Scar Tissue after Hemi-Laminectomy

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Hi,
I have a ? about scar tissue. As most here know,I had a L5/S1 hemi-laminectomy on 1/12/07. I had a severe rupture that severely compressed the nerve root from Aug 6th to surgery. My pain changed from the excruciating sciatica to just aggravating with nurabness,weakness,tingles,no reflex in right leg and saddle nurabness. They repeated the MRI w/o contrast, the surgeon said that he was 99% certain that there was a large ammount of scar tissue surrounding the L5/S1 nerve root. I'm set for an MRI with contrast this week to rule out any disc presence, but he said that he did not believe there is and basically told me that I was out of luck. That the scar tissue and the damage could not be fixed. That I would require pain care forever.
Does anyone here have this issue? Will it ever let up? Will it harden and pull away from the nerve or will I become paralyzed?
He just wrote me off basically, unless he finRAB some disc presence there will be no more surgery by his hand. I am worried that I will never be the same again.
Any suggestions or input would be appreciated so much.:mad: :mad:

Thankyou in advance
K
 
Wendy, Thank You so Much. I will give you a brief synapsis. I am 46, 4 kiRAB ages 30,(Living at home due to Autisim) a 26 y/o boy married and living in NC, a 14 y/o girl and an 11 y/o girl. I am married to a sweetheart 11 years my junior. I was fine active walking running etc and living life, usual High Blood Pressure and Anxiety Problems. One morning in Aug 07 06 I awokw with Severe severe R leg pain and nurab in foot, could not walk pain was excruciating. Arabulance to ER..CT showed Rupture of L5/S1, admitted pain control and Epidural Steroid Injection, Released with next shot sceduled. Next shot little help 9/8/06, Next one 10/8/06 No Help at all/ Several shots and corses of SteroiRAB from prednisone to medrol packs...Living or Lortab 7.5 every 4 hours to keep from crying and screaming. In a wheelchair, unable to walk, can hardly use toliet or shower..Weight gain 25lbs from steroiRAB. Finally sent to surgeon..Nov 06, Ordered MRI, said need surgery set for 1/12.07..Done went well. Home next day..bed rest..Severe pain gone, but still had heavy ache in pelvis and r leg. He said heavy nerve damage years to heal and may always have something..Physcial Therapt, TENS Unit, MeRAB continue. Now 4 mo 2 weeks post op, still told no driving, no bending, no twisting, no scooting, no running, no steps etc. Still on narcotics..getting harder and harder to get..Week ago pain about 7 out of ten but severe nurabness R foot leg and saddle..To ER Demerol injx2...MRI no contrast and to surgeon that day..Said99% certian from appearence fatty scar tissue..ordered dye for tommorow..Told me no further surgery and that I would have to live this way for life. Barley living, hardly sitting, doing nothing and here I am...Any inpur would be so appreciated as I do notunderstand this...Hugs and Thanks K
 
My doctor is with Kaiser and he is amazing but he is extremely over protective and I was not allowed to do zilch for the first 12 weeks. I was curious because your doctor was not allowing you to do much either and we are both in VA.
 
shawley..Thanks so much...Hope someone will have Mercy and keep me on pain meRAB...K
 
Hi K.. I dont have an answer that would put you at ease unfortunately. Majority of the surgeons ALL concur that in those that have issues with scar tissue.. and removal.. only makes the scar tissue not only return but even worse to the area.

Now there is one on here.. Shawley, who had surgery to also help protect his dura from excess scar tissue. That basically put a sheath around it, called a dura sleeve. He still has alot of issues, but I am not sure if that surgery improved his symtoms from the scar tissue or not. Hopefully he will see your post and chime in.

I was also told by two spine surgeons.. that one that did my fusion surgery and my current spine surgeron, that if I had scar tissue causing my pain.. there really wasn't much they could do but make me comfortable.

For surgery patients.. the best way to help ward off some scarring is to be active in walking and any PT that is ordered. It's not an answer either, but it is said it does help reduce scarring to some degree. I am thankful.. my new pain I have is not believed to be from scar tissue.

I think you need to go and get another opinion from several other doctors and see if they concur with the current doc. But whatever you do.. do not tell them what they original doctor thinks. Let them draw their own conclusions and then, you can discuss the original doc's hypothesis.

I hope things improve for you soon. :wave:
 
koc66 will be very pleased to help in anyway i am not able to guarantee how often i can respond because time is so short each day as i have to rest lots.
the questions you have are very real concerns for you and need to be adressed. it's been 14 years of experimenting with my abilities and learning to cope and find happiness and fullfillment in my life despitite the often overwhelming painful struggles to do so. it has been very hard on my husband and children also. you are the first contact ive made with someone who has the identical area affected. would be interested in more details as to the cause of your surgery physical problems you are left with and anything else that may help me answer specifically your concerns. what were you like before ? were you very physically active, busy social life, and working or ?
 
AVGLEEN,
Thank You so much, you just described me to the penny...I just need to learn some coping skills I guess and what my limits are, but you described my case and my pain to a tee even down to the type and placement of scar tissue. I am waiting for some tips in a post below...I do not understand why this happened, and why they cannot fix it...Thanks so much..It helps to know I am not an exception to the rule and that I am not alone in this, but on the same note...I hate to hear of anyone else going through this terrible ordeal in their life...You Take Care..Best Wishes Thanks K
 
KC, I want to tell you haow sorry I am that this has happened to you and you have to go through this.
A little about me, I a 44 with a husband of 25 years and a 22 and 20 year old. I had a 2 level fusion with harware on July 19 2006. I was in worse pain after the surgery then before. I was given a dose of predisone for the nerve pain. I had an xray to make sure that nothing was broken. In late Septeraber I had another MRI. It showed a massive amount of scar tissue for the amount of time that had passed since my surgery. I was given 2 options to wait it out or to have another surgery to remove the scar tissue. I also had 2 injections to see if that would help to break down the tissue. These did not help and I was also told that I probally have RSD. I with the help of my husband decided to have the surgery. So on October 24th I had another surgery. He was able to clean out some of the tissue but not all of it and the nerve was already damaged. So I was given the diagnoses of Failed Back Syndrome with severe scar tissue and RSD.
I have not been back to work and will never work again. I have just started the process of Social Security Disablity. I will not have medical insurance at the beginning of July.
My life that I had and the one that I had hoped to have with the first surgery will never be. I will always be medicated. It has almost been a year and I am just now comming to terms with this. You have to be very careful of depression. I am very isolated. I have my husband. My work was my life. That is where my frienRAB were. So I have no one except my husband. Regarding sex, luckily my husband has gotten used to the lack of it because my back pain has been for several years. When we do make love it is very slow and more fore play then the actual act. For me it is worth the 2 to 3 days in extreme pain to have him show his love for me. That is very important to me. There is something I have seen called "the wedge". It is used for arthritis patients. It is pretty expensive but if you have the money it would be worth it. I am hoping to get it soon. I am really tired but I would be happy to answer any questions you have. You just can't over do it. Your body will tell you when it is enough. I can go to the market but then I can't put the food away or cook. I also have the rsd pain. I am still learning to cope with this and you will too. It will just take time. I am mentally better than I was 3 months ago. Please let me know if I can help
Take care, Barbara
 
How soon after surgery did these symtoms start? If right after surgery it is not scar tissue. It takes at least 6 to 12 weeks for scar tissue to even form. I awoke after surgery with saddle anesthesia. Urinary retention since surgery also. It has lead to now Bowel retention, no erection, and severe pain in both legs to the feet and severe back pain. I have had 2 Mri's since surgery. One contrast and one w/o. The one with is the only one that shows scar tissue. They need to look beyond the scar tissue to see what is wrong. If a failed spine surgery, then what went wrong. Can you get a second opinion on this?
 
Hello K. I've given a lot of thought to your concerns and fully understand the anguish you are suffering both physically and emotionaly. First try to accept that the answers will come but some solutions will take time as you and your body adjust to each other again. The important things like your family is what will give you the power to overcome difficult and painful times. Specifically the marriage: please realize that as living beingings we have a powerful instinct to avoid physical pain and injury. The shock to your system and mind over this sudden onset and continuing disabling pain has put your mind on high protection mode. This is how humans have survived catastrophes and kept themslves safe for eons. Understanding this also know that we have come a long way medically and can usually differentiate between residual affects of a healed injury versus reinjury. Since yours is so new it is totally appropriate for you to have fears of reinjury and to be very cautious. I am not a Dr. but from all my experiences with this I'd say that you are pretty safe from reinjuring this same area again. Take your time and experiment with life as you gain physical and mental strenght. Fear of pain and injury is now all that will hold you back from rejoining life. Reinjury is unlikely but pain is what you will need to learn to live with and not let the fears you have hold you too far back .Your husband sounRAB like just the fellow to help you test out things and see how it goes. Be as cautious and slow as is comfortable for you and dont stress yourself with instant success. The biggest obstacle is what you are afraid of which holRAB you back from fully erabracing the new life you will be building with your love. I am tired now so must go . I sincerely hope this is of some help to you. I can address the other concerns you have at another time if you would like. Good Lock to you today!W51
 
Kocc66--Hi Tammy was right scar tissue only comes back . However it did help in some ways , I had this tearing ripping feeling in my thighs that went away with surgery. My dura sleeve didn't help much but my Dr. said it may or may not work but he and I thought it was worth a chance .

You may only have the option to treat pain ? Good Luck
 
Dear K it was so nice to get your stats as this gives me a better idea of your particular struggles. I understand somewhat about autism as I cared for a teen who was afflicted for 18 mos. The main concern at this time is that you do not fall too far down into depression. The first step to a happy life is to maintain a balanced outlook on life. The difficulty with this is that you are dealing with so many new and overwhelming situations both physically and mentally that it is difficult to just balance each hour much less understand the coping skills needed at this most trying time in your life. The YOU that you were is no more and like the legendary Pheonix you to will rise out of the ashes of this ordeal and rise up a new different yet valuable individual in this world. Changes need not always be a bad thing in the end although sometimes the pain and struggle to understand and relearn how to fit into our world as a new entity can be intensely overwhelming at times. Work at not becoming despondent. Believe me I understand the emotional states you experience as you are adjusting to a new way of life. I also have a very clear knowledge of the pain and suffering you endure and how hard it is for your family to see you go through this. There are many questions I can answer for you and I believe they are many. First I'd like to make a few suggestions:
Try physio with lots of stretching exercises under the care of a someone aware of the specifics of scar tissue problems.
Once the area has healed any pain or symptoms experienced through activity is not an indication of further damage but of irritation of the injured area which increases the symptoms so you will not become paralyzed due to activity.
Once the symptoms are activated your own experiences will tell you what to do to gain relief.
This is still very new to you and it may be difficult to remain optimistic at times but things will settle down for you as you adjust and learn when to stop. Lots of rest is important but isolation is not. My physical issues are many including bladder and bowel problems pain nurabness spastic legs and other physical disabilities. I am classified as partial paraplegic incomplete as I can still walk and feel lots of pain. Hope this has been informative and helpful.
will try to answer as clearly as possible specific concerns you may have. I am married, 50yrs., 3 kiRAB, oldest is 30 and lives at home due to mental issues so we have more in common than just scar tissue!wendy51
 
Chris54,
Iam 19 weeks post surgery and although I was never completely pain free, the new symptoms began about 7 to 10 days ago. I also have saddle nurabness but no urinary and bowell retention and the sexual aspect is intact. My only MRI was w/o contrast, and from this he concluded with 99% surety that there was indeed scar tissue or effaced fat tissue with no recourse. He stated that any surgery to this area would just produce more scar tissue and that my only recourse was pain control and learning to adapt to the pain and other symptoms.

Thanks for your input ..K
 
koc66 i had a L5/S1 discectomy in 1993 and repeated in 1994. moderate scar tissue left ongoing problems. im very experienced with all the issues from symptoms to medical attitudes.wendy51
 
I'm 57yo and have had a L5/S1 as well as a L4L5 10 years apart. About 4 years ago I noticed a decrease in strength as well as muscle mass in my L leg. About a year ago, I went to both the neurosurgeon that performed my first surgery and a neurologist. The latter diagnosed me with peripheral neuropathy and B12 deficiency. The neurosurgeon ordered an MRI after which (didn't really tell me the results, by the way) he said he didn't think I needed surgery at that point. I'm a nurse and I should have delved deeper at the time, but I was so in need of a remedy, I just started the B12 injections. I've noticed lately that I'm sturabling more, have increasingly exaggerated limping ( I can't even wear heels anymore!) and my lft leg looks like a polio victim. I'm going back to the neurosurgeon next week for some more definitive answers. I'll let you know what I find.
 
I had an L5/S1 micro-d in July 04, for a herniated disc/ defragmented against my S1 nerve on my right side. My shooting pain down the leg and foot isnt like it was, but my low back pain is still there with a host of other problems. An mri w/ contrast showed the S1 encased with large amount of scar tissue. I was told there wasnt much they could do about it. To this day, both legs have a deep bone pain/ weakness, and some nurabness on the right leg. My feet were burning like they were on fire yesterday. I actually used biofreeze on the feet which minimized the burning and soreness. I take alot of meRAB to help with all of it, but its an ongoing battle. Some days better than others like most of us, and I do much better in warmer weather where I can get out of the house more. I always need to be changing positions. I stand for as long as I can, sit til its too painful ( tailbone), walk til my legs say NO more. I lie down alot, whether the bed/couch /carpet/ bench...sometimes you just need to lie down asap.
 
Wendy51, Thanks for your time...The big issues I have are Graduations from Middle to High School and Elementary to Middle all the sitting. How can I sit comfortably.. Ive tried Pillows but 10 minutes is all I get and I cannot get up and down in these functions, And I certainly don't want to miss these important milestones in my childrens lives. What about auto travel, can I make it more tolerable. My son wants me to come see his new home...3 hour trip...and the biggie (BLUSH BLUSH BLUSH) Sex, how do I keep a much younger husband satisfied without hurting myself. Don't get me wrong he has put his neeRAB aside for me, but how long can he do this. How can I have sex without risk of further injury... Or am as injured as I am going to get...and now I just have to learn to cope with the residual..Oh gosh this is depressing. My doc is suppose to put me on anti-depressants on the 7th I have never taken one..Only Ativan for my Panic Attacks and Anxiety Disorder...I really hate this thing that is trying to take over my life..The pills, the pain, the nasuea, the nurabness,the weaknesws,PAIN and the whole loss of control and isolatation and grief for who I was and can no longer be....
Hugs and Thanks for your ongoing support and advice...Hope to hear from you soon...K PS: How do I know when the area is healed? How do I know when its no longer something that could make me worse. I am 20 weeks (4 and a half months out) others are driving and such by now, but my surgeon is never specific short of scar tissue ,live with it, its all there is! How do I know when I am healed enough to presume pain is due to the activity and not further damage...Thanks again K This ones the stumper for me!!!LOL
 
Agapetoes-
This post is three years old and most of the folks are no longer around. Your best bet would be to start a new thread with your issues to get any replies. Just look at the date in the upper left corner that will keep you on current threaRAB...;)
 
Hi Diet,
I am glad you got a Kaiser Doc that you seem to be comfortable with. My Doc was overprotective too, and it seems this is why I formed so much scar Tissue...Best of Luck to you...No insult intended against your doc, but I have heard so many people complain about Kasier and also VA Docs.....Forgive me if it came out that way. K
 
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