Pain while sitting or standing

  • Thread starter Thread starter alfredk
  • Start date Start date
A

alfredk

Guest
Had lurabar fusion L3 & 4 on 1/5/09. Dr went in thru stomach & 4 times in back. He told me he was making 2 incisions instead of 4 in back. I was released 1/8/09 from hospital with a lot of pain. I was told to walk as much as I could. He will not give me enough pain med & have been in er 4 times. Had epidural (did no good) Thurs, 15th. Sat(12 days after op) the pain was so bad I can't sit or stand anymore without unbearable pain; however, if I lie in bed I can raise my legs & exercise them with little pain. I use a massager on my hip, calf, & foot all the time. This does relieve pain while lying down. It looks like if I am in upright position it puts pressure on me that is unbearable. Has anyone had this or have any explanations?
 
i Had a PLIF L4-S1 in June 08. On my 3rd day walking.I felt pain in the like butt muscle and have had problem ever since. And it has gotten worse. So far i Haven't found anything to help. It also hurts standing.
The problem I have setting the Pa told me is from the rod/cage putting pressure on the tail bone and had me to get a certain kind of pillow. Not a doughnut. Right off hand I can't remeraber what it's called. This one is what goes into a wheelchair with a hole cut out in the back. It does help some.
You are very soon after surgery. I would contact my doctor and see what they think.
Good Luck and hang in there. It's rough.
 
Hi - I had an ALIF in June 07, went through the front and removed L4 L5, inserted titanium discs and did a fusion. Previous to that surgery I had 2 lami/disc.

I too am in more pain now than before surgery, the pain is in the butt area and goes down my leg. Sitting causes extreme pain and walking is no better. If I lay down and put a pillow under my legs I get relief. I have had 2 series of epidurals a total of 6 and they did not work. I am on some heavy duty drugs and still experience bad pain each and every day. My life has changed dramatically. There are others who have had the same surgery and they are pain free now...I don't know why my ALIF did not fix me. My surgeon says that I should not be in pain....well how does he know what I am feeling! I have an appt for an MIE exam today, my case is WC and I think they want to settle since its been 5 years now.

I wish you good luck, your surgery hasn't been that long ago it takes time for the healing process....

Marie
 
Hi Alfred! Welcome to our little corner of the universe! There are lots of us here on the back board who have been through fusion surgery and can try to help you from our own experiences.

You're still very early on in recovery. Pain is to be expected. Unfortunately, many doctors downplay the recovery, not emphasizing that a full recovery will take months, not weeks, even up to a year. I was blessed with a doctor who was happy to give me appropriate pain meRAB. I was given Percocets for the first about 2 months, allowed to take 1-2 tablets every 4-6 hours, and I took the full allowable dosage for a long time. Even that just cut the pain, didn't eliminate it. I then moved down to Vicodin, which I'm still on and will be forever. Is your doctor adamant that he won't give you anything stronger? Have you called them and explained that you've ended up in the ER because of your pain? Can you persist, politely of course, in asking for something to give you relief? You'll heal better if you're not in such pain.

You need to walk as much as you can to get bone growth going, but don't expect too much of yourself in the beginning. I was told to sit for no longer than 15 minutes at a time for the first 6 weeks. No problem! I couldn't sit for even near that long! Rest and walk, rest and walk, rest and walk. I was mostly lying down for the first 2 months, and walked for as long as I could tolerate whenever I got up to use the bathroom. At first, that was only for 10 minutes, but I did what I could. Then back to my bed, though I got my kiRAB to help me straighten it up, got dressed everyday, and laid on top of the bed, not "in" it, so I didn't have an "I'm sick" mentality. I watched a lot of movies. Actually, I watched the first 5 minutes of a lot of movies, as the pain meRAB made me drowsy and I usually fell asleep. The kiRAB were very patient in letting me rewind when I woke up and realized I had missed the last 20 minutes. :)

I hope you can get some appropriate pain relief. Ask away if you have questions and we'll do our best to help you. I wish you the best, Alfred, as you recover from your surgery. Hang in there! It gets easier!

Blessings,
Emily
 
Back
Top