Lumbar spine fusion

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alim15

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How did you determine that the hardware was causing you pain and not something else? I am suspecting that my hardware is making me feel stiff and un-natural but I would want to be sure before I have more surgery.

Thanks.
 
i wish you luck,, thats a tough surgery,,sometimes the pain goes away and sometimes it dont. Mine didnt but they said my hardware has came apart twice,, i have had 3 surgeries,, the last two has came loose. it takes quite a while to get over this surgery,, id give it 3-6 months at least before i started judging pain that youll be left with permenantly
 
I'm almost 4 weeks post surgery after fusion on 2 levels from S1-L4. Still in a lot of back pain, worse than before surgery. The leg pain is almost gone except for nurabness on the top of my right foot, mostly upon wakening but at some other times too.
My question is, has anyone else that had this had their discs totally removed? Both of my discs were taken out and replaced with cadaver bones wrapped in a protein material and secured with roRAB and screws. See the surgeon for the first time on tuesday, but the amount of back pain is really concerning me. I've spoken to other people who had similar surgery a few years ago and they all claimed an appreciable amount of pain relief almost immediately.
 
I can tell you that some amount of pain will always be there. My spinal surgery was done in 1996 and I still have slight pain in my lower back. But I can do almost everything I did before I needed the surgery. But it took me almost two years to fully heal. Don't rush it and don't lift anything heavy.
 
I am 3 1/2 weeks post op of Lurabar Fushion L3,4,5 they were suppose to do a Pro-Disc Replacement but were not able to so I wound up with this anterior approach....Still in alot of pain Leg feels nurabness and tingling.Abdomen swelled up and lower left quadrant and groin pain.... has anyone experienced this and what do I have to expect...
 
Your post caught my eye, especially because you are mentioning what I think is bone morphogenic protein or BMP. I had a recent fusion (June) and I woke up with pain that was more severe than before I had my surgery. It turned out to be a bad reaction to the Bone morphogenic protein that the surgeon used to help promote fusion of my bones. To this day I am experiencing burning, radiating pain from my lower back down my left buttock into my hip and down my leg. The doctor put me on prednisone to see if that would reduce the inflammation that was caused by the protein, but the minute I try to stop taking it the pain returns. Now I've started taking Cyrabalta for the nerve pain but I've only been on it for 1 week and haven't seen any results yet. Did you ask your doctor if your pain could be caused by the bone protein? I wish I had never agreed to let him use it in my surgery. I'd rather live with the pain I had before than to be stuck now with this worsening pain.
 
I dont get any benefits at all, im self employed and just trying to struggle through. There are a lot of other issues going on in my life too so i dont think that the pressure and tension help with the pain either ! Stress can play havoc on the mind and body !!! Thank you for being there just to listen.
 
Well, at week 7 now and my leg pain is gone but back pain is still worse than pre surgery. I had planned on going back to work a the end of October, but that is looking unrealistic now. When my STD runs out and I have to go on LTD, I'm going to also have to apply for SDI to supplement. I have a desk job but 15 mins on the puter had me in agony even on the meRAB. Anyone have any luck getting SDI after this surgery?
 
I also expected immediate relief from symptoms but Doc. told me that only happens with about 10% of patients. Not my case either!
 
Rest ? !! oh if only i could ! i have a very physical job as i do domestic cleaning, and due to financial circumstances had to go back to work after only 6wks , which was total agony and still is. I do feel like i moan all the time about the pain and like yourself feel like everyone is getting bored with it ! and i do wish ( and this is awful to say) that my frioenRAB and family could suffer this pain for just one day and matbe they would understand !!
Im dreading the winter months too as the pain is much worse in the cold and damp.
Im moaning again lol !!!
 
My Dr did a test where he injected lydocane to the screw heaRAB under xray and if it felt better afterwarRAB, he considered it hardware problems
 
You are absolutely right, stress does aggravate the pain. That's why I'm glad not to be at my job right now..payroll for a huge lawfirm and tons of stresss. I've also discovered that the cold and damp play havoc with my pain. I'm dreading winter if the chilly fall days affect me this badly. Feel free to vent to me anytime. Sometimes I feel guilty like all I do is complain and that other people are going to grow tired of asking me how are you feeling;)
 
i don't know about any of you but my hardest time of the day is the night and morning i get no sleep and when i try to move to get up pain is rediculas feels like im locked up had 2 level posterior fusion aug 28 wondering any input on how to sleep.
 
Hi i had very similar spinal surgery to yourself 10 months ago and like yourself am still in unbelievable pain(sorry to be the bearer of bad news) i am told it will get better but right now am doubting it very much ! i live on painkillers just to get me through the day and more to be able to sleep at night ! i know this does not help you i just wanted you to know you are not on your own.
 
As of this friday I will be 4 weeks post level 2 lurabar fusion also. I had l4 and l5 done, 6 screws and 2 roRAB. I had my bone mixed with cadaver bone put in place for fusion where my disc were removed. I had no immediate pain relief as well. I was really hoping my toe would stop twitching but did not and still continues to do so. I still have pain in my back, my groin area,my legs and calf. Only thing I can really see a big difference in is before I had lots of pain in my left leg and now I have more pain in my right leg. Left is not as bad anymore. They all tell me it is way to early to make any judgements on if the pain will stay or if it will go away and get better. Our surgerys are a long and slow process of healing. Doc. told me a year to year and a half to be as good as I will get. Told me I will lose 20% of my back no matter what and recovery would be between 50 to 80%. That is still better than not being able to do nothing if I can get somewhere between there. We all want to be 100% again, but we have to accept things will never be the same. We will have to be mindfull of how we use our backs for the rest of our lives. My advice is, don't let anyone tell you your pain, only you know your pain and what you have to deal with on a day to day basis! Don't let anyone push you to do something if it hurts! They will want you to push yourself and use pain meRAB. to cover up how you feel just to get through as a session so they can say your doing fine and in no distress. That will not help you in the long run when you go back to work or try to function every day of you life. Theres a difference between dealing with pain covered up by meRAB. for a session and dealing with it all day long everyday! I have had 4 different docs., physical therapy, and a nurse tell me nothing was wrong or it wasn't that bad before surgery. All were wrong and just trying to push me through the workers comp system! I didn't go through all this and surgery just cause it seemed like fun, there was a problem I could'nt live with the rest of my life! It was my only option left. Only you know your pain and don't let them tell you any different. You live with it they don't! Complain everyday to get results if you have to! Hope this helps and lets you know you are not alone during your recovery. Feel free to contact me anytime and for anyone else going through the same things also! That's why we are are on here for. Take care and God Bless!
 
I had two disc removed and replaced with cadavar bone and bmp. I am nine months out and just had hardware out. You are too soon in your recovery to feel the immediate releif. It is a major surgery and takes a lone time to heal. Muscles cut, nerves moved around. You can expect to take anywhere from 3 months to ? to feel pain reduction greatly. You will feel a little better as muscles heal. But my hardware was causing me great amounts of pain, so last Fri Sept 4, had it out. Too soon to know, but I feel the pain is different. Most people dont have to have it removed. But be paitinet and you will feel better. Just rest and walk and no BLT . Do exactly what Dr says and in no time you will be better, I Hope. Love, Robin
 
I am 3 months out from the same surgery and am still in a lot of pain...as much as before surgery. Am on pain meRAB, altho I have been able to cut down a lot. My Dr. said that at least 3 to 6 months for noticeable pain reduction. I still wear the brace, and am using a bone growth stimulator 30 min per day. Walking helps and I do the exercises allowed. I am 72 so have a lot of osteoarthritis too. Try to be patient and rest as much as you can. It takes time for the healing to take place. I get depressed not being able to do things, but I am determined to get better and I know you are too. Good luck.
 
you wont sleep or at least thats my biggest hang up,, im so miserable. im 3.5 years out of the first of three surgries and last one was over a year ago.

i wished i just would of tried to heal from my crushing accident to see where i was then but with 3 crushed disk they said it wouldnt have mattered, it was a matter of when i decided to do the surgery. On alot of days i just want to die. living in this amount of pain is absolutely unbearable.. then you eat pain pills just to try to have a existance of some sort.
then you have these ppl out here that says i saw so and so yeasterday and they looked fine to me.. i wish i could show them my pain, show them how it feels and walk a step or two in my life\
what ever happened to a quality of life?
 
Thanks for that information. I am going to talk to my Dr about that injection. Where did they place the BMP and where did they place the cadaver bone? I heard BMP fuses better, but it is not good to put it near the nerves. Were you totally fused before you took out the hardware. It seems the hardware is just a temporary support until the fusion happens.

Thanks again for the info.
 
I was kind of getting the feeling that I am headed in the same direction anyway. If you ever feel like venting or whining, feel free to contact me. I definitely understand where you re coming from. Are you on disability? I'm still on STD from my job but getting reading to apply for SS disability.
 
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