Hello all! This past November I had my 3rd back surgery. My first was in August 2008, which was an L5-S1 fusion that broke 3 months later. Stayed that way for 13 months. Had 2nd back surgery in January 2010, which was a cage to fix broken fusion since wearing a bone stimulator didn't help.

After this surgery (fusion of L4-5-S1), which was because of a huge increase in pain after being hit from behind in an accident last May, my pain seemed to be better for a couple of months. The relief wasn't right away. I had been taking aquatic PT and was almost entirely off of pain meds. However, it was like all of the sudden around late march that the bottom dropped out on me. A new pain I had after this surgery (when the surgeon got in, he found that a screw from 2008 was hitting the next vertebrae up and that my body absorbed bone between fusion levels. I never grew bone) was chronic pain towards my right hip/SI joint. The doctor told me it was because he took none marrow from that hip. I now have the most severe pain you could imagine in that area which gets worse with any lateral movement. Sitting is horrible. Walking hurts. The only relief is while lying on my side with pillow between knees.

Has anyone ever had this happen after fusion? Ever had it happen and the doctor say the fusion looks good? I'm losing my mind it feels like. I'm walking with a cane. I'm up to 100-120 mgs of Oxycodone a day in addition to 1800 mg of Neurotin. Some days I have to add Norco and Flexeril. Please tell me I'm not the only one, when I go to sit down I let out a scream. It feels like my back is tearing in two.

You are not the only one... I'm due to have another fusion this year, it will be my 5th major surgery on my spine. Twice I have had bone taken from my hips to form grafts and the area it was taken from hurt for years. I try to explain that sometimes I feel as if my back is splitting into two. Imagine doing breaststroke and when your legs push out and then back in to finish the stroke is how my lower back feels. My fusions have been L4/5, in 1977 then 1994 and 1996 to remove the broken rods. In 2013 they did L4,5 & S1 to insert new rods and will do L3 sometime this year. Im totally over it all