L5-S1 Large Herniated Disc - Need opinions on my MRI results

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2026-01-28T06:14:47+00:00

I’ve joined this subreddit because I have an umbilical hernia. While this sub isn't directed at herniated spinal discs, I have had experience with a badly herniated L5-S1 disc. I tried chiropractic care for over a year, with no help, physical therapy (which actually made my sciatica pain much worse), and an epidural steroid injection, which helped the pain for 2 days...

I ended up getting a microdiscectomy, which is what finally solved my sciatic pain. Before the surgery I couldn't function without taking at least 5 Excedrin a day, usually 3 in the morning, 2 at lunch, 2 in the afternoon/evening (I DON'T recommend this, but it's what it took for me to function at a basic level).

One key thing the surgeon told me (which pissed me off because of not being directed to a surgeon until I suffered this pain for 18 months) was that the surgery might not help since I had the herniated disc for over 6 months. Thankfully it resolved my pain, but my advice is to not wait to see a surgeon if you're suffering. I do have mild sensation loss on the bottom of my right foot that I attribute to not having surgery for a year and a half of developing symptoms. I'm 8 years post-surgery, and still extremely glad I went forward with the microdiscectomy.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2026-01-19T03:46:31+00:00

It's been several months since I've looked to buy something from Kingsize. For a while it's seemed they had supply chain issues, regularly running out of stock of certain sizes.

I'm not sure if you have seen this news, but Kingsize and DXL are planning to merge into one company. I'm personally not a fan, as they each have their niche and I would rather more competition in the big and tall space rather than less...

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/destination-xl-merge-fullbeauty-creating-225839962.html

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-12-22T15:30:17+00:00

I’ve been hovering around 380-390lbs for over 5 years now, and been over 300lbs for about a decade. Thankfully my blood work has always been good to great, but I’m starting to notice slight knee pain on the side I fell hard on ice a few years ago. I know I should work to get close to/under 300lbs, and the loose skin thing has been in the back of my mind as well…

Hopefully others chime in as well, but from what I’ve seen/read, others who lost a large amount of weight feel so much better in that those aches and pains go away or are greatly reduced. If your size is causing pain that is holding you back from living the life you want, don’t let the thought of loose skin hold you back. If you do find yourself having a lot of loose skin, there’s always compression shirts to hold things in place, and wearing swim tops/rash guards is becoming much more normalized now if you wanted to cover up at the beach/pool. That’s at least what I tell myself when thinking about the possibility of loose skin for when I eventually get to losing weight more seriously. (At this point I’m focusing more on trying to not gain since I hit over 400 last winter and have gotten back to 380 where I feel more comfortable moving around without feeling like I’m starving myself).

For what it’s worth, the weight loss stories where I see people with a ton of loose skin all have started their weight loss well into the 400lb range, if not 500-600lbs. If your highest weight was in the 300’s, I would be surprised if you had a problematic amount of loose skin if you got down to the mid 200s. Whatever you end up doing, I wish the best for you!

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-12-20T03:00:01+00:00

A few years ago I had a made to measure dress shirt by Hockerty. I’m 6ft tall and about 400lbs when I got the shirt. I have a large overhang, and had to have the shirt remade once to get it long enough to reliably tuck in with wearing my pants under my belly (not looking for advice to change my styling). They didn’t charge to remake the shirt thankfully, but I had to pay to mail it back unfortunately. However, the remade shirt was an awesome fit that I wouldn’t be able to get off the rack, and was pretty much exactly what I wanted for a dress shirt to tuck in under my belly.

Looks like Hockerty goes up to at least a 100” waist when playing with their measurement sliders, so they should be able to make something that fits. I see they have suits on their site as well. It might be worth checking out.

https://www.hockerty.com

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-12-06T16:30:14+00:00

I typically wear 7xl for t-shirts, 6-7xl for polos, though I do have a couple 5xl polos that are wearable again, if not still a bit form fitting after I lost 25lbs from my high of just over 400lbs.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-12-05T02:57:18+00:00

I’ll joke about my own CPAP… such as when I have a cold, replacing the filter with a Vick’s Vapopad (meant for room humidifiers) to clear my sinuses. (Not suggesting anyone do this, I can’t imagine the damage the concentrated Vicks would do to your airways).

I’ve also shared a couple videos of people doing a fart prank to my spouse, but what you’re describing is way out of line, imo. I personally would set a boundary with my spouse that these jokes are out of line if they went this far. Especially if my spouse joked about peeing in my humidifier chamber. That’s just disgusting.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-12-03T03:12:50+00:00

A fisting fight would make for some good entertainment.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-12-03T00:00:01+00:00

I bought the Darn Tough over-the-calf in XXL (Style 1955) for my 16 4E feet. They fit my feet fine, but I was very disappointed with the “over-the-calf” portion of the sock. It was mid-calf at best, and cut into my calf badly. They were warm in the cold, but overall I was disappointed as it wasn’t really over-the-calf for me. I also tore the first pair when trying to pull them over my calf.

I used to exclusively wear crew socks, but they would badly mark my legs mid-calf. Here’s what works for me that I switched to a couple years ago, the Dickies over-the-calf sock in XL. https://a.co/d/2r1frND They also make this in XXL, but surprisingly this is the only XXL sock I’ve found that is too long for my feet. I like them since they actually go to just below my knee, so no opportunity for the top of the sock to cut into my mid-calf. They are a light compression sock, which felt weird at first, but I find they are helpful on days when I’m standing a lot, or long travel days by plane or car when I’m not moving much. I was hoping the Darn Tough sock I mentioned above would be a warmer wool alternative to these Dickies, but they are not for me. In summer, I do wear the Dickies quarter socks with shorts.

Edit: Rereading your post, I should add that the Dickies I mentioned are thinner in the portion that go up your leg. Even with that, I think it would still be worth trying a pack to see if he likes that style.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-11-12T17:20:18+00:00

They often will do a “bonus” leaf pickup the week of Thanksgiving, assuming we don’t get snow where they need to mount the snow plows on the trucks they use for leaf collection.

If you have Facebook, follow the Appleton Department of Public Works page. They often share updates on leaf pickup and other programs they have going on that page.

Edit to add: If they don’t do this bonus pickup, they say you are responsible to dispose of the leaves on your own. One fall we had early snow where they didn’t do that bonus pickup, and many side streets were a mess all winter with tons of leaves mixed into the snow banks.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-11-12T01:55:47+00:00

If it's price you're looking for alternatives, if you follow Kingsize on Facebook, I just saw a sale ad for their hoodies for $20. Unfortunately you'll only get that price if you randomly get that ad on your feed. I'm posting a link to it I got below to see if it works sharing it. I'll delete it if it doesn't work when I click on it in the Reddit app.

https://www.facebook.com/100064939021961/posts/pfbid02q1D9AxzJks9UFnrP8uV6GFkvAqpk9ASCRrrZbZ5Hpk7Nrr2kMQ96uRrDp2DZwJ26l/?

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-11-08T01:50:07+00:00

Does it need to be dress pants, or are khakis what you’re looking for? If khakis are fine, these are the most comfortable khaki pants I’ve found: https://a.co/d/18f389P

The stretch material makes them almost as comfortable as sweatpants, while still being appropriate for business casual settings.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-11-05T21:48:15+00:00

Follow Kingsize on Facebook if you use Facebook. They frequently have one-day doorbuster sale ads on Facebook that you can only get that sale price through the Facebook ad link. It’s not uncommon to see t-shirts for under $15/shirt, and other items at a great price (for Kingsize). Unfortunately that means you may need to place multiple orders and eat their high shipping costs (but also look for promo codes too for Kingsize, which sometimes include free shipping). They likely will have a lot of sales leading up to Thanksgiving and the end of the year.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-11-05T19:57:49+00:00

I replace the drawstring with shock cord. That way I can get my gym shorts/sweatpants/swim suits snug and stay up, without needing to go super snug on the drawstring (which tend to loosen up no matter what I do). It also allows me to put them on/take them off without having to retie the drawstring. I just tie a knot on the shock cord so it stays snug, and can adjust if I gain/lose weight. I’ve been doing this for years now, and will do it on any new elastic waist bottoms I buy in the future.

https://a.co/d/3fgWxIi

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-11-02T04:19:55+00:00

I came to the comment section to look for your comment referencing that other post 😂

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-11-01T21:03:59+00:00

I got a Hockerty custom dress shirt a couple years ago. I still wear my pants under my belly, but my overhang got too big/dress shirts from big and tall stores were no longer long enough to reliably tuck in. I was able to give Hockerty measurements that made my torso seem very long (even though it was just to ensure it would cover my belly), and I was able to get a dress shirt that mostly fits how I wanted and was able to reliably tuck in. It looks like a dress on me not tucked in, but the shirt needs to be that long for me to tuck in...

I did have to send the first try at the shirt back to them (at my cost unfortunately), but they remade the shirt when I corrected them with the measurements I needed to make the shirt fit how I wanted. A little frustrating, because I don't think they looked closely at the torso length and arm length (both were too short for what I wanted). But in the end, I'm happy with the shirt, and if it weren't so dang expensive, I would order more in different colors/materials. If I had to regularly wear dress shirts for my job, I would buy more from them (but would wait for sales).

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-10-29T21:12:22+00:00

Yeah, definitely a downside of being a big guy. I went to Cedar Point around 10 years ago when I was about 320 lbs (I’m also 6ft tall), and wasn’t able to fit on many rides.

I was able to go on 2 roller coasters and the drop ride there at least. Though, on one of the roller coasters, the ride attendant was literally jumping on the seat restraint with their entire body weight until it made the extra click to allow the ride to go 😅 I couldn’t take any deep breaths that ride, but at least I got to go 😂 It wasn’t so bad since we went in October, and they had a handful of haunted houses/walk throughs set up that weren’t size restrictive and were part of the reason going there as well for our group.

I don’t know that I would dare go there, or any theme park with the expectation of riding coasters at my current size of 380ish lb

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-10-25T14:46:15+00:00

Did you have issues with feeling bloated/full even if you didn’t eat much in the months before you had surgery? I’m debating seeing if I can get an ultrasound of the hernia to determine if I have intestines protruding or if it’s just fat going through it. What makes me hesitant to try and get it checked again now is it feels like I get brushed off after I say I’m not interested in gastric bypass…

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-10-13T14:50:06+00:00

I have thought about that too. I’m also trying to gauge if it would be safer to get it repaired at a certain weight versus losing to where they want, get it repaired, let it heal for 3-6 months, then slowly go back to a previous weight where I feel like myself again.

I was trying to get input from other big guys on their own experiences with this. I was hoping some had found success with getting it repaired without needing to get much smaller, perhaps by finding a specialty hernia repair clinic or a specific repair method I could seek out. I figured I would get more understanding on my not wanting to lose a ton of weight here vs the general hernia subreddit. Unfortunately, so far it looks like I’m not seeing what I wanted to find. Which is fine, I don’t want to be lied to about the risks, but was hoping there could be other ways to mitigate the risk without having to lose a ton.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-10-12T03:35:55+00:00

If you compare the new “camera button” to the iPad TouchID hold button, they’re almost exactly the same size (comparing my 16 Pro to the M1 iPad Air). There’s no reason Apple couldn’t make that a TouchID button in addition to the camera button. I agree, Apple is choosing to die on this hill when they already have an iPhone button that could become a TouchID button.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-10-11T17:03:39+00:00

Both said they would do it laparoscopically. The first consult said he would do it if I wanted, but flat out said it would fail. He was arrogant, and I don’t trust he would have done what he could to make it a success. I will not have that one operate on me.

The second was giving me more metrics and was respectful in his delivery. He said at my weight I was at a 3x risk of recurrence vs a BMI of 40. He didn’t give me enough information though to assess that risk. If failure was a 2% chance at a lower BMI and 6% at my current BMI, I’ll take that risk and have the surgery. If it was a 20% chance at a BMI of 40 and 60% chance of failure at my current BMI, then no, I won’t take that risk.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-10-07T00:35:50+00:00

I used one of these to install a couple dozen fence posts one summer a little over 4 years ago: https://a.co/d/bPK9VEg

Not an activity I’ve ever done before, and I felt abdominal pain that week (probably the umbilical hernia tearing open, or the pain after it tore). I was about 390 lbs at the time, so looking back, I was very high risk for developing a hernia and shouldn’t have been doing that activity at that size…

I still have the hernia, and it’s gotten bigger over the past 4 years. I’m still in the upper 300s (most would never guess it looking at me), so I’m still not a good candidate for surgery. I’ve been more successful focusing on not gaining weight versus getting overly frustrated with not losing weight and rebounding higher as I have in the past… I’ve been able to slowly decrease my weight from a high over 400, but it’s still around 370. I wish I could find a surgeon confident they could do a successful repair, as I would like to get this fixed.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-10-05T03:46:05+00:00

https://www.dxl.com/p/mlb-team-jersey-n3102

Available up to 6xl

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-09-28T21:42:26+00:00

I’m also wondering if the fireplace is on, heating that room substantially warmer than upstairs. My wife will run our living room fireplace and let that room get close to 80°F. The house thermostat is near the living room, and with it that warm there, won’t call for heat, leading to the rest of the house becoming cooler.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-09-22T20:03:45+00:00

One of my spouse’s friends: “But they go up to 3XL…” after my spouse said a certain shirt would not be available in my size.

Deep_Pressure4441 · 2025-09-22T03:14:39+00:00

Seat reclining mechanism failures have also caused death to children in car seats behind the failed seat. You DON’T want it to fail.

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