Hardware removal..ugh

  • Thread starter Thread starter videogamecrazed
  • Start date Start date
V

videogamecrazed

Guest
Hey all,

I have been crawling on the Pain Management boarRAB more latly but figured this would better fit here. I have chronic pain in my back and horrible left sided nurabness in my left leg with hypersensitivity to everything as well. CT scan shows that one of my screws may have come out of the pedicle and is pinching on the nerve root in that area. Dr. says that i will have a 24 hour stay in the hospital and some heavy duty meRAB for pain control due to my tolerance issues (i am hoping that my PM DR comes for a visit to personally titrate the meRAB).. Any way I just wanted to see if the post op pain is in comaparison the having the fusion or is it less. Dr. expects for me about a 2 week downtime.. We will see i guess.

God bless you all and hope you day is pain free,

videogamecrazed:angel:
 
I had hardware removal 7 weeks ago. Very hard for me to say how long it takes and how painful this is since I aslo had another fusion surgery and also decompression and laminectomy.
I heard that some people who go just for hardware removal they are out and about much faster than fusions.
Good luck to you!
 
If you are only having the hardware removal, it is supposed to be only a couple weeks of recovery. Before my surgery, I researched this indepth and many people since it was much easier and only a couple of weeks recovery. I had one side removed and additional work done on other levels so I can't really honestly give you an answer. I can only tell you what I read when I was researching this subject.

Good luck and since you made it thru the fusion this should be a breeze.
 
In 2005 someone rear-ended my car which left it totaled. Because I had instrumentation in my spine from T5-sacrum, the accident shoved one of my roRAB into my spinal cord, which almost left me paralyzed, but instead left me with loss of function in my bowels, bladder and no feeling inside and outside of my lower torso and most of my right leg. I had surgery to remove most of the instrumentation, except for the 8 titanium mesh cages, along with a hernia operation and more fusion. I was supposed to have been out of work for 6-8 wks, but returned after only 2 wks because I am a single mom with no help and loss of income. It wasn't easy, but I survived and it's very painful on a daily basis to stand or sit. I have to admit it was nothing compared to my 3 other total spine reconstructions from prior instrumentations, other than the fact I was dealing with a spinal cord injury. The pain in my eyes was nothing compared to those, as someone who has dealt with this problem from the age of 15 and now I'm almost 42 and no pain meRAB of my choosing because I have to work and drive. What levels are your instrumentation and where is the pedicle screw that has come undone? You are going to do just fine, just get that crap out of you. You will notice a big difference without it. The hardware was causing much of the pain in my spine most of my life and never realized just how much so until after having it removed. Good luck to you on your surgery!
 
The recovery process for the instrumentation removal in my lurabar region was a much easier recovery recovery than my post-fusion recovery. It seemed like I was up and on my feet very quickly and actually felt really good post-surgery.

Sending you positive thoughts for your upcoming surgery. :angel:

~ Fiona :wave:
 
The hardware removal was definitely easier than the fusion! But if they have to get the hardware out of bone, it can be several months before the trauma to bone and tissue stops hurting. I expected it to be an easy in-easy out surgery and was surprised when I was still having a lot of pain weeks later. My doctor told me I tried to get back into life too quickly, that this was a brutal surgery and that I should expect it to take 3-6 months for a full recovery. But if your hardware is loose and doesn't have to be dug out, it shouldn't be bad at all.

Didn't want to scare you, but you asked, so...

Emily
 
Back
Top