Back Surgery DONE but still pain

[123AAV]

I have had back pain for over 15 years and finally decided to do surgery.  I had a laminectomy and discectomy in Oct 2007.  The pain was so bad I would walk before surgery.  After surgery I still had pain and could not sit or stand for more than 15 minutes without severe pain. My surgeon said it is not from the back surgery there must be something else wrong.  I went to a neurologist and he said no nerve damage, went to another neurosurgeon and he said perhaps its severe arthritis.  I went to a rheumatologist and she said it has to be from surgery.  We found out that my sed rate was 20 before surgery and climbing to 50 as we speak. Pain Management gave me two injections of sterioids and cortizone but no changes.   Infectious Disease doctor says there is no infection, MRI shows inflamation but no one knows what it is.  Went to an orthopedic doctor and he says it must be from surgery.  After being bounced around from doctor to doctor I am loosing hope.  Back to the Rheumatologist she said part of my pain that was across the low spine both buttocks, down my legs into my feet, could be bursitis in my hips.  She gave me two shots in each hip (cortisone) it releived a little pain in my hips and my legs for only 2 weeks but the back still hurted.  A month passed and still so much pain I literally had to lye in bed on my back.  She did give me feldene for arthritis and that helped me get out of bed, but still the pain.  Can someone give me an idea of what this could be.  I have degenerated disc disease they all were not concerned with that as well.
Please help.

[donder1]

And that my dear fellow sufferers is why they call it "practicing medicine"..I suppose you have been through all the physical therapy, stretching exercises, tens units, ultrasonic devices, traction etc.?
What about warm water aerobics?  Those moist heating pads help some, as do alternating ice with the warm packs. I'm afraid there's no magic cure. Stay away from all those "natural healing" promises, you're wasting money & hope. Acupuncture has been helpful to some. Actually just moving and getting muscles back in shape is the best thing you can do for yourself. It is painful, and little by little it will get better.

[mustanggt]

Unfortunately, it sounds like you have the same problem that I have.  I had brain surgery and a c1-c7 laminectomy 6 years ago.  I am only 25 years old.  I was in pain before the surgeries, but nothing compared to the pain that I am in since the surgeries.  If I would have know for a second that I would be worse after the surgeries, I never would have had them.  I have been seeing a pain management doctor for the past 5 years and had to be on high doses of morphine to help manage my pain.  I cannot work and havent been able to since the surgeries.  I have been to contless doctors also, and none of them can tell me why I am hurting so bad.  Every doctor just tells me that they cannot do anything for me and that I need to learn to deal with the pain.  I have a hard time understanding how doctors that are sworn to help the sick can just shrug people off that are in genuine need of help.  I don't really have any solutions for you because I have been tryin for 5 years to find a solution and have yet to find one.  I am willing to talk to you and tell you more about the different things that I have tried if you want.  I know what you are going through though, so please dont think that you are alone.

[klanac]

Have any of you read the books by Dr. John Sarno? Check them out at your library and read about his take on back pain.

[nel37]

I have been reading all your comments and i do really feel for you all, I have suffered back pain since my last baby was born. At first it was just now and again it would give out and i just could not move at all. I had a full time job and tried the "keep moving " advice by my gp, but then it happened more frequently. If i sat down i could not get out of a chair, i could not turn over in bed and there were times i simply could not feel my legs or backside. Things accelerated and in 2002 i had a scan, i had a severe degeneration of the lower spine with central disk bulges on the lower levels all with annular tears. I still kept on working, then only days after i had recovered from one bout i would have another bad turn. In 2006 some disks ruptured whilst i was asleep in bed at 3am, and i thought i was gonna die, the pain made me scream, i could not feel my leg and yet it felt like a red hot poker had been stuffed inside it. I dragged myself down the stairs crying i could not walk or weight bare at all. I was in that bed for months and waited 22 weeks for another MRI . I broke my heart evryday and even phoned the samaritans twice as the pain was unbarable.The results took time too and eventually in November 2006 got the results saying the central nerve was trapped and i would need an operation. Scared to death i went through with the op, and although i can feel the leg i am in constant pain on a much more disabling scale. I cry day and night, i dont go out, i lost my job and i wish to god i had never had the operation. I cant do things with my children i just lay here and i really dont know what to do anymore. If i try to walk i suffer for days after, i cant sit or stand  or lean back or forward, my leg feels like its twitching all the time and the leg feels bruised from my backside down to my ankle. Cant quite believe ive ended up like this , i just dont know what to do and dont want anyone else to suffer like this either. Look after your back.!!

[Prem Pillay, MD]

Some patients with disc herniation have persistent back pain despite surgery.
In these patients we do try to maximize pain control and physical therapy.
In our practise we do send patients for warm water aquatherapy:   www.aquaphysio.com
Patients who do not have good pain relief with therapy and pain treatments may need either a dynamic spinal implant ( Wallis, Corflex, DIAM etc) or the older option of spinal fusion.

[Zak_Han]

Hi,sorry to know your suffering,my personal opinion: As you know,pain was come from inflammation which located in both outside and inside of spine,Operation you did maybe just relive inflammation in inside of spine,so there are still have lot of inflammation in outside of spine,which can lead to pain,traditional surgery maybe better for relive outside inflammation sametime,but new microsurgery do nothing for inflammation in outside of spine.so that's may be passible reason.
Good luck!

[mustanggt]

Hey DRMANDU---  do you think that you can give any insight into my situation???  I posted a response to what 123AAV is going through and then I saw that you posted back to her.  The extreme pain sent me back to the emergency room 2 weeks ago, and once again I was told that there was nothing that can be done for me.  I refuse to accept that diagnosis.  I need a miracle.  I want to be able to get off of the couch and at least live a little.  I am too young to be resigned to spending the rest of my life on the couch.  I really need some good advice from a knowledgeable doctor.  I can tell you any history you need to know and hopefully you can shed some light on what I can do.