Anyone experience the removal of rods after spinal fusion?

[arawlings]

My daughter was involved in a car accident in Jan 05, she was 15 years old at the time, she had her L4, L5 fused, and was told she would be fine after she healed.  However she has been experiencing back pain, and her legs will not go straight out when in a sitting position, the doctor says that her hamstrings are tight, and she needs to stretch them out.  She has been doing stretch exercises for 2 years now with no sign of improvements, the pain is getting worse and she is getting cortisone shots in her back every 3 weeks, until she is scheduled for surgery to have the rods removed. Now she is starting to experience pain after the injections, she is 18 years old and misses so much school due to pain, does anyone have any suggestions

[OldRelic]

kimmyy1974 sorry I can't email you as your email has been removed. it's 10 days since my rods and screws were removed and the pain is almost unbearable. I'm bent over like a paper clip and have major trouble walking. the swelling is to great to discribe and I am having to use arm support srutches to get around. I also have a floppy right foot now and that wasn't like it before the hardware was removed. my advice is not to have the rods and screws removed unless you really need too. sorry I cant be of a positive help.

[kimmyy1974]

could u please email me ***@****  i had a spinal fusion done 4 years ago 2 rods and 8 screws now they need removed im wondering the healing time and also does your back get that dip back? my back has no shape now like its flat but does that curve come back again(i hope) lol

[OldRelic]

I had a fusion L4-L5 with hardware and cadaver bone in 2009, since then I have had chronic pain radiating down my left leg and deep center of my back.
Iam to undergo removal of the hardware on Tuesday next as the surgeon suspects that the pain is caused by irritation of the nerves. I saw a specialist 2 weeks ago and he says my pain is from L5-S1 and that I need to have fusion in that area. How can 2 different surgeons have 2 different diagnosis? I need to have the existin hardware removed because everytime I bend the pain in L3-L4 is horrendous. I shall endevour to update you all on the outcome of the removal process and the pains from the newly diagnosed L5-S1 issue.

[Bobomoml4kids]

I had a Lumbar Laminectomy with Fusion and a metal cage placed in the areas of L5 S1 in Jan. of 2009. After that surgery, I experienced problems with my right leg not feeling like normal. There seemed to be a loss of function and there was pain that constantly ran through my lower back area. I continued to see my spine specialists and they did MRI after MRI trying to see what the problems were stemming from. In the spring of 2010 I was finally sent for injections to try to releave the pain, but no success. I was sent again for injections a few months later but the dr who was to do the injections said that if the first set didn't work then he wasn't going to put me through the torture of doing more. In the fall of 2010, the spine doctors finally realized that the titanium bars that were placed, actually were pinching some nerves, most likely the cause of my pain. In Sept. of 2010 I underwent surgery to remove the titanium bars. I noticed about a week and a helf after that surgery that I still was getting more and more pain in the back and right leg. After yet another MRI the spine doctors noticed that I had formed a hematoma in the area of the L5 S1 so just 7 wks. after my Sept. surgery, in Oct. of 2010, I was under the knife AGAIN to remove that infection and formation of blood clots. During my stint in the hospital in Oct. of 2010, I was getting out of bed for the first time after surgery and realized that I had no use of my right leg at all. I had to drag my leg behind me while using a walker to be able to be moblie. As time passed and after many stints in physical therapy, I strengthened my right leg enough to be able to begin using a cane in the spring of 2011. All along I have lost more use of my right leg and gained more pain in my lower back. I am now entering into more surgeries to have a neural stimulator and an infusion pump to help me releave the pain and get me back being able to walk. As of the end of last week I have more or less been bed ridden because pain has gotten to be uncontrolled with all of the different medications I have been on for 17 months. I even had to call the ambulance and be admitted to the hospital for 2 days to get my pain at a level that I could be at home, but now I am back to not being able to be a part of my 4 childrens' lives. I hope that the doctors are able to get me walking again, because my life has been torn apart from all of this. I have been denied disability twice and have been waiting to see a judge since last May, which I am scheduled to see the judge this May. All I have to say is that I have had more problems since my first surgery in 2009 then I EVER imagined, and it has made it more of a reality to see that there are so many other people, the ones who have commented on here, that have gone and are going through what I am. I wish you all well in your journey through the spinal problems and every other area of your lives! God Bless!!  

[Snipernurse]

okay I had a spinal fusion Feb 2010 and am seeking info about removing my 4 rods and other hardware to my L-4 and L-5 region. Im in pain! and hydrocodone not working. I was referred to a new pain specialist called Midwest Interventional Spine Specialist....Doc says Im addicted to pain pills and thinks I just need to stop taking them and return to my exercise level that I had in Army, which by the way is where I injured my spine like so many other soldiers. I have deep horrible pain in my tail bone and some above level of surgery, Im thinking the Dr's think I just want pain pills for no reason.....what is going on??? Its like a horror flick where no Dr will treat the pain and the injections done like the caudal increases the pain....Im lost!!! I want help!

[markra]

hi i have 2 rods and 4 screws, fixatio t12 -l2 from skydiving accident. i am lying awake in hospital and will have them removed in 4 hours.

exciting stuff
will let yu know hour i go. it hurt like hell when they went im, they stuffed up my pain medication and forgot to give morpheine, it ws hell, wish they killed me, happened in a skydiving accident.

can't be worse, have had metal in 16 months ,will keep u posted