After 5 back surgeries, still suffering.

  I have had five back surgeries since 1990 and I am still suffering from lowere back pain with right leg pain that radiates underneath my foot.
  I had a spinal cord stimulator implanted for a period of time, but it ended up being a failure to help with the pain.
  It was in 1990 that I had a ruptured disc and had surgery to fuse it at L5, S1.  I had bone grafts implanted from a donor bank and after the surgery, the back pain was better, but the leg pain was worse.  
  I have been to a pain therapy clinic, and then ended up at Mayo Clinic where the spinal cord implant was done.  They said that I had so much scar tissue from 2 previous surgeries and so it was hard to place the leads correctly on my spine.  They did this surgery twice.  The relief that i received from this only lasted a short while.  It was eventually removed and an MRI was done.  Nothing can be found and no one has an answer for me.  
  I am still having low back pain with pain radiating down my right leg.  I now have pain in the mid portion of my back with pain radiating into my chest.  It makes me sick at my stomach and by the end of a long work week, I am a total mess on Friday night.
  The pain is excrutiating when I lay down at the end of the day to sleep.  My right arm siezes up and the pain is wearing me down.  
  I am taking tylox for pain on a regular basis so that I can function.
  Do you have any suggestions for me?
  Thanks!
__________________
__________________
Dear Janet,
It is difficult to discern what exactly the source of your pain is at this point.  It may be due to residual compression of the roots, from instability, from scarring or a combination of all three.  A small fraction of patients don't get better at all with surgery.  This is why the appropriate selection of patients for surgery is so important when dealing with the spine.  
Your surgeon should look at your latest films to see whether you have any issues that can be addressed surgically.  Remember that scar tissue will simply regrow after another surgery, so surgery solely for decompression of scarring may not be the best option.  If there are no surgical issues, you may inquire as to better means of pain management.  There are many anesthesiologists who specialize in pain management, and they may have some new ideas for you.  A good physical therapist can be immensely useful as well.
Lastly, if questions still remain as to your status, then a second opinion to another surgeon may be warranted.
Good luck.