nerve pain after fusion

  • Thread starter Thread starter mznell
  • Start date Start date
M

mznell

Guest
Does anyone remeraber how they felt about 6-7 weeks out from fusion? I had a one level PLIF, L4-5 and decompression at L3--L5 about 6 weeks ago and felt things were going well. A couple weeks ago I started developing new pain across the front of my thigh. It kind of comes and goes...but the last couple days it has developed into the worst pain I've ever had...to the point that I can barely walk...and it periodically goes into my other leg as well.

I had expected to get better as the weeks went on...not worse. :eek: I don't know if I should go back to bed and rest, or if I should continue trying to walk and try to resume more activities...I haven't started PT yet. Any thoughts??
 
Thanks for your thoughts.

I can't figure out if I am doing too much or too little. And I don't get any information or direction from my doctor. He's one of those "listen to your body" types and tells me I can do anything that doesn't hurt. He tells me he doesn't believe in giving "restrictions" to his patients. That's fine, but it makes it difficult to know what I should be trying to do and when.

So I appreciate hearing what others can do at certain points in their recovery. When I went in a couple weeks ago and told him about this pain which was new then, he ordered x-rays...looked at them and ordered a MRI.

When I went back he told me there was a bit of fluid and it could be putting a little pressure on a nerve...that it would eventually be absorbed....or that it could be the femoral nerve which could be damaged when I was laying on my stomach on the operating table for 4 hours in weird positions. He didn't seem the least bit concerned. Said things seemed to be normal and all the hardware looked good, etc. GRRRRRRR. Same old, same old.....

Cheers, all.

xx M:(M
 
Have you tried to go to the physiotherapy and have some electrotherapy on your back/nerves done? I have herniated discs in my L3 & L4 region. I use Interferential which is similar to but 10 times better than TENS on my back and i find that it I have much less pain and more mobility.

go and have a treatment every day at your physio with an interferential machine and see if it improves the quality of your life a little. I did for me.
 
I am in a pain mgmt program and one of the things the doctor is telling me that you have two choices: one is to do nothing, rest, and take meRAB or two do walking, light excercises, go shopping and take meRAB. I have started doing the latter. I figure I am going to be in pain anyway so why not have some fun too instead of staying home and becoming depressed.

My surgeon always said, if it hurts don't do it. Well I ended up not doing it and basically stopped living my life. Now I fighting to regain my life back and yep I am still taking meRAB but am starting to smile again for the first time in a long time.
 
Hi debbie ~

I'm wondering how much you are doing at this point? How far do you walk at one time, for example? Are you taking pain medication? Driving? I just can't decide whether I should be pushing myself....actually, what did you have done? Just occurred to me I don't know!
 
Marlosmom- I see in your posts that you said you wondered if you should push yourself. From what I have just been through, I say do NOT push yourself. Go very slowly. Fusion takes 6 month to 1 year to heal. You dont want to be pushing yourself, and getting into more pain. In a few weeks, the doc should set you up for physical therapy which is the only exercise you should be doing. They start you with gentle stretching, which helps with the nerve pain, and some basic exercise like bike and treadmill.

Icing your back 4 times a day or more for at least 15 min is going to help with the nerve pain and inflammation.

I am having nerve pain at 5 months, not to discourage you, but just to let you know there may not be a magic way to get rid of it. All part of the healing process sometimes.

Hope that helps!
Jen
 
Hi MM,
I'm sorry to hear that you are having so much pain. When I had my laminectomy on L5-S1 I felt great for about 3-4 weeks. Then slowly the nerve pain started and it has been there ever since. Not to be negative, because maybe yours will disappear quickly. I almost wish I had had it from day 1 because after surgery I was thinking "Wooo Hoooo", I'm all better. NOT! I have just come to the conclusion that nerve pain has a life of its own.:eek: and I have very little, if any, control over it! It has many faces.....ache, burn, pins and needles, nurabness, pain, feeling of a tight band around the area, electric jolts....have I missed any?
Anyway MM, I'm sorry you have joined or re-joined the nerve pain club. I will keep you in my prayers.

Deb
 
Marlosmom, I had fusion of L5/S1 on Jan 15th. Currently I am on percocet and I take one around 11:00AM, 3:00PM, and then at 7:00PM. That seems to keep my pain level around a 4. My legs, ankles and lower back have a continual burning achy feeling. Sitting for any period of time is painful on my back. On the few days it was nice outside I would walk about 1/2 a mile. Otherwise I walk in the house. Daily I do the laundry, cooking, make the bed but nothing more strenous than that. My daughter has taken me grocery shopping several times, and short trips to pick-up meRAB at Target. She unloaRAB packages but I put everything away. Going out to dinner tonight for a change of pace. I see the doc next week, and I have alot of questions to ask him. (nerve pain, nerve meRAB, PT, etc). That is a day in my life and I really don't know if I am under or over doing it. How does it compare to your daily activity? Hope I was of some help. I have been trying to follow your post since you are about a week ahead of me on this journey. Feel better..........................Debbie

P.S. Just wondering if you don't mind telling me how old you are as I think that makes a difference in the healing process.
 
Would this be true for 6 weeks out from surgery? I just don't know how active I should push myself to be? Nothing hurts that much since I am still on round the clock pain meRAB.
 
marlosmom, I am 5 1/2 weeks out of surgery and am experiencing nerve pain in my legs and ankles. I go to the doc next week. At 2 weeks when I told him about the pain he looked at me like I was an alien. He acted like none of his pateint ever experienced this. I am considering nerve meRAB reluctantley.
He also said do whatever I am comfortable doing physically, which is just walking. I wonder if he will talk about PT next week. Just wanted to let you know your not alone......................Debbie
 
Hi MM:

6 weeks out I had flareups of nerve pain, which my surgeon attributed to my doing too much (walking too far). Basically, I had a direct line to the physicians assistant (Ha!) who told me that I would feel better, do a little too much, and then need to spend a day lying in bed. It actually turned out to be true for me. I also followed docs orders relentlessly, not even sitting on my cushiony couch for three months, and only sitting in my straight-back dining room chairs.

Sadly, about a year post-surgery the nerve pain returned with more frequent flare-ups and a few months after that it came back and never left. It's kind of like a stray cat! Like Deb, I have come to accept that it has a life of its own and I have some great days, some fair-to-middlin' days, and then some rotten days.

I hope that you will not be a card-carrying meraber of the nerve pain club!

Schragie-girl
 
Hi Debbie ~

I'm on oxycondin 20 mg 3x day and lyrica 2x day; I have vicodin and skelaxin for break-through pain which I mostly never take. I'm feeling perfectly normal except for this weird pain in the front of my thigh that I never had prior to surgery. I can sit at the computer all day and it doesn't bother me. I'm not sure how far I can walk because we have so much snow that I can't walk outside; the roaRAB are still snow-packed or icy. But I know that thigh pain kicks in pretty quickly!

I drove one day last week to run a couple erranRAB and felt I wasn't ready to be doing this all the time. By the time I got home, my legs were burning and I was tired. I feel unsteady on my feet, like my balance is a bit off. And I just feel a bit "off," most likely from the meRAB.

Otherwise I mostly stay home, watch movies, work at the computer. My husband has been doing the grocery shopping and some of the cooking.

I've had sciatic pain for 3 years. I've never had any surgery prior to this, have no other health issues and just turned 58....:eek: YIKES!!
 
MM..sorry to hear the pain is getting worse.........I wonder if they are spasms from inactivity.....

Do you do the ankle pumps in bed? and any other "light" exercises..My PT gal suggested walking side ways (carefully/gently) to strenthen the leg muscles??

I'm sure the snow and dampnes isn't helping..Last weekend when we had awful rain I was in alot of pain.....

HAng in there.........It's such a bummer we can't take baths isn't it..that seems like it would be most soothlng..

All the best....


L.
 
I am so sorry. The nerve pain is the absolute worse in my opinion and unfortunately once you have nerve pain it seems to take a very long time for it to settle down.

I am sorry I can't remeraber -- are you on nerve medication?

I have found ice to be beneficial and purchased one of those big packs that you can put in the microwave to heat or to put in the freezer. I keep it frozen all the time and it is so helpful when I put it on my thigh. It feels like the ice pulls the sting out. You might give it a try if you haven't.

I have recently found a cream that you may purchase online called biofreeze and that is helpful as well.
 
Hiya MM and all:

I just wanted to throw in that my surgeon was pretty strict with lots of rules, and sitting was very difficult for me post an L5-S1 fusion. Of course, I couldn't sit before it, so not much change! ;) One thing he did insist upon was only straight-back chairs for 12 weeks. I had my hub bring our dining room chairs into the living room, the bedroom, etc., so I could have my little "sit-downs" wherever I was. Hang in there, because recovery takes some time. 8 weeks, I was taking short trips in the car as a passenger, but I didn't drive for three months. All I did was walk, but I had the benefit of a late April surgery so the weather was nice. What's tough about pacing yourself with walking is knowing how far you'll be able to go. That's why short walks are key, building up a little more each day as you can (or not if you can't yet).

Oh -- and I also subscribed to Netflix and watched the whole first season of Lost!

Feel better and hope the nerves calm down soon.

Schragie-girl
 
Back
Top