderful sensation I can tell you about. It’s zero pain.” Before his procedure, Eric’s pain levels ranged from seven to ten. The best he’d let himself hope for was “maybe a 1 or a 2, maybe a 3.”
With his pain completely gone, he says, ” To me this sky is the limit now. I mean, I have so many plans, and so much waiting for me that I left behind before this surgery that I want to catch up.” Activities Eric had all but given up on are now back within his grasp — and he can’t wait to get started.
“When you first sit up and realize that there is no knife sticking in your back anymore, I mean it literally brings a tear to your eye, “he explains. “Now that I’ve had the surgery, all I can say is do it, because it will change your life. It will change your outlook, it will change your disposition, it will change your health, I mean, you’ll feel good. Basically, you’ll smile again.”
Hear more from Eric, in his own words: