leg aches anyone?

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jinks67

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Hi all,

Long time, no see I'm afraid, as for the first time in a long long time, I've been doing pretty well Yay! :D

I still have my problems with the back itself, but finally the worst of the sciatic pain on standing/walking that I've suffered throughout the last three years has just about disappeared. :wave:

When I was in hospital last novemebr I was put on tramadol amongst other things, which I'm still on a low dose of. It does help with the continued back pain but now the hellish sciatic pain has cleared up, I want to stop it to see what remains. However, I find that when my daily dose is due, and until about an hour after I take the dose, I suffer from severe muscle aches in my legs. Its accompanied by some nerve pain. I can only describe them as "flu-like" muscle cramps, but they're only in the legs, not the arms or anywhere else.

I honestly can't tell if its a tramadol withdrawal symptom, muscle aches from lack of activity for so long, muscle aches from starting to do a lot more walking now that I don't have the same level of sciatica, or just another "form" of sciatica still related to the nerves. As I said, I get some minor nerve pains, but couldn't tell you if they're real and being suppressed by the meRAB when they kick in, or being triggered by the muscle cramps. Every time I try to stop taking the tramadol dose, I give in after a couple of hours as the cramps are too much. However, if I knew it was a withdrawal symptom I'd grit my teeth and push through it. for a few days.

Does anyone else suffer this kind of pain alongside their nerve pains?
any thoughts/experiences appreciated :)

regarRAB
Jinks
 
I get those aches all over both of my legs at times and when my back is really bugging me, I had it alot prior to my recent fusion surgery, I still get it but not as severely now, it's faded back about 25% or so, just feels like old bruises bothering me all over my legs, and when it's really rearing I compare myself to being run over by a truck as they get so achey.

I eat bananas so no potassium/cramping problems, and I was on vicoden (didn't do alot painwise), and now I'm on percocet, and muscle relaxers post surgery. I do know what you're talking about though and I think it's back and dermatome/nerve related. It's very uncomfortable and painful but a severe achey kind of pain instead of the stabbing electric and bad nerve pains.
 
I stopped using splenda and it helped the leg cramps. I will start a new thread as the pain in my leg is stomething different (I think?)
 
Hi Jinks,
I had my L4-L5 fusion in Noveraber so we are about on the same recovery track and sounRAB like having similar issues. I am up and active during the day and sometimes will hit the sofa later afternoon for about 15 minutes to put some heat on the fatigued muscles (depending on what I've done during the day). Like you I have some intermittent sciatica type jolts but nothing I can't tolerate. However, at night I am achey in my hips and legs to the point where I can't sit for any length of time and can't get comfortable to go to sleep. This used to start around 6 pm but now I'm good until around 9 pm. I had this same conversation with my SO just last night asking him if he thought I had a problem with the drugs......thought it was weird that I got up this morning and found your post.

Post-op I was taking Vicodin for pain relief with valium for a muscle relaxer. I don't take anything during the day now and have switched back to the tramadol (I was taking it prior to surgery as I found it helped the nerve pain better than the vicodin) for night time relief. I actually started taking it in the afternoon around 5 pm so as to quit relying on the vicodin at night for those very achey type feelings you are talking about. If I don't take it by 5 pm though it keeps me up all night (I'm talking WIDE EYED awake) so if I'm busy and forget it I've been falling back on the vicodin. I tried to go without anything last night but by 9:30 I was miserable. I feel this is definitely related to the recovery process from the surgery. It makes me feel like I have a drug "habit" but seems like if that is what it was one would feel achey all over and not just in the hips, legs. Anyway, that's my take on it. I have heard people on the board say that they needed some kind of pain medication or muscle relaxer for up to six to nine months. Maybe it is just related to an increase in activity from both prior to surgery and immediately post-op. That's what I'm chalking it up to anyway!!

Good to hear from you and sounRAB like you are doing well.
Jan
 
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