spinal fusion L4-S1, about 5 mos. post op

[Janesaiz]

I had spinal fusion L4-S1. i am about 5 mos. post op. I am still in the plastic brace thing b/c a screw 'cracked' and i was having pain and movement etc. which was causing some nerve flare ups. i actually was having a lot of nerve "recovery" pain from about week 3-8 which was really bad and then that started to stop and I felt awesome around week 10, off pain meRAB, still on neurontin (gabapentin) and muscle relaxer at night. however, around week ten or so is when I bent forward pulled a heavy laundry basket and I literally heard something crack.

I was born w. a severe slipped vertebrae , L5 that moved off of the S1 almost all the way off when I lean forward so the screws are in place to stop that movement. So,me leaning forward was also really fighting the forces of nature that I have been living w. my whole life. NEedless to say, my bones were trying to do what they have always done which was to move! so, the screw had its little issue, dr. says not common, but he said I could still "fuse around it" which is why I am still in the brace, can't drive, can't even do PT. Since that screw incident, I have nerve flare ups b/c the nerve get irritated or something b/c I think there is still some movement b/c the fusion might not be working correctly due to thebroken screw. He will assess the fusion again in a couple of weeks. That will be the 5 mos. mark. If he doesn't see solid fusion, he will be able to say for sure that the screw is interfering w. fusion process and he will prob, do a a revision surgery. I do feel like something is not quite right as around week 10 I did not have these flare ups and nurab left foot and sometimes pain/nurabness in back of calf and into toes. The toes and side of L foot are hyper sensitive to the sheet etc. and I know this is the S1 and L5 nerves, I just need to figure out why they are so irritated - at my next appt. I am going to ask him to do an EMG to see if something else is going on.

i am a runner, very active and just want my life back. I cannot tolerate living w. the stupid left foot like this and I would rather have it fixed than endure this. Honestly. I had it fixed overall b/c the nerves were impacting mybladder. The stupid nerve pain I have now - well, I can almost say I would rather have a bladder bag. It is so annoying. I wouldn't call it pain, but it is a degree of irritability and puts me on edge and I just hate it. I am still on neurontin, which also, I want to get off of b/c it makes me stupid. really, really & truly. Anyway, I would never touch that laundry basket again if I could go back in time. Laura

[

 

[ibake&pray]

I'm fused from T9 to my sacrum. And I am a wonderful weather indication. I can tell when there is a storm front comoing through. My legs ache, the titanium roRAB(2 15") and screws(20) don't help. You need to remeraber no BLT for now. Bending Lifting Twisting. It takes a good 6 months to fuse and you don't want to ruin what they spent so much time fixing.

I have a weight limit of 30 lbs. to lift for the rest of my life. I can feel when I lift 20 lbs. that I am getting close and need to watch it. You learn really quick what your back will tolerate and what it won't.

The nurabness down your leg is common. Your nerves were moved around-and they don't like being fussed with. Also, you have an incision that cut through the nerves. They had to be stiched up. This also affects your legs. How much feeling returns is a crap shoot.

I sleep flat on my back with a wedge under my knees. It puts your back flat on the bed so it relieves the pain from an arch. My doctor told me that this was the way that was best for me to sleep. If I was to sleep on my side, I needed to be perfectly straight when I was on my side-and that isn't the most comfortable position to be in because you want to curl up and you don't need to be putting torque onto your back. And stomach sleeping just isn't in the book.

Good luck and keep posting and have patience. Time is on your side...

 

[kwmillie]

Hi,
I had a 3 level/360 spinal fusion in Deceraber of 07, so I know what you are going through.... To completely recover from that surgery you are going to wait for about a year, until then, aches, pain, etc,. will continue to happen.
For at least 4 months post-op you should not do any BLT (bending, lifting or twisting), at least those were the instructions that I was given....

The instrumentation won't bother you with cold or hot weather, but it will act like a Barometer. Before any rain gets to your area, you are going to know, your back and the pain is going to let you know......
I still suffer from pain after my surgery, but my fusion failed, so is a different set of situations....
Trust your Doc, listen to his advice, and if something that you are about to do doesn't make sense to you, don't do it. Take care and I hope that you get better soon.