Lumbar sacral plexopathy

[Severpian]

Is there anything that can be done for this Lumbar sacral plexopathy?

[Adult Neurology, M.D.]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

Sorry to hear that you are experiencing so much pain daily.

The symptoms you are describing can certainly be caused by a Lumbosacral plexopathy. The lumbosacral plexus is formed by the nerve roots which come out of the spinal cord. A lumbosacral plexopathy can be caused by several different etiologies: diabetes, inflammatory, infectious, autoimmune diseases, vasculitis, neoplastic, post-radiation, trauma. I am unaware if you have any of the etiologies in your medical history but if not you should be screened for them if you are at risk for them.

An epidural injection is usually a safe procedure with a low complication rate. Complications include infection, bleeding, headache, and rarely nerve damage by direct needle trauma.

Gabapentin is one of the medications which is used for nerve pain. Other medications which can be good for nerve pain are Duloxetine and Pregabalin. Sometimes intravenous steroids have also been tried. If you are still having pain despite taking numerous medications, I would advise seeing a pain management specialist. Hopefully, the pain can be brought under better control so that you can engage in your daily activities.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck

[Severpian]

I'm 27 years old and recently had a baby girl on Aug. 13 2012. I went into Flowers Hospital to be induced around 7am.  They gradually bumped the Pitocin up. A few hours into labor my contractions got really strong and painful so I asked for my epidural. The anesthesiologist came in for the procedure and told my husband to wait in the waiting room. They sat me up and began, while he was performing the procedure I experienced a sharp shock down my left leg and my left leg flew up in the air. The anesthesiologist asked the nurse if my leg flew up and she nodded yes. He finished what he was doing and they lied me back down. I delivered my baby girl around 3:20pm she was 6ib. 12 oz. The nurses lowered my legs and covered me up. About 2 hours past by and they came back into the room to clean me up and move me to my room. They found that my uterus was not contracting back down and I had been bleeding pretty bad so 2 nurses began pushing on my uterus they pushed for about 30 min. to an hour and finally they had got the bleeding to slow down. I ended up with sever anemia. I waited about another hour and they had come in to walk me to the bathroom and bring me to my room. The nurses stood me up to walk and I went to walk and realized I still couldn't feel or use my left foot. They said it was normal after an epidural for it to last longer on some people. I also had a Tubal.  So I finished my stay in the hospital still without feeling or movement in my left foot. I went home with my baby. At home I was still unable to use my foot but I also started to notice some pain in my left calf. It was Aug. 26 2012 when I woke up in the morning with severe pain in my leg and couldn't walk. I went to the hospital and they said I had neuropathy, so I needed to go to a neurologist. So I went and he had found that I had drop foot and ordered a MRI they came back normal. So they set me up for physical therapy. The pain, burning, numbness, tingling, and sensitivity got worse. So they did a nerve conduction study and found that I have Lumbar Sacral Plexopathy. My neurologist put me on gabapentin and pain meds. But I still suffer every day with this nightmare. I can't walk in the morning. I have a hard time taking care of my kids. I can't go anywhere with my family because of the pain and I can't bear weight on my left foot. It has messed my life up and I don't know how long I'm going to be like this. Please help...