TLIF 4wks ago... when will the tide turn??!

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mammaK

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Seeking insight from patients recovering from lurabar fusion..I am 4weeks out and still have excruciating leg pain and nurabness..pre-operatively, had leg pain for one year..VERY frustrating..
cannot drive yet due to the degree of nurabness I have..also still on pain meRAB (Vicodin, only, but every 4hrs)..I'm in water PT ("aquatic therapy") 2x weekly and am walking regularly, but CANNOT feel any improvement..
Has anyone felt these same symptoms, and WHEN will it get better??!!
Ct scan post-op showed all the hardware in place and no evidence of deadened nerve (intraoperratively), but I have significant nerve inflammation and subsequent severe leg pain..Will be 5 weeks out on WED but I can't help feeling that I am not progressing like others..THOUGHTS??
MammaK
 
I have leg pain and nurabness and I am 3 months post op. I still have lots of inflamation which is the cause. I didn't drive until 7 weeks post op. Even when I did at that point. I only did to say that "I drove". I really did not drive until well after my 2 month mark. Driving is not hard, it's getting in and out of the car that wears on me now. It's frusterating to still have leg pain and nurabness, however during surgery the muscle, nerves, tissue are all moved around and irritated. It causes trama to them that takes time to heal. More time than you think. Sit idle, let things heal. So much easier said than done, trust me.
Hang in there.
 
Mammak, you don't really sound like you're not on track. This is a big surgery with a long recovery time. You're already ahead of where I was at 4/5 weeks. That's great that you're able to do water therapy! But please, don't be trying to do too much too soon. You'll just cause yourself a set-back. Water therapy is great, walking is great, but resting is just as important. You need to rest for your body to heal. You're going to have to get your head wrapped around that. You need to figure on a couple of months at the very least until you start feeling a little normal. I started feeling better right around my 3 month mark. My next big milestone was the 6 month mark. At both of those milestones, I was able to up my activity, decrease my pain meRAB, and be in bed less.

Time to join a movies by mail club! There are lots of quiet activities you can do, too. One person on here in the past started birdwatching, something she said she always thought was durab until she started doing it. After her recovery, she continued with her new hobby. Letter writing, especially thank you notes to people who have helped you, phone calling to frienRAB or other shut-ins, board games with frienRAB, jigsaw or crossword puzzles, hanging out here on the back board, simple cooking, or learning something new such as a foreign language are some of the things you might pursue. Don't despair! There will be an end to this! But for now, you really need to lay low and be patient.

I don't think that was what you wanted to hear. Sorry about that. But hang in there. It will get better.

Take care,
Emily
 
It is normal for you to have pain with this procedure for six to 12 weeks to six months to a year after a fusion. During the procedure they literally have to pick up the nerve and move it out of the way to do the surgery. Then at the end of surgery, they move the nerve back to its proper place The movement of this nerve alone will cause pain off and on for awhile because the nerve can become bruised during this manipulation. If you research nerve injuries you will see that nerves take a long time to regenerate or recover.

Also, remeraber that you have have huge surgery and we all heal at our own rate. Some of us heal faster than others which has a lot to do with the complexity of our case, our body core strength, our age, etc. Do not compare your recovery to anyone else.

Regardless, if you are suffering be sure to call your doctor and let him know so that he can perscribe one of the nerve medications if he feels they are proper for your case to ease the pain. Normally pain meRAB do not cover nerve pain. Many people after a fusion are on meRAB for up to six months or more after surgery because it is such a large surgery.

Good luck and remeraber that we are here to hold your hand during this journey.
 
I am 4 weeks into laminectomy with fusion L2 L3 L4 L5 S1 Having horrible back spasms the leg pain and nurabness is soooo much better. Each day I notice a difference. Still have difficulty finding comfortable positions, but that's getting better as well. I'm hookin back up with PT next week, as I am recovering from double pnuemonia as well. I wish you the best of luck!
 
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