Pain debilitating...laminectomy in a week!

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LVNV

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My pain has continued to worsen. I have severe nerve root compression in three places and often can barely walk. I never thought I'd be excited for surgery, but it is my only hope of a life with some serablance of normalcy. It's been difficult to get out of bed and my night sweats are horrible - the pain causes me to be soaked in sweat and then I FREEZE and cannot get warm.

My surgeon gave me a 70% chance of excellent results with my laminectomy. I still don't know all the details of a laminectomy - I have two bulging discs, but three places where the nerve root is compressed.

Any experiences with laminectomy - positive or negative - are appreciated.
Thanks,
LVNV
 
I had the surgery a year ago. I am so glad I did. I couldn't continue any longer with the pain down the leg. The first several weeks were hard for me. It was hard to get up at first but I was up the same day of the surgery. It really helps to have strong thighs and arms prior to the surgery as you don't want to use your back in getting up. Good luck. I think the worst thing about the surgery was the anticipation
 
Mel52,
Thank you SO much! I've been in such horrific pain (down both legs) that I've been looking forward to the surgery. Now that the surgery is actually scheduled, I'm getting nervous. I have two questions:

1) Do you know in how many places you had compressed nerves? I have two bulging discs, but my nerve roots are compressed in three places.

2) Are you able to do all or most of what you used to do before your pain set in and you needed surgery? I'm really hoping and praying to get my life back.
 
I was herniated at L3,L4,L5. I had a laminectomy and a discectomy. That took care of the stenosis and relieved me of the leg pain, that went down the side of the leg and sometimes down my butt. I swear I was ready to chop off my feet, the burning was really getting to me.
Am I back to what I was? no I also have arthritis in the spine, along with osteroporosis. I didn't want a fusion so as the surgeon said, the surgery would take care of the leg pain not the back. I can't lift up heavy stuff or my back will swell. I learned that just last week picking up my 14 month old grandniece. It is difficult to bend over to pull weeRAB. I do have a hard time sitting or standing for long perioRAB of time, but it is more of an ache now instead of sharp pains.
It was a scary adventure, not knowing what to expect and dreading the day of surgery. I was a nervous wreck the morning of the surgery. But it was done, I woke up in recovery, and I didn't want any pain meRAB, just wanted to go to my room and have some coffee and breakfast. When I was placed in my room, I found it difficult to move. I pushed my call button several times because I was still waiting for that cup of coffee and lunch by that time. No one came. The cleaning crew came in to find me hysterical because I was shaking from not eating. My husband appeared at the same time as he had been told I was still in recovery. My call button wasn't plugged in and my bed controls were broken so I truly was stuck. The maintenance crew was called to work on my bed and he was shaking me around. I felt like the scene in Airplane when the gal had her IV jerked around. He couldn't fix the bed so I had to move into another one. Believe me, after the coffee, some cheese and crackers, pain meRAB were my next request. I was up that night with help. It was painful but tolerable and by the time I went home I was taking 1/2 a vicodan now and then. I used a walker for the first day because one leg dragged. For the next ten days I did very little.
I did buy before surgery, lots of elastic band waist sweat pants
 
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