[Kellie Divine]

Hello everyone!! My name is Kellie Divine and as you can see I am up at 4:30 am which is not unusual. I just recently had a four level spinal fusion on Dec. 9th, 2008 at St. Peters Hospital in Olympia, WA. I was confident in my surgeon and yet very scared of the surgery itself. Of course the common questions were flooding my head ...... will I be able to move, how much mobility will I lose, will this even work. Things of that nature....considering this was my now 7th lumbar surgery since 1996 however the first fusion attempt.
I felt severe post operative pain in the hospital which I know is totally normal. I am now three weeks post-op and I am experiencing a pain unlike anything I have experienced in my entire life. My thighs.....both top to outer edges are, "ON FIRE". I don't know how to expalin it other that to think of you getting a burn blister on your hand, it popping and losing the skin coverage and sticking your hand into hot water. If my wife touches my leg it feels as though it is being cut. I wake to the pain of the burn and am unable to return to sleep. It hurts so bad. What can I do??? Have any of you experienced such intense burning pain before?

Frustrated and sleep deprived

Please give me advice or answers

[mrsD]

You need to contact your doctor right away.

This may be nerve entrapment of the lateral femoral nerve on both sides (this is sensory only, doesn't affect muscles).

You can read more about it here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/513696
if you do not have a medscape account you can easily make one for free.

Posterior thoracolumbar spine surgeries are usually performed with patients in the prone position. To ensure the best possible operative exposure, the Relton-Hall frame is used, positioning the patient on four posts at the chest and pelvis. In this position, the post at the pelvis can cause excessive pressure, compressing or entrapping adjacent peripheral nerves, such as the LFCN. This leads to pain or dysesthesia, or both, in the anterolateral thigh called meralgia paresthetica. To decrease the likelihood of LFCN injury, proper positioning and adequate distance between the two pelvic posts should be ascertained. However, meralgia paresthetica remains to be a common complication of posterior spine surgery.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000401/2109.html
figure 2B shows the nerve distribution.

I had this over 20 yrs ago, following a C-section. It progressed to a very painful situation.

Finally when Lidoderm patches came out, I found some relief.
When you go to the doctor, ask to try these. After 2 weeks of using them every day, the nerve finally settled down for me.
Now I only have very occasional twinges, which are bearable.
Before it was pretty awful. Placement is important~~ put at the point in your upper thigh as shown in
the article below where the nerve exits the abdomen. Or across your back at the lumbar
exit of the nerve to numb it. If you place the patch at where you "feel" the pain, it is less effective or won't work.

Do not wear tight clothing, tight belts, or keep things in your back pockets. Really tight jeans can make it worse.

See your doctor ASAP for further evaluation, to see if you
have some other issue happening with that surgery.

Good luck!

[Bannet]

Wow Kellie. I am so sorry that you are experiencing so much pain but I have to agree with MrsD. You should contact your surgeon.

In the meantime I would like to welcome you to NeuroTalk.

[Darlene]

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Great to see you have come to be with us. Just let us know if we can be of any help. We are all here to assist each other as possible.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around.

Darlene

[Kitty]

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk, Kellie! I'm also a Kelly...just spelled differently! I'm so sorry to hear about your pain but have to agree with MrsD.....check with your doctor.

[FranksAngel]

hello and welcome to neurotalk ... i hope you will take the advise of mrsd and call your surgeon ... meanwhile i want to welcome you to neurotalk and i hope to see you posting soon in some of the forums ....

[azoyizes]

I'm so sorry that you are in so much pain. Please give your doctor a call.

Welcome to NT. It's a great place to visit. Come and stay awhile.

[weegot5kiz]

Hello and welcome to Neuro Talk, feel free to explore and do not hesitate to ask questions concerns and or worries you may have. Folks here are fantastic helpful and kind, again welcome to NT, here is a link to the spinal forums http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum22.html