Please help! post op problems
 

Hey guys I'm new to the paget first time post, however I have been reading a lot of the posts on here. Recently I had a laminectomy & discectomy at L4-L5 on Dec. 20. I injured my back back on July 1 2012 at work. So needless to say that is a story in it's self... I was having severe right leg pain, numbness, tingling, weaknesses you name it I had it. After surgery I felt great no pain felt 1000x better, however on day 16 of post op I simply got up off the couch and immediately started experiencing pain that gradually got worse. However pain this time was bilateral in both legs, hips and buttocks. By middle of the night my legs felt so heavy I could barely pick my legs up. Finally I was admitted for pain management and a new mri. The mri showed a slight bulge at L4-L5 again but worse was all the new swelling around the nerve. My Neuro talked with me an said he was concerned with the swelling mainly on the nerve where it passes through the foramen. Immediately started on oral steroids, tordol, and pain management. My Neuro says he doesn't want to elaborate on what could become of this if the swelling doesn't subside soon, I go for follow up in 7 days. I'm on day 3 now of steroids etc, still not much relief from pain unless I'm laying back in a slight reclined position. Does anyone have any insight into this. What worries me is that I am only 27 and still dealing with some numbness in the right foot an calf from nerve being pinched prior to surgery. I apologize for such a long post however trying to explain as well as I can. Also I had tried ESI's and PT prior to surgery. What has me concerned is obviously the heaviness in the kegs but the fact now I have pain bilaterally in both legs. Any insight and suggestions on helping this get better would be appreciated!!

also....
 

I also forgot to mention that he advised I had moderate/severe spinal stenosis as well. I'm just very concerned about this because the first procedure was supposed to help this. He advised as well that where the nerve is passing through the foramen that the stenosis isn't helping the cause and the nerve has the canal completely filled so the nerve has no room. I hope all of this makes sense, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all of this. Just want to get back to normal an be able to work and play with my kids most importantly!! Thanks everyone for any input!

It sounds to me like you might be in for another session in the operating room. I'm not CERTAIN on this, but it's possible. :eek:

I cannot say what procedure they'd be doing as I'm not "up" on this, darn it, but it seems like they're going to HAVE to make room for those nerves to get thru the foramen and room at the cord. Trouble is, I don't know how they do that. I'm going to have to research that. :confused:

Maybe Dubious knows how they do that. You might want to send him a message and ask him about this. He knows ALOT about this. Send him a PRIVATE message so he'll get it.

Best of luck and God bless. Let us know what happens will you. I want to know for further reference! Hugs, Lee ;)

L4-L5 problems
 

Thanks I will certainly message him! I have done so much research on what has been going on, and after feeling as if I had tried everything I knew could help or was recommended could help, I was content with my decision of having surgery. This new round of issues truly have me confused! So I'm trying to figure out what is going on, I've learnt A LOT from just reading your guys posts so I felt confident you guys would have some great input! It has truly knocked me back to reality bc I truly thought I was on my way back to 100%! My other delima is when I went to the ER sat. Night they did a CT scan, and the report said I had 're herniated L4-L5 with a 5mm herniation and now L6-S1. When I ended up going to the hospital the next afternoon where my neurosurgeon requested me to go to be admitted I brought the CD & report for him. I told him what the report said and he immediately said CT scans can't truly show anything and he only relies on MIR's. So we did an MIR and he said I had a slight bulge at L4-L5 but to much swelling to see it all, and that there was no problem atL6-S1. Now I trust my Neuro fully and he has never steered me wrong, but how can these 2 results vary so greatly? Of course I hope the MRI is correct, but it left me wondering if the MRI is hiding the problem as well. Right now I am more concerned with the nerve passing through the foramen bc it's causing the "heaviness" bilaterally in my legs. But the vast difference in the 2 reports has me questioning also. Again thank you guys SO much for any and all input you guys can give, I know I've written a lot and I hope its not confusing, but hopefully the more info I can give the better answers I can get!

Hi fireman...i previously had neck fusion ---i was going great for 18 months ---then my shoulder and right arm started to become very painful..I actually thought I tore rotatar cuff...long story short had mri I also have severe stenosis but in the neck and c-5 the neural foreman is virtually blocked from it --the only fix would be to take out old hardware drill the foreman a large hole. However surgeon is against his because the risk of revison surgery and fusing a 2nd time on a muti level fusion drop significantly. So, long story short i went of 90days predisone treament and it didint help till that start of the third month....to feel any benefits. Still not 100% but improved symptoms 80 to 90% as long as I dont do anything to physcial. Wish you the best!!

Thanks mg, the hardest part for me is just not knowing, as I said I'm only 27, an it kills me to not be able to get does an play with my kids and of course get back to work bc as of now I'm not getting disability or anything and work comp has been paying however I'm going to have to take them to court. So I'm glad to hear you did get some relief with 90 days of prednisone! Did you have any negative side effects being on them continuously? I know since July I've been on approximately 15 methylprednisone packs, 2 epidural steroid injections, an I just started my 2nd methylprednisone pick since Dec. 20th surgery. So all in all I've had 17 methglprednisone packs and the 2 epidurals. I've heard people say be careful with the side effects so I'm beginning to research this being as I've had so many in about 7 months. Thanks and I hope you get to feeling better!

You have so much on your plate with being a Dad too---side effects funny my last day taking it I woike up with a strange skin rash on my face ---took a week went away ---i have pretty good skin ---looked like i had a burn ---I am slim I didnt gain any weight as most ppl do ---oh...for a month i has some wicked headaches too. I think I started like 60mg for two weeks then 50mg ,40,30,10,5 ---were talking epidural now too-- with all the hardware its hard for them to get it exactly --honestly I dont regret surgery but flare ups from the nerves are very hard to deal . I notice with me when they come on --they last long!! But then I have a long remission period too. Any spinal surgery as you know has risks --dont get me wrong I don t regret it gave me my life back but Im slowing learning my limiataions as before I was very athlectic ....now not so much. I know if i get a flare up Dr say 6 months before I can go on predisone ---but non of the drugs worked like predisone for me .

Honestly you gotta be your own advocate with medical issues I trust my DR but past has shown me .....I suffered along time before getting to the point of MRI even after surgery I wont let that happen again.Im sorry your going thur this right now.

spinal stenosis
 

spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the backbone of the spine if tis severe im sure you do have pain going down both legs.
inflamation can also cause the stenosis.
if you feel your md is doing good for you do what he says- if not conider getting a 2nd opinion.

sue

The thing with fireman is he didn't have fusion surgery -- he just had the laminectomy/diskectomy. So he wouldn't need "revision" surgery. He'd just need the hole made bigger. Isn't that a possibility? I know that's a fairly big surgery, but seems like it needs to be done! Correct?

Something needs to be done, that's for sure.

Hey Dubious -- where are you? :eek:

]

Leesa is correct all I had was the discectomy and laminectomy, however he did advise I Do have pretty badDDD he has seen in someone my age and that I will need to have a replacement or fusion sometime down the road, however at my age he doesn't want to go to that point if at all avoidable, which I greatly appreciate. Still baffles me how my back is so bad, I've been pretty athletic all my life, never over weight and never had any kind of traumatic injuries to my back

Lee...I dont think its just hole being bigger ---I think--at least in my case my bone grew around hardware which blocked the foreman the nerve is still passing but pressing. I thinks with fireman he in having a inflamatory response maybe rsd?? ----from what i understand most people foreman shrinks as we age or with stenosis-- but its still large enough to pass the nerve. His DR concerned with so much swelling. He defintley needs further follow up and stay with anti -infmatorys meds fro awhile.