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still having pain after fusion
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MedHelp Member's Question

still having pain after fusion

by terecia37, Jul 01, 2005 12:00AM
Hello,



I have never posted on this site before, but I read the posts regularlly, and find it very interesting and informative.



I had a spinal fusion l4 l5 with hardware on March 9, 05, I had a herniated disc, and slippage of the spine.  At 6 weeks post op, I started having problems with sciatic like pain, (terrible burning pain in lower back and butt) pain worse than before surgery.  My doctor put me on neurontin with no help, and at 3 months he put me on an anti-inflamatory, which has helped some, but I am concerned about taking it this early, that it may interferre with my fusion.  I also have alot of pain when I try to stretch my piriformis muscle in the area of that muscle and I wonder if that is the problem.



I am wondering if this is normal after the type of surgery I had.  I have a appointment with PM in about 3 weeks.



One last thing, I started having alot of trouble with my feet along with my back problems.  They burn on the bottom (I have been checked for neuropathy, and don't have that), and also the balls of my feet hurt really bad when I walk, and I was wondering if all that could be from the back problem, and may get better along with the other nerve problems from compression.

I would appreciate any advice.  Thanks



Doctor's Answer

by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-PW, Jul 07, 2005 12:00AM
Spinal fusion for a herniated disc is done mostly to prevent any damage to the spinal cord or roots. It does not gaurantee freedom from pain as any pain not directly due to the compressed nerves will remain.



After surgery , problems like persistent nerve compression or a residual disc fragment should be evalauted for if suspected by another MRI. There will also be an amount of pain from surgical trauma which may take weeks to months to heal. Seeing a pain management doctor is a good idea as they might be able to differentiate which of the above mechanisms is most likely



the feet problem is less clear, and there may have been some S1 nerve root damage prior to surgery (I do not know if this root was involved or not), surgery does not necessarily reverse any disability, the body has to heal itself over time (weeks to months). In 20-30% of neuropathies the cause is not found and routine tests are normal.



Good luck
Member Comments (17)

by miracles3337, Jul 15, 2005 12:00AM
I have been reading these boards for awhile, and I had occ-c3 fused in 1997.  Now there is only fusion between c2-c3.  I understand how fusion patients feel.  Pain is something they told me to live with, and thats not a way to live.  Recently numbness in my right arm and shoulder, agnozing pain from levels lower than fusion.... Constant cracking and horrific pressure in my neck. Here's my problem, I read how these people all have doctors, I don't.  The state denying me benefits, and I sit without my medications or care in any way.  I know if my current cervical problem goes untreated then, one day it will have caused serious damage.  I broke and dislocated c1.  I go to emergency rooms where I am dumped, and sometimes not even given common x-rays.  They give me that look like, your lucky you lived through that...... and shuffle out the door.  What do I do?  Will the medical community help me when its too late?  

     I knew when my neck was broken, and they told me nothing was wrong...Now without any care, medication, or tests, everyday is hell for me and my family...

by scholders, Aug 30, 2005 12:00AM
Especially to Terecia37. I had fusion surgery in April 2005 on lowest 3 disc with metal hardware. I had right foot pain as I became conscious. I could not get pain relief without heavy duty pain meds along with large doses of neurontin. The bottom of both feet but especially my right one is really tender to any walking and especially the balls of the feet. I mostly stay off of them since it does hurt so much. Mine start with a tingling burn to more of a straight burn sensation to a numbing burn to what feels like a really bad bone bruise. I just have to get off of them and let them settle down in several hours to sometimes a day. Sitting also causes feet to start burning sensation. It appears for me that anything that compresses the sciatic nerve like walking or sitting causes the nerve to go off while lying in bed but still on medication makes pain much more bearable. Both Rehabilitation doctor and neurosurgeon seemed to have blank looks and give me feeling that I was describing to them some impossible reaction to surgery. I was elated to see your post and joined forum to answer your post

by failedfusion3, Aug 31, 2005 12:00AM
I feel for everyone who has undergone a sort of fusion and it's failed.



It took some hot shot spine specialists a year to find my ruptured disc, if they would have done a CT scan first it would have shown... on the MRI they only read it as a lesion of some sort at the L5 location even reading the MRI backwards YES it can be done...



I have had over 19 injections done to my tailbone and butt cheeks, the treated it as SI problems... SI blocks done at the hospital into each side... an L5 Nerve block with NO help whatsoever...



Finally after a year they did a discogram and I would NOT for the life of me wish that test on my worse enemy even.  Needless to say it's only gotten worse the past 5 yrs.  



I've had an L5/S1 fusion (8" scar tailbone on up), with the bolts and rods moving, never fusing, somehwere between month 4 and 8 a titanium bolt completely sheared off!!  No xrays were taken from month 3 on... nope, they tried every drug imaginable to ease the pain, made me go back to work, had me wear a TENS unit, a bone stimulator my god I was a walking machine!

Surgery #2 at month 9 to try to remove the remaining hardware.  



Leaving 3/4 of a bolt/screw now in my body for the rest of my life causing pain whenever it rains/snows, etc.  3rd surgery was a whole year later, finally a differen doc, diff hospital, he did it laparscopically and inserted metal cages after cleaning up the bad disc and remaining tissue that had now moved to the right and bulging there causing more pain the past year.



Every single minute of my life is pain.  I have not had a day below a 6 out of 10.  I have been on every drug that Jerry Lewis has been and then some.  My poor stomach the past 5 years survives off crackers of any sort and gingerale.



This week they add a new pill to my aresenal of locked up meds.  At age 43, how am I to have a life???  Do I eventually lose my home cuz I can hardly sit a few hours to work (sedentary job of course!).  No one seems to understand.. disability insurance thru works think I should be up and running around, well standing is a bit better but only temporarily until the pain down my legs starts up all over again.  Laying on my side is the ONLY relief somewhat to this nitemare.



The PM&R doctor who manages my meds just keeps doing one to the other.  Who or what doctor should be the one managing the new pains, the new inability to sit on my right butt cheek now as the pain there has gotten so much worse.  How about my knees now that can hardly move as they have been my rock at the times that I cannot sit I have had to kneel or squat to get thru the 4 hours a day I do work 4 days a week...



No one has ANY answers for me and I feel sooo lost.  I have ready every article imaginable that I can find anyways online.  Jerry's story, when the docs mention a morphine pump my heart gets scared... my stomach can hardly handle anything new...yet I don't lose weight?  My blood pressure is still good, my asthmas is still under control, it's just the dang pain... minute after minute, even after I sit here typing this I have had to wiggle from one butt cheek to the other.  Sitting is my absolute worse, as well as driving.  I have not slept on my back or stomach for more than 10 minutes in over 5 years, this lady is soo tired... I only get about 4-5 hours a sleep a nite, yes the docs know this, yes I have ambien for those nites, but I don't wanna take 'one more pill'... I'm feeling very desparate for some answers or even where to go (dang as the tears well in my eyes right now).



I am just looking forward to the end of my day here and heading home to once again lay on my side for an hour after I take my 'noon' pills.



Thanks...again I pray none of you ever have to go thru my hell.

by lfoster21, Sep 02, 2005 12:00AM
Failedfusion3-I am in tears after reading your post.  I found this website, but was not able to post a question to the Dr. since i